#like i think nancy will figure out the mike vecna thing first????

[therainscene]

I think I might have figured out what the Mind Flayer really is.

This theory has been percolating in my brain for a while now; it hasn't really finished baking yet but I wanted to get the gist of it down before The First Shadow debuts.

Let’s begin at the Hawkins National Lab, 6th November 1983. For the second time in her young life, El faces terrifying and deeply traumatic circumstances which cause her powers to lash out and rip a gash in the fabric of reality.

Meanwhile, across town, Will is doing what every queer 12 year-old has done and finds an excuse to spend an extra moment alone with his crush.

His little gay heart is as aflutter as the garage lights.

(Strange, that. The lights, I mean -- considering that he's on the other side of town from the lab. Do you suppose the Demogorgon trekked all the way to Mike's house and quietly followed him home again?)

Will heads home, lost in thought as he cycles past the lab. Is he thinking about how sweet his new X-Men #134 is gonna be? Or is he thinking about something even sweeter? The lights flutter again.

And something in front of him notices.

Will has always been noticeable: his clothes, his mannerisms, his interests -- they've always attracted the attentions of bullies. Now something new -- or maybe something that was always there and is only now making itself known -- has attracted the attentions of a monster.

He runs home, he calls for help, but he's alone, there's no escape. He races to the shed and loads a gun like his father taught him -- but it's not in his nature to be violent. He freezes, petrified.

The lights surge as his terror wrestles control of his powers and uses them to puncture an escape route in the fabric of reality.

Why were we so quick to believe that the Demogorgon -- a minion of the guy whose whole thing is his inability to open gates -- was able to open its own temporary portals in S1 and then never again?

Will could plausibly have been responsible for every temporary portal in S1: he’s at the Byers house when the Demogorgon pushes through its walls; he's on the run to Castle Byers when Nancy stumbles across that portal in the woods; and he's plugged in to one of Vecna's vines during the finale -- something we see Vecna plug himself into when he remotely opens gates in S4.

There’s one exception though.

Barb likely slipped through a gate in Steve's pool, but how could Will have opened that one when he was in his bedroom at the time, talking to his mother through the lights?

Let me ask you this: isn't it interesting that of all the injuries Barb could have obtained in her passage to the Upside Down, she got a nosebleed?

I think powers are more common than we’ve been led to believe, and gates are a last-ditch self-defense mechanism for anyone with powers.

This is why the four curse victims’ deaths opened a gate: Vecna pushed them to their breaking point to artificially trigger the self-defense response. Those headaches and nosebleeds weren't caused by Vecna directly, but by their own powers acting up as they inched towards oblivion.

[Shoutout to @givehimthemedicine's underrated powers and blood theory for the idea of Vecna's Curse being the overcharging of his victims' own powers.]

It was already pretty obvious that Vecna's Curse is a metaphor for suicide, and this theory reinforces it: every kid who gets targeted by the horrors of Hawkins for being "different" tries to find some way to escape.

Willel's misfortune is that their powers are considerably more easily manifested than the average person's. Byler tells the story of visible vs invisible queerness, but that's just a reflection of the larger theme at play in the show: the visible and invisible ways kids are othered and abused.

Max's trauma was a quiet thing that came from within and festered until it was almost too late to save her... but Willel's trauma manifests as a giant monster that openly hunts them down.

And I'm being literal when I say the Mind Flayer is a manifestation of their trauma.

We know that Vecna fashioned the Mind Flayer from a cloud of black particles he found in the Upside Down, but where did that cloud come from? The Upside Down is a mysterious enough place that it's easy to assume the Shadow is native to that realm... but what if it isn't?

The Mind Flayer is heavily associated with repression -- Will gradually lost his memories while he was possessed, and El lost her powers when the sliver of Flesh Flayer wormed its way into her leg.

But Will has mysteriously been without powers ever since leaving the Upside Down, and we've seen El lose memories too: her memories of surviving the lab massacre, in which she didn't simply escape by opening up a gate, but by disintegrating her attacker into black particles.

The Mind Flayer doesn't cause repression -- it is repression.

There must have been countless generations worth of traumatized children who took the extra step El did and sent their abusers -- or at least their memories of abuse -- into that hidden realm beyond the gate.

(There's also the possibility that Mr. Time-is-Just-a-Social-Construct is stuck in a time loop of some sort -- maybe the massacre has repeated hundreds of times, and Dimension X is a timeless graveyard of El's attempts to repress her trauma. This would explain why Henry seems to have both disintegrated and survived: we were watching at least two different iterations of the massacre all along.)

Whichever way you slice it, it's a perfect fit: the tool Vecna uses to perpetuate the cycle of abuse isn't some bizarro alien from an alternate dimension, but a direct consequence of the cycle itself.

The Mind Flayer tells us that escape alone doesn't work as a long-term solution: it might help you survive the initial abuse, but if you don't address the effect it had on you...

...it will come back to wreck havok.

[Edit: Click here for post-TFS thoughts on this theory]

[stevesbipanic]

Under the Tree

Finally my contribution for @thefreakandthehair spicy six winter challenge. This was a lot of fun, my prompt was “Um, I got you something.” / “You got me something?” Hope you enjoy!

The first Christmas after the defeat of Vecna was an important one. It was the first Christmas that they didn’t have to worry about seeing flickering lights or brandishing weapons. The kids could be kids, and the adults could be too.

Steve Harrington could count on one hand the number of good Christmas’ he could remember. He assumed that the Christmas’ before he was 5 were adequate enough, but, the year he turned 5 he remembers his mother baking gingerbread with him and his dad playing basketball with him out on the driveway Christmas morning. They never would again. When he was 19, he spent Christmas with the Buckley’s. It was a warm Christmas filled with love and laughter; one he’ll treasure forever. This year, age 20, Steve hopes to add another good Christmas to his collection.

Joyce insisted on hosting, and no one was going to tell her no. After all, the Hopper-Byers now lived in a beautiful house just on the edge of the woods, you could bike to Hopper’s old cabin which had now been turned into a sort of club house for the kids, Hellfire was regularly held there now that Eddie had graduated. Steve had spent all of November getting gifts for his family, not his parents, he hadn’t heard from them since they sold the house and moved to Washington after the earthquake. No, his real family, he spent weeks making sure everyone got the perfect gift. He had had to hide Robin’s gift at Dustin’s now that he shared an apartment with her and was quite the snoop, not that Steve minded, he liked how intertwined their lives were. He had thought of hiding it at Nancy’s new place, but she had become less tight-lipped about secrets since her and Robin had gotten together.

That was another new thing, Robin and Nancy, the two who fell together so perfectly after everything that happened. Steve was the least surprised, when they told him he’d claimed it made sense due to him having great taste in women, they knew he was joking. Steve knew because he could see how well the two of the complimented each other. Nancy was patient and happy to listen and let Robin work through a problem by rambling. Robin was supportive but tough when it came to both Nancy’s goals but also her health. They had both taken gap years to revaluate their goals and desires while also taking a well-deserved break. The future could wait another year for them to have time to heal hidden wounds.

Steve was glad there was no bad blood between them and Jonathan, they’d all repaired their relationships over the years, figuring out platonic and romantic loves and wants, Steve could call Jonathan his brother (he was suspicious that Joyce had filled out adoption papers somewhere) and let old demons lie. With Jonathan had come Argyle, someone Steve didn’t know how the party went so long without. Argyle was a steadying presence, reminding them that they’re not defined by what happened to them and telling deep truths, usually high but the fact still stood. Steve was glad the two of them had each other, he could see years of emotional weight be lifted off Jon’s shoulders whenever Argyle was around.

Even the kids had matured, and not just in the way that trauma matures someone. Steve could see them let go of childish desires like the first love romance between Mike and El that grew into more a relationship like Steve and Nancy, stronger as friends. Dustin still called Suzie every weekend but Steve knew they both had a good head on their shoulders, he liked to think any kid that came from them would probably solve all the world’s problems in a day. Lucas and Max had worked so much on their communication, understanding each other’s needs now more than ever.

Maybe it’s why Steve had spent so long making sure they all had the perfect gift. A small part of Steve that still held doubt, a grain of doubt so rooted inside of him from childhood that it may never leave. The part of him that worried about being forgotten and left behind, the part of him that drove him to always be useful. He’d gotten high with Eddie in the first week of December and poured his heart out to him about it, Eddie hadn’t said anything in reply, he hadn’t needed to, Steve could see in his eyes they shared the same fears.

Eddie’s gift had been the most important, for reasons Steve could only confront in the safety of his own apartment, huddled under blankets with Robin late at night. Reasons that simultaneously made him feel whole and completely exposed. In the end the gift had been a mixtape, a perfect blend of their music tastes woven together with Steve telling Eddie about how the songs make him feel, about life, about Eddie, ending with his final confession. Steve hopes he doesn’t hear it until he gets home.

The party is in full swing, it had snowed the night before leaving plenty of soft snow to play in, distracting the kids from asking about presents until after dinner. They had all gathered around the tree, slowly but surely passing out gifts. Hugs and thanks were shared amongst the group, Steve felt his heart fill with warmth with every piece of gratitude or handmade card sent his way. Eddie’s eyes had twinkled when he’d read the tape’s description as being “Eddie’s Mix”, a promise for later dancing across his features. Paper picked up and clothes changed, the kids had settled in front of the television with mattress’ pulled from every room. Joyce and Hopper had retired with promises of making breakfast in the morning. The remaining two couples had either joined the kids or disappeared for their own festive celebration, leaving only Eddie and Steve finishing the dishes in the kitchen.

“So, a mix tape, Stevie? Do I have to worry about an hour long “Last Christmas” brainwashing?”

Steve had laughed putting away the last plate, Eddie had come over to help wrap presents and Steve’s record had gotten caught on the same track, they both nearly lost their minds.

“I can’t promise no Wham! but I think Last Christmas has had enough of a turn this year, Eds.”

Eddie smiled and took the edge of Steve’s sweater in his hands, grabbing a blanket and leading Steve out onto the porch. The two boys sat in the cold, huddled together under the blanket, listening to the quiet of the woods. The quiet brought them so much peace, no calls for help, no creatures to go bump in the night, just them and their heartbeats.

“Um, I got you something.”

“You got me something?” 

Eddie chuckled, “Of course I did, sweetheart, just didn’t want to put it with the rest of the gifts, didn’t think it would fit.”

Steve raised an eyebrow at this, “What is it?”

Eddie looked nervous now, slowly he pulled off one of his rings, it was one of the simpler ones. Steve always thought it stood out against the skulls and horror of the others. A small black stone set in silver, vines slicing through the metal. Eddie took Steve’s hand and slid the ring onto his finger.

“You always play with this one when you’re upset about something, figured it’d be better if you had it even when I wasn’t around.”

Steve felt seen, Eddie had comforted him through a lot after March, offering words and touch and even his ring to make Steve feel better.

“Eddie. Thank you.”

“Of course, Stevie.”

“But wait, how couldn’t this fit under the tree?”

“Well, there’s a second part to it, if you want it.”

Steve had missed many things in his life, but he didn’t miss the question in Eddie’s eyes.

“I’d really like the rest of my gift, Eddie.”

Eddie leant in slowly, still giving Steve the opportunity to move away, to say no, to leave Eddie behind. Steve didn’t though, he was never going to leave Eddie behind, would never forget him. Their lips touched, cold from the night air, and it felt like the final puzzle slotting into place. Eventually, they pulled away, just enough to catch their breath, foreheads still touching.

“Yeah, you would’ve looked weird with a bow on your head under the tree.”

“Maybe next year I’ll do it just for you.”

Steve smiled, he couldn’t wait for next year, and every year after that he got to spend with Eddie.

[teambyler]

"Byler Endgame, One Episode at a Time" - s5e4

Plot beats and scenes leading to a Byler endgame, one episode at a time, for Season 5 of Stranger Things. (This is just for fun! I have no insider knowledge!)

Also see Part 0, where I explain what I think a Byler Endgame has to address. Link to the previous episode.

s5e4

Will has a nightmare: it is November 1983 again and he is in the Upside Down. He’s in Castle Byers and gets captured by the Demogorgon. This time we see him get taken to the library and implanted. Will wakes up.*

It’s clear that Vecna is going after Will. When Mike sees him, he immediately senses something’s wrong. Will tells him.*

The party gathers at Hopper’s cabin. Will has a Walkman with “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” to try to fend off Vecna. They try to figure out what to do. The party needs to strike a blow against Vecna (something like a power source), but like in the s4 finale the vines and the hivemind are in the way. Will says he can be the distraction, just as Max was in s4. The group is mortified; Max insists: “No.” Will understands. The party discusses some other way to distract Vecna. Suddenly Will is targeted by Vecna again. Will is back in 1983 in the library and stuck to the wall. Vecna himself comes and says, “Will…” We cut to the group, Joyce is desperately pleading with Will to stay strong. We are not with Will as this all happens. El finds it in her power to piggyback by holding on to Will’s hand. For some reason, Will deliberately takes off the headphones. Joyce puts them back on as others hold down his arms so he doesn’t do it again. El backs off Vecna. Joyce takes a needle and sedates Will.

While Will sleeps, El plumbs into Will’s thoughts to find out what’s wrong. We see what Vecna was telling Will. Vecna wants Will’s powers and has always been trying to find a way to get them (since s1). He wants Will to give himself up, or else Vecna will kill people close to him, those he can reach, those who also have pain... "Like Max, like Mike..." Will reacts to Mike's name. Vecna knows and gives a sly smile. “Ah… you love your best friend?” Will protests. Cut to El, who suddenly sees Will's memories and that he is madly in love with Mike. (Flashbacks: Mike: “I said yes… It was the best thing I’ve ever done” [possessed Will desperately trying to break through] Mike: “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” Will tearing the picture of him and Mike, Will’s pain when Mike told El “My life started the day I found you.”) El is in shock. Vecna sees through Will’s denials. “Michael will be the first, and you will watch... He will be in pain… If you give in, there will be no pain... There is nothing for you. Not Michael, no one. You will always be a monster to them. You can end it now…” Will then takes off the headphones. El realizes why he did it and leaves Will’s mind.

El reports to the group that Vecna is singularly focused on Will, and wants some power of his. (She leaves out Will’s feelings for Mike and Vecna’s threat to Mike.) The only way to distract Vecna enough for the party to be able to attack his power source, is for Will to offer himself again. Mike says absolutely not; there’s got to be another way. They come up with an alternate plan of setting a large fire to the vines, so that they can avoid putting Will in danger. Joyce and Jonathan stay with Will as the rest head out.

As the party gets there, the bullies get in the way, this time with weapons. Nancy and Steve came prepared with a gun and nailed bat, and together they teach them a lesson. Mike in particular goes after Bully #1. After the melee, Nancy has a gun trained on Bully #1. Mike gets in his face, “If you touch Will again, I’m gonna kill you.” Bully #1 is all contempt. “What? You're a f****t, too?” Nancy fires a warning shot. Bully #1 jumps up and lunges at her and knocks the pistol out of her hand. In the struggle Mike is all tears and rage. He picks up the gun and is about to shoot him. El whips the gun out of Mike’s hand, and Bully #1 gets away. Mike is shaking. El runs up and hugs him. She has a realization…

Meanwhile, the party has FAILED at their task: they have to use Will.

*In retrospect, I should have put these at the start of s1e1, as we were teased about the first scene and it could be exactly this!

FOLLOW ME for the next part of “Byler Endgame, One Episode at a Time”!

Part 0 (what a Byler endgame needs to address) Previous episode Next episode

-teambyler

[aloneinthehellfire]

Come Back Home

Season One | Season Two | Season Three | Season Four

Raining Hellfire: Season Four

Word Count: 3113 words

Warnings: swearing, bullying, mentions of death

[A/N: The introduction to RH4 is here! This season has been the hardest to write considering that this is where we find out all the truth behind Vecna. I'm excited to finally share this with you all :)]

Before we begin a new season, I just want to thank every single person who has supported my story. I'm not sure what will happen after RH4, if this will be the last season, but I've had a hell of a time writing this :)

Come Back Home

Dear Y/n,

High school hasn’t really been anything special. It’s kinda hard but at least the lessons are slightly more interesting.

The guys decided to join Hellfire Club. Eddie’s taking care of them. Just like you said he would.

Lucas tried out for the basketball team. I think he’s enjoying it, despite all the assholes he says are his friends. We’re not really seeing eye to eye lately. But it’s all fine. I promise.

Mike complains a lot about El and Will not being there. I think he forgets that we’re all missing them too. It kinda sucks that El and I got so close only for her to move away. But she calls me, telling me about her time in California. She tells me she’s enjoying it.

Steve and Robin seem to like working at the video store. I visit them sometimes, Steve always sneaks me any new releases. He thinks I’m lonely but I’m fine. He just overreacts. He also constantly asks about you, pretending like he doesn’t care. He misses you, even if he doesn’t admit it. We all do.

Mom and I moved into a trailer after Neil left. It’s nice, sometimes. Mom started drinking again but we get to spend time together and she’s trying her hardest. She couldn’t take Jack’s house. She misses her brother.

I miss you. A lot. I know we’ve done this before and at least this time I can talk with you but sometimes I wish you and I could just hang out together. The party are kind of acting like you’re on holiday. Like any day now you’ll burst through the door with souvenirs. But Nancy keeps telling them that’s not the case. They don’t listen. Of course they don’t.

I know why you left. You did it for us, even if the others can’t see that.

I’m doing okay. You’ve said in your letters that you worry about me but I’m completely fine. You should live a life away from Hawkins. You deserve that. You don’t need to come back.

I love and miss you,

Madmax.

You stuff the letter back into your drawer with a sigh. That was the last letter Max had sent you. It had been weeks now.

You couldn’t help but worry every single day you spent away from Hawkins. After hearing about Susan and Neil’s divorce, you felt guilty for ever leaving Max in the first place. Billy died and she needed you. But it was too dangerous.

The nightmarish figure hadn’t visited you in the eight months you’ve been away from Hawkins. It was a relief, really. You could finally sleep without fear of being pulled into the Upside Down.

But you still couldn’t close your eyes without seeing Jack and Billy die in front of you.

“Y/n?”

Your room-mate poked her head around the door, eyes wide.

“You okay?” You looked at Clara with a confused expression, setting down the pen you were using and slipping a half-written letter into a pile of work on your desk.

“She’s at it again.” She sighs and your lips purse.

Great, you thought, another fun day in Florida.

Clara patiently waits for you to sort out your things before you grab your keys and join her, walking quickly to the college courtyard where you could already see a crowd of students forming.

Yells and shouts could be heard as a trio of girls messed around with Emma Sanders. You suck in a breath. You wished you could say this wasn’t a daily occurrence.

Emma Sanders was a 16 year old girl who had managed to get into college early from her brains alone. She was a modest girl, very shy since everyone else around her was much older. You and her had shared a class together and it turns out Emma was much more sweet and funny than anyone seemed to notice. But, there was a rumour spreading that her parents were on the board and used their position to get her into college. She has claimed over and over that she just got an early scholarship but that’s the thing with the students at this college; they hate to see someone out-do them. They hate it even more when the girl they bully actually sticks up for themself and calls them out on their bullshit.

Which is why, almost every day since the beginning of the college year, poor Emma had to experience the very worst of what teenage girls are capable of.

“Move out of the way.” You sigh, shoving past a group of guys clearly enjoying the display. They protest but shift out of your way regardless, craning their necks for a better view of the fight.

It was a deja-vu moment for you; breaking up a fight. And over three years later, here you were. Being a ‘hero’, as someone would always say to you.

Clara shuffled up beside you as you pushed your way into the circle, coming face to face with the devils themselves.

“Okay, we get it. You’re upset you’re all dumb and had to pay to get in.” You retort, picking your friend from off the floor and she sends you a grateful smile.

You gently nudge her away from the crowd and Emma disappears, most likely to the library. Hopefully she’d be okay.

“Y/n Mayfield. Here to ruin the fun, like always.”

The shrill voice called from behind you and you clicked your tongue. She had the kind of voice that scratched your brain in the most excruciatingly painful way possible.

And it just so happens that you had years of experience blocking her out.

“Carol.” You purse your lips, turning to face the queen of high school herself, still taking advantage of those around her for her own personal enjoyment. “You realise this is college, right?”

She simply raises her eyebrows, edging you on.

“You’re not in high school anymore.” You sigh, shaking your head, “Maybe you should focus on actually passing the semester instead of proving that your daddy has more money than the rest of us.”

“Yeah, and can the rest of you stop acting like this is some crappy teen drama movie?” Clara yelled at the few students still standing around you, chanting as if something more than an exchange of words would happen. “Go to class or something! Get a damn education!”

A few sighs and groans sounded but soon everyone dispersed, leaving you and Clara with Carol and her new-found minions.

“Why, oh why, do you always have to annoy me?” Carol sighs, waving her hand in the air. The action caused the other two girls to stalk away. She really did have power over them.

“Look, Carol.” You take a step forward, shoulders slumped. You were really tired of this. “I had no idea we were going to end up at the same college. But here we are and honestly, I just want a normal college experience, okay? No fights, no stupid rumours. Is that so impossible to ask for?”

Carol shifted on her feet, chewing the gum in her mouth slowly as she pondered the thought.

“You know what?” Carol slowly nodded, smiling. “You’re right.”

You almost fall back in surprise. “I am?”

“She is?” Clara chimed in beside you, just as confused.

“Yeah.” Carol took a few steps towards you. “It really is impossible to ask for.”

“Oh for the love of-” You mutter and Carol glares at you.

“Why would I ever forgive and forget someone that slept with my boyfriend?”

Clara audibly gasps beside you. That was something you had left out of the room-mate introductions.

You roll your eyes, crossing your arms, “For the last time, I didn’t know! I was drunk and I would never have done that if he just told me you were dating.”

“Really?” Carol raised an eyebrow. “Cause it seems to be a trend with you lately. Stealing other girls’ boyfriends.”

“I doubt Y/n would do that.” Clara shakes her head and you smile to yourself. Good to know someone had your back.

“I heard a rumour…” Carol stepped forward, her pink lips stretched into a wicked smile. “That you ended up sleeping with Steve Harrington.”

“Who?” Clara whispered to you and you just waved your hand.

“That didn’t happen.” You say. It was the truth, nothing more than an emotional shared kiss ever happened between you and Steve. Certainly not when he and Nancy were still dating.

“You should really rethink your friends.” Carol turns to the girl next to you, an innocent look on her face. “Y/n was notorious for being the whore of Hawkins.”

“Fuck you.” You finally spat and she smiled. She got exactly what she wanted; to get you angry.

“Hm, let’s see.” Carol held up her hand and started putting down fingers as she counted. “Tommy, Eddie, Steve. Oh, and let’s not forget Billy.”

You stayed silent, breath hitching at the sound of his name.

“All in the space of, what, three years?” She smirked at you. “And yet, little old Y/n Mayfield couldn’t manage to keep any of them. In fact, she ended up running away just when she realised that they could never love a girl…”

Carol’s eyes turned dark as she leant forward to whisper into your ear. “… who murdered her best friend.”

Your eyes widen with tears, breath caught in your throat. How did she know that?

“Don’t underestimate your enemies, Y/n.” She said, glaring at you, “Especially ones with friends in high places.”

She leant in again with a smile, chuckling lowly, “Or ones who end up snooping through the school shrink’s files. You should really be careful what you tell people.”

“What do you want from me?” Your voice was barely a whisper.

“I want you to realise that you deserve everything that’s coming to you. I want you out of Florida. This is my college, not yours.”

“I can’t.” You say, shaking your head slightly.

“You’re gonna have to.” She pouts, fixing the collar of your shirt. “Or I’m gonna tell everyone at this college exactly who you are.”

She let’s out a shrill laugh, tossing her hair behind her shoulder.

“Anyway, it was nice catching up. Let’s not do this again, ‘kay?” She looks to your friend with a grin, “Bye, Claire.”

“It’s Clara.” She mumbled, glaring.

“Whatever.”

And just like that, the infamous Carol Perkins reclaimed her power and left you stood in the middle of the courtyard, heartbeat running fast enough to blur your vision.

“Y/n?” Clara placed her hand on your shoulder. “Are you okay?”

“… yeah.” You nod, shaking away the burning nerves. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Don’t let her get into your head, Y/n.” She frowned. You let out a breathy laugh, shaking your head.

“It’s not that easy.”

Clara invited you out with her friends for lunch, claiming you needed to have some fun and actually explore outside of your room. You respectfully declined her offer, telling her to have fun without you. You weren’t in the party mood.

You pulled out the paper you had hidden away earlier, grabbing your pen and wiping away a stray tear. All you had done to forget your past, it always found its way to haunt you.

The paper was crumpled at the edges and you tried your absolute best to smooth them out, wanting it to be perfect. You took a breath, reading the very first line over and over until your brain hurt.

Dear Eddie,

For months now you had tried to muster up some kind of courage to write to him. Ever since the day you left, the metalhead never left your brain. But, at the exact same time, neither did Steve. Never in your life did you think you’d be stuck in some kind of love triangle that only you were aware of.

It’s always been hard for you to express your feelings. Growing up in a house with parents that thought being tough built character would do that to you.

Billy had come first but the feelings between you two had gotten muddled up along the way; you weren’t ever in love. He was your best friend, your closest friend and you were both too young to understand that love didn’t have to be romantic. Which made sense. You didn’t think you were capable of it.

Then Eddie Munson changed all that for you. He was sweet, and kind, and everything you could have hoped for. You finally got to feel what real love felt like. All the best and worst moments of it. Every time you were with him, you felt some kind of electricity you couldn’t explain. And those feelings never left you, not really. You just couldn’t admit it to him in the end.

The kiss you and Steve had shared the night of the ‘mall fire’ was far from meaning nothing to you. In fact, you had both confessed you liked eachother. You had confessed you loved eachother. Love was a word that barely left your lips. Steve made you feel safe, feel heard. Like he knew every part of you. But you were both still in love with the ones that got away.

You groan into your hands, throwing the pen back down. Writing this letter was impossible.

Maybe it was for the best that you’d never see them again.

And with Carol’s sudden blackmail, you were way too busy figuring out if you could transfer colleges. Maybe you could head to San Diego instead. Or Arizona. Or just flee to Europe.

Hopefully Max will get your letters when you move.

As you reach to switch off the table lamp, the phone at the edge of the desk suddenly starting ringing. You jumped in surprise, chair wobbling on two legs for a moment before you composed yourself. You frowned. Nancy only just called you yesterday evening.

You pick up the phone, holding it to your ear cautiously.

“Hello?”

“Y/n?” Robin’s voice called out and you breathed a sigh of relief. You and Robin had an occasional phone call now and then, just to catch up about once a month. But you had just spoken to her last week.

“Robin? Why are you-” Your question is cut short when you hear her shooing someone away, most likely a customer, plus some clatter as you assume she moves the phone to a more secluded spot.

“Have you seen the news?” Her voice was urgent and you frowned.

“The Hawkins news?” You let out a breathy laugh, confusion mixed with fear at her voice, “Uh, no, Robs. I haven’t.”

She’s silent for a moment until you hear her let out a sigh.

“Robin, what’s going on?” You started to panic, straightening in your seat.

“It’s…” She lowered her voice to a whisper and you wondered if Steve knew she was calling you. “It’s Eddie.”

Your heart leapt into your throat. “What-what about him?”

“Okay this really isn’t easy to say but I figured you should know that some freaky-deaky shit is going on. Like not exactly a monster made out of flesh and evil Russians but like-” Robin rambled and you shook your head.

“Robin! Rob- Just tell me!” You were out of your seat now, staring at the paper on the table in front of you.

“Someone was found dead in his trailer and the police think he did it.”

You gulped, chest a little lighter to know he was still alive. “What-”

“Chrissy.” Robin said quietly, “Her name. She… Max saw her go into his trailer and apparently the lights were all whack-a-doodle, but she didn’t think anything of it at the time since the trailers are always experiencing some kind of light failure.”

“Robin.” You say as softly as you can, reminding her to stay on topic.

“Right, yeah. Anyway, the police found her body in his trailer this morning. It was all snapped up and broken and-” She takes a deep breath as you hold your own. “There’s no way any kind of human could have done it.”

“But the police think Eddie did?” It wasn’t really a question. After all, the only policeman in Hawkins who had ever thought clearly was Hopper.

“He apparently ran away after it happened and we managed to find where he might be hiding-”

“We?” You ask.

“Me, Steve, Dustin. Max.” She adds with a knowing tone.

You take a moment to think through Robin’s information. She wouldn’t have called if she wasn’t scared. From her description, something very sinister was happening in Hawkins.

Again.

“Look, Y/n.” Robin sighs and you hear muffled voices, one clearly belonging to Dustin. “We’re gonna go find him and try to make this all right. The others… they didn’t want to drag you into this and neither do I but, I- I don’t know, I guess I just felt guilty if I didn’t let you know what was happening.”

“No, no. It’s okay, Robs. Thank you for telling me.” You assure, slumping back into your chair. “Just… if it gets worse…”

“We’ll be careful.” She tells you before you clearly hear Steve yell for her. Your heart tightens at the sound of his voice. You hadn’t spoken to him in eight months. “Okay, I gotta go. We have this handled and I’ll call you later. Bye.”

“Rob-” You try but she’s already hanging up the phone.

You go to set the phone back down, when suddenly something sounds from the receiver.

Tick. Tick. Tick. Tick.

Then, a sudden flash of images burns your mind, eyes fluttering shut, as you envision a dark room.

Random objects littered about, like an attic of treasures. But that wasn’t what caught your eye. In the middle stood a grandfather clock, chiming methodically. You start to get a closer view, something about the glass seeming off.

Then, suddenly, it cracks, a single scar running across the face and everything plunges into a dark blue hue, specs of white dust fluttering around it. And vines...

You snap out of your vision just as Clara opens the door, a laugh leaving her lips.

“Bye, guys!” She calls to her friends before locking the door. She turns around to see you stood, staring at the phone while biting your lip.

“Y/n? Are you okay?” She closes the space and you slowly shake your head.

Every thought in your mind was telling you that they were fine. That it was all a misunderstanding. You weren’t in Hawkins, there was no reason for them to be unsafe.

But the shiver in your bones told you otherwise.

You finally meet Clara’s eyes, eyebrows furrowed. You take a breath.

“I’m going back to Hawkins.”

Chapter 1: Hunting Season ->

taglist: @gnnnne / @beepisbeep / @paintballkid711/ @eddiesbirdie/ @livasaurasrex/ @darktimelegends / @jackierose902109 / @mvrylee / @chervbs/ @eternallyvenus / @nervouscatsuit/ @f1nn-wolfhard/ @hereiamhereigo/ @ladybug0095 / @fangirling-4-ever / @astrolockley/ @mothmanatemycat

[unfinishedslurs]

Nancy's GBF (ghost best friend)

IT'S OCTOBER QUICK POST GHOST BARB FIC

She dreams about Barb every night.

She’s dreamed about her before, of course, but ever since Vecna died it’s different. She doesn’t scream. Doesn’t cry. There’s no blame placed on Nancy’s shoulders, no shrieking accusations about how it should have been her instead. 

She’s a silent figure. Unmoving, unfeeling. No matter how far Nancy reaches, or how fast she runs, she can never get close. 

Eventually, she comes into focus, and it’s awful because she seems younger than she ever did in real life. Her best friend died a child, closer to her little brother’s age than Nancy’s own now. The red shade of her hair, the exact outfit she had on, it’s all things she forgets in the waking world. But for these few minutes she can have Barb back. Even if she can never hug her best friend again, or exchange secrets, or laugh together, she still has this.

When she wakes up, it’s with tears on her face.

“Nancy?” Jonathan asks groggily, still half asleep. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Later, when he tells her he was accepted to Lenora Hills, she’ll wonder if she could have saved their relationship if she hadn’t started lying too.

Two months after the dreams start, Barb speaks. 

“Nancy? Nancy, it’s so cold. I don’t like it here, Nancy, please–”

In that moment, Nancy can finally reach out and take her hand.

She wakes up shivering and automatically checks her surroundings. Mike bursts through her door when she shrieks, her mom not far behind him.

They both try to ask her what’s wrong, but she can’t answer, too busy staring at the dead girl in the corner.

“Nancy?” Barb asks, pool water dripping down her chin. “What’s wrong with me?”

She tries to ignore it.

She’s having a mental breakdown of some kind, that’s fine. It’s to be expected, really. She’s been struggling keeping up with school, and the end of the world, and breaking up with Jonathan. Of course she’d see Barb around every corner. Of course she’d be cold all the time. Of course. And everyone knows the first step of having a mental break is to not feed into the delusion. 

She checks with El and Will, just to be safe.

They both look confused when they open the door, which makes sense. She and Jonathan have been split up for a month, she hasn’t exactly been around. Still, they accept her inside without question.

“I need you to make sure Henry isn’t back,” she blurts out as soon as the door shuts behind her. Both of them rear back in tandem, and something clatters in the kitchen. 

“Nancy?” Jonathan pokes his head around the corner, bewildered. “Are you okay?”

“Jonathan!” She feels herself flush. Why didn’t she think he’d be home? She knows he doesn’t have a job anymore, and his friend Argyle went back to California a while ago. Where else would he be?

“Nance, you’re pale,” he says, like she hasn’t noticed. As if her mom hasn’t said the same thing a hundred times in the past few days. He reaches out to guide her to the couch, and flinches back as soon as he feels her bare skin. “You’re freezing. Let me get you a blanket.”

She turns and looks at the kids as soon as he’s out of sight, noticing the way Will is rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “I’m sorry, I’ve been having weird dreams for a while, and lately it’s gotten…worse, I guess, and I need to make sure it’s not him. It doesn’t feel like him, but I need…I can’t…”

El’s face turns into something determined, and oh, Nancy hates asking this of her. But if Vecna isn’t really dead, if they can get a headstart on his next plan, well. The sooner the better.

Ten minutes later the three siblings are sitting across from her, El tying a blindfold around her eyes as a blanket sits on Nancy’s shoulders. It doesn’t do anything to help, of course. It’s nothing like when Will was possessed but the mindflayer. The heat doesn’t bother her, no matter how many times she brings a spare blanket to add to the pile on her bed or turns the shower faucet to its highest setting. In fact, she can’t feel it at all.

“Close your eyes,” El commands. “Focus. I need to be able to see inside you.”

She grimaces, involuntarily glancing at Barb in the corner. The past few days she’s been weeping nonstop. More than a few times, Nancy has cried with her. Now, though, she looks around the Byers’s new place curiously.

Nancy shuts her eyes.

“Don’t shut me out,” El reminds her gently, and then light floods her vision. 

Barb, always Barb. When they were kids they would push each other on the swingset and dare each other to climb trees. The last time she saw her, reassuring her she’d be fine before following Steve upstairs. Vecna daring to taunt her, as if she could ever forget what she’d lost.

A million memories, some she’d almost forgotten. And then it’s over too soon.

El rips the blindfold off, breathing heavily. Jonathan hands her a tissue for her nose, looking at Nancy with so much concern it feels like it’s going to kill her.

“What did you see?” Will asks frantically. “Was it him?”

El shakes her head, confirming what Nancy already knew deep down. “It wasn’t him.”

“Then what was it?” Jonathan asks, eyes still on Nancy. She raises a shaking hand to her face, and it comes away wet.

“Nothingness,” El finally says. “And then sadness, and cold, and dark. And a light. There was a light, and a hand, and then there was warmth and feeling again. But the feelings are bad. They are not Henry, but they are not good.”

“So she’s real?” Nancy’s voice cracks.

“What? Who’s real? Nancy, what’s going on?” Jonathan asks. WIll just looks at her, concern in his big eyes.

El tilts her head. “I think so? But I do not know her. I can’t see her like you can.”

“Who is ‘she?’” Jonathan demands. “Will someone tell me what’s going on?”

“I actually have to go,” Nancy says, almost stumbling as she stands up. She takes a moment to fold the blanket Jonathan gave her so kindly. He’s still trying to get her attention, but she brushes him off as she heads out the door and to her car.

“Nance, please, I know we broke up but I still care–”

“I know!’ She says, whipping around. Barb watches curiously from the corner of her eye. “I know you do, and that’s great, really, but it’s none of your business. I didn’t even think you’d be here, so…”

“Where else would I be?”

“I don’t know, Jonathan, California?” She snaps. He rears back. “Isn’t that where you’re going anyway? Just– stop acting like this is any of your business! We broke up, we’re done, I don’t… I don’t want to talk, Jon! Just leave it alone.”

“Nancy…” he reaches out, and Nancy takes a step back. Barb appears between them in an instant, and his hand passes right through her. He jumps, swearing and turning pale. Nancy feels herself gasp, feeling warm for the first time in days in that split second before he pulls back.

He watches her silently, with those big eyes she’s always been weak to. She doesn’t have anything to say to him, or maybe she has too much to say. Either way, she gets in her car silently, driving off and leaving him standing in the rearview.

For once, she doesn’t startle when Barb jumps into existence in the front seat.

“Byers, huh?” She asks, something like humor in her voice. She always sounds distant now, like she’s underwater, or whispering from across a field. But Nancy understands what she’s saying. She always will. 

Barb sighs when she doesn’t answer. “At least his brother’s alive, I guess.”

That makes Nancy laugh, a harsh cackle that would make her jump if it came out of someone else. “Yeah,” she agrees, speaking to the ghost of her best friend for the first time, “At least Will’s alive.”

It’s not like having Barb back. Not really.

She’s bitter, and angry, and she screams and yells and cries all the time. Sweeps her arm across Nancy’s desk like she’s trying to break something, and only gets angrier when she can’t. Yells at Nancy sometimes, which she knows she deserves.

There’s the blame for her death of course, which is nothing new. She’s been having nightmares about that for years. But then there’s the other stuff. The weird questions, like, “Why did you bring me back? Why couldn’t you let it be?”

When she asks about it, all she gets is Barb turning away from her.

“Nancy? Naaaaaaancy. Nance, are you listening to me?”

She turns her head and almost shrieks to see Robin staring at her, almost nose to nose. “What are you doing?”

“I’ve been trying to get your attention for, like, forever minutes,” she complains.

Nancy looks at Steve. “It was, like, forever,” he confirms, staring at her intensely. “You okay, Nance?”

 Eddie rolls his eyes. “It’s been thirty seconds,” he deadpans.

Robin flops onto the floor. “Forever.”

“I’m starting to think getting you guys high was a mistake.”

“You say that every time. It’s not even your weed.” Steve yanks the dying bud out of his hand, taking a drag that has to be mostly ash at this point and putting it out on the ashtray. They don’t do this often, or at least Nancy doesn’t join them often. She’s not fond of the floaty feeling the weed gives her, preferring alcohol if she’s not going to be sober. But Eddie asked her to come, and Steve and Robin prefer having more people around if they’re going to get high. Something about what the Russians gave them.

She hasn’t seen Jonathan here since they broke up, but she thinks that’s less about them not inviting him and more about everyone trying to give them both space. 

Nancy’s gaze has already wandered back to Barb. It’s been a quiet day today, which makes her nervous for tomorrow. But at least during quiet days she can seem semi-normal in front of her friends.

“Nancy? Seriously, are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” she tells Steve, not bothering to look away from Barb. She looks from Nancy to Steve, this new, older Steve she’s seeing for the first time, and pretends to gag herself on a finger. The pool water that never stops coming out of her mouth splatters silently on the floor. Nancy doesn’t laugh. 

“Hey.” Steve moves in front of her, slightly wobbly as he sits cross legged across from her. She can barely see Barb past his hair. “Yanno, Jonathan asked about you.”

“What?” That breaks her from her trance.

“Yeah, he said he was worried about you. I asked him why he was asking me and not you, but he said you didn’t want to talk about it. But he was, like, really worried Nance. So, like, is everything alright?”

“Do you ever dream about dead people?” She blurts out.

All three of them go completely silent, staring at her. She laughs nervously. “Never mind! Never mind, that’s weird. Wow, why did I ask that? I think I took too many hits. Where’s your bathroom?”

“I mean,” Eddie says, after Steve doesn’t answer, “I dream about Chrissy all the time. How could I not? Shit was a real life nightmare, of course it made its way into my dreams.”

Steve shakes himself. “I guess I dream about Billy, but that’s different. I mean, it’s still a nightmare, but it’s not like…” his hand drifts unconsciously to the faint scar on his forehead. “It’s not about the Upside-Down, I guess. It’s not the same as my other nightmares.”

“I have dreams where people die all the time,” Robin declares, scooching herself across the floor until she can lay in Steve’s lap. “They suck.”

“Yeah, but are any of the dreams ever…weird to you guys? Like they’re not normal nightmares? Like they’re there all the time, just staring at you, and you try to reach for them but you never can?” She asks desperately.

The three of them look at each other, and shake their heads.

“Cool,” Nancy says, palms sweating. “Me neither.”

It’s raining when Mike storms into her room while Nancy is trying (and failing) to do college prep. “What is wrong with you?”

Barb starts laughing, a gurgling, chilling sound that Nancy heard once and made her summarily decide to never make a joke again. 

“What are you talking about?” She asks, eyes flitting between Mike and Barb. “Get out!”

“That’s exactly what I’m talking about,” he accuses. “You’re not even looking at me!”

“Maybe I just don’t want to see your dumb face.”

“Fuck off!”

“Michael!” Their mother hollers. 

He rolls his eyes. “Ugh, sorry!”

[theyaregayyourhonor]

Gates, portals, birth and rebirth

Aka: Yes, Will and El are twins from birth (also I'm pretty sure Vecna cherry-picked our cast from different timelines)

Ever since I saw El's vision of her birth I've been having trouble with it and I couldn't figure it out for the life of me until I saw this image again:

I have to be a bit vulgar but my first thought was that it looked a whole lot like a vagina. Which made me think about how we have in the first and second season three people enter and exit the UD and the whole thing about birth/rebirth

So I was bugged by this idea until it started to fall into place.

So firstly I have to establish something

Portals: they are opened from the UD by Demogorgons and they are closing up just fine, not leving behind cracks =natural birth

Gates: they are opened from the RSU by humans and if they close up they leave behind cracks but if they don't they can spread and fester =c section

That's when I stopped because if I'm correct than El's rebirth or escape from the UD is fishy.

According to everything we know she was born with an emergency c section do to complications around her birth, so why did she exit the UD through a portal and not a gate? You can argue that than portals are equalling c sections, but portals are created from inside of the UD or womb, by something that is part of it. Portals are natural, gates aren't.

If gates were natural they wouldn't leave behind cracks or scarring, but they do and they are created by an outside force instead an inside.

But I have more proof.

Nancy Wheeler

I know this one come out of nowhere but we actually see our first birth/rebirth thanks to our girl. In her case it's more metaphorical and it's ends when she is back in the RSU and I also believe that is it here more, to show how a natural birth/rebirth should look like in contrast with the other two.

So Nancy Wheeler decided to climb into the tree portal left by a demogorgon, she wanders in, spends a little time there than she sees the demogorgon, she is the first one to move, she indicates the escape as she is frightened by the beast, that's when the demogorgon sees her and starts chasing her until she gets to the portal, she yells for Jonathan who is waiting for her on the other side and helps her out of the UD into the RSU and the portal closes.

If we traslate it into the birth/rebirth metaphor.

We have Karen and Ted Wheeler deciding to have a kid (Nancy willingly went inside) the baby spends nine month in the womb (Nancy spends the amount of time that she is not stuck here, but still sees the place and the demogorgon) than the water breaks (Nancy starts to leave) and the mother's body helps her (demogorgon start to chase her) the baby is born with the help of others and there are people waiting for her arrival (Jonathan)

Also real birth is fucking traumatazing so good job on that one too Duffers

Now like I said with Nancy its more metaphorical, like she saw hell and that made her change as a person.

But that's just makes El's whole ordeal more confusing. First El is draggeg into the UD by a Demogorgon that she demateralized with her powers.

Than in s2 we have El calling out to Mike as she wanders the UD, but there is no Demogorgon (aka help from the mothers body) as she tries to get out, but in the end she escapes through a portal, like Nancy.

I'm going to circle back in a minute

William Byers

So in season one we have Will being kidnapped, that is the first episode and the whole catalysts of the show. Now like with El, Will is dragged into the UD involuntary by a demogorgon, he spends most of the first season there and in the end he is saved by Hopper and Joyce who are bringing him out through the gate in the laboratory.

So we have two kids, whom are in the first season established to be look alikes, so much so that they could've be confused to one an other. They are both dragged into the UD by a demogorgon and they are trapped there, El enters the place on her own through a portal but Will is stuck and has to be carried out through a gate.

Demogorgons

Something that I've been stuck on is the whole thing about El and Will being dragged into the womb by something that is from the womb and I might be crazy but I think Will and El are tube babies.

In that case we would have a mother and a father desparate for a baby but it's just not coming together. That's when they hear about a doctor who could help. Doctor Brenner takes from the mother and father and the zygotes are made than they are put in the womb of the mother in hope that at least one stuck. They got lucky there is two zygotes that now growing and it all seems fine.

But they don't know something.

The demogorgons are under Vecna's control that he achived with the MF, demogorgons are our zygotes and they are infected with 001 powers (not DNA, Brenner has been trying to recreate him for a time now so he does a science thing that ends with artificial powers or something like that) via Brenner.

El openes the Mothergate which is the reason why Vecna can reach Will, the Demogorgon can open portals thanks to the gate being open and the Demo going through it.

Now El we know after being in the UD comes out premature, she was supposed to stay as the UD wasn't reacting to her escape, the body of the mother wasn't helping with the birth, El still struggles out in the natural way.

On the other hand Will is stuck in the UD, he can't born in the natural way, that's when the emergency c section is in motion, El coming prematurely (probably thanks to Brenner messing with the pregnancy and the zygotes) coused problemes with the other baby, Will. That's when the s section happened.

El opening up the mothergate=El borns early

Will stuck in the UD thanks El opening the mothergate=emergency c section because of the complications

Both times the person responsible is Brenner. Brenner is the one manipulating the pregnancy and the one making El going into the in between place.

Enter season 2

First I thought that I was crazy, than I remembered what happens next season with the characters.

So Will is in the hospital for a while, than he is brought home by his mother who is fussing over him and being protective and she is so scared for him and for good reason. Will is not fully okay, the whole ordeal left it's mark on him. He is sick, can't sleep well and he just can't seem to get any better.

In season 2 he still has the connection to the UD and he also gets possessed by the MF, which is what happened to him. Having Vecna's power and Brenner manipulating the pregnancy and the birth left their effects on him and his life.

While El after birth ends up in the hands of a random man, she doesn't know, who locks her up, has a bunch of rules she has to follow and becomes her Papa/father. Of course Hop is not Brenner, but still there are the parallels and that is what happened to El. After she was born, she was kidnapped by Brenner who locked her up, abused her and get her to call her Papa.

The big difference is that Hopper is acting that way because he already lost a daughter, he doesn't want to loose El, and it is dangerous for her outside. But he grows and learns and fails and apologies for his mistakes, he actually becames her father. I'm mean he is her father so I hoped he would grew into his role.

Vecna is cherry-picking

There is this gate called Twelvegate, according to that Will is twelve and the twin brother of El, and I saw it plausible especially with how I think Stranger Things is really built up.

I think Hopper and El from the same timeline, which follows.

Hopper and Joyce are married, they are struggling to have kids so they end up getting the help of a doctor, Brenner, he manipulates the pregnancy and the birth, El is born premature but strong, Will is stuck. Hopper demands the doctors to help Will, in the mean time El disappears (she is taken away by commands of Brenner by a nurse maybe Terry?). Brenner does the emergency c section, Will comes out dead so they have to revive him, something that they claim didn't work.

Hopper lost both El and Will, Joyce and him and up breaking up, meanwhile Will and El are raised in the laboratory as Eleven and Twelve.

Vecna picks out this Hopper and El, putting them in his little game he created with time travel and stolen powers. He messes with Hops memories thus Sara is created. She is the fuson of El and Will. A little girl who died in cancer, she wasn't breathing and they couldn't bring her back. Sara is Will and El on that fucked up day he lost two child at once.

El is from this timeline too, she and Will were trapped by Brenner but unlike Will she survived the massacre in 1979. That is why El recognises Will in season 1, because she knows him, they grew up together.

I also think that season 1 El and season 2 El are not the same person, that's why we never learn how she knew Will. Either that or when she was in UD Vecna started messing with her memories and Will and Twelve became two separate person.

I'm also trying to figure out if Jonathan would be from a timeline where Joyce and Lonnie get together and he is their son, or if he is from a reality where Hopper and Joyce got lucky. Like Jonathan literally being a miracle to them.

I'm also curious if you think the whole this is a patched together timeline from others thing true (or just like to entertain the idea) what do you think, who is from what timeline?

[dinosaursatemymom]

I just saw your post about Nancy kinda not having relevance to the plot, and I never saw it that way, but it's kinda true.

She never grows as a character, and her plots are not really that important when it comes to the overall storyline. (At least in s1-3, in s4 her getting the info out of Wayne Munson helped the group move forward, but Robin is the one who found the rest and figured out the music theory).

Anyway, like you said in s1, Barb didn't have to die in order for her to be involved? She could have helped Jonathan because Will is Mike's friend, however the writers made her such a bitch about Wills disappearance they had to kill her best friend in order for her to care. And even then Jonathan could have figured out that there was a monster based on the photos he took he could have go straight to his mom who already told him about it. He didn't necessarily need Nancy.

In s2, her plot was so stupid, and it did nothing in the end. It was an interesting concept, dealing with grief, but omg. First of all the lab doesn't play around they would have found the recorder and second seeing the fucking gate should have put the entire thing down. She endangered the whole town of Hawkins in the name of revenge. Both, her and Jonathan didn't know El was alive getting the lab shut down was stupid because they were the only people who seemingly knew how to deal with the vines. It would have been much more interesting if Jonathan and Nancy were captured and there were consequences (like Steve, who was scared of getting murdered if they broke the NDAs). Getting revenge on Barb did nothing for her character as well, and the show never explores it further, or they rehash it. Shutting the lab down did more harm than good because it meant for s3 that the Russians could just do whatever thanks to Nancy. (I hate that storyline so much in general, but if you think about it, it only happened because the lab shut down)

S3 again, Nancy's rat story could have been cut out because the party figured it out themselves they didn't need her. El was the one doing all the work here (getting into Billy's mind and fighting the Mindflayer since Nancy can't aim for shit)

In s4 like I mentioned, Nancy was useful for once by getting them to Victor Creel, but Robin really was the one getting it together.

Overall, her plans always kinda fail or endanger people (s2, s4), and her using a gun also does nothing because the monsters are immune to it. Fire is the thing that works and I hate how Stobin were cut short in s4 for essentially doing the part just so Nancy gets her shot (metaphorically and literally) even tho it does fucking nothing. Give her a flamethrower like Murray.

Anyway, idk people always shit on Steve being considered a main character, but he had literally more important moments than Nancy.

Without him in s1, Jancy would be dead. Nancy's gun did not work, and Jonathan couldn't use the bat in the right way. If Steve didn't come back, the Demogorgon would have killed them. Dustin meeting Steve in s2 is such an important moment because without him there, Billy could have gotten to Lucas and Max, even tho he lost the fight. He was also important in the tunnles because he helped them getting out there fast. Even tho he was concussed, he did everything to ensure they were save. Lucas would have been seriously hurt. S3 Steve drove his car into Billy's (after Nancy couldn't stop it with her useless gun), saved Jancy and the party there. In s4, he was the one who found the gate because of his experiences as a life guard, he also was the one along with Robin who did the most damage to Vecna. Steve literally has more moments that are important to the plot because without him there, other characters would be hurt or killed. He's important to the plot because of his athletic skills and survival instincts. He was also one or one of the few (if not the only one idk I only watched s4 vol once bc I hated it sm) characters that protested Nancy's insane plan because he has common sense lol. I wish the show would use his leader abilities (being the captain of the basketball team and a lifeguard) more instead of dumbing him down for the sake of it. He should be actively involved in planning bc he knows how to play as a team, and idk the party is book smart, but they have no regard for any danger they need someone like him more.

Yessss

The only thing I have to disagree with is that Nancy was helpful in s4, literally anyone else could've been told about Victor Creel, they didn't even need Wayne munson for that tbf, Eddie could've been living on his own(he's old enough) or just not a character at all tbh. Steve or Robin could've been talking to a customer at the video store who lived in the trailer Park and got a glimpse of Chrissy's body and Robin and Steve could've gone to the library while the Dustin and Max went to the counselor.

I definitely agree about Steve, he is honestly being underutilized, he clearly has team building, athletic, and problem solving skills but he's constantly being reduced to dumb hot himbo and it's really frustrating.

I didn't love the s2 storyline but I didn't hate it, but wow you're right, she really just made everything worse and endangered everyone for her own selfish reasons. I understand she was working through trauma but so was Steve and he didn't decide to put people lives in danger.

Her entire s3 plot just pissed me off so much, what was the reason? Feminism? Because honestly it just made her look like a classist dick to jon.

Nancy really doesn't do shit but nearly always ends up getting credit for things other people have done, both from the writers and the fandom.

[friendsdontlieokay]

Dear Will,

Gosh it feels weird to write to you when you're literally in your room, but the truth is, I've become so distant lately, I don't know if I can even talk about this face to face with you, but I want to, I really want to, and by the time you get the letter I might not be here anymore anyway so I guess it's alright, right?

Will, I think I know what is going on with you, no actually I don't think so, I know so, and I know that you know it too, but I hope that you know that whatever happens does not matter, you're my baby brother and I will always love you no matter what happens, you don't have to feel like you're all alone in this world because you're not, even if I'm not here,I'll always be here for you.

And by 'I know what is going on with you' I meant that I know that you like Mike, and to tell you the truth I kind of figured it out before even you did. I thought that maybe you'd come to me to talk this through but I was wrong, and to be honest it's not even your fault because I've been so distant lately, or stoned, as you prefer to address it, the main point is I know I've lost the right to be your brother, let alone be your friend, a long time ago, and maybe I've also ruined the safe place where we could talk to each other, I definitely have. But just so you know, I've already pre-planned and prepared everything to torment Mike if he ever dares to hurt you or El, so do warn him about that.

I am so very sorry for everything Will, I really hope and pray that you'll be able to forgive me and find a friend in me again but Will, I just want you to know that I really miss talking to you, playing stupid little games with you, pretending to be asleep with you in the middle of the night so mom couldn't catch us, sneaking out to watch movies with you, listening to the clash with you, almost blowing up the kitchen while teaching you how to bake, Will, I just miss you a lot, and I wish I could fix these but I'm afraid there's not much time left, brother.

Will, I've been chosen, by Vecna, or cursed, whatever you call it. It's been a while actually, headaches, nosebleeds and nightmares but yesterday...yesterday I saw the clock. Actually I'm kinda surprised I'm not dead yet, but since I could manage a little time, I'm writing you this letter.

Don't be mad at me, at first I did think of sharing it with you or the others but I kinda figured that we actually have way bigger problems than this, yeah I know I still could've told you, or mom, or Nancy, but to be honest, even if it seems a little funny, lately I've been feeling like a plastic bag on this earth,or a blood sucking leech to be more precise who's just getting in the way complicating things more than they actually initially already are so I might as well let Henry take me as a bait already. Will, please do not ever turn out like me, I know you will never, it's spiritually impossible to ever happen but still, please don't.

The reason I'm telling you all this is because you're still my best friend and my favorite person, and you always will be, and remember that nothing in the universe can ever change it okay?

Will, to be honest I think I'm scared, I don't know what to do, it's like I'm walking inside the darkest tunnel and even though there is light outside, there is no way out and I'm too scared to even find a way so I'm just letting death befall. Still, there is a part of me that does want to make everything okay again, to fix it but I'm afraid that's not possible, not anymore, but right now, I'm too scared to give in and too scared to let go too. So, little brother, you got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?

Love, your useless big brother Jonathan

[thestrangestthing89]

Season 1. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Season 2: Part 1. Part 2.

Mike Character Analysis Season 2 - Part 3:

Mike is the first to notice Will isn't where he is supposed to be and is immediately panicked. The next time we see Will, Mike is alone with him in a field and he's having a flashback (or as we now know, a Vecna vision). Mike is scared and it's unclear how they get Will out of this. I'm assuming that since the Mind Flayer didn't want to kill Will he didn't levitate or anything (also a bit unclear if the Mind Flayer and Vecna are interchangeable but that's a different topic). So I think he probably just came out of this on his own like Nancy did in season 4. Will gets taken home by his mother and he isn't in school the next day, prompting Mike to be even more concerned. He goes to his house to check on him - by himself, not with Lucas and Dustin. Because Mikes relationship with Will is different. And Joyce knows this, because as much as she is trying to respect Will's privacy she still lets Mike in. She knows Will needs him and that Mike isn't going to go. This leads to the second heart-to-heart. Will confesses to Mike that he's scared the Mind Flayer will use him and make him spy on his friends and family. He's worried he will hurt someone. And Mike promises they aren't going to let that happen. He reassures Will that they can also spy back on him and that it's actually helpful that he can do this. This scene is repeated in season 4 when Will confesses to Mike that he can still feel Henry when they get to Hawkins. Mike comforts and reassures Will in the same way. After this moment in season 2 Mike spends the rest of the season glued to Wills side protecting him, which is why I think we are going to see this play out again in season 5. It's the same moment.

Mike spends the next few days at the Byers house sleeping next to Will's bed and taking care of him. He is immediately attentive to any change in Will's behavior - Will wakes up distressed and Mike is right there asking if he's ok. Mike helps Joyce and Bob figure out what Will is experiencing. Together they find Hopper.

This is when things start getting really bad. Because something really fucked up happens to Will when they are rescuing Hopper and Mike is right there watching him have what is basically a seizure. This had to freak him out (it's creepy to watch). There is no way this moment does not have a serious impact on Mike. It had a serious impact on me watching it and I'm a grown ass adult. When Will is being brought into the lab/hospital he is calling out for Mike (and his mother) like he did on halloween, and Mike is again right there. He's by his side the whole time they are in the lab. At one point, when they are all in the conference room, it looks like Mike may be holding his hand (or his arm). The way Mike is leaning toward him suggests this even though we don't see it. This leads me to wonder if their behavior was like this a lot at the lab. If it was - if they were all touchy feely and Mike was comforting and taking care of him - than I think it's possible that one of the soldiers/lab people saw this and possibly commented on it. Because Mike says some interesting things when he's melting down on Hopper at the end of the season. But I will get back to this point in a bit. Will is having periods where he's possessed by the Mind Flayer and can't remember certain things - but he remembers Mike and his mother (those two getting grouped together again). And things get even worse, because what Will feared was going to happen happens, and Mike realizes this a fraction of a second too late - The Mind Flayer spied on them and fed them wrong information and it ends up killing a lot of people. Mike promised he wasn't going to let this happen. So he finds a way to stop the spying - medically knocking Will unconscious. There is then mass chaos trying to get out of the lab and we see Mike holding an unconscious Will outside the lab while Hopper goes to try to help Bob who's being attacked by a demo dog. More and more trauma. Part 4

[tsunauticus]

Mike is not a stupid person, but is he a stupid boyfriend?

I stand by saying that Mike is one of the smartest characters in Stranger Things. He figured out how to flip the car in the mall in season 3, he was able to recognize Will talking through the Walkie-Talkie in season 1, and throughout season 2 he’s very perceptive to Will being used as a spy for Vecna. Even in season 4, Mike notices Max having a bloody nose before he leaves for Lenora

So if Mike is showed time and time again to be perceptive, how is he so bad at seeing how Eleven feels?

In season 4 there’s arguably never a moment where they’re both happy together.

The airport scene?

They seem happy enough, but we also never get a clear view of Mike’s face, but with that too, is the reintroduction of Mike and El’s biggest issue of season 4, that was hinted at in season 3. How Mike can’t say that he loves El.

Maybe Rink-O-Mania is better?

Definitely not

At dinner that night, Mike doesn’t try to empathize with his girlfriend even though he’s been bullied his whole life. El was there when Mike shoved Troy, so she knows that Mike can probably understand what she’s going through. But he doesn’t. He’s agitated and rude to her.

I’ve seen several people make this connection, but I agree that the whole scene is very similar to the Wheeler family dinner in season 1 as well. El and Nancy both storm off, but in this case, instead of Mike trying to vouch for a friend, he’s acting like Ted Wheeler, and doesn’t understand he said anything wrong

Throughout the rest of the show, this pattern of Mike missing the mark continues again and again. El confronts him about not being able to say that he loves her, and he shows he physically can’t say it to her when they’re alone and in private. He makes El cry but can’t acknowledge he did anything wrong.

When Mike and El reunite, we still see Mike loving El as a superhero. From a writing standpoint, this could’ve been the perfect time for Mike to tell El he loves her. There’s no stakes, there’s no one around to judge, and he’s had plenty of time to think about saying it, getting advice from Will several times.

But he doesn’t. Instead we see Mike look over at Will and his smile drops. Which is… weird from any standpoint as we don’t see this expression built on at all.

Mike is horrible at noticing when his girlfriend isn’t happy, or when something is important to her (like saying “I love you”). We also see he’s rarely forthright with El, when he would have no reason to lie. He should be able to be honest with El, especially when Eleven is known so much to honor honesty.

But who have we seen Mike being really attentive towards all season?

Will.

In the airport, Mike can’t figure out the issue with writing “From” in his letters, when El always writes “Love”, but he’s able to quickly put together the painting from El’s letter was the one Will brought to the airport. He’s able to look Will in the eyes and ask him questions about his life, even if it’s extremely stiff (yeah Mike your best friend of ten years is seeing you for the first time in 6 months and you punch him on the shoulder??)

At Rink-O-Mania, Mike has a massive argument with Will because he’s been “sabotaging the whole day” when Will’s just tried to be quiet and stay out of Mike and El’s way, yet Mike is unable to tell that El was crying while sitting right next to him? He can’t see that, but he’s able to notice several of Will’s micro-expressions throughout the day?

Mike even is able to apologize to Will and acknowledge what was wrong with how he acted towards him, when he’s unable to do the same when El calls him out in the same way. Will does it at Rink-O-Mania, and El does it in her bedroom. But Mike is only able to really own up to his actions in one of these scenes.

Guess which person he owns up to?

Will

One of these scenes ends with Mike developing a closer relationship with a character, and the other ends with the opposite character choosing to leave Mike behind because they don’t feel valued.

But if Mike is so good at righting his wrongs with Will, why can’t he do the same for El? Why can’t he be such a good boyfriend if he’s so attentive with all of his friends?

Because Mike doesn’t know how to be a good boyfriend. Well, he knows. He’s seen Lucas and Max, and he’s seen how Dustin talks about Suzie. He knows how to be a good boyfriend just fine. But he can’t do it with El. He can’t reciprocate feelings the way El wants him to. That was the whole point of season 4.

And sure, someone can argue that the pizza monologue helped. He told El he loves her, that the arc was to further their relationship. But in doing so, Mike told El that his life started the day Will went missing WHILE WILL IS STANDING NEXT TO HIM. And, if the speech worked, why has Eleven “barely spoken a word” to Mike since that ended?

From any standpoint, whether you want to argue that Mike and Will are a romantic endgame, or just that Mike and Will are really close friends, Mike does have the full capacity to be loving boyfriend. He’s shown to be caring, smart, and protective. And yet he’s barely able to act like that around El.

Mike isn’t stupid. He’s not a bad boyfriend for laughs in season 4, though that was the joke in season 3. He’s actually just a terrible boyfriend to El, and if the Duffers really wanted to portray El and Mike as happy together, the two of them wouldn’t spend two entire seasons arguing with each other when other couples like Lucas and Max, are able to have healthy moments.

Mike’s not stupid, and he’s not a stupid boyfriend either, Mike is just unable to acknowledge he can’t be a good boyfriend to El. Regardless of what that means for his character in season 5, so far, Mike has shown he just can’t be a good boyfriend to El, and that he constantly struggles to offer her the bare minimums of honesty and empathy in a relationship (and at times El does too, but that’s for a different post).

[thefreakandthehair]

I’m back with another AU! (Yes I’m still working on the angel fic, yes I’m considering that Beauty and the Beast AU I had ideas for)

But!

I’ve been thinking about this all morning at work (because who needs to think about work) but like

We’ve seen possession on the show already, but what if it’s different this time? End of season four, Steve doesn’t bother to get himself checked out because there’s a lot more people who need more help than him, he’ll take care of himself. It happens slowly though, he thinks maybe it’s just an infection, but it’s not. And no one figures it out until everything’s coming to a head, until they’re looking at the face of someone they love but not seeing him in it with black tendrils wrapping up over his skin. It’s Steve’s face, but it’s not Steve. And they’re all trying to break through but vecna, using Steve’s voice, just starts saying these awful things.

He tells them Steve’s fears, how he worries about them all abandoning him, how they will because they’re smarter, better, and he’s nothing. He tells them about how Steve’s desperate to protect them, to put himself in the line of fire, because he thinks that’s all he’s good for. Like it’s real insecurities and fear, but it’s amplified and twisted because Steve always knows at the end of the day that he’s loved, that it’s his brain trying to jump to worst case scenarios.

But he’s never told any of them his fears because he knows it’s not going to happen, but it still hurts that they think he’s hiding from them.

They try to have Nancy save him, because true love and all that, because she and Steve have been getting close again. Except she still doesn’t love him like that, and he doesn’t love her like that either, it’s just the conclusion everyone else jumps to even if this time they’re just being friends, because they never got to be friends the first time around.

But it doesn’t work, obviously, so Eddie tries (yes he’s alive and didn’t get eaten by bats because otherwise he’d be possessed too with this shebang and that’s a whole ‘nother story) and Eddie’s been in love with Steve forever, but they’ve been getting close too and they almost kissed the one time so he goes for it but it doesn’t work either, Steve still shoves him away and swings his bat, narrowly missing him.

So Robin tries, because he’s her dingus, her platonic soulmate, the non-romantic love of her life, and there’s finally a crack, a spark of him there, just for a moment. For that second, his hand grabs her shirt, and she thinks she’s got him, but he pushes her away just as Vecna takes back over. But there’s a crack in the shield, and that’s all they need.

El is working on getting through to Steve, on pulling him back out into himself because he’s in there, he’s just stuck. But she needs help to get through all the darkness in his head, because it’s worse this time than when it had been Billy.

So Dustin is up, because for as much flack as he gives him, Steve is his brother and he loves him. And he tells him, sobbing because he can’t lose Steve, not Steve, and he’s been through so much for years now that it all just builds and builds and they see Steve start to waver again, so they don’t give vecna a chance to take hold again.

They all start chipping in, telling him how much he means to them, how they love knowing he’s always going to be on their side and protect them, how important it is for them to know they all have an older brother in him because even if it’s not said, they love him and they know he loves them.

And as much as I love the idea of Robin or Dustin dealing the final blow to get El in enough to rip vecna out, or to give Steve enough strength to push him out, there’s one other person who loves Steve who’s so important and necessary to the party.

Erica.

She’s crying, which shows how desperate the situation has become, and she’s the least affectionate of all his kids (which is saying something because he’s hot Mike to deal with) but she steps right up to him as he’s shaking and fighting with this other person in his head and she grabs his hand like maybe she should have that first year, when she was younger and braver because she didn’t know what was out there but always knew she was safe with him. She tells him in no uncertain terms that he’s not allowed to lose this fight, because he’s never lost a fight in front of her so he can’t start now, because she’s got two brothers and they’re both losers but they’re her losers and he can’t take that from her, that he still owes her ice cream and he needs to hold up his end of the deal.

And it’s all enough, it’s her, brash and cutting and full of affection if you know how to spot it.

All the love, a little romantic on Eddie’s part but mostly just familial and platonic and pure, it sinks in and in the battlefield of his mind a little girl who’s far too young and old at the same time takes his hand and promises he’s not alone.

They didn’t bond much, didn’t have the time for it, but she loves him too because he’s kept her friends safe when she couldn’t.

And they win, because it’s my story and I like happy endings, and Eddie does get to kiss Steve, but only once Robin’s already collapsed into his arms and made him promise never to leave her again, once Dustin’s sobbed into Steve’s chest because he’s just a kid and he’s never had the change to grieve the lost childhood he’s still in.

Nancy doesn’t have to grieve losing another friend though, and it feels like redemption in a way.

Erica doesn’t hug him, but she doesn’t let go of his hand either. She’s not touchy feely, even if she did just use the power of love to save him, but it’s enough to know there’s unconditional love there, on both ends.

It’s ironic, he’ll tell them later, but his song, if he ever got Vecna’d? It’s Huey Lewis, The Power of Love.

KAT YOU JUST MADE ME CRY AT 3PM ON A THURSDAY OH MY GOD . THE POWER OF LOVE. PLATONIC AND ROMANTIC.

She tells him in no uncertain terms that he’s not allowed to lose this fight, because he’s never lost a fight in front of her so he can’t start now, because she’s got two brothers and they’re both losers but they’re her losers and he can’t take that from her, that he still owes her ice cream and he needs to hold up his end of the deal.

E R I C A. this part in particular just cut me to the bone because oh my God. my dear sweet beloved little Erica who absolutely has grown up too quick, seen things she shouldn't have, heard things she shouldn't have. Steve can't die in front of her. not after escaping the Russians and beating the Mindflayer back, not after so much ice cream eaten and still to be eaten. scoops troop doesn't lose, and she's not about to start now. 😭

I'm sure I have more coherent thoughts but I'm just running in circles around this like a rabid animal, this is GOOD SHIT, my friend

[brionysea]

Can you please expand more on #1 Mike wheeler (byers) protector Jonathan Byers?

my answer is very specific to certain theories that i hold very close to my heart, so i'll have to give a brief recap first. for context. just in case anyone who hasn't witnessed my insanity comes across this post

first: i think mike's been fighting vecna's attempts to possess him since the snow ball

second: i think the events of the show have been mike subconsciously bringing things to life

third: i think jonathan figured both of those things out in mid-to-late season 3, thanks to mike's subconscious knowledge of them subtly coming out in pieces of conversation, and jonathan's ability to pick up on subtleties like that

now, the thing you've gotta remember here is that the idea of "the source" and "the thing controlling everything" being the problem has been floating around the cast explicitly since season 2, and more subtly in the show's writing in general since season 1. it isn't as prominent in season 4, the one season where mike isn't in hawkins for people dealing with the upside down to make statements with suspicious double meanings around him

imagine that you're jonathan byers. you heard your girlfriend and her little brother agree that killing the thing controlling everything would be an undeniably good development months ago. now, it's summer, the world is ending again, you just barely got out of a disagreement with your girlfriend and almost died at the hands of a possessed person, like, yesterday, and now she's talking about killing the flayed and killing the source right in front of you while her little brother (and your little brother's best friend) is in the room — his awareness of being flayed and being the source currently an unknown. that's a lot of incentive to keep those revelations to yourself, isn't it?

the group that was in the cabin during this sequence of events turned on mike so easily over the tiniest thing, and not a single person stood up for him. if jonathan brought up either of his theories, a lot of things could happen. everyone could immediately turn on mike again. if that doesn't happen, mike could immediately start arguing to sacrifice himself to protect everyone else. there's really no good outcome to making that specific choice because it would inevitably endanger mike, especially since el is currently looking for the flayed and can't find them for mysterious reasons at the same time as mike is talking about how much he hates being spied on, and nancy is most likely planning on killing the flayed

so instead, el goes looking for the source in someone's mind, against mike's advice, and jonathan doesn't know what he's thinking or what she'll find. fortunately or unfortunately, it doesn't seem to have anything to do with mike. then the monster finds them, just like they all knew would happen, and were somehow still surprised by

jonathan doesn't understand the specifics of what's happening. he doesn't know if the monsters can or will hurt mike. but mike is rushing into the middle of everything without a thought for his own safety

jonathan is a very protective person. jonathan would, has, and will go to hell and back for his little brother. jonathan has the increasingly rare ability to see mike wheeler as an innocent child who deserves help and protection, even if he's involved in the mess that their lives have become even more directly than anyone thought

the idea of mike dying has gone from abstract to real and solid, right in front of him, so when mike ends up slightly separated from the group and in grabbing range of the monster, jonathan pulls him back and makes sure he's got a hold of him and shields him from the threat right alongside will, because he's dedicated himself to protecting mike now, and this is the proof

then we have the byers moving to california. jonathan has a sister now. he's trying long distance with nancy, who he still hasn't told about mike. graduation and the idea of leaving home is just around the corner and approaching fast. and he's avoiding all of it, including what the hell he's going to do about mike wheeler, by getting high constantly

mike flies out for spring break, jonathan goes to pick him up from the airport, and he's immediately acting weird. he's dressed weird, he brushes will off, he ignores him, he upsets him. he doesn't seem like himself at all. the possession's still a factor, and for what's likely the first time, jonathan is there to witness it, if only briefly

that reminder, along with everything else weighing on him, freaks jonathan out. mike's presence has him thinking about how he can't leave his family because he hasn't solved the mike problem yet — he doesn't even understand it — so something else could feasibly happen. naturally, he gets high to stop thinking about things he has no immediate way of fixing

at dinner, mike keeps acting weird and upsets el, but jonathan's probably too out of it to really know what happened there until he has the time and sobriety to think about it a little later. mike mopes (glowers, really) at breakfast the next day, doesn't eat, and keeps uncharacteristically ignoring will to go off and upset el some more. then there's the mess of el getting arrested and kidnapped by the government, they find out that something is, in fact, happening in hawkins again, and mike gets super freaked out and in his own head about something

the house gets shot up by shady government people and jonathan once again keeps a hold of mike and physically shields him from danger, because he hasn't changed his stance on protecting him

the "making things happen" part of this whole conundrum becomes relevant again in the desert when mike understands the situation just a little too well. no one else would have thought that a pen that doesn't work would be hiding something inside it, and you can see jonathan thinking how weird it is that things match up so perfectly with how mike thinks. how quickly he realised the nina project was a computer probably set off alarm bells too

jonathan: maybe it's hidden in the code somehow? mike: what you just said makes no sense

i believe this dialogue from suzie's house was jonathan trying to feel mike out and see how much awareness he has of what's going on. evidently, not a lot, since all his warnings (of which there are many) seem to be a purely subconscious effort. mike, for some reason, doesn't know

then there's the van scene, where jonathan pieces together that will is in love with mike and finds out that will would, in his own words, fall apart if anything happened to him. no pressure, jonathan, but you're going to break your little brother's heart if you don't find mike a safe way out of this. good luck!

the possession acts up again in the pizza freezer for mike's monologue, because he likes it cold, so naturally mike's ability to fight back is lessened (but still present) compared to last summer. vecna was spying on el's progress through mike to make sure he got the timing right to come after max. jonathan is both physically and mentally present this time, and i think he grasps a big piece of what's going on because of this. specifically, the look on his face after mike says "she's fighting him," using someone else's name (like will used el's in the van, and like mike has done a lot to talk about this issue) to express that he's resisting vecna's influence

because mike was so removed from the action for season 4, the part where he's making things happen is still a bit of a mystery to jonathan. people like lucas will probably have to fill in the blanks. if i was writing that revelation, i would use mike being possessed (a familiar concept for the audience) as a lead-in to mike being the source. why did vecna choose mike? the predictable answer would be because it would hurt both el and will, but vecna's plans have much wider scope than that, and mike has always been more than a love interest. hurting people is a bonus, sure, but vecna does that no matter what. the reason he's doing it is to get control (or at least very strong influence) over what's happening

jonathan's goal undoubtedly still includes keeping mike safe. he promised to tell nancy everything, and i think el knows too (at least about the possession, but i wouldn't be surprised if she knew everything) and lucas suspects something, so it seems like, despite his intial hesitance, he's going to start by not keeping this to himself anymore. getting other people in on looking for a solution. he's clearly been floundering on his own, and it's unclear if mike has the time for that anymore

[snowangeldotmp3]

dear el; from max

i bet u thought you'd seen the last of me.... nah jk. there will be more of these, but i'll probably post the last two on ao3. after this there is perhaps one...maybe two more that i will post here. maybe. maybe i'll just post them to ao3. anyway, onto the letter!

El,

I don’t know if anyone told you— shit—you probably already know about what’s happening here in Hawkins but,

If you’re reading this, it means he got me. Vecna. Henry. Whatever.

Which means you have my full permission to kick his ass.

I hope California was nicer to you than it was to me, and I hate to know that this is how you found out about everything. I hope you at least made some friends, but they better not be cooler than me.

I hate that we won’t get to have any more girls nights, and that the only ones we did have were from back then. Before Vecna. Those are some of my favorite memories, and I wish we’d hung out more before that summer. But don’t tell Lucas I said that. Or Dustin. They have it in their heads that they’re my favorite, but you’re still my best friend.

And you can have my Wonder Woman comics. I don’t have many of them left because of the move, but I won’t need them anymore. I want you to have them, as like, a memory of me.

You might have to fight Erica for them, though. I promised her some, too. But I’m sure she’ll share them with you if you ask her nicely.

I wish we could’ve had more time. I wish that we could’ve hung out without some world ending threat always knocking at our door. Maybe in another life we could’ve been normal, teenage girls and talk about boys and magazines and shit.

School’s been lonely without you. Mike and Dustin have joined this stupid nerd club and Lucas has tried to be with me but with everything I just, I haven’t felt like being around people. Nancy tries, she offers a seat at lunch and she’s always telling me ‘I’m here for you, if you need me, Max.’ But really I’ve just wanted to be alone.

And look where it’s got me.

I got all of your letters, by the way. Every single one of them. I kept them in a drawer in my nightstand. I read all of them, re-read some of them when I was a little lonelier than usual. I should’ve written back to you, or at least sent the other letters I wrote to you. I’m so sorry I didn’t—you have every right to hate me for that, by the way.

I just…I couldn’t figure out how to actually reply after the first two or three letters. I couldn’t pretend to be happy anymore and eventually it just got too hard. I shut myself out from almost everyone. I thought I could handle it on my own, that everyone was just pitying me as the girl who lost her shitty step-brother in the mall fire, but it turns out I can’t. And that it wasn’t pity, they actually cared about me.

I think that was harder, honestly. To know that people actually cared about me and wanted to see me get better. I pushed everyone away. It was easier.

This feels like it’s a little too late, but I hope you can forgive me for not writing you back. And thank you, for still writing letters to me even though I wouldn’t write back. I don’t think I would’ve lasted this long without you and Lucas. Even though I’ve not been the best friend or girlfriend in the world, you guys have still been there, even when I wasn’t. Or didn’t want to be. You guys were there anyway.

I should’ve written you back. Should’ve given you something to let you know that I was okay. And now all of this shit’s happened, so.

I’m sorry that this is the last thing you’ll get from me. I should’ve been a better best friend and I’m so, so sorry that I wasn’t. This is gonna sound really sappy and sad, so don’t tell anyone, but you’ll always be my best friend, El.

Promise you’ll kick this creep’s ass for me, okay?

Love, your best friend, Max.

[gigigle]

I'm bored so these are changes I would make to stranger things.

S1, honestly nothing, s1 is probably my favorite season. The most I would do is make Steve a more apparent a hole. And keep mlvn platonic.

S2, I would've leaned into the difference of the party more and their struggles. Also I wouldn't have had El live in the cabin. I would've preferred if she was hidden but not from the party and we get to see her adjust to not living in the lab anymore. I would've also preferred to see stancy be platonic and see Steve grow and try to learn to be friends with Nancy and Jonathan. Also more pushback against Steve from party members. Like he used make fun of Mike and Dustin or Smth and they don't like him also show his decline from popularity too.

I also would've leaned in to Lucas and Billy's story where it actually talks about racism and the micro aggressions Lucas faces living in a small town like Hawkins. I also would've had a storyline about the ableism Dustin receives andaybe that could set up the Steve and Dustin friendship where Steve defends him from Carol and tommy. Also have Dustin give Steve pushback from him messing with Dustin before. To actually give Steve more depth and development.

Also I think I would have gotten rid of the possession storyline and just had will dealing with the trauma and aftermath of the upside down and have a Lonnie storyline in there too. Where maybe he's trying to get custody so he can get some of the money that Joyce gets paid by the government. And we see more in depth how awful Lonnie really was to Jonathan and will. Also show Joyce's struggles being branded the town hysterical women and trying to fight her abusive ex husband while also trying to take care of will. It would also show Jonathans neglect/how he's kinda the glass child and how he takes more shift to help pay for stuff. I would still have jancy get together though at some point.

And mike I think show how his family is distant but not really go into it till s3. So s2 is just developing his relationships with El and will.

Keep max the same. And still have El run away to kalis grew.

For Nancy I think I wouldve had her still looking in to more of the stuff about barb and the ud and the government but I think I would get rid of Murray because I think In my changes he doesn't fit.

Also show hopper trying to figure out being a dad again.

S3, i would get rid of the mind flayer and all the Russian stuff. I would've kept vecna but slowly introduced him. Started developing jopper more and show El navigating real normal life and maybe have her go to school. And keep max and El.

Get rid of the mall and keep Robin but have her and Steve meet because she is friends with Nancy or Jonathan so that she is connected more. Or have her have friendships with them after she becomes better friends with Steve.

I would give Mike a storyline where he doesn't feel connected to his family at all. Like you show all the other family dynamics and introduce Erica to show how much more connected the other party's family are. Like have Mike jealous of will and Jonathan and Lucas and Erica because of how close they are but him and Nancy barely talk. It would've been interesting and added depth to his character and show his I love you problem.

I also would've shown more of Max's abusive home life and show how it affects her relationship with Lucas. Like max exhibits toxic behavior to Lucas because shes angry about billy and Neil and she lashes out at Lucas. It could've also had scene where Lucas establishes boundaries and tells her he's doesn't like how she treats him. And have her learn that it's wrong and apologize to Lucas.

I also think for Lucas we could have him join basketball this season and see the party reactions to it. I feel like it would've shown more depth in their friendships.

I think I would've pushed El getting kidnapped by the government this season and replace the hopper fake death with els kidnapping. And have billy be the first vecna victim as another cliff hanger.

I would've kept jancy the same and their argument about classism/poverty vs misogyny in the workplace. Because that argument was really good because they were both right and wrong.

Have El develop familial relationships with Joyce and will and Jonathan because maybe she lives with them for school or something.

I also would show will struggles with being gay and the ud more

S4, instead of Eddie blamed have it be the party because Neil tells the police it was them cause of DND. And have the season be the party on the run and hiding out in town to try and figure out what's going on. Also show max struggling with Billy's death and the mystery.

Have hopper and Joyce be the ones who go to rescue El from the lab. Have Steve Nancy Jonathan and Robin be the ones dealing with Hawkins.

I'm done now. But these are just off the top of my head and aren't explained the best.

[astrobei]

i would like a more detailed breakdown of your mike robin friendship analysis 🤲 💗

hi ella i have been putting this ask off because i have so many thoughts on them and i was trying to gather them into something somewhat coherent and then i realized that will never happen so! here are my thoughts on mike and robin friendship that literally no one except ella asked for but i will be providing anyway:

(i want to preface this by saying that by no means do i think this is a prediction! s5 is super plot heavy and i doubt there will be too much time to develop new relationships from scratch but in my dream world this is mike and robin’s dynamic and why i think they should be best friends forever.)

1. mike, by nature, is a little standoffish and a bit hostile to new people (max, even el, despite the monologue cough cough). that’s just how he is! even though he’s very silly and cringefail etc etc he’s still super protective of his friends and guarded and that’s definitely heightened as shit gets more intense in later seasons. it takes a while for his real personality to come out around new people! this is where i point out that robin has exactly the sort of personality that mike would find initially very abrasive bc she is loud and she rambles and she makes bad jokes and she says shit like “dingus” aka is exactly the sort of person dustin considers “cool” (see again: max) 100% certain that mike would not be robin’s biggest fan at first but it’s more of a startled and apprehensive response than genuine distaste

2. fundamentally, i think robin and mike are very similar people! which is kind of complicated because i feel like robin is in this weird place where she’s enough of a main character to have a clear-cut personality and it’s easy to say what would be ooc for her, but she also isn’t enough of a main character like will or el or max to know too much about her inner monologue etc etc. BUT! pushing aside their obvious identity issues for a hot second— mike and robin are both insanely loyal, analytical (s2 mike and s3 robin please come home), funny and nerdy and talkative, and they have a hard time opening up about their real feelings except for that one special person (steve and will). it’s clear that what both of them really want, under all the humor and the front, is to be loved and accepted, and they both find this in that one special person.

3. look. i love love love the robin/will mentorship hc it is so near and dear to me and i need this to happen in s5 because i need will to talk to another gay person like i need air, BUT. this is where i point out that will has grown up with his own form of a support system and mike has never in his life known that. yes his life has not been easy even without all the upside down shit and im not disregarding that !! but when you’re looking at will’s relationships with the people around him, he’s super close to his mom and his brother and he’s always been able to talk to them and go to them for anything. jonathan accepted him with open arms and we all know that joyce “i don’t know what that THING is but it’s not my son” byers is not going to bat an eye at will’s sexuality after everything. mike, on the other hand, needs a mentor figure because he’s never known this kind of support. the inclusion that he felt with the party isn’t as strong anymore, and his friend group is dissipating and he’s not close with any of the older teens, not even his sister, and and and and—

4. ok. expanding on the nancy thing because i got off track a bit! i love the wheeler siblings. i really do. i would give anything to see them be the apocalyptic sibling duo of the century in s5 but if i’m being really honest, nancy and mike are just. not close. even after everything they’ve been through together, we never see them have storylines together and other than that one line about nancy’s vecna vision showing her mike, they just. never really feel like they’re close to me. mike has never gotten the kind of support and closeness from nancy that will gets from jonathan, or lucas gets from erica, or dustin gets from steve (since he’s an only child) and while both of them have their own shit going on, i just don’t think mike sees nancy as someone he can go to. she got in early decision to college, she runs the school newspaper, she’s always been ambitious and driven and decisive on her future which are exactly the things mike is struggling with— fitting in, finding his place, etc etc. nancy had that whole thing in s1 and 2 with murray about who people expect her to be (dating steve) vs who she wants to be (dating jonathan) and then she got past that hurdle and mike is. well. he’s not quite there yet. but the bottom line is that for mike and what he’s dealing with rn, i think robin is a lot more relatable and approachable than nancy is, because she’s also navigating complex identity (and sexuality) issues, she doesn’t have all her shit sorted out (at least from mike’s pov bc nancy is only 18 and doesn’t know everything etc etc) but. i just think that out of the older teens, if mike needed to talk to someone, then robin would be able to relate to him more and be infinitely more approachable. also maybe this is just me projecting but i think that mike would rly gravitate towards robin’s style and stuff, especially from her pseudo-alt era from s3 with the rings and the eyeliner and the bracelets and stuff!! i loved her look in s4 too but idk something abt s3 robin is so <3 to me. yeah. definitely projecting.

5. maybe this is a bit of an unpopular opinion but the robin is a lesbian yoda trope is not my most favorite. like, i really don’t think that just because she’s older and she’s the only one to actually come out on screen and have a queer storyline that she knows anything and everything there is to know about queer dynamics! she’s a 17/18 year old lesbian in the 80s in the middle of indiana and just thinking about her talk with steve in the car makes me so sad because she’s aware that asking out the wrong girl could be catastrophic for her :( i think she’s also uncertain about a lot of things pertaining to her sexuality and i think there’s a difference between robin as a mentor figure being like, “hey, it’s totally okay to be gay and not have everything figured out, but know you’re not a mistake and you’re not alone because i’m like you” vs “here are 100 terms for queer people and the names of every sexuality under the sun because i know Everything,” and genuinely and honestly, i think mike just needs someone to tell him that first thing: that he’s only fourteen (almost 15 at the end of s4) and he literally does not need to know everything about himself or his feelings or who he is but just that he isn’t alone and it’s important that he doesn’t try to suppress that part of himself for the sake of appearances. idk my thoughts on this are very personal and i could make a whole other post (or write another 37k words on this) but! i just think that if robin got to know mike a little more she would see a lot of herself in him

um. that’s all off the top of my head but this already became one million times longer than i was expecting and i’m certain i have more thoughts on these two so i might make a second post later! thanks for enabling me i hope this is somewhat coherent (?) Maybe.

[dinitride-art]

You know how we were talking about all of Mike’s parallels to Hopper, and Mike and El’s parallels to a more familial relationship?

I’ve got the feeling that I got when I started my lighting analysis, which is, “No, I couldn’t possibly be right… could I?” But this is not joyous.

Did we ever actually recover from being Luke and Leia’d the first time? No, i don’t think we did. And I would not think the Duffers would attempt this, unless they had not made the decision to straight bait their audience with Robin. And Will. (And Mike).

I’m just frowning now. And sighing. And I am scared that if I look into it I’ll find something. I don’t deserve this. Like sure, El’s whole character arc has been about family and connecting to her past. Like with Kali, and Hopper as a parental figure, and then Joyce, and Papa as a terrible parental figure. And then Henry and her memories of him, and the way he treats her (like it’s creepy, but if she’s his kid then it’s less creepy. Then it’s just manipulative and cruel. And another terrible parental figure.) and how he cares more about hurting her than Brenner. And she meets Mike in season one and Mike is a lot nicer to her than Dustin and Lucas are. And I don’t want to think further into that but. It’s kinda similar to how Nancy called Vecna Henry after she was put in a trance. While everyone else was like, fuck that guy, he’s either one or Vecna.

And Alice is called Alice. And Holly looks like Alice. And Karen’s always been somewhat on our radar. And dysfunctional families and familial relationships are a big part of stranger things’ subject matter. And the more I roll this around in my head, the more it has the possibility of making sense.

And maybe that’s why season three mike and El were so uncomfortable to watch. Because that framing was intentional. And. Season five will tell all (maybe, there’s probably a lot of shit we’ll have to figure out and connect on our own but the big stuff will be in there) and it better not be saying that the Duffer’s decided to not only straight bait their audience multiple times (which is actually fantastic and should happen more because it’s funny), but then turned around and Luke and Leia’d their audience as well.

Mike and El being cousins is something that I can see being a reality, but I don’t want it. Put it back. Out of my brain, and back into the void.