#lonnie has something to do with all this

[uhgo6d]

yeah, and that's not all.

If the upside down is meant to be a distorted and inverted version of hawkins, and they take inspiration from alice in wonderland, where she ends up in another dimension because she wanted to escape reality, then will, to get to the upside down in the first place, was escaping from something. In the show, they repeatedly say that he’s good at hiding, and they also tell us that what he was escaping from was the demogorgon. but it’s not that simple, there’s a reason we never actually see the scene where he arrives in the ud or the demogorgon itself. Instead, we only see a silhouette, and they don’t show us what’s behind the door either. so it goes without saying that it wasn’t the demogorgon that took him.

In s4, we see how vecna terrorizes his victims and how he is the one who takes them to the ud and kills them, he never uses a demogorgon for that. wouldn’t it make more sense for him to use them in this case rather than with will, who is supposedly more important to him?? they also don’t reach the ud through portals.

but beyond the obvious fact that vecna was the one who did it, he’s not actually the character with the most evidence against him. that would be the character who only appears in the first season and then disappears, only being mentioned by jonathan. he also never shares scenes with will, something he has in common with vecna and despite vecna’s clear connection to will that character would be lonnie, his father, who abused him. he was the first person his mother and brother suspected.

but this isn’t the only show that uses alice in wonderland as a reference, there’s also alice in borderland.

In that series, the protagonist, arisu, represents alice, and his romantic interest and, co-protagonist is the white rabbit. she, SPOILER ALERT, ends up helping him overcome his trauma, getting him unstuck, making him face it, and bringing him back to reality.

this raises the question: who represents the white rabbit in stranger things if will is alice? well, no one, because apparently, he’s dead.

henry killed him, and alice found him.

And another parallel with Lonnie forcing Jonathan to kill a rabbit 😋

but if I had to choose someone to represent him, I’d say it’s vecna himself. I’d say he killed the rabbit and took his identity (just like he did with peter, aka peter pan). he’s going to guided/kidnap holly to this wonderful dream world, just like he once did with will (though it wasn’t a very nice world when he did it with him.)

he’s the one who tortures his victims by showing them their worst fears, making them not want to return to reality. and now we know from leaks that in s5, he’ll do something similar, but instead of torturing them, he’ll show them their greatest dreams, a world where everything is perfect, and they have everything they desire.

and I have no doubt that he could also represent the queen of hearts, since she’s the villain, but the queen isn’t the one who takes alice to wonderland, and alice in borderland gave me a different perspective on the queen (because in the animated movie, the queen has no depth; she’s just evil, and that’s it). and seeing how the duffers treat their villains, who are also victims (cof cof billy) it could go more in that direction.

Join Alice as she chases the White Rabbit into a topsy-turvy world. Alice in Wonderland (1951) | Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things (2016)

[chirpsythismorning]

Lonnie's last appearance in The First Shadow [source]:

"It wasn't me. I didn't do it!"

Lonnie's first mention in the series (1x01)

Which reminded me...

Kate Trefry talking about The First Shadow [source]:

We always try to go back to the original pilot and say, what more is there to learn about this moment?

Based on the leaks out there, there seems to be very few Lonnie scenes in the play, and yet it also sounds like he's gotta be the most consistently portrayed when compared to his character on the show, more than anyone else, even down to this very line, this concept of him having nothing to do with it. This tells me that with what little they were willing to give, there is a major significance to it and what it means for his character and for his role in the story overall.

So what is it? What does Lonnie have nothing to do with?

In s1, it's about Will and his disappearance. But clearly it's more than that because they made a point to have Joyce say it twice, to trust her on this.

If Lonnie has nothing to do with this, and that's a theme they want to carry out in this play in a way that quite literally juxtaposes his first mention on the show, taking us back to the very beginning, what does that mean?

Idk. Maybe it just means he has nothing to do with this. Maybe it means he has nothing to do with Will more than we realize...

It's giving

[notlongtolove]

to be an accountant of the heart

because it’s utterly, bone-deep terrifying. to look into the eyes of the person you love most in the world and feel the weight of a possibility that you might love them more than they love you.

pairing: spencer reid x fem!reader (second person, no y/n)

genre: angst-ish, fight and makeup

content: established relationship fight and makeup woof woof rookie bau reader feels insecure about how much she loves spencer, worries she's too clingy, spencer reid best bf ever

word count: 5k

note: this was haunting me in my drafts for the longest time... please be nice my heart can't take it (psa guys don't ever tell ur partners that they love you more than you love them bc 5 years down the road they'll cope by writing deranged spencer reid fics like this)

a line: You’ve always been this way—more flame than moth, more lightning than thunder. It’s one of the things he loves most about you.

and then it is hundreds of hours later, and you are still hunched over your flowcharts and abacus, trying to decide if you have gotten enough. This is the loneliest job in the world: to be an accountant of the heart. - tony hoagland

The English language draws a neat line between many and much. It divides the countable from the uncountable.

The word many is meant for things you can count. How many cups of coffee have you had? How many days will you be gone for? 

The word much belongs to what cannot be counted, what cannot be numbered. How much longer do we have in bed? How much did you miss me? How much do you love me? 

How much?

It’s an innately impossible question. Love, after all, is supposed to be infinite, unbound, unquantifiable. Any attempt to measure it—to reduce something so sacred to a number, a unit—is to taint it. And why would you want to do that? Why would anyone? There shouldn't be any need to measure something so inherently immeasurable. 

Deep down, you know there's no actual way to count love. You suppose this instinct to measure has always been there, to wonder if the love you received can be tallied like time. It’s buried deep, old as the child you once were. 

Still, the question begs itself. How much? How much more? How much less? If comparison is the thief of joy it’s only because it leaves you with the revelations nobody asked for, the truths nobody ever wants to see. 

Put love on a scale, wait and see—Will it balance or won’t it? 

“Glaring at the clock isn’t going to make time pass any faster,” Elle teases from two desks away, her eyes locked on the report she’s skimming.

You don’t bother hiding your sigh as you glance up from where your chin rests heavily in your palm, elbow propped against the desk. The pencil in your other hand twirls idly, betraying your impatience. “He said they landed an hour ago,” you grumble. Only the faintest trace of a pout slips through.

“Working hard or hardly working, ladies?” 

Your head perks up at that. Trust Derek Morgan to know how to make an entrance, arriving right on cue, grin wide and swagger intact. 

JJ, seated beside you and noticeably more amused by your restlessness than concerned, spins her chair around as she asks, “How was the convention boys?”

“It was great—more than great actually,” Spencer says, appearing from behind Morgan. He’s lugging a bag that seems twice as heavy as when you’d helped him pack it five days ago. “All the speakers were incredible. I got to talk with Lonnie Athens himself. He gave me a signed copy of his latest book.” His grin widens tenfold. “It’s not even out in stores yet.”

You’re halfway out of your seat, ready to pounce on Spencer the moment he sets his bag down. But instead, he offers a halfhug and a light squeeze to your shoulder. It’s understated, but it’s Spencer. Public displays of affection aren’t his thing, and you know better than to expect more. Still, five days without him makes you ache for just a little more.

“It was alright,” Morgan interjects with a casual shrug as he takes a seat at the edge of your table, narrowly missing your nth mug of coffee. “Great sandwiches though.”

“Yeah, you sure seemed interested in the sandwiches,” Spencer says dryly, the kind of tone that suggests sandwiches were not the main attraction.

Morgan smirks, unbothered. “New York, man,” he says with a grin. “New York.”

You turn your attention back to Spencer. “How’d you sleep?” you ask, your question aimed entirely at him.

“Surprisingly well, actually,” Spencer replies, “Despite the snoring.”

Morgan’s response is immediate—a light thwack to the back of Spencer’s head. “How’d he sleep? More like, how’d I sleep. Lover girl over here had him on the phone half the night.”

“I wasn’t that bad,” you shoot back, narrowing your eyes at him. But then your gaze drifts to Spencer, searching for confirmation. “Was I?”

Spencer hesitates, his lips pressing into a faintly sheepish line. “I did wake up late for one of the panels,” he admits, scratching the back of his neck.

“Oh, you think you had it bad? I’ve never seen someone go through so much coffee in a week,” JJ says, nodding in your direction, “She wiped out the entire stock.”

“Almost bashed her over the head with a cup of coffee myself when I had to settle for the instant stuff,” Elle chimes in. A collective shudder goes through the group. “No offence, Reid,” she adds.

“None taken,” Spencer replies smoothly, just in time to earn another smack on his arm, this time from you.

You’ve endured more than your fair share of teasing—it comes with the territory when you’re part of a team like this. You, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, three years his junior. Him, more comfortable rambling about the number of kernels on an average cob of corn than talking to any girl, let alone one with a smile like yours that could make his knees buckle. What had been an odd match to some, made perfect sense to others—Though Spencer would argue that Garcia just liked seeing him with any girl who could make him laugh the way you could, especially within three days of meeting him. It’s a feat nobody else has yet to achieve in the year you’ve been on the team. 

“Missed you,” you murmur, just loud enough for him to hear.

Spencer flushes as his lips part, maybe to respond, but Elle cuts in before he gets the chance. “Save it for later, lover girl. Some of us want to hear about those sandwiches.” 

“Oh, they really were better than last year’s,” Spencer begins, now distracted, completely oblivious to Elle’s sarcasm, “Probably because the annual reports showed an increased budget for the global initiatives.”

JJ raises an eyebrow in amused disbelief. “You read the FBI’s annual budget breakdown?”

Spencer looks genuinely surprised by the question. “You don’t?”

Chuckles echo throughout the group and though you smile faintly, it doesn’t quite reach your eyes. You just can’t help it as the tally marks start to stack up in your mind. One for the way his attention is just a little too distant, his excitement seemingly aimed at everyone but you. Another for every time you wait for his gaze and it doesn’t come. He’s too absorbed in recounting a discussion about deterministic causality he’d had with a keynote speaker. 

Compared to Spencer, who was often so reserved, it was easy to feel like your emotions were too big, too eager. Dragging him, wide-eyed and stammering, up the stairs to Hotch’s office six months ago had been nothing short of a test of strength and sheer determination. You’d been the one to silence him with a gentle kiss to his knuckles, promising him that everything would be okay. You were a live wire compared to him, everyone knew that. Lover girl, they teased, though never cruelly. In the field and out of it—Clingy to a fault, always wearing your heart on your sleeve. 

Lover girl through and through, you wait patiently for Spencer to look your way. 

He doesn’t. 

“Yours or mine?” Spencer asks as you stand side by side on the curb, bags in tow. 

“Think I’ll go to mine,” you reply curtly. You don’t trust yourself to say anything else right now.

“That’s fine. I’ve got an extra day’s worth of clothes with me.”

“You can go home,” you say, cutting him off. It comes off sharper than you intended. Then, softer, as if trying to backtrack, you add, “If you want.”

He looks at you, baffled. “Why would I do that?” 

It’s not a rhetorical question, he genuinely doesn’t understand. Weekends apart have never really been your thing. 

“Because—” You cut yourself off mid-sentence. What could you even say? Because you seem so perfectly fine after 120 hours apart. Because the tally marks said so. Because the scale said so. Instead, you huff an exhale and settle for, “No reason. You look tired. Thought you’d want to go home or something.”

“Again sweetheart. Why would I do that?” he repeats, incredulous. 

You fight off a resigned sigh, though you’re sure he catches it, and pull out your phone. “I’m calling a cab,” you mumble, thumbing at the screen. “Are you coming or not?”

“Yeah, I’ll come with you,” he says, still calm but clearly confused.

“Fine.”

The ride home is quiet, save for the driver’s rambling complaints about freeway traffic at this hour. Normally, you’d be the one to humour any conversations with strangers, chiming in with polite nods and oh, reallys while Spencer watched, bemused by your ability to make small talk with anyone. But today, you’re just not in the mood, leaving poor Spencer to fend for himself.  

Which to his credit, he does—By turning the conversation into a tangent about how traffic patterns correlate with certain hours and commuter behaviour, and delving into a detailed explanation of the queueing theory. He does this till eventually, even the driver goes silent, though whether it’s out of confusion or exhaustion, you’re not quite sure. 

You can feel Spencer’s eyes on you in the silence, flicking toward you every now and then. The concern in his attention does nothing to soothe you. If anything, it only fans the flames of your irritation. When the car finally rolls to a stop outside your building, you hand the driver a $20 bill, wave off the change, and stride toward your door without another word. You’re out before Spencer can even pull his door open.

Inside, you drop your things on the couch resignedly and kick off your shoes without so much as a care. They land in a scattered heap that you don’t bother to fix. Spencer lingers behind you, ever patient.

“What do you want for dinner?” His voice is soft, tentative, as he bends down to pick up your discarded shoes, lining them neatly by the door. “We could order something. Chinese, maybe?”

Spencer knows you well—knows how your mood sours when you’re running on fumes. Particularly on days like this, when your only sustenance has been cups of crappy coffee and a few stale crackers he’d coaxed you into eating earlier just before you left, bribing you with a quick kiss on the cheek—After checking that nobody else was in the break room, of course. 

Sullen as you are, you can recognise the offer for what it is. It’s sweet. A thoughtful acknowledgement of how well he knows you, how much he cares. He’s offering you a lifeline, a quiet invitation to let the storm pass without forcing you to name it, something you’re evidently trying not to do. 

But tonight, it feels almost patronising. It’s a spotlight on the hurt you can’t quite temper, like he’s trying to fix something you’re not yet ready to admit needs fixing.

“I can run down to the—”

“I’m not hungry.” 

You walk straight into your bedroom without another word, leaving him standing there in the doorway. You hear him exhale quietly, not quite a sigh but close. Probably one of resignation. Another tally mark falls on the scale. 

“Sweetheart,” he starts. You know he’s testing the waters, trying to find an opening. But you don’t look at him, don’t give him anything to work with. “Can we talk?” he asks, his fingers brushing yours as he takes a seat at the edge of your bed.

“Talk about what?” You’ve always been good at feigning ignorance, but the way you pull your hand away from his is anything but subtle. Spencer sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closes his eyes briefly. He’s clearly exhausted. This is exhausting. You’re clearly exhausting. You can’t help but wonder why you always do this. 

“Was it Elle? Morgan?” he ventures cautiously. “The teasing?”

“They always tease me,” you say with a shrug, your voice dismissive. “I don’t care.”

It’s a half-truth, and you both know it.

Spencer nods slowly as he tries to piece this together. He knows you’re not usually one to let things fester. You’re never angry for long, and even when you are, you laugh it off, always quick to join in on the joke. He knows better than to profile you—it's an unspoken rule within the team and, more importantly, within your relationship. But Spencer’s anything if not desperate to understand.

He watches you slip into the bathroom with a sigh, shoulders dipping. The light flickers on, but you don’t meet your own gaze in the mirror. You’re not angry. That would be easier. There’s something quieter in your eyes. Defeat, maybe. 

“I missed you,” he offers, stepping into the doorway. His tone is softer now, pleading.

“Did you?” It’s almost sarcastic, but not quite. Irritable but undercut by something raw, as though you don’t really believe he did.

Spencer swallows. “You don’t think I missed you?”

“A little hard to tell between the fawning over Lonnie Athens,” you say, wiping mascara from under your lashes. “Or was it the in-depth analysis of sandwich platters?”

It’s a snap, all sharp edges and fire, and for a second, he forgets the minefield he’s meant to be tiptoeing through. Has to bite back a smile. You’ve always been this way—more flame than moth, more lightning than thunder. It’s one of the things he loves most about you.

“Is that what this is about?” The words slip out before he can stop them, and the second they do, he knows. Rookie mistake. Your spine straightens, your jaw sets, and he wants to take it back, rewind, try again.

“This,” you echo, turning to face him. “What exactly do you mean by this?”

Spencer reminds himself that fire is never snuffed out with ice. You douse a flame gently, carefully. So, he steps forward, quieter now, fingers grazing yours before he takes your hand in his, guiding you toward the bed. He doesn’t pull, doesn’t rush, just leads you toward the bed with the same patience he knows you need when you’re fragile and burning.

Regardless, you try to resist, to hold yourself upright. You’re fighting the urge to sink into it—His touch, the bed, all of it. 

“Sweetheart,” Spencer murmurs, taking a seat beside you. “I know you’re not angry. You’re sad. And I’d really like to know why. Tell me, please?”

Deep inside, you know you’re just clinging on to the last embers of your frustration. But it’s hard—impossible, really, when you’re a fire with no kindle left to burn, and Spencer is all soft whispers and gentle hands, featherlight and soothing. 

You hesitate, twisting the fabric of the duvet between your fingers. “I just—I—You were being mean.”

Spencer lets out a slow, quiet breath. Relief, almost. Not because he agrees—He knows himself well enough to be sure that ‘mean’ isn’t the right word. But he knows you well enough to understand what it means when you say it.

Mean is what you say when you’ve been hurt and don’t know how else to put it. 

So he follows your lead. Doesn’t fight it.

“M’sorry, sweetheart,” he mumbles stroking your hand with his thumb. His touch is warm as it is gentle. 

Because it’s not about whether he was mean or not. Spencer knows that. Knows you. Knows that kindness has never been a given for you, knows that you wouldn’t recognise patience if it came knocking. And he knows you well enough to know that you think in some twisted way, that you’ve brought this hurt upon yourself, that you deserve it. 

What matters is that you were hurt. And that’s the one thing he never, ever wants to do.

“I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. Can you tell me how I did?”

“You just kept going on and on about the stupid conference. You didn’t even hug me or—And then you—” 

You don’t continue. You can’t. You feel ridiculous. Stupid, even. Mopey and small over something that shouldn’t matter this much. Over the realisation that he doesn’t need you. And why should he? It’s not Spencer’s fault. Not at all. 

His indifference is what it is and what it was. Indifference. It sits like a weight on your bones—Cold, sharp-edged, piercing. He can go 5 days without you. You can’t. The tally marks accumulate, unbidden.

“And then I…?” Spencer prompts gently, prying your fingers from the duvet and replacing the tension with his thumb, tracing slow, soothing circles into your palm instead.

“You ignored me, and I just—” Your voice wavers, frustration bubbling over. "I just felt so—so ignored!"

Wonderful vocabulary. Of course, your words would fail you now.

“And the teasing—I know, I know, I can be impossible sometimes, but I just—I just really missed you! And I get it okay? I’m clingy and you’re not and god forbid anybody else is but it’s because I love you!” You inhale sharply, your hands slipping from his to curl into fists in your lap. “And you didn’t react at all, you didn’t even care! You made me feel like—I thought that you—” 

You cut yourself off before the flurry of tears take over and drown you out. 

Spencer waits a beat, choosing his next words carefully. 

“You thought… that I don’t love you?” His voice isn’t laced with sarcasm, nor does it carry incredulity. It’s a genuine question, as though he’s retracing the moments between you, trying to understand how you could possibly come to such a conclusion.

“No, it’s not that—” you’re quick to say, desperate to correct him. You know Spencer loves you. Of course, you know that. How could you not? It’s Spencer. He loves you like it’s his life mission to show you just how much he loves you. “I know you love—I know that. I just—” 

You bury your face in your hands, fingers pressing into the hollows beneath your eyes—A feeble attempt at hiding.

Because it’s utterly, bone-deep terrifying. To look into the eyes of the person you love most in the world and feel the weight of a possibility that you might love them more than they love you.

To want to shout: Love me. Please love me, and please feel it with every fibre of your being as I do with mine. The kind of love that makes you want to scream from rooftops, to etch it into the sky, to burn the world down just to prove its enormity. 

Because then the question comes: Which would be worse?

To shout into the vast, open air and hear nothing in response? No echo of the same intensity. Or to stand amidst the smouldering ashes only to look into their eyes and find they don’t recognise you anymore? To see confusion or pity where love used to live.

You blink your watery eyes open, but you can’t bring yourself to look at him. Instead, you settle on the knobs of your knees, tracing their shape with your gaze. 

Anything but Spencer. Not right now. 

You take a sharp breath, steadying yourself before continuing.

“Sometimes, I feel like you don’t need me as much as I need you and that scares me. And I know it’s stupid, even I feel stupid thinking about it. I don’t even want to be codependent or whatever but I—I just can’t help but think that sometimes—” 

Your breath shudders out of you, long and uneven, “I love you more than you love me.”

To say Spencer feels his heart break would be an understatement. It’s not a clean break, not a single, shattering moment—it’s a slow, relentless unraveling. It’s a gut punch, pain and duress packed tight, failure laced in every syllable. His heart shatters, splintering into pieces so sharp they lodge in his throat, in his lungs, in every part of him that has ever loved you. 

Silently, he’s always known the teasing would hit a breaking point. You’ve worn that insecurity for as long as he’s known you—too young, too green, too desperate to prove yourself. He just didn’t think it would carve its way between you the two of you like this. He’s watched you lean into it, let the jokes land, let them chip away at you. Newbie. Rookie. Lover girl. As if laughing along might soften the edges of it all. 

You flop onto your back on the bed, boneless, the confession stealing the last of your fight. There’s a splotch of blue paint on the ceiling from last month, when you both tried to repaint the room and got distracted halfway through. It doesn’t make you smile, not even  a little.

“That’s not true.” The mattress dips under Spencer’s weight as he settles beside you, thumb tracing your hairline. His arm moves, coaxing you to toward him, gentle in the way only he knows how to be with you.

“You’re not impossible, sweetheart, you never are. And I know they tease,” he murmurs, fingers of his other hand grazing over your knuckles, “but I also know for a fact that you don’t fall apart without me when I’m gone. That would be co-dependency. And I know that’s not you. You passed your requalifications with flying colors while I was away,” he says. “Garcia sent me the records. You know you even beat Morgan’s old score?” 

You sniffle, startled. That had been your surprise. You’d wanted to tell him yourself. 

“She told you?” 

He shakes his head. “I asked. I always ask for updates on you when I can’t be there.”

A small “Oh,” is all you can get out. 

With every other guy you dated, you’d attempted to play it cool, dialling down your enthusiasm, biting back your texts, and pretending to care less than you did. But every relationship seemed to end the same way: you were “a lot” and they weren’t equipped to handle it. It never quite stuck though, and thank god for that. 

Because then you met Spencer.

Sweet, steady Spencer, who didn’t just tolerate your spark but cherished it. Spencer, who had let you cling to his hand during every takeoff and landing on the jet the first week on the job. He never flinched, never teased—Even when everyone else casted him sympathetic looks, the kind that silently acknowledged how your grip was probably cutting off his circulation. Spencer who has kept every scrawled doodle and note you’ve ever given for him, even the ones scribbled haphazardly on napkins or receipts. He knows carbon prints fade within months so he stores them in a shoebox tucked away in his cupboard—Just so they can last that much longer. 

Spencer didn’t just accept the parts of you others found overwhelming. He singlehandedly brought them back to life. Every bit of your spark that had been dimmed or snuffed out by someone else had found new light in his presence.

Spencer’s fingers tighten around yours, a quiet kind of reassurance that draws you back to the present. 

“Being clingy is not the same as being codependent. I know you know that. There’s a clear psychological difference in brain chemistry.” His lips twitch, the smallest hint of a smile slipping through. “You’re clingy, yes. But I love that about you. I love coming home with you. I love coming home to you. I love how hard you love me, how proudly you love me. I know I haven’t been the best at reciprocating that around the team, and I’m sorry. I hate that I made you feel like I didn’t love you, or miss you.”

He shifts closer, eyes searching yours, open and earnest. “Because I did miss you. So much. I nearly blew a month’s paycheck in the gift shop. Spent half of it stocking up on those jelly crackers you told me about.” He shakes his head, like he can’t believe himself. “Morgan said I was whipped when I paid thirty bucks for a pair of souvenir socks.”

With a raise of your eyebrow you ask tearily, “and exactly how many pairs did you buy?” 

“Got you three pairs.” A sheepish little laugh escapes him as he ducks his head. 

And just like that, you’re smiling too. Albeit a small one, but that’s progress nonetheless. “And I don’t think you quite understand how much I love you when you say you love me more.” He leans in, his voice dropping, teasing. “I don’t know if you know this about me, but I’m very competitive.”

“Oh, so I’ve heard Doctor Reid,” you quip, eyes rolling. Spencer’s lips curve, just slightly. You don’t even notice the way you press closer to him, but Spencer does. He takes the opportunity to go on.

“In a way, you’re right. I don’t need you,” Spencer says. Whiplash doesn’t even begin to describe the way your head snaps toward him. Flame and lighting, no doubt. 

“Sorry, sorry,” he says quickly, his expression already twisting in regret. “I shouldn’t have phrased it like that.”

“I don’t see what other way you could possibly phrase something like that,” you snap pettily, already pushing yourself up to stand. 

“Hey, hey.” His hand reaches out, not quite grabbing yours but close enough to make you pause. “Lie back down, honey. Please.” 

Against your better judgment, you relent, sinking back into the bed. “What I meant to say was, I don’t need you,” he repeats, slower this time, deliberate.

You scoff, a bitter laugh slipping through your lips as you swipe harshly at your damp lashes. “I get it, Spencer. Clearly you don’t.”

“No, I don’t think you do,” he says, his voice unwavering. “Biologically speaking, I wouldn’t cease to exist without you. My heart would continue to beat, my lungs would continue to expand and contract, my brain would maintain its synaptic functions. I would survive.” He pauses then, eyes searching yours, “And can I tell you something?”

You don’t answer, but you don’t pull away either. He takes that as permission to go on. “You don’t need me either.” 

Your lips part, the beginnings of a protest forming, but he cuts you off gently.

“I know you said you do, but your autonomic nervous system would still regulate your breathing, your neurons would still fire, your body would persist.” He swallows, voice dipping lower. “But that’s not the point, is it? Love isn’t about biological necessity. It’s not about survival. It’s about choice.” 

The word “choice” feels almost ironic when it comes from Spencer Reid. You knew that the moment you met him. It was never really a choice, not for you. It was him, or nothing. Desperately, you'd like to think it was the same for him, too.

Your answer comes in the form of his thumb brushing lightly over your cheek. He’s patient, always, even when you aren’t. Kind in a way that sinks deep—Like you deserve it. You’re all sharp edges, brittle and worn, and he’s five days off a lumpy hotel mattress, yet the only thing he cares about is brushing away the tears from your skin. 

“Sweetheart, I don’t love you because I need you. I don’t think that would be love at all. That’s survival. I love you because I choose to,” he continues. “Because you are the strongest person I know. Because you are kind, even when the world hasn’t been kind to you. Because you give so much of yourself without hesitation, without ever expecting anything in return.” 

Spencer smiles, shaking his head. “Because you’re the only person I know who will spend thirty minutes on a call recounting every little thing everyone did in the office that you think I’d like to hear about—before you even think to tell me about your own day.”

“It was funny! Since when has Hotch ever tripped on the stairs?”

It’s unfair really, how easily his laugh breathes life back into you. Your heart stumbles over itself as his hand brushes tenderly along your jaw. 

“I’ve spent every day in awe of you since the moment I met you. And I fall more and more in love with you with each one. Even on the days I’m not with you. Even on the days I’m miles away. Even then.” Spencer presses his lips against the back of your hand as he adds, “Especially then.” 

“Really?”

You can’t help it, the quiet little thing in you that wants to hear it again. 

Your tears have dried, but their traces still shimmer faintly on your skin. Spencer presses a kiss to your forehead, his fingers tucking a stray strand of hair behind your ear. He’d say it again. A hundred times. He’d make that speech a thousand times over, if you needed him to. If it meant you’d never doubt it again.

“Really, my love.”

And just like that, a million tally marks fall at your feet.

A million for the way he presses another kiss to your lips, unrushed. A million more for the way his nose bumps against yours, lingering, breathing you in. Another million for the spark that creeps back into your eyes. 

It’s infinite, unbound, unquantifiable—The way he loves you, the sheer depth of it. You feel foolish for ever having questioned it. You thank your lucky stars—all of them—for Spencer Reid. For the way he’s looking at you like you strung the constellations together yourself. For the way he chooses you, again and again, even when you don’t choose him, when you shut down, when you go quiet. 

Because love to Spencer isn’t desperation, isn’t need—it’s choice. The deliberate, unwavering act of reaching out, of staying, and of saying over and over: I choose you. 

Not because he has to, but because he wants to. To be the one to put you back together again when you’re all embers and ash, to cradle you back onto earth when stare past him into the ceiling, to remind you that there’s still warmth in you left to hold.

To breathe the spark back into your eyes—It’s a choice he made the very moment he met you. It’s a spark Spencer swears he’d spend his whole life keeping alight.

⋆✴︎˚｡⋆ hi if you're here! thank you so much for reading! likes, comments or reblogs are very much appreciated!

ᯓ★ song recs if you feel like it: daylight by taylor swift intrapersonal by turnover

[dayasfilms]

Chapter Two - Strange Behavior

Summary: It was interesting to see the girl who never really spoke to you or your best friend send her sympathy, but it makes sense when her brother is best friends with Jonathan’s. It would be a little weird if she didn’t say anything. Not only that, but Mike, Lucas, and Dustin were acting strange, as if they were hiding something.

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Warnings: This story contains mature themes such as sexual content, strong language, violence, mentions of alcohol and drugs, blood, gore, and death. No mentions of Y/N. Some mistakes in information, not everything is factual.

Word Count: 2.2k

Note: Hope you all are enjoying it so far! Also, Steve and the reader have some sort of past…I don’t know what to call her, honestly. I don’t really like saying ‘reader,’ it doesn’t have much personality. Any nicknames you guys want to give her, feel free to let me know.

Series Masterlist

ㅤ♡ ㅤ♡ ㅤ♡

Your mom had already left early in the morning when she got a call from Joyce, only leaving you a note for when you woke up.

You wanted to go with her, but you were still asleep when she left. Feeling useless, you called Jonathan to ask if there was anything you could do. He mentioned that he was going to print posters for Will so you agreed to meet at the school to split the stack of posters to hang up.

After parking your car at the school, you quickly walked inside. You didn’t see Jonathan’s car yet so you walked into the bathroom, deciding to freshen up a little before heading back out.

A few girls walked in, which is when you checked your watch to see that ten minutes had already passed. You left the bathroom and turned your head towards the entrance to see Jonathan walking through the doors. You picked up your pace as you walked to him, your eyes briefly falling on the small group on your right as you rolled your eyes subtly.

You couldn’t hear what they said until you got closer, feeling his eyes on you. You suddenly heard Carol calling out your name, which made you slow down, but your steps never faltered.

“Are you going to help the loser find his little brother like a good little detective, Kaul?”

You turned around, walking backwards as you squinted your eyes at her. “Hey Carol, has anyone ever told you that you sound like a Walkman chewing tape?”

Carol scoffed, with Tommy laughing a little too loudly, his girlfriend slapping his shoulder. Satisfied, you turned back around, the image of Steve’s face and how he tried to hold back his laughter in your mind, the same with Nancy and Barbara. You couldn’t lie and say it didn’t give you a little ego boost.

Jonathan noticed you right away, giving you a small smile as you took a look at the missing poster he put up. You gave him a soft smile, your eyes scanning the photo of Will. “This picture is nice, Jonathan. Really.”

“Yeah?” Jonathan looked at you. “My mom and I thought so, too. Thought it was the perfect one to use.”

“It is,” you said, putting a hand on his shoulder. You looked down at the remaining posters in his hand before reaching out to take half of them. “I’ll put these up around school and around town as well, okay? Are you going to stay today or leave?”

“I’m going to Lonnie’s,” he said, making you quirk your eyebrows. “I know what you’re going to say.”

“Why? There’s no way Will could be there, right?” You questioned, not understanding why he would be going there.

“I just need to check off this box, just in case, you know?” Jonathan swallowed harshly, his eyes going to the poster before falling back on you. “Maybe he didn’t run away but…but–”

“Hey,” you stopped him, holding his hand. “Don’t even finish that sentence. Nothing happened to him, and I’m sure he’s not there.”

Before Jonathan could respond, you heard a familiar voice speak.

“Hey,” Nancy spoke softly, causing you to raise an eyebrow at Jonathan before you turned around to face her.

Jonathan said hi back, a little confused as to what she was doing here.

“I just…I wanted to say, you know…I’m sorry about everything.” The girl didn’t look at you, probably due to the fact she may have been a little bit intimidated by you. Nancy looked back at the small group behind her, who just stared at you and Jonathan. “Everyone’s thinking about you.”

You scoffed, before quickly clearing your throat. You knew that was highly unlikely, considering Carol made a joke not even a few minutes ago. Nancy quickly glanced at you, shuffling her feet uncomfortably. You felt a little bad, knowing that she didn’t have to come here but still did, so you gave her a small smile, to which she returned.

“I’m sure he’s fine, he’s a smart kid,” Nancy told Jonathan as the bell rang. The sound made you straighten up, knowing you had to get to class. “I have to go, Chemistry test.”

“Uh, yeah,” Jonathan nodded his head as Nancy began to walk away.

“Good luck,” she finally said, turning back around to join her group of friends. Jonathan muttered out a quick thanks, his eyes on Nancy as she walked away. Your eyes briefly locked with Steve’s before you turned your head, breaking contact.

“I’m going to go, then,” you told Jonathan, posters still in hand. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Yeah, I’ll let you know if anything comes up,” Jonathan answered, walking towards the doors before exiting.

A loud slam made you look up, seeing the familiar boy lean against the locker next to yours. You rolled your eyes, taking some textbooks from your locker and shoving them into your bag.

“Hi,” Steve said, watching your movements. He chuckled at the annoyed look on your face.

With him still not leaving you alone, you gave him a side glance as you put your jacket on. “What?”

“Just wanted to say hi,” he told you, truthfully.

You gave him a blank stare. “Okay, you said hi. You can leave now.”

He sighed, his smile faltering, turning into a frown. “Can you please look at me?”

You paused your movements, taking in a deep breath. “Are you going to keep doing this every time I’m alone? I don’t remember you bothering me this much whenever Jonathan is with me.”

He didn’t say anything, his eyes still focused on you.

“Steve, what do you want me to say?”

“Why?” He simply asked, as if he was asking the easiest question in the world. “I just want to know why.”

Biting the inside of your cheek, you looked away. You knew what he was asking. “Shouldn’t you be with Nancy, right now?”

“Don’t do that.”

You raised an eyebrow. “Do what?”

“Pretend you don’t care,” he said.

You shrugged. “Care about what?” He gave you a serious look. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You really expect me to believe you don’t care?” He asked, his eyes softening.

You locked eyes with him. “You expect me to believe you care? When you’re already dating someone else?” You told him instead.

“Hey, that’s not fair,” he said, the corner of his lips pulled down. “You broke up with me, and I still don’t know why.”

You slammed your locker shut, putting your backpack on. “People just grow apart, Steve. You just have to learn how to deal with it, sometimes.” He began to speak, but you stopped him before he could utter a word. “I have to go.”

You drove to the police station when you saw that your mom’s car wasn’t in the driveway. You know there was a good chance your mom was not in her office in Indianapolis but at the Hawkins police station.

When you saw your mom’s car in the lot, your suspicions were confirmed. You entered the building and walked towards Hopper’s office to see him and your mom speaking to each other.

“Hi,” you spoke, making your presence known. Hopper turned to look at you, raising an eyebrow. You closed the door behind you.

“Sweetie, hey, what are you doing here?” Yasmin said, walking up to you. “Everything okay?”

You nodded your head. “Yeah, I just thought I’d stop by and see if there’s anything I can do to help. I talked to Jonathan this morning and helped him put up the missing posters.”

“The only thing you can do is go back home,” Hopper told you.

Yasmin rolled her eyes. “Actually, we’re having a search party again tonight, if you want to come out and help us.”

“Oh, cool,” you said. “Have there been any new updates? You said Joyce called you this morning, right?”

Before Yasmin could speak, Hopper cut in. “We can’t tell you anything about the case, it’s confidential.”

You crossed your arms. “Seriously?”

“Come on, Hop,” Yasmin sighed. “What’s she going to do? Tell the serial killer next door?”

Hopper grunted, making you chuckle.

Yasmin turned back to you. “Nothing much. She just called to tell us that someone called her last night. She thinks she heard Will’s breathing on the other end.”

“Wait, what?” You exclaimed. “Was it really him?”

Hopper shrugged. “No clue. The storm fried the phone really badly and there’s no way to trace the call.”

You tilted your head. “Storms can do that? Really?”

He gave her a strange look. “It…could.”

“I don’t know,” Yasmin answered, truthfully. “The condition of the phone was unusual. But Joyce saying she heard Will’s breathing on the other end…I really don’t know what’s happening.”

“So, other than the phone, you guys have no other lead?”

Hopper crossed his arms, looking at Yasmin before looking at you again. “There is one thing,” he said.

You spent the night searching for Will with all of the other people that joined the search party. You stayed close to your mom, not wanting to lose her. You kept calling out Will’s name, as did everyone else, but you were starting to lose hope.

Your mom and Hopper told you about how there was a little boy running around, with a shaved head. He was last seen at Benny’s restaurant, the man now pronounced dead as of this morning. The situation seemed off as Hopper was convinced the boy with the shaved head was Will, while Yasmin wasn’t sure. You agreed with your mom, knowing there was no way that could be Will. It made no sense as to why he would be running around Hawkins with a shaved head instead of going back home.

After a few hours of searching, your mom told everyone to go home. It was getting too dark, even with flashlights, and everyone needed to rest for the next day.

Before going back home, you decided to go to the Wheeler’s house and check up on the boys. You didn’t get the chance to speak with them, knowing they were going through a difficult time with their best friend missing. You told your mom before driving off to the Wheeler’s.

Mrs. Wheeler opened the door after you rang the doorbell, greeting you with a hug as you stepped inside. You told her it would be quick.

Walking downstairs, you heard lots of shuffling, and some objects even falling with a thump to the ground. You watched as the boys sat together on the couch, uncharacteristically still.

“Uh, you guys okay?” You asked, crossing your arms.

“Yeah! Why wouldn’t we be?” Dustin exclaimed, a little too loud.

Noticing this, Mike slapped his arm. “Yes, we’re okay. What are you doing here?”

You raised an eyebrow. “I came to check up on you idiots. I haven’t gotten the chance to see how you’re holding up.”

Lucas spoke up. “We’re fine. We’re sad, but we’re okay.”

Something about the tones in their voice made you feel uncertain. They weren’t acting like themselves, and you could tell.

“Okay so…you guys are acting weird.” You stepped closer to them, taking a good look at them. “Are you hiding something?”

“No!” They all yelled in unison, making you step back at the volume.

You put your hands up. “Sheesh, okay, I get it.” Suddenly, you heard another loud thump behind you, making you spin around. “Is someone here?”

Dustin grabbed your hand, making you turn towards them again. “Nooooo! Why would anyone be here? It’s just us three. Actually, Lucas and I were just about to leave anyway, so then it’ll just be Mike by himself, because, you know, it’s his house and he lives here and stuff.”

You just stared at him, your mouth slightly parted at his rambling. You eased your hand out of his, stepping back again. “Okay, well, if you guys are sure…I just wanted to make sure you guys were okay.”

“Don’t worry about us,” Mike told you, saying your name. “We’ll be okay. We’re going to find him.”

You tilted your head. “Well, not you guys, but the police definitely will find him.”

“Yeah, that’s what he meant!” Lucas responded.

You nodded your head, giving them a strained smile. “I’m going to go now, then. Bye, you losers.”

You knew it was even more weird when you turned around and walked back upstairs without the boys giving you any comebacks, instead just kindly saying goodbye.

You shrugged it off, knowing how they must be feeling pretty shaken up after hearing their best friend was missing.

After getting home, you freshened up in the bathroom before flopping onto your bed. Your mind was filled with too many thoughts all at once. With Jonathan going to Lonnie’s, Nancy sending her sympathies, the Byers’ phone call, the little boy running around, Steve—

Steve. You tried not to think about Steve so much, especially not now. It seemed selfish to think about your own life and problems when your best friend’s brother was missing, possibly even in danger.

You couldn’t help it. The way you could feel his eyes lingering on you whenever you walked by, not leaving your form until you looked at him, locking eyes with him until you broke it first, because you knew if you didn’t, you two would never stop. He would never be the one to look away first.

You just couldn’t help it. Just the thought of him made your heart ache.

You snuck under the covers and closed your eyes. You hated this feeling. The feeling of every single emotion all at once.

[buildingmycottage]

I saw a post here on Tumblr once that went something like "in a world where god, Jesus, and the apostles are all men, that has to do something psychologically to women" and it made me think: The Netflix version of the show "She-Ra Princess of Power" is a show that is HEAVILY women centric. We know maybe three guys in power, King Micah (who, after his return from Beast Island, wasn't *really* in power), the head sorcerer in Mystacor, Hordak/Horde Prime. (please do correct me if I am wrong) The show, albeit about princesses, has the princesses have actual roles. Even the ones that are "weak" or perceived to be weaker than the others (read: Perfuma), are extremely powerful.

The two men whom we consistently meet in the show other than Hordak, Bow and Seahawk, are not the "macho man" in most shows. Seahawk sings an entire shanty as to how lonely he is and how he just wants to be friends with Mermista, and Bow cries and even hugs frequently all the other characters in the show. Both talk about their emotions and work through them in /relatively/ healthy ways (the Dragon's Daughters 1-3 will be sorely missed). My point being, is that the women in the show are shown as strong, beautiful, muscular, fierce, sad, frustrated, loving, traumatized, hurt, laughing, and more. They all have different body shapes/ types of bodies. There are three openly gay couples: Bow's dads, Spinerella and Netossa, and Catra and Adora. Incredible! In a kids show (and adults too lets be real) there are three openly gay couples. No one treats them any different. Bow is one of 13 kids of George and Lance. No one bats an eye. In fact, according to She-Ra Wiki page (https://she-raandtheprincessesofpower.fandom.com/wiki/LGBTQIAP%2B), so many characters are queer. Besides the ones listed above: - Scorpia and Perfuma are romantically involved - Bow is Bisexual - Glimmer is Bisexual - Mermista is Bisexual - Seahawk is Bisexual (dated Falcon) - Falcon is Gay - Lonnie is Poly and Bisexual (dating Rogelio and Kyle) - by extension Rogelio and Kyle are queer - Entrapta is bi - Jewelstar is trans - Peekablue is gender non-conforming - Double Trouble is nonbinary and there is MORE In the show, as there are a ton of non humans, almost any time we meet someone, she/her pronouns are used (see episodes when Best Friend Squad are in the crimson waste). Can't you see how amazing this is? A show where there are no one-dimensional characters, women are constantly having intelligent conversation with one another, women are leaders, women working together, openly queer characters, and a beautiful plot line where there's magic???? When the princesses work together, they turn into the colors of the rainbow and their powers are enhanced. Little girls are getting to see themselves as normal. Women aren't treated as secondary citizens. Hell, almost every Bright Moon guard we see is female. How would the world be different if shows like this were the norm? Where women are able to be magical, and they aren't dressed to show off their bodies? Where women's armor actually protects them? Where they grunt and are sweating after they fight? Where womens' love wins? Why can't this be normal? (Happy Pride!)

[ladykailitha]

Forever Young Part 4

Hey guys! We are back with this amazing fic! Since it's been a bit I'd recommend reading the last chapter: here or the from the beginning: here.

Pt 1 Pt 2 Pt 3

A bit of a longer chapter with lots of twists and turns and a brief cameo of Joyce and Hopper.

~

Will and Dustin looked at each other and sighed heavily.

“I forgot that there is a distinct messy side to science,” Dustin said, putting his hands on his hips and looking at the bags and bags of garbage out by the garage.

“Let’s see if we can’t find gardening gloves or whatever to protect us...” he waved at the piles with a grimace, “from all of that.”

“Good idea,” Dustin agreed. “There is bound to be broken bottles in there and I really don’t have the desire to call Wayne about needing a ride to the hospital, thanks.”

They found gloves and got to work. They sorted out the bags that were clearly from earlier in the week and focused on the two bags that were the most likely culprits for being from last night.

“So I’m just seeing beer and joint butts,” Will said about twenty minutes later. “How about you?”

Dustin sighed and pushed his bag away. “A whole lot of nothing. Like chip bags and other junk food detritus, no real heavy alcohol or anything that might mix badly with the weed.”

Will nodded. “It just seems like their every day party with out us underaged teenagers. Different kinds of soda and other drinks but nothing that screams body altering drugs.”

He got to his feet and dusted off his knees. “This was a complete bust.”

Dustin got up too. “I don’t think so. Yeah, we didn’t find anything, but that means that it wasn’t drug or alcohol related. That’s something we cross off the list.”

“I suppose,” Will sighed as he pulled off his gloves. “Let’s go tell everyone we didn’t find anything.”

“Let’s hope Dr. Owens has some ideas,” Dustin agreed, pulling off his gloves too. “But I’m plumb out.”

The other four kids were sitting on the sofa, talking among themselves.

“Sorry, guys,” Dustin said flopping on the arm chair, while Will sat cross-legged on the floor. “That was a bust. All they had last night was the usual stuff to get high and drunk.”

“Ours was unfruitful as well,” El said with a sigh. “Dr. Owens said that they had never encountered physical regression before. But he’ll look into it further and call back. I worry he may want to take blood tests.”

“He can fuck off back to whatever hole he crawled out of,” Mike growled. “I’m not letting them do to Nancy what they did to El. I don’t care.”

Lucas put his hand on Mike’s arm. “And we won’t let them either. Especially with Wayne knowing what’s going on. I have a feeling that if they tried to take Eddie, he’d storm the lab with nothing but a shotgun and enough ammo take on a third world country.”

Mike straightened and blinked for a moment. “Oh, yeah. He’d go all Rambo on their ass. Huh. That does make me feel better. Thanks!”

“No problem,” Lucas said with a smile. “Plus if we add El and Erica to the mix, the lab would be razed the ground in seconds.”

El just batted her eyelashes at them sweetly.

“So we’ve got absolutely nothing,” Dustin said with a heavy sigh. “The lab was no help, the garbage was no help. They can’t tell us what went wrong. We’re pretty much stuck until something else happens.”

“Pretty much!” Mike huffed, throwing his head back against the couch cushion. “This sucks. I’ve looked up to Nancy my whole life and after the monsters I’ve admired what a badass she was. But that little girl isn’t the Nancy I grew up with. Like she knows she’s going to be a big sister, but she doesn’t understand what that means right now. For her it’s diaper changes and bottle feeding. Not being a reporter and shotguns.”

There was a creak on the stairs leading down to the basement and everyone looked over expecting Steve as he had slept earlier, but no it was Little Jonathan.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” he whispered shyly, sucking on his thumb.

Will was on his feet in an instant. One of the things that Lonnie liked to yell about either of his sons was that they were too soft. That they needed toughening up. The fact that Little Jonathan was still sucking his thumb at this age was sure sign that Lonnie was an ass and that there was no doubt he had hit his son for trying to get comfort somewhere in this big, wide world.

“Come with me,” he said gently. “I’ll take you to the one up here and then show you where the one downstairs is so you if you spend the night you know where it is, okay?”

Little Jonathan nodded, taking Will’s hand. Will led the way and as he was about to close the door behind the toddler, Little Jonathan looked up him and cocked his head.

“Will the Wise,” he said solemnly. “You’ll find someone who loves you for you some day.” Then he toddled into the bathroom and closed the door, leaving a very stunned Will staring at the wooden surface.

When Little Jonathan came out he didn’t seem to remember what he said before going into the bathroom. So Will just led him back to the living room where the teens were gathered.

“Hey there, buddy,” Lucas said with a soft smile. “Did you want to try to go back to sleep or did you want to color until everyone else woke up?”

“M’mm awake...” came the slurred voice of Little Eddie from the floor. “Just restin’ my eyes.” He sat up sort of cross-legged and rubbed his eyes.

Max giggled. “Sure are, big guy. All bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”

Then Little Robin came in, hair a mess and drool all over her face. “I’m thirsty, can I get some water?”

“Sure!” Will said, his voice cracking. “El won’t you take them to the kitchen, I’m sure Eddie and Jonathan are thirsty too.”

El looked at him curiously, head cocked to the side. Then she nodded. “Come on, everyone hold hands like they did for lunch.”

The kids did as they were told and El took Little Robin’s hand to lead them into the kitchen.

The kids ooh’ed and awed when El used her powers to get the glasses down from the cupboard because it was too high for her to get.

“Cups are easy,” Little Robin said with a giggle. “She can throw cars with her mind, too!”

El froze and the cup headed for Little Eddie stopped too.

“Supergirl!” Little Eddie agreed, clapping his hands and reaching out for the cup. It took everything El had to let go of the cup so that Eddie could take it.

“You should see her fly a helicopter!” Little Jonathan crowed. “It’s so cool!”

She watched them in wide-eyed amazement as they didn’t seem to understand what it was they just said. They just happily drank the water given to them and then handed the cups back to her. She put them in the sink and then led them back out to the living room.

There was Little Nancy and Little Steve sitting on the floor with their heads together, playing tic-tac-toe as they waited for the other kids to come back.

“I think they’re getting some of them memories back,” El said bluntly. “But only in spurts.”

“I agree,” Dustin said putting his hands on his hips. “But when it does happen, it doesn’t stick around for long. Just a memory and then it’s gone.”

Max narrowed her eyes and then cocked her head back and forth. “Well you want to know what I think? I think we should just let them be kids for awhile.”

“What?” Lucas cried, springing to his feet. “We need them as adults!”

“And that’s the problem!” Max snapped back, getting to her feet, too. “We rely on them too much. When do they get to be kids? Especially Jonathan, Steve, and Nancy. They were our age when they first met the Upside Down, when do they get to shirk their duties and have fun?”

Mike grabbed both Lucas and Max and started pushing them toward the hall, but before he could even get them turned around, Little Jonathan and Little Robin burst into tears. Mike closed his eyes.

“I was trying to avoid that,” he hissed through clenched teeth. “Please take this argument elsewhere. Dustin and El, too. They don’t need to hear this.”

There was a lot of shouting and protesting as even more of the kids started to cry.

Suddenly there was a piercing whistle from the doorway to the hall. All the teens stopped arguing even though the kids kept crying. They turned to the door and there was Joyce and Hopper standing there. Hopper had his fingers to his lips, pointing to him as the cause of the whistle.

The teenagers stared at them in shock and maybe a little bit of fear too. They were so busted.

“Where did you lot get a bunch of children?” Hopper groused. “I don’t think I’d let any of ya babysit for love or money.” He crossed his arms over his chest.

Joyce smacked his chest. “Jim!” she cried in amusement.

Suddenly Little Jonathan broke from the crowd of children and dashed straight for Joyce’s legs.

“Mommy!”

Joyce scooped him up out of habit and then froze. “All my babies are grown up, little one.”

Will and El shared a grimace.

Little Jonathan traced a scar on her chin. “Daddy did that. I’m sorry, Mommy.”

Joyce and Jim both went wide-eyed.

Joyce moved Little Jonathan to her hip to get a better look at the little boy in her arms. “Jonathan?”

The little boy nodded.

Of course the other kids were still screaming so Mike and Lucas each grabbed one of the girls to calm down first. Mike took Nancy and began cooing a lullaby. She hiccuped softly, her sobs slackening until they stopped all together.

Hopper waded in and picked up the two boys, bouncing each on his hip. El immediately stood up and grabbed Little Steve from him so he could focus on getting the one quiet. El reading Little Steve’s mind to find a song that would calm him and started humming that.

Once everyone had stopped screaming and Joyce was over her shock, she sat down on the sofa, her son in her arms.

“Will, what’s going on?” she asked her other child.

“We don’t know,” Will huffed. “We know it’s not Upside Down related. El and I checked, but they just woke up like that.”

“They?” Hopper said, looking closer at the child in his arms. “Holy shiiiiivvva,” he said changing the last word at the last second.

“What’s a Shiva?” the little boy asked, cocking his head to the side and looking up at him with chocolate button eyes.

“Shiva is an Indian god,” Hopper huffed. “With too many arms and lots of rage issues.”

“So holy Shiva makes sense,” Little Eddie said solemnly, nodding. “Uncle Wayne said not to swear because they’re big people words. Can I say holy Shiva instead of cussing?”

“Sure, kid,” Hopper said with a huff of laughter.

“Oh no,” Joyce said softly. “If that’s Eddie, and this is Jonathan are those...?”

Will sighed putting his head in his hands.

“I’m afraid so Mrs. Byers,” Dustin said, putting his hands on his hips. “Steve was the first one found like this, then Nancy and Jonathan. We assumed, rightly unfortunately, that Robin and Eddie were affected, too.”

“Does Wayne know about his nephew’s cute-ifaction?” Hopper asked.

Max chewed on her thumbnail. “I think he was the first to know, but didn’t reach out to the rest of us because he didn’t know it had happen to the others, too.”

Hopper set Little Eddie down. “Sounds like you’ve got a bit of a mess. Especially since the reason Joyce and I stopped by is that we’ve got to head out of town for a bit. We were hoping to make sure Steve was aware he had to keep an eye out for you lot.”

“I’m not sure we can leave knowing the older teens are kids now,” Joyce said, holding Jonathan to her chest.

Hopper just shook his head. “I’d agree with you, but Murray was pretty insistent we both be there.”

“Is it Upside Down related?” El asked, cocking her head to the side.

Joyce sighed and then looked over at Hopper.

“We don’t know yet,” Hopper explained calmly. “We know that the Russians tried to open a gate before and if they’ve got someone like Henry Creel, they might try to insert them into the Upside Down to get control of it for their own ends.”

El nodded. “I’ve been keeping an ear out for any stirrings, but there haven’t been so far.”

He kissed her forehead. “That’s good to know.”

“How long will you be gone?” Will asked nervously. He remembered the last time his mom left and really didn’t want to repeat that experience.

Joyce looked up at Hopper and then back at him. “I don’t know love. I know things went bad last time, but that was because a general went crazy and tried to kill El. That won’t happen this time, I promise.”

“No offense, ma’am,” Lucas huffed. “But I really don’t think that’s a promise you can make. I get that it might be Upside Down related, but I don’t know about anyone else, I’m getting tired of grown ups leaving us behind to take on problems well beyond our capacity.”

“You watch your tone, young man,” Joyce said sternly. “It’s not your place to tell adults what they can or cannot do.”

“Then it’s a good thing I’ve still got PTO coming to me then, isn’t it?” Wayne growled from behind them.

“Wayne!” Lucas breathed in relief.

“Went out bought somethings for youngsters,” he said holding up his loot. “You two can go do what you want. I’ll handle this.”

Joyce chewed on her lip and then set Little Jonathan down gently. “I’m going away for a couple of days, but Mr. Munson is going to watch you and your new friends. You’ll be safe, I promise.”

Lucas rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut.

“I’ll take care of it,” Wayne repeated more sternly.

Joyce pressed her lips tightly and then nodded. She pulled money out her purse and handed it to Wayne. “To help cover any food they might need.”

Wayne set down some of the bags he had and took the money. “Thank you.”

“We’ll be in contact,” Hopper said squeezing his shoulder. “Keep the walkie nearby.”

They all nodded.

“Who wants to help me make dinner?” Wayne said with a grin, turning back to the other kids.

A cheer went up.

~

Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

Tag List: CLOSED

1- @itsall-taken @estrellami-1 @zerokrox-blog @sadisticaltarts @dolphincliffs

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @irregular-child @cryptid-system @kultiras

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji @dreamercec @blondie1006

5- @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @genderless-spoon @fearieshadow @thesecondfate

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @steddieislife @stripey82 @tony-2012 @stedestielfrattficlover @micheledawn1975

10- @moonshadows-13 @bridget-malfoy-stilinski-hale @morallyundefined @best-thing-at-this-party @ollieolive

[greenfiend]

Deducing what may have actually happened to Will Byers on Nov 6, 1983 using evidence from the show.

Trigger warning: M*rder, s*icide.

part 2. part 3.

Before I begin, I just want to remind everyone that this show has many layers to it. What I mean is, if you watch carefully, a piece of dialogue can actually mean two (or more) things. The dialogue can be meaningful for the specific scene (surface level) and it can be a sneaky way to foreshadow something else entirely (subtext).

From this specific moment, we can assume that moving forward: any and all mentions of JFK’s assassination will actually be about Will’s disappearance (subtext).

So when the writers gifted us with these mentions, they are actually referring to the conspiracy surrounding Will’s disappearance. So let’s investigate, shall we?

Here’s the briefest overview of the JFK assassination: Oswald was convicted of assassinating JFK. Oswald denied his involvement stating that he was “a patsy”. Many conspiracy theories believe that Johnson was actually the one responsible.

Both Mrs. Driscoll and Dustin do not believe that Oswald assassinated JFK. Mrs. Driscoll is an outcast; she’s an older woman with schizophrenia. The guys who work at the newspaper are quick to dismiss her for these reasons. Now remember, this is Stranger Things, the show about outcasts being right and those fitting the norm being wrong. Then there’s our beloved Dustin, who states that “Oswald was a patsy”. Thus we can conclude: Johnson assassinated JFK, and Oswald was a patsy.

So… who if Will is JFK in this equation, who are our “Johnson” and “Oswald” counterparts?

Well right now, I assume most people believe Vecna is responsible for Will’s disappearance. He is our “bad guy”. So my guess is that he is our “Oswald”.

Who is our “Johnson”? Now remember, Johnson was someone close to JFK, he was the vice-president. He had something to gain in this. I believe Lonnie fits the bill the most for our Johnson.

So many clues surround Lonnie that tell us he was actually responsible. Plus, remember, he has something to gain from Will’s death: life insurance.

Though to be far, I am definitely not ruling out Brenner and Hawkins lab being involved in this too.

So… what happened exactly then? I’m not certain but this is my theory:

Lonnie was prepared to kill Will that night, but his plans were thwarted by our “Oswald”. Vecna swooped in and saved Will from his fate. His “come with me if you want to live” moment.

Moving further into the theory territory… here is a prediction:

- Our characters believe that the only way to defeat Vecna is to travel back in time and “stop him”.

- They travel back, stop him, then return finding out that the alternate present is much worse. By this I mean: Will was murdered, Mike ended his life by suicide, Joyce got admitted to Pennhurst Asylum, Jonathan was struggling with addiction, Lonnie got his payout, etc.

- Thus realizing that “killing” Vecna is and never was the solution here.

Now you may be thinking: but Vecna is 100% evil, why are you trying to redeem him? Well, the thing is, he’s not. Vecna is a villain but he’s not 100% evil. The show isn’t that simple friends. Plus, remember, nothing is exactly as it seems in this show.

[neurodivergent-gaypossum]

I lied. Put your clothes back on. We’re psychoanalyzing byler from both Mike and Will’s POV. First off, Will. I am SOBBING. Okay so, starting from the beginning of the series, we already know Lonnie as well as others gave him a hard time for seeming gay, and it’s my headcanon that around s1 he developed a tiny crush on Mike. Fast forward to season 2 I think he realizes that he has a crush on Mike, and he continues to lean into his protectiveness, seeking safety IN MIKE. this is especially noticed when he repeatedly calls out for Mike during an episode on Halloween. And with the SAME HAND that Mike grabbed, Will managed to snap out of possession enough to tap out “close gate” in Morse code, BECAUSE OF MIKE!! Anyways, summer of 1885, everyone has girlfriends, except for Will. Will has to watch as Mike is seemingly all over El. MIKE. The LOVE OF HIS LIFE. And he can’t say anything, because he doesn’t want Mike to judge him for being gay, so he has to just stand there and let his heart get shattered. And then Mike tells him that it’s not his fault he doesn’t like girls!!! Which, one, it is, and two, that must have literally broken Will in more ways that we couldn’t see. Now Will has to be not only convinced that he’s straight, but also convinced that he can never tell him how he feels because Mike will be disgusted by him. HELLO?? And then he has to move to CALIFORNIA and Mike never even *CALLS* But El has a whole MOUNTAIN of letters, and then Mike not only IGNORES Will on his birthday, but fights with him on his birthday

Anyways moving over to Mike in season one, I think he also had a tiny crush at this point, but imagine losing not only your best friend, but the guy you like and then seeing his BODY at a lake omg?? And that broke him so much that he just biked home and hug his mom while crying, and his face just looks so done. And then like the next day he jumps off a CLIFF?? The same spot WILL DIED AT?? IM SOBBING. And did you see how HAPPY HE LOOKED WHEN WILL WOKE UP? that was pure joy. Anywaysss fast forward to season 2, he’s literally protecting him from not only bullies, but a literal DEMON. He’s the only one that realizes something is wrong with him, he’s the only one to check on him when he’s not at school, he slept next to his bed in case he needed anything, he stayed by his side the entire time in an uncomfortable ass hospital chair to be there for them, he was literally the sweetest person ever, but then El comes back, and then they start dating, and then he realizes he can’t do that stuff anymore, because that’s too close. That’s pushing the line. And he has to be on the “right” side of the line, the straight side, because he can’t like boys like that. And since he can’t like boys like that, he projects that onto Will, and is an asshole to him, but then he goes to far and his entire act melts when sees that look in Will’s eyes, and immediately bikes after him in POURING RAIN, and then when Will moves he bikes home with that same exact “I’m done. I’m so lost” look on his face in season 1, and he tries to call Will all the time but the line is always busy, and now he’s having a hard time saying he loves El, and now it’s spring break and he gets to see both of them again, but he has to hang out with El more because Will is making him feel things he’s never felt before, and he’s confused and he can’t be confused and he has to love El because he has the perfect life and he needs to keep all this up and he can’t like boys, he just can’t

I’ll see myself out now, I swear to god I’m mentally stable

[casscainmainly]

CCM you have such good takes, including gun batman Tim!!!

(This is a cry for help. Please. I am starving for anything about him. i think im going insane.)

Hehe thank you!!! You made me think about my beloved gun Batman Tim again so I am grateful. I frankly have no idea why I like him but LOOK AT HIMMMM:

He's SO dramatic. It's not enough to use a gun, he HAS to use the gun that murdered Bruce's parents. Young Tim didn't even ask about the gun evil Tim just wanted to show off. There is something deeply deeply wrong with him 💗💗💗💗.

Also he's like in his late-twenties at most because he's 10 years into the future only. Life in such shambles he's having a mid-twenties life crisis. That's what happens when your version of Cassandra Cain dies I guess :(.

Anyway I believe in the evil gun Tim Batman polycule of Tim/Lonnie/Steph/Kon, he has juicy relationships with ALL of them. Do you guys see the evil Tim/Lonnie toxic yaoi vision:

Bisexual icon before present!Tim came out!!! Evil gun Batman Tim PLEASE RETURN and stir up drama in Tim's life again, it will be so much fun 🙏🙏🙏🙏

[ven0moir]

What to expect from Will's arc at the start of S5. ( & how Bychance is a personification of his compound trauma ) v01

bychance part i - introduction bychance part ii - narrative structure

I've talked about before how S4 Willelmike essentially follows The Swan Princess' narrative logic. And what happened to Odette when Rothbart tricked Derek into confessing to "Odile", an Odette in disguise he had created via an enchantment? ( they don't call her Odile in this movie, but that's what she's called in the og Swan Lake play )

( HELP I'm sorry this is so dramatic but yeah )

She almost died until Derek was able to rectify his mistake. Derek specifically saying "I make a vow to break all vows" reminded me immediately of S2. Something something about that script talking about Will looking at Mike throughout.

Something something Vecna has been watching every vow mike breaks and every smile will fakes.

HELP ME WHAT IF MIKE GETS VECNA'D and we think we're getting allll this super complex "realization" sequence but instead Vecna's just legit like

"Wdym? I love El."

HAHRDSOKFOEHW IM CRYINGGGGGGG a funny thought but ( hopefully not ) I hate the idea of Mike's love confession to El being meant for Will. Please don't Mileven 2.0 my Byler, Duffers.

Anyway, I trust them, so I know that won't happen ( squints at them )

Something about Will being forgotten/fading into nothing. Something about Hopper having lost the "spirit to live" .... The Nothing being this force that takes away hopes and dreams ... it's giving birthdaygate. It's giving Will feeling like he's a mistake. Some of this could also apply to Mike ( and I'll ... talk about Mike eventually bc im mustering up the courage. But this is about Will rn )

Now there's only so much I can handle thinking about Will's arc because it's just way too freaking angsty for the payoff to just be "Mike realizes he loves Will and then tells Will he loves him in this super dramatic sequence" as in, again, Mileven 2.0? This already happened in S4, not to mention Will cannot look like a second option. The Duffers aren't perfect, sure, but they're more creative than that. ( I say about the derivative af show lmfao but even that is intention ) So they'll likely do something different.

My first guess is that Will is probably not going to be drawing at the start of S5, just like Mike's love for DMing was suppressed under the weight of his trauma at the end of S1.

In Will's case, the reason is even more specific--it is the medium through which he expressed his love to Mike in S4. And if he's suppressing his love for Mike, then if he does any art at all, his heart won't really be in it/he'd be doing it on autopilot/for Vecna related purposes.

Art is also the way he basically gives himself therapy, so if that's not a thing available to him at the moment, then yeah. My guess is he'll be in a similar position as S1 Joyce after they found Will's dead body and Lonnie showed up.

Joyce ( Will ) had hope that Will ( love ) was alive ( aka there was hope Mike loved him and he wasn't delusional for believing that ).

But the "proof", Will's dead body ( Mike's love confession ) makes it clear.

And when I say 'love' I don't just mean Mike, I mean in general. His hope of finding love at all died in that surfer boy's pizza because the chances ( lmao ) of meeting someone else like him, and bonding with that person, are very low. Hence his belief that he wasn't going to fall in love at the start of S3.

But if, like Joyce, Will still had any hope left, then the lie complicates things. Because chances are, that ...

Mike is going to be mad when he finds out about the lie. And even though Will was right, and El shouldn't have lied, after he'd had time to self-reflect, what was his conclusion?

Just like when Lucas tried to apologize to him in S3.

By the time Will's S5 arc begins, he'd have time to reflect on his painting lie, which he really didn't think through, he just acted on impulse to help Mike when Mike needed him, he's likely thinking;

"Whatever happens, whatever he does next, I'll deserve it."

And what's the worst case scenario in this situation? Mike being mad, and banishing him from the party. Telling Mike the truth would probably only make Mike hate him/be disgusted by him so imho I think Will would literally rather die than tell Mike he loves him.

And how things have gone for him so far, he's expecting the worst. He will be operating on the belief that it's only a matter of time before he experiences the worst trauma ever: officially losing his party, the people who saved him.

So S5 Will's emotional landscape is going to be the equivalent of his S1 self--meaning, Will is going to be trying to survive emotionally now like he tried to survive physically in S1. He'll be doing whatever he could and lived off of whatever water-like substance he could find ( unless the show provides a more supernatural reason for his survival ). So when Chance approaches him I kind of picture it being the emotional equivalent of like ...

And them paralleling Jonnie would kind of bring it home to me that Chance is a personification of Will's compound trauma. Lonnie, to Joyce is something not good/toxic ( Chance is a bully ) but god, she is trying to survive emotionally and needs all the help she can get, AND he is familiar ( Chance reminds Will of Mike, likely. At least at first ). He thinks he's making a choice for himself, but Chance is just using him. It's just an illusion--a lie.

However, the thing with Chance isn't all just another way for Vecna ( metaphorically or directly ) to wear down/exhaust Will--it's also a trial, a test to prepare Will for his final showdown with Vecna and finally Break The Cycle. Being with someone before Mike also gives Will perspective--even if he couldn't be with Mike, Chance is evidence that there *are* other guys like him out there, and he could eventually meet someone given enough time to heal.

This is why I think this storyline IS important for his growth. It offers the opportunity for self-exploration and reconnecting with himself. That way, Byler will feel more deserved. More of a choice rather than Will being Mike's last-minute second option.

I admit this one I'm still mewling over, so if there are any changes I'll post updated versions!

[nobylerdoubt]

Would the duffers queerbait Byler?

Note: I would love to be able to tell you with 100% certainty that we won't be queerbaited, but as many people have said we've been hurt before. I personally think we should allow ourselves to believe, and enjoy it, and look forward to it. I always say it says way more about the directors and producers if they queerbait then it says about us for believing. However I genuinely believe that this is NOT queerbaiting.

You have to remember that from the very first season of this show they have made it clear that they do not condone homophobia:

Lonnie is abusive and calls Will the f-slur.

Troy says terrible homophobic things about Will after his death, and gets his arm broken and is made to piss his pants.

It's painted in a bad light that certain people, like Troy's dad, aren't worried about Will going missing or his supposed death, because they assume he was "killed by some other queer".

Steve gets punched for saying he figured Jonathan "was some queer", and gets punched, and then goes on to change as a character and have a lesbian best friend, who's struggles Steve sympathizes with and who's romantic endeavors he tries to help.

Billy's dad was introduced to explain why Billy became such a bad person, and Billy's dad specifically calls Billy the f-slur. The bad person who made the bad person is homophobic.

Every. Single. Season. We are shown that this show does NOT condone homophobia.

So it seems unlikely to me for a show that goes to such length to make sure this message comes across - even before Will was "confirmed" gay, would turn around and do something so heinous.

I quote this all the time, but I love the quote from Shawn Levy. This show is an "Anthem for the Outcasts." With how popular the show has become, it can be easy to forget that. But this show was never for the conservative crowd, and yet somehow the conservative crowd likes it for the fact that it's eighties nostalgia. And they're pushing a homophobic narrative that bleeds into the general perception of the show and it's showrunners. But that's not what this show has ever been about.

[mightyflamethrower]

15 Facts About E. Jean Carroll’s Allegations Against Trump the Media Don’t Want You to Know

1.  Bergdorf Goodman has no surveillance video of the alleged incident.

2.  There are zero witnesses to the alleged sexual attack.

3.  Carroll first came forward — conveniently — with the allegations while promoting her book What Do We Need Men For? in 2019, which featured a list of “The Most Hideous Men of My Life.”

4.  Carroll was unable to remember when this alleged attack even occurred. She told her lawyer in 2023, “This question, the when, the when, the date, has been something I’ve [been] constantly trying to pin down.” She has jumped years — originally beginning with 1994, then moving to 1995, and even floating to 1996. She cannot remember the season in which the alleged attack occurred either.

5.  The Donna Karan blazer dress she claims to have worn during the alleged incident was not even available at the time of her claims. Trump Attorney Boris Epshteyn told reporters, “She said, ‘This is the dress I wore in 1994.’ They went back, they checked. The dress wasn’t even made in 1994.”

“And that’s why the date’s moved around. This is the 80s. Is it the 90s? Is it the 2000s? President Trump has consistently stated that he was falsely accused, and he has the right to defend himself,” he added.

6.  She never came forward with these allegations over the years despite constantly being open about sexuality, posting things that were very sexual in nature on social media — many of which Trump has shared. They include remarks such as “How do you know your ‘unwanted sexual advance’ is unwanted, until you advance it?” and “Sex Tip I Learned From My Dog: When in heat, chase the male until he collapses with exhaustion … then jump him!”

7.  She said she was never raped, telling the New York Times’ podcast, The Daily,“Every woman gets to choose her word. Every woman gets to choose how she describes it. This is my way of saying it. This is my word. My word is ‘fight.’ My word is not the ‘victim’ word. I have not — I have not been raped,” she continued. “I have — something has not been done to me. I fought. That’s the thing.”

8.  She named her cat “Vagina.” “Her dog, or her cat, was named ‘Vagina.’ The judge wouldn’t allow us to put that in — all of these things — but with her, they could put in anything: Access Hollywood,” Trump told CNN.

9.  Joe Tacopina, an attorney for Trump, pointed out in May 2023 that Carroll’s entire story has incredible similarities to a 2012 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In that episode, titled “Theatre and Tricks,” an individual talks about a rape fantasy in Bergdorf Goodman — the same department store where Carroll claims the incident took place.

10.  Speaking of shows, Carroll loved Trump’s show The Apprentice.

“I was a big fan of the show. Very impressed by it,” Carroll said on the witness stand, adding that she “had never seen such a witty competition on TV, and it was about something worthwhile, competing.”

11.  Carroll made a joke associating sex with Bergdorf Goodman in a November 1993 edition of Elle, which was before the alleged Trump attack took place. As Breitbart News detailed:

Carroll was responding to a letter from a female reader concerned that she was having trouble achieving orgasm through sexual intercourse alone while the reader said that she could climax through foreplay. “Is there any way I could learn to reach orgasm through sex?” asked the reader in the November 1993 edition. “Maybe books I could read?” Carroll replied with the following advice (emphasis added): Dear Snowed Under: Stop flagellating yourself. Gadzooks! At least you have orgasms. And if that isn’t spontaneous sex I don’t know what is. Most women (about 70 percent) experience difficulties climaxing through intercourse alone. So you’re perfectly normal. Begin by reading For Yourself by Dr. Lonnie Barbach. She’ll give you excellent instructions on how to have an orgasm during intercourse. Then after 313 queenhell love-wiggles, move on to Gretta Garbo’s favorite love position – the top. (In erotic scenes, Garbo is always above the man. So are Sharon Stone, Bette Midler and Katherine Hepburn). Indeed, this location works better for women than the fourth floor of Bergdorf’s.

12.  Carroll is financially backed by anti-Trump Democrat megadonor Reid Hoffman, who has openly admitted to visiting convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private island.

13.  Democrat party activists back her as well, as Breitbart News detailed:

Indeed, one of Carroll’s attorneys is Roberta Kaplan — a Democrat Party activist who led the group Time’s Up. She left the activist group after it was revealed she was aiding former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo in attempting to discredit the Democrat’s accusers. It served as a great irony as Time’s Up seeks to defend women from what it claims is discrimination and harassment. This fact has led to mounting speculation that Kaplan only gets involved in cases that she views as politically expedient. Further, Federal District Judge Lewis Kaplan is overseeing the process and has connections to Carroll’s other attorney, Shawn Crowley. She was actually a law clerk for Judge Kaplan, and he officiated her wedding. That aside, Trump has denied knowing the left-wing activist as the only evidence of any contact is a single picture with Carroll greeting Trump and his ex-wife Ivana at an event greeting line over 35 years ago. Carroll has yet to provide solid evidence of this alleged encounter and will not use the dress that she claims had DNA on it from this alleged incident. Even Trump publicly said the dress should be part of the case. Further, there are no eyewitnesses of this alleged incident, which supposedly occurred at the popular New York City department store.

14.  The lawsuit was only able to proceed after Democrats created the Adult Survivors Act in 2022. She conveniently pursued this suit in November following the law going into effect, which allowed her to avoid the statute of limitations for this case.

15.  Carroll once said, “Most people think of rape as sexy.”

Donald Trump Jr. also retweeted a list of facts about Carroll, urging others to take a look:

- She couldn't recall the date, month, season, or year the incident happened -

She never told anyone about it, despite being publicly obsessed with her own sexuality -

The dress she claims to have been wearing didn't exist at the time -

Her description of the dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman was inaccurate, making her sequence of events impossible -

Her lawsuit was bankrolled by Jeffrey Epstein pal and Democrat (and Nikki Haley) mega-donor Reid Hoffman -

Democrats created a law (The Adult Survivors Act in 2022) to enable her lawsuit to proceed - Her accusation is the exact plotline of an episode of Law & Order (one of her "favorite shows") -

Trump's Apprentice was also one of her favorite shows -

She has a history of falsely accusing men of r*pe, including Les Moonves - She told Anderson Cooper, "most people think of r*pe as being sexy. Think of the fantasies." -

She made a career promoting promiscuity, even writing glowingly of sexual assault and naming her cat Vagina

We owe Stalin and Hitler a huge apology. We are ever so bad as they ever were. This isn't Justice. Its punishment for for disobeying the deep state elites.

[miwiheroes]

Hii, not really a question but I'm rewatching s2 and I noticed a parallel between the "we like steve... but we don't love steve" and Nancy stammering quite a bit to say "I- I do" and Mike having a similar response during his fight with El. I don't really know if you or someone else had already noticed that but felt the need to say it

Dropping Byler Evidence Every (Other) Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . Day 32: Murray's Conversation w/ Jancy . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ .

@j-gvellthings hope u don't mind I hijacked ur ask to use for my post thing i just think this is uber interesting <3

Honestly, that whole conversation with Murray and those scenes could absolutely apply to Byler and Jancy at the same time. In some moments, I feel like what he says could actually apply to Mike more than Nancy.

Jancy say they're "just friends" here ^^ and obviously,,, if you've watched literally any romcom or show with romance in, you'd know that if someone is a little two defensive about the two of them being friends, then the audience is supposed to imply that they could be something more than that -- which happens with Byler in S4, when Mike unnecessarily calls them friends. It's not in the same context obviously, but Mike takes it romantically.

Murray also says that Jonathan and Nancy have 'shared trauma' which is apparently the 'real shit' (meaning the apex of the conversation and the most important thing). Now, this obviously applies to Jancy because they went through a lot and that's what creates this meaningful bond between the two of them. Steve does not understand what Nancy's been through -- Jonathan does. And vice versa i guess.

Byler also have this exact dynamic. Mike was with Will during S2 when all that shit happened - and the subsequent dynamic has shifted so Mike seems like the only one that really understands what Will goes through. They also both go through the same types of bullying, which is shown in S1.

Some examples of their 'shared trauma' dynamic are:

Will says that Mike shouldn't tell anyone else about his True Sight because 'they won't understand' - S2E02

Mike says that Will is quiet today and Lucas brushes it off, but Mike sees it as something deeper - S2E01

Will only tells Mike about D'art and Mike is the one to shout at the others and gets rid of his problem for him - S2E03

At the Snow Ball, Will looks at Mike when a girl asks him out, because he's so used to checking with him for things - S2E09

Mike asks Will if he's okay at the movie theatre because he's so in tune with Will's emotions surrounding scary stuff (they were about to watch a horror movie) - S3E01

I only really named ones in S2 because that's the season where Murray actually says that so I feel like it has more value when it's all in S2

"Trust issues am I right? Something to do with your dad."

Obviously, we all know that Will's had issues with his homophobic father - so has Jonathan, so it can apply to both of them. Most of Will's internalised homophobia can be traced back to bullying which includes his father.

It is shown right from the beginning of the whole show that Lonnie calls Will slurs, and attempts to make him like things that any 'normal' boy should want. Jonathan counteracts this by telling Will that he shouldn't just like things because people tell you to and telling Will that it's much better to be a 'freak' than normal.

This homophobic bullying could arguably lead to trust issues for Will - his internalised homophobia from his dad is what is keeping him from telling Mike the truth. He's afraid that Mike 'won't like the truth' because of the things he's experienced in the past.

Now, the one where Murray calls out Nancy is way more interesting:

"You. You're harder to read."

Nancy is of course, harder to read than Jonathan because she hides so much -- she's harder for the audience to figure out because she's in a relationship already. Even so, I think this applies to Mike even more than Nancy. We have Nancy's POV. We can often see what she's thinking and feelings, but with Mike, we haven't had his POV and private thoughts and inner conflicts since S2. For two whole seasons, there has been barely a moment of introspection for Mike. The audience has constantly questioned what the hell he's thinking and why he's acting this way.

It's simple -- he's supposed to be harder to read.

"Probably, like everyone, afraid of what would happen if you... accepted yourself for who you really are"

HELLO? I think when i rewatched this I was a little confused because the wording of this sentence does not really allude to Nancy's issues alone. She is, of course, afraid of accepting who she really is, but it's hard to see that as her main character arc. She's more afraid of leaving the safety of Steve, but this wording is just so oddly familiar to someone telling someone who's queer to accept themselves.

Literally Mike's arc - he's afraid of what would happen if he accepted himself. If he accepted himself - it would mean he realises he doesn't love El, which means he's failed her and has to break up with her. He might lose her if he accepts himself. Idk, the wording is just tooooo suspicious to just apply to Nancy here.

"retreated back to the safety of... Name?" "Steve"

This is kind of insane UM,,, so Nancy uses Steve as her safety blanket because he's a well-respected, popular person at school and has a lot of money, which is similar to her parents' situation. Being with Jonathan is the less secure option, but it aligns with her true feelings. Which means the audience should want her to be with the person she actually loves rather than someone she doesn't want to lose purely based on safety.

Mike literally does this returning to the safe option thing 3 times in the show...

Mike slowly realises that meeting Will was the best thing he ever did, not meeting El, not helping her etc. This happens over the course of S2, and Mike accepts that El is gone, placing her in the same category as Bob when talking to Max. When El comes back, he's torn between the two, and we can see this dilemma in the Snow Ball scene. Will is off with someone else - Mike is questioning why he's feeling like this and what he should do - so he sacrifices his true feelings for what he feels is the greater good and what he should just do, which is to stay with El.

At the end of S3, Mike realises something and is scared of what this could mean. He realises that he has been trying to change himself too much over the course of the summer and just wants things to go back to the way they were. In S4, he attempts to cover up his feelings and push them down because he's afraid of what would happen of he accepted himself, and pretends to be in a normal, healthy relationship.

During S4, Mike realises that his relationship with El is something that he's insecure about, and often confides in Will about this. He alerts to Will that he should have 'explained himself' to El, rather than telling her I love you, implying that he doesn't want to say that ever. He agrees with Will that the truth could hurt someone he cares about. He's worried that El doesn't need him anymore, and is happy when Will tells him that she'll need him no matter what - but he still has to be encouraged by Will's words to say I love you to her. This is for the greater good - what he thinks will keep her alive and what he thinks she needs.

So again, Mike and El's relationship is built on commitment and safety - being with Will is the least safe option because it would mean having to look inside himself, accepting himself, and possibly losing El, who he still cares about.

"We like Steve." "Yes!" "But we don't love Steve."

This one's pretty self-explanatory and was the original point of the ask above - Nancy has literally in this season told Steve the words 'I love you'. You can say those words even when you don't mean it, the writers aren't that stupid to be worried that the viewers will suddenly go "OH BUT WHAT ABOUT THAT ONE TIME-"

But, obviously, before Nancy went off with Jonathan, the last thing she talked to him about was their argument about her not being able to say I love you to him - in that argument, when asked to tell him, she stumbles and goes "Really?" before they're interrupted. Then she can't say anything. She can't say it because it's not true.

Sound familiar? - while there are many more nuanced aspects to Mileven's scenes in S4, it is arguably similar to the Stancy's plot that Murray is talking about. Nancy 'likes' Steve, but her feelings aren't deeper than that. She cares about him, but that doesn't have to necessarily mean she loves him romantically. In the same sense, Mike blurts out "I care for you" instead of "I love you" during their argument.

Nancy stumbles over her words trying to deny it - which is the same with Mike when he gets confronted about it in S4, leading to him trying to gaslight and become defensive, using words like "ruin" and "ridiculous".

All I'm trying to say here is that the Duffers aren't strangers to writing a plot where a character is repressing their feelings and using a relationship as protection in order to hide who they really are. And the lines are written to be so non-specific that we can't ignore that they can easily apply to Byler as well as Jancy.

[michaelwheelerdefiodental]

A topic that nobody asked for (or asked, i don't know), the main gang nemesis on Season 5:

Eleven🖕Linda Hamilton Character:

Yeah i know what you're thinking, "what about Vecna", but just follow me. Linda Hamilton character is apparently a female Brenner, but with actual military experience, so she will be a manipulative scientist like Brenner, this already makes Eleven having a hatred towards her probable. The hand to hand experience that she has can be dangerous for the rest of the gang aswell. Some people probably think it doesn't make sense for her to be throwing hands, but it's Linda Hamilton we are talking about, the OG Sarah Connor, the Duffer Brothers will make her a beast in a fight, both with guns or with her bare hands.

Will🖕Mind Flayer and Vecna (and Lonnie too):

This is why i think Eleven wouldn't have Vecna as her ultimate nemesis. Henry has a lot of similarities with Will as we can see on his flashback, but they ended up as total opposites. And we don't need to talk about Mind Flayer beef with Will, it's kinda embarrasing to be a interdimensional entity and still having the need of tormeting a teenager gay loser.

And there is that bitch ass Loonie too, i don't have anything too say about him.

Mike🖕Unnamed Creature (and Chance):

To start, Mike beef with Chance won't be because of this weird and boring theory that Chance has a crush on Will, but because Chance is the total opposite of Mike, he just follow orders and stay quiet, Mike is someone who wouldn't let anybody dictate what he is supposed to do (there's a post comparing all of the four core with the basketball gang, but i couldn't find it, sorry).

This unnamed creature is probably what was roaring during that scene of Robin, Nancy, Steve and Eddie on the Upside Down. It is probably that monster that Nancy saw on her visions. My bet is that Hopper will probably give that sword for Mike, giving the title of hero to him.

Hopper🖕Sullivan:

What is better than give a tramautized ex-soldier a Colonel as his enemy? It would be pretty much a cycle ending, after he got scarred for life and lost his first daughter because of higher ups that made him help them with war crimes against their enemies, he will end the life of one them that is actually trying to kill his second daughter too.

Dustin🖕Andy:

Some people are kinda of underestimating Andy, if you watch season 4 again you'll see how unhinged he is (i will make a post talking about how much of a threat he can be in this season), besides the fact that he will seek revenge for Jason by attacking the hellfire club ex-members, and Dustin is pretty much using their shirt in most of the paparazzi pics.

Lucas🖕All of the Basketball Team:

He probably is angry at them because of Max situation and they're angry at him because of Jason death. I hope to see some kind of revenge by Lucas part.

Jonathan and Steve🖕This Soldier:

On one way or another we will have a scene of Jonathan and Steve beating some asses together, and this guy seems to be around the age of 25 or a little bit older, so they can pretty much have a showdown against him. This could be that epic scene Jonathan and Steve will share together that the hawkinsfamilyphoto (Chris, a paparazzi) said he would release if he reaches a certain amount of payed members on Twitter/X.

Robin and Vickie🖕Town Folks:

I have this theory that some type of religious cult group will be manipulated by Henry, and they will have something against the whole group and mainly with Will, Mike, Robin and Vickie because of their little secret.

Here's a link for the post talking about this theory:

What about the others?

The rest of the group would have the same enemies as the others, just with less hatred or rivalry against them.

[therainscene]

Stranger Things 4 is themed around A Nightmare on Elm Street -- Vecna is a child-killer-turned-demon who murders teenagers from within their own minds; his heavily scarred skin and clawed hand resemble that of Freddy Krueger; and the actor who played Freddy himself plays his father.

I think Stranger Things 5 is gearing up to do something similar with The Terminator. Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) is the upcoming guest star this season; Vecna's exposed skull and vine-covered neck resembles the T-800--

--and Will's speech at the end of S4 bears striking similarities to Kyle Reece's famous "it can't be reasoned with" speech.

If Vecna is the T-800... then the Mind Flayer is the perfect candidate for Skynet.

[And Hawkins National Laboratory is Cyberdyne Systems -- a military-funded lab that meddled with phenomena beyond its ability to control and paved the way for a sinister hive mind to enter the world.]

I'm pretty sure that the Mind Flayer lies at the heart of whatever timey-wimey stuff is going on. It's suspiciously linked to timeline inconsistencies -- Will is already able to sense it in his neck before his possession in S2, and young Henry in TFS is haunted by the spider monster he wasn't supposed to create for another 20 years.

I've already written a theory on how a causal loop could tie Will and Henry to the Mind Flayer -- whatever's going on is probably more complicated than this, since my theory doesn't explain why the Upside Down is frozen -- but it's worth a read, I think, as it's the same type of time paradox as the one in Terminator and could easily be at the core of ST's time shenanigans.

Will is Kyle Reece or Sarah Connor -- so does that mean he's going to be a gun-toting badass?

No.

This scene is Will coming full circle from that moment in the shed at the start of S1: backed into a corner and forced to resort to violence because he sees no other way out. He doesn't want to kill the monster; he has to.

But the difference is that he's not cornered anymore.

This time around, Will knows his enemy, and he has supportive friends and family at his side. He's just so beaten down -- by Vecna, by Hawkins, by perceived rejections from Mike -- that he's lost all confidence in his ability to stand up for himself on his own terms.

I know it seems at first glance that Will advocates the use of violence in desperate times, but consider the context of the episode in which the above scene appears:

Joyce is reminiscing about her missing son while dealing with Lonnie telling her what to do and feel about it. Shortly after, she realizes how manipulative he's being and permanently kicks him out of her life (and the show lol) -- no violence necessary.

Will's advice hadn't been about the value of violence, but about the value of refusing to play by abusers' rules -- a key lesson in Stranger Things, as we've been watching El learn it the hard way over the course of four seasons.

Will cannot self-actualize by "finally" pulling the trigger on an approach that symbolizes his homophobic father's macho expectations. S5 is going to be about him regaining his self-confidence and allowing his authentic, gentle nature to guide him to the real solution.

So, to return to the "he's not gonna stop" speech: the theme at play here is inevitability, and it's one of the central themes of The Terminator -- not simply because the titular assassin is unstoppable, but because of the love story that drives the plot:

If Skynet hadn't sent the T-800 back in time to kill Sarah Connor before she could give birth to the leader of the human resistance, then Kyle would have had no reason to go back in time and end up unknowingly fathering John. No matter how hard Skynet tried to snuff John Connor out of existence, the rebellious love that created him was just as inevitable as the T-800.

This, I think, is the message at the heart of both Terminator and Stranger Things, and is the reason why The Terminator would be the perfect choice for S5's theme movie:

Sometimes the horrors wrought by humanity are inescapable...

...but so too is the hopeful human drive to love each other and overcome them.

Read Brenner's role in creating Vecna as a metaphor for homophobic Reagan-era fear-mongering and it all clicks into place, I think.

[expl0s1v3]

hey so js cuz i can here are some of my stranger things headcanons !!

1. Jonathan and Joyce know that Will is gay, even if he’s never outright said it. Joyce got upset when Hopper asked “well if he?” when Will was missing after she told him Lonnie called him a f*g because she didn’t want the only thing known about her son to be that he was gay. People were already barely looking for him as it was, she knew this would stop many searches.

2. Jonathan still doesn’t know the camera is from Steve, so whenever Steve used to see him around Hawkins using it, he would feel a bit better because he knew he did a good thing and he didn’t need an validation from it.

3. Nancy and Mike used to have tea parties in the basement, but Ted soon forced Mike to stop playing with Nancy, saying it was too “girly” for a boy his age to be doing. Nancy secretly placed her tea set in a box in Mikes closet when she stopped using them, just incase he ever needed a reminder that his big sister was always there if he was ever lonely.

4. Dustin was never the first choice in his friend groups, so hearing Mike tell him that he was also his best friend made him incredibly happy, and like he mattered for once.

5. Max has a small box under her bed of bracelets made by El, drawings made by Will, small trinkets made by Dustin, writing from Mike, and matching stuff with Lucas in a box under her bed. Sometimes when she can’t sleep, the guilt eating away at her, she’ll look through it to remind herself that she has someone, or had. She also has a bunch of pictures of Robin, Steve, Jonathan and Nancy with the rest of the party.

6. At first, Eddie didn’t like Mike. He thought he was obnoxious and a little rude. But soon enough, and with some convincing from Dustin, he began to hang out with the boy more. It made him realize that was all just walls Mike had built up, and he was really still a kid at heart.

7. Mike was completely distraught when Will’s “body” was found. He acted as if he was fine, but some days he would lay in his bed and not move an inch. He’d just lay there, staring at all the drawings that he had made by Will hung up on the walls, sometimes, he would move to the basement and stare at their D&D board, sometimes he would cry if Ted wasn’t home.

8. Lucas fell in love with Max the moment he laid eyes on her, and his opinion of her has only grown in a positive direction ever since. He was ecstatic after the snowball dance, continuously talking about it to Erica, who really couldn’t have cared less, but she listened anyway, because her brother was finally happy.

9. Steve really did fall in love with Robin, but after finding out she liked girls, he realized that everyone wasn’t the same as him, and that people like Robin already felt alone in this world, so it just made him want to be her friend even more. Sometimes, he’ll even give her girl advice.

10. El and Mike used to have English “classes”. Due to Mike’s love for writing, he helped her with her pronunciation and spelling, thats why El could tell something was up when he only wrote “From, Mike” and not “Love, Mike” in his letters when she moved away to California.

let me know if you want more 🫶🏼