#s4 byers house

[justanotherfanaccount]

Okay so it took me a while but I created a floorplan for the layout of the Byers house in Lenora

(I just put random furniture in so you'd get the picture...obviously the bathrooms aren't set up correctly since we never saw them)

I didn't do the basement since it was pretty much an open concept of the main floor but this is where everyone's rooms are and how the layout works! (don't pay attention to the dimensions I just put the rooms on the page...I didn't do math)

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

They're having family dinner at Steve's house when Steve asked Eddie to pass him something. Everyone at the table knew they were together.

Eddie: Here you go, Stevie.

Steve: Thanks, Teddy.

Hopper: Teddy?

Steve: Yeah, because he's my Teddy bear.

Hopper: *snorts with laughter* Your Teddy bear?

Steve: *glares at him and then smiles at Joyce* You know what would be a cute nickname for Hopper? He's like your bunny, your sweet, grumpy bunny.

Joyce: *cooing at Hopper* Are you my grumpy bunny, Hop?

Hopper: What did you do?

Steve: Not so funny now, is it?

It was from that day forward that Hopper never mocked Steve’s relationship ever again. He learned his lesson.

[jonathanbyersphd]

Something about Nancy another thing about Jonathan and a third thing about choices that I can't fully articulate without the haters sabotaging me

[pinkeoni]

It would fuck so hard if there were some direct homages to It Follows in season 5

[lupon]

Season 3 of Stranger things may not have been my favorite season, but it by far had my favorite ending

[mikesbasementbeets]

max & rainbows in season 2

[sheisjoeschateau]

"Oh, so we DO love Steve..." | PART I

Steve Harrington x Bauman!fem!reader enemies to lovers, heavy angst, hurt/comfort, upside down mayhem, S2-S4, post S4 universe hot-take, end-of-the-world / dystopian setting, ugly fights turned smut (...but with hella plot). 18+

WHEN THE UNEXPECTED NIECE OF MURRAY BAUMAN GETS THROWN IN THE MIX, THE GANG HAS NO IDEA JUST WHAT THEY'RE IN FOR. SCRATCH THAT - STEVE DOESN'T KNOW. YOU GET ALONG WITH EVERYONE WELL. YOU BANTER WITH THE ADULTS, WHO APPRECIATE YOUR HELP. THE KIDS LOVE AND WORSHIP YOU. YOU'RE HELPFUL ALL AROUND. BUT AS FAR AS STEVE IS CONCERNED, YOU'RE JUST NUISANCE. AFTER ALL, YOU'RE THE REASON HE LOST THE LOVE OF HIS LIFE AND MISSED OUT ON A LIFE THAT "COULD'VE BEEN." IF YOU HAD JUST KEPT YOUR SORRY ASS OUT OF THE PICTURE... IF YOU HAD NEVER GONE WITH NANCY AND JONATHAN AFTER THEY LEFT YOUR WHACK-JOB UNCLE, MURRAY BAUMAN'S, BUNKER? HE WOULD BE HAPPY. SO F*CKING HAPPY. BUT HERE YOU WERE. YOU WERE BASICALLY THE COOLER (...AND SURE, MUCH MORE ATTRACTIVE) FEMALE VERSION OF MURRAY BAUMAN. YOU WERE SARCASTIC, QUICK-WITTED, TOO SMART FOR YOUR OWN GOOD, AND APPARENTLY BUILT FOR THE WAR. SURE, YOU WEREN'T AS BRASH AS YOUR UNCLE. BUT IN STEVE'S EYES, YOU WERE SOMEHOW FAR MORE OBNOXIOUS. HE DOWNRIGHT HATED YOU. HE WILL FOREVER HATE YOU... BUT WILL HE?

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR MY WORK TO BE COPIED AND/OR REPOSTED ON HERE OR ANY OTHER PLATFORM, OR PUT INTO ANY AI PROGRAMS. THIS IS AN 18+ BLOG, MDNI.

An original fanfiction series, written by Misha St. James.

⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆ SERIES MASTERLIST ⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

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I did not proof-read this after Tumblr gave me hell trying to share. So pls excuse possible typos. hehe

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Let's just get to the point, shall we?

Once upon a time, a young boy named Will Byers went missing. Later, he was found in an alternate dimension by the world's #1 mom and a cynical cop turned hero. A girl with a shaved head had telekinetic superpowers, befriend's Will's four loyal friends along the way and helping them track down their missing party member. Then, whatever the hell was on the other side - whatever was in this...upside down...took back Eleven. She'd been missing ever since that dreadful winter.

Fast forward to now: you're sitting in your uncle's bunker, looking at his wild display of efforts.  Papers, files, whiteboards covered in multiple words, arrows, sketches - all in different colored markers. Murray Bauman was on a mission, and he would be damned if that grumpy, cynical smart-ass known as Jim Hopper honestly thought that he could dismantle his efforts.  Nice try, chum. Game on. Thankfully, you'd gone to school with Barbara Holland. That's whose parents had assigned the task of searching for her to your uncle. Murray was asking you tons of questions, and you were glad to help. It meant spending time with the only family member you cared for, despite his wackiness. You guys got each other. Bantered well. Got shit done. Honestly, it was also a great way of drinking safely and not with a bunch of rowdy teenagers at some stupid party. You got along just fine with everyone at school. But damn, they could all be annoying.  ...especially Steve fucking Harrington, who was now the topic of conversation. You know, given that his house is where Barbara was last seen. "It just isn't making sense," your uncle huffed, raking his hands through his oily dark hair.  You sipped on the glass of vodka that your uncle had poured you, hissing at the strong taste. Leaning across the coffee table, seated on his couch, you tried to connect the dots with him. "I'm telling you, someone in that group of teens knows what's up. Or at least has an idea." Your uncle swigged at his vodka, defeated but ruthlessly trying to piece together his clusterfuck of scattered evidence across his wall. "Well then, guess we better grill 'em."

And that's how you come into the picture. When Nancy and Jonathan came to seek out Murray. And when they arrive, they're surprised to see you. They recognize you from school. Jonathan took several classes with you. In fact, the two of you got along well at Hawkins High. No, you weren't close. But you both were cool. Nancy, on the other hand, didn't know anything about you. Just that you took political science with Barbara, and got straight A's across the board. You could've been class valedictorian. But you were not looking for any sort of title that demanded pressure or attention. At least not in high school. Career wise? Sure. Not here, though. Not Hawkins. "Your timeline is wrong," Nancy is saying, making you and Bauman freeze.  Nancy is telling you that the girl with the buzzed hair is not Russian. She is, in fact, from Hawkins lab. And her name is...Eleven? So they do know something. And something turns out to be everything.

Jonathan sits you both down to relay everything to you both. And woof, does it give you guys a headache. Strangely, though... it makes a whole lot more sense than some mundane explanation of sorts. Obviously though, that puts you all in a tough spot where you'll all need to put your heads together. So the two classmates of yours stay, sharing in chilled Smirnoff and having to endure the hilarity that ensues between you and your uncle. You and Murray both banter well with the two of them. Jonathan finds you to be hilarious. Nancy finds you intimidating. Very intimidating. You’re quick witted, darkly humored and independent. But there is a reserved, mysterious sort of feminine energy to you, despite your more masculine strengths and bluntness. Over glasses of stiff vodka, you all come to the conclusion on how to go about exposing the truth about Barbara Holland's disappearance: water it down.

At the end of the night, you're all winding down -- you and your uncle having convinced the two lovebirds to stay. But when you're telling them they can take your uncle's guest room while you take the couch, Jonathan's asking if he can take the couch. You blink. Huh? ...surely Nancy is not still with --

"Okay, I'm confused," your uncle's saying. "What's going on here? Lovers quarrel?"

You cock an eyebrow, leaning back into the loveseat.

But Jonathan and Nancy are then talking over each other with weird, flustered excuses...saying they're just friends.

You and your uncle bust out laughing. And then you're shrinking back in your seat, knowing what's coming: one of your Uncle Murray's lovebird witchdoctor speeches that he barrels into anytime that two delusional people have convinced themselves that they aren't in love. Or at the very least, not into each other. 

Uncle Murray is breaking them down, one at a time. He's reading Jonathan like an angsty teen novel, seeing right through him and his brooding, mysterious energy.  Trust issues, thanks to daddy issues. Yikes, that makes you sip some more drink.

And then he's onto Nancy, saying that she's harder to read. But he manages anyway.  It's the Bauman way.

He's telling her that she's likely like everyone else, "afraid of what would happen if you accepted yourself for you who you really are." He looks at you. "Am I in the right ballpark?"

You nod, swallowing the last drop of vodka in your cup. "That...and afraid of that might happen if she didn't retreat back to the safety of someone familiar."

Nancy looks bewildered. But more than that, she looks caught. 

"Name?" your uncle is prodding, snapping his fingers.  "Name."

You and Jonathan both say it. "Steve."

Uncle Murray's face is priceless. He feigns adoration, putting on a baby voice as he repeats the name. "Dawh. Steve. We like Steve."

"Yes," Nancy laughs nervously.  Eek, you think.

"But we don't love Steve..." Your uncle's words floor Nancy.

And when Nancy's saying something about still being with Steve, insisting that she loves him, you roll your eyes. Even scoffing, getting her attention. Maybe if the vodka weren't in your system, you wouldn't be so bold. But Jonathan's mopey look just gives you more confidence.

"Boom, ladies and gents," you say with a grin. "Second lie of the evening." "The hell was the first one?" Jonathan asks, blinking. "You guys being just friends." You and your uncle say something along the same lines, simultaneously. You both laugh together, clinking glasses. The two not lovebirds just squirm awkwardly in their seats. Finally, you sigh. "Look. You guys don't wanna give up the ghost? Be my guest. I'll happily keep my bed." You stand up, ready to turn in. But not until casting them one last work, pointing a finger. "But if I were you two? I'd cut the bullshit and just share the damn bed." Murray snorts, rising to stand as well. He stretches. "Welllllp. I'm turning in for the night." You begin mounting the stairs, hollering: "Better act fast, kiddos. At least before this poison in my system knocks me out cold. Don't worry, Nancy, I don't snore. So if you do choose me, you're safe." "But that's so lame," Murray adds to that wryly, heading off to his room. You both tell each other goodnight, leaving the two angsty teens to decide their fate. All you know is that Nancy ends up walking out and not coming back, at one point in the night.  Yeah, thought so. Breakfast the next morning is even more hilarious. You and your uncle ask every single question that drips with innuendo that you ever possibly could. And it's worth every fucking minute.

Murray's gonna need to keep that couch cleaned. To your surprise, Murray sends you off with Nancy and Jonathan, but given that you want to go and see it all for yourself you don't mind. You’re basically his little spy.  Most uncles send off their nieces and nephews with some good advice, maybe a packed lunchbox or snacks, and a warm hug. 

Yours, however, sends you off with a full bottle of vodka, a thick wad of cash and some fun sarcastic banter. But he headlocks you in for a hug, and you cackle. He really is a nutcase, and man you can't help but love him. He is so not the parental type. Yet somehow, he's practically raised you. And in your opinion, you're pretty well-prepared for the world. More than most, in Murray's opinion. So off you go with Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Buyers, and they both honestly enjoy your company. It helps them get past their umm...well...awkward new reality. That new reality that comes post-sex, after a long ass time of playing the tip-toe game. The sexual tension between them is hysterical to you. But you keep your thoughts to yourself for now. The vodka did most of the talking for you last night.

When you both arrive at wherever the hell your destination is, it's dark outside. And if you're being honest, it's pretty creepy. You're somewhere near the woods, and as you all walk closer you're beginning to see lights approaching you...along with a handful of shadowed figures. 

Fuck, you literally just got here.

But then, after a tense several moments... Nancy and Jonathan call out to them. You jump, startled at the fact that they do it so confidently. But the name that they call out suddenly makes it all make sense. "STEVE?" "NANCY...?" And that's how you became a crucial part of the most royal pain in the ass, King Steve's, life.

[therainscene]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And something in front of him notices.

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

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

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

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

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

There’s one exception though.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

...it will come back to wreck havok.

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

[rinrin-the-shark-teen]

I need all of the adults to actually take action of Steve's living conditions from the moment they realize that he has the shittiest parents ever.

After the first round with the upside down Joyce cannot comprehend when Steve tells her not to call his home since there will be no one there. His mom will certainly not take care of him, she barely even calls for important dates. He is always alone, so he will just drive home with all his injuries and make do. Steve quickly understands why neither of the Byers ever goes against her will. She checks all his injuries and makes him a makeshift bedroom in their living room until he is better. She will not take no for an answer. Steve stays for almost a month there and practically has to get a doctor's note saying he is fine now before she lets him go.

Hopper sits him down eventually and makes him explain his living situation. Steve goes in as little details as possible about it, trying to brush it off but Jim is not happy and surely not believing it. He starts building a case at the station if Steve ever needs their help and you know, prepare in case they somehow get worse. Steve will have all the evidence needed to ruin them with proof of child neglect and other much much worse.

Claudia Henderson immediately starts asking for his help as home as an excuse to have him at their place and feed him. "Steve sweetie? Can you come over and help me get the door unstuck? Can you help with the faucet? Do you think we need to repaint?" And then Steve is at their place more and more and coming back home with too much homemade food. He eventually shared it with the Munsons as he cannot eat all of that by himself before it goes bad. She also insists on teaching him how to cook and they eventually fall into a routine.

Wayne Munson immediately brings him under his wing after being Eddie's personal nurse. He asks him to come over to watch games, he calls him son knowing perfectly well the impact it has on Steve if the tears in his eyes are anything to go by. He teaches him how to maintain his car that he loves so much so he doesnt get taken advantage of for being a Harrington. He gets him his own mug to add to the collection and drinks his coffee in silence pretty much every morning with Wayne while Eddie is still snoozing in his room.

Karen Wheeler starts making 3 sets of lunches. She sends him his lunch with Mike, which kills Mike's soul every day. "First Nancy, then my mom and now Eddie? What is it with you Steve?"

Steve by S4 has a whole routine for his week. - Sundays cooking with the Hendersons. They cook together and Steve and Claudia exchange new recipes and try new ones every week. - Mondays are spent at his own place and Hopper comes by after the end of his shift and they just watch TV and chat about their day with a beer in their hands. - Tuesdays is family dinner at the Byers. Steve always brings desert (that he learned from Claudia) even tho Joyce tells him that only his presence is needed. They usually catch up while doing the dishes. - Wednesdays he has a late shift at Family Video with Robin but he always takes time to chat with her parents before they get on their way. - Thursdays is DnD night, so he brings the little gremlins home. Not without a quick chat with their mothers tho. - Fridays and Saturdays are usually nights spent with Eddie, and by proxy with Wayne as well. They have dinner and if Wayne is still up for it they watch a movie. Most of the time he is asleep halfway, but they dont mind. Wayne brings a homey feeling to the place, his soft snores a background noise to their night.

So then the Harrington's come back after everything and they throw Steve out of the house for being a disappointment and achieving nothing in life. They will not just let him live rent free while he wastes away being nobody in this dead town. He is nothing but a shame to their name.

Imagine their absolute surprise when see 4 adults basically fighting in their frontyard over who will adopt Steve. Claudia is begging Steve to choose her and that way him and Dustin can finally be actual brothers. He would have his own room and they could decorate it together and they would always be just a few meters away. Then Joyce is saying that she basically adopted him since 83 and he IS family already. Putting on paper would just be the last step to it. Hopper is saying that he has been taking care of him since the first "disaster" unlike his own parents. He doesnt insist much since they all live together with Joyce now, so she can do the fighting for him.

And then Steve turns to Wayne, waiting for his arguments to be his official son now, but Wayne just casually shrugs and looks at the others. Steve lets go of a small "oh", his heart breaking a little even tho there are literal adults fighting for him right now, he foolishly expected the same from him. and when Wayne notices this, he is very quick to correct him. "Steve, don't get this wrong son. I am not fighting with them because it would be unfair. They are trying their best to make you one of them, but I have an advantage. You will be a Munson sooner or later, no matter who adopts you. My boy will make an honest man out of you, I raised him right after all" and he squeezes his shoulder. Steve just stares at him, face bright red while his eyes begin to water.

[love-byers]

Hi! Not gonna lie I was a bit disappointed that you believe the birthday gate stuff... The Duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case. And most of all, it would've come up in volume 2! Now if something happens in S5 it would just feel like they came up with it during the 3 years between S4 and S5. They can say it was planned all they want, people would call bullshit, and rightfully so. I'm sorry I can not believe how anyone can think birthday gate could be a real thing. Not to mention it doesn't even make any sense. Please bylers let's just accept the Duffers made a mistake!!

i disagree with everything you said

1. "the duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case"

they lied.

the duffers are sneaky snakes who want us to analyze and always be looking for little details. they have literally said there are no coincidences in the show.

so yes, i completely believe that they would go out of their way to lie in order to save the surprise for s5. i mean actually think about it, if it really was just a mistake, why would they not just fix it?? they have the full power to just do a little voiceover edit and boom, problem solved. they explained exactly how they'd do it. but they didn't. 2 years have passed and they still haven't changed it when that little tweak would literally solve all their problems if it really was a mistake.

they lied. they're liars.

2. "it would've come up in vol 2"

since when does every single problem have to be solved in one season?? do you know what show you're watching??

there are hints and foreshadowing all over the seasons. vecna is foreshadowed in s1 ep1 when will's door was opened with telekinesis, and we had no idea he existed until 6 years and 3 seasons later.

in s1 they don't fully explain how will was communicating with joyce. but after s4 everything clicks into place.

they show us that will can clearly hear her and is finding a way to make the lights light up. then in ep 8 they show joyce and hopper making the christmas lights light up as they walk through the byers upside down house. jonathan sees this and asks if it's joyce, and joyce hears him.

that isn't addressed AT ALL in s2 or s3. it is fully explained and explored in s4, when nancy steve eddie and robin are stuck in the upside down. they fully show us how it works and acknowledge that it was how will communicated with joyce.

the creators knew exactly how the light upside down stuff worked the entire show. but it wasn't time for it to be explained just yet. it was meant to come up later on. it's a masterful way to write a story with longevity.

stranger things teaches you to never just write something off. everything is important. don't let it go just because it hasn't been fully explained. there will be payoff.

3. "now if it comes up in s5 it would just feel like they came up with it the 3 years between s4 and s5. people would call bullshit."

respectfully i think you're projecting a bit.

the average viewer who does not spend their time on forums is not going to think that whatsoever. the average viewer is going to think "wait what?!", go back and watch s4 ep 2, and think "holy shit it was planned all along that's so cool!"

like that's such a dumb way of thinking. you have to be a master level hater to see a well written plot twist and think "they just did that to cover their asses" like that's some next level hating

and i guarantee you once s5 comes out the duffers will be like "yeah of course we had to lie you guys were too close to figuring it out!"

david harbour has talked about how hard it was for him to flat out lie to people about hopper being dead. it's really not that crazy to think they lied

4. "it doesn't even make any sense"

....it does.

i don't know how you could think it doesn't make sense

rink o mania day was march 22nd. will's birthday. they have not changed his birthday. his official canonical birthday is still march 22nd.

but no one mentions it. even will doesn't seem to know it's his birthday.

s4 is all about memories and trauma and feeling isolated from others. we also literally learn there is a powerful monster man who can read minds and enter other people's memories, just like el can. so i don't see how it's so outlandish to think there's some memory fuckery going on.

of course we can't explain exactly why or how, because it hasn't been adressed yet. you have to wait for the pay off.

5. "just accept the duffers made a mistake"

i would accept that they made a mistake if they actually fixed the mistake LIKE THEY SAID THEY WOULD. they said "we are going to edit the episode and change it to say may 22nd" and then DIDNT. EVER.

and not only that, they wished him happy birthday on march 22nd 2 years in a row. noah schnapp posted a bts photo on march 22nd 2024 with the caption "Do you know what March 22nd is? It's your birthday. - Joyce Byers"

they are saying "yes it's still his birthday so get hyped for s5 where it'll be addressed" every way they can without spelling it out for you.

i really don't know what more you need

[justanotherfanaccount]

Yesterday I made a post about the Byers Lenora home layout but it was slightly wrong so here's the rendition!

again I'm not the best at floorplan stuff so pay no attention the the measurements hahah

[eyesofshinigami]

It Takes Time

Rating: G

CW: None

Tags: Established relationship, implied pre- S4 relationship, minor talk of injuries, tiny bit of angst, boys being soft

Prompt: For @shares-a-vest "Love is about healing each other's wounds"

WC: 1116

Written for @steddielovemonth Day 16

Even amongst the many horrible encounters with the Upside Down Steve has had, this last one was probably the worst. Steve had done everything he could to keep Eddie out of his mess, the one thing that he could never be honest with his boyfriend about, and yet Eddie had still gotten dragged in somehow.

And almost died for it.

Steve still can’t believe that it’s over. It’s finally over. Sure, his nightmares are even worse, having held the person he loved bleeding out in his arms, but they made it. They lived. They got Eddie to the hospital and after surgeries, a medical coma, and a laundry list of therapy appointments for both of them, they finally made it home. 

Home is now the little house on First Street. It’s not much to look at, but it’s theirs. 

Kind of like them, really.

Steve is the one that brings Eddie to the house once he’s released from the hospital. He told the kids that they could come by in a couple of days, after they’ve settled in and had a chance to collect themselves. Wayne had brought over a few things right before, and he told them he'd be back in a few days as well to check on them, just a phone call away if they needed him. It was enough to make Steve tear up.

“Come on, baby, we’re here,” he says, leaning over to kiss Eddie on the cheek. His boyfriend had fallen asleep on the drive over. Steve couldn’t blame him; he could feel tiredness settling into his own bones. He’s not 100% either, but Steve won’t be able to rest until he knows Eddie is comfortable, taken care of. 

Eddie stirs and blinks his eyes, smiling when he realizes where they are. “Home?” he asks. He hasn’t gotten to see it yet, but he’s heard Steve talk about it enough. At Steve’s nod, Eddie grabs his hand and holds it for a minute. “Ours. Fuck, I can’t believe it.”

Steve smiles back. “Yup. Let’s get inside. I can show you around after we take a shower and get settled, okay?” Eddie lets out a hum of agreement and opens the car door.

They make it inside, slowly and carefully, Eddie’s eyes wide as he takes it in. Wayne and the Hopper-Byers had pitched in to give them the bare bones to start with, like a couch and a table with chairs. The only thing Steve had been adamant about getting himself was the bed, a brand new queen that they could share. When Eddie sees it, he lets out a little choked noise. “We have a bed. Our bed. It’s ours.” 

“I made sure of it, baby.”

“Can we lay down together? I can’t wait to try it out.” Eddie reaches out and runs his hand along the comforter, a soft blue to go with the dark gray sheets Steve had picked out. “I know we’re not up for anything naughty, but… it would be good to lay down with you.”

Steve can’t help but kiss him. “After our shower. I have to change your bandages, too.”

Eddie squints at him. “And yours too.” Steve goes to protest, but Eddie shakes his head and crosses his arms. “Nope, you’re not getting out of it.” He wraps his arms around Steve and pulls him close, and Steve can’t help but notice how their scars mirror each other. “If you’re going to take care of me, I’m going to take care of you, okay? We’re in this together, isn’t that what you said?”

Steve nods. He remembers the way his heart jumped into his throat when Dustin and Max came scrambling into Family Video yelling about Eddie. He remembers how he wrapped Eddie up in his arms and kissed him softly, not caring who saw, after Eddie dropped the bottle when he realized that Steve had come for him. “We’re in this together, baby. I’ve got you,” he’d said.

“It is. You got me, Eds.”

Eddie smirks at him, giving him one more kiss before he pulls Steve into the ensuite. It’s pretty tiny, barely enough room for two nearly grown men, but they make it work. They strip down and climb into the shower. Normally, they would fool around a little bit, but they’re both so tired and worn down and still healing. There will be plenty of time for shower sex later, when they’re both not quite so broken and rundown. Instead, they take turns washing each other, careful of still healing wounds and old hurts alike. Steve handles Eddie like he’s made of glass, something precious he’s worried about breaking under his hands. In turn, Eddie takes his time and works the knots out of Steve’s back, days and weeks of worry built up in his muscles. 

It feels like the first time Steve has been able to breathe in years. 

Once they’ve dried off and both put on sweatpants, Steve pulls out the first aid kit that he’d bought right after he had started getting the house together. Eddie raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything, instead they both quietly get to work.

It shouldn’t feel like second nature, patching each other up. They take turns tending hurts and rubbing creams into healing wounds, bandaging each other up as they go. There’s something that’s macabre and intimate about it, Steve thinks. 

“I’m sorry.”

Eddie looks up from where he’s wrapping another bandage around Steve’s torso. “What for, sweetheart?”

His vision gets a little blurry, the wall of emotion hitting him. “That this happened to you. That you got hurt, that all of my…” the word bullshit clogs in his throat. “All of this made you hurt. You got hurt because of-”

“Don’t even, Steve. You didn’t do this to me.” Eddie cups Steve’s face so that Steve has to look at him, even with tears streaming down his face. “I just wish I could have helped you sooner, sweetheart. With Starcourt. With the junkyard. All those things you felt like you had to hide from me-”

“To protect you. To keep you safe.” Because you matter. Because I love you. Because you were the port in the storm of all these terrible things that kept happening to me. 

“And you did, even at the end when you dragged me into that hospital out of the jaws of death. Baby, I wouldn’t even be here without you. But I’m here. We’re here.” 

“We’re here,” Steve repeats, leaning close to press their foreheads together. 

Even scarred as they are, they will heal from this. It’ll take time, and hopefully it’s the end for real this time, but Steve’s not alone.

[fairyrona]

hop's cabin+byler

You know how there are some little things that say BYLER ENDGAME so loudly, that if by some miracle it doesn't happen, you'll be getting on a bus to atlanta to ask some questions?

I have one of those. Like these shots:

Board games? The sun rays and the motherfucking upside down couch?

Second shot just looks like it's missing something. Why?

(Let's establish real quick that I am acknowledging all the layers of this scene sequence - but in this post I'm pointing out byler endgame.)

I don't wanna come off like those milkvans arguing that Mike associates the Byers' house with El. This is not about the characters associating places with other characters. It's not about the places at all, because I think those shots could have been filmed anywhere and they would still do their thing.

Because we've got the s4 shot now. I hope you get what I mean but-

We saw how empty that space was when the move happened - how sad and abandoned it was. But the light never left, it was still there, even when the space was vacant. And now it's alive again, it's back to being whole.

They're both home.

And it's just so amazing to me, how we have this shot of Max -

...foreshadowing her part in s4.

Bacause it just proves us that this particular visual element suggests foreshadowing. We now know they belong in that space but we couldn't see them, they were out. Interestingly, nobody was in. Of course, meta-wise it would not make sense for Mike to sit there alone - or maybe, actually it would make so much sense - since this was his girlfriend's house.

But.

Honestly, with the second part of that assemblage being Mike and Will's yet another heart to heart, it would be too obvious for Mike to be in the s3 shot.

In the end it doesn't even matter if he's there or not. Because his absence is louder.

Let's assume that Mike's association with the Byers' house is ambiguous. Him biking to the empty cabin, where they've spent so much time together would be an absolutely perfect way to establish that he was longingly staring after El, and not Will.

But he is not there. From the writing point of view, either way it would be byler proof (when in combination with s4 shot):

A theoretical, Mike is in the s3 shot:

S3 ends and we all know for sure that byler is bones and milkvan is endgame. And then, it turns out to be straightbait, because it's Will who joins him in the second part of the sequence, and not El as people would be expecting.

The cabin is empty, canon:

I can't stress enough, how clever it would be to have Mike in that shot. To show that the other person is gone, and he's been left behind, alone.

That's not the case. He didn't have a reason to go there. His person never reminded him of the cabin.

In a way we have a three part sequence. The whole California trip being in the middle.

Why is Mike not moping after El in the cabin? He's gone after his person. The person? Well, we've all seen who Mike spends the most time in season 4. They were out together, on a journey, quite literally too.

And now it's a season later, the same place, but now complete - foreshadowing s5. As if that light was waiting for them to arrive and bask in it.

(Not to mention the "new" dynamic immediately coming to life on the hill.)

it's crazy.

(they are insane.)

[pinkerthings]

how did will communicate through the lights in season 1?

In season one we see him make the lights flicker in the living room for Joyce, spelling out “run” and such, and we don’t really see the other side of this until, well, The Other Side comic—which I’m not 100% sure how much of this comic is supposed to be taken canonically.

Will is hiding in the cupboard, trying to communicate with his mom, when he hears her beg him to communicate with her, asking where he is. He looks up and suddenly sees the alphabet wall, saying, “Mom…you’re a genius,” and touches the letters on the wall, spelling out, R-I-G-H-T-H-E-R-E.

In the show, we just see the lightbulbs light up in the real world, but in the comic, we see Will in the Upside Down just simply touch the letters on the wall, creating this sort of blue electricity.

(I know it’s in Portuguese, just bear with me i couldn’t find the English version for u all)

season 4 shows otherwise:

In s4 we finally get a glimpse of how things work in the Upside Down. When Nancy, Steve, Robin, and Eddie are in the Wheeler’s house on the other side looking for Nancy’s guns in episode 7, they hear Dustin talking to Erica. The group tries to get his attention, but he can’t hear them. Nancy then remembers how Will found a way to speak to Joyce; through the lights. They try the light switches and lamps but nothing works, until Steve shines the flashlight on the ceiling chandelier, which begins to sparkle with magical fairy looking dust. They discover that touching this gold dust around the light produces light on the other side, and the viewers conclude that’s how Will must have communicated in season one.

but there are some things i just don’t get:

- How did the letters magically appear on the wall in the Upside Down?

- If the Byers’ house really is stuck on November 6th, 1983, how did Will speak to Joyce through the lights (that she bought at Melvald’s) when they weren’t even there on the day that he disappeared?

Season 4 clearly shows that you can only communicate through touching the dust around the already existing lights in the Upside Down to communicate with the other plane of existence, so how did Will manipulate the lights WITH HIS MIND in The Other Side comic?

translation:

Will: Mom! I’m here! I’m somewhere, I don’t—”

Joyce: Good, good, good. Blink once for yes…twice for no… Can you do that for me, sweetie?

Will: You…can’t hear me? What does blink mean? How will you—”

Joyce: Oh, good boy. Good boy.

Will: Is that light? Is that…her somehow?”

Joyce: Baby, I need to know. Are you alive?

Will: I…I don’t know for sure. But I think I am.

Will wanted the lights to flicker, so he MADE THEM FLICKER ! hello? I’m not a big Will-powers truther but if that’s not the case then I don’t understand how this makes sense in the comic & the show.

but how does it actually work?

Now, they kind of try to get out of this confusing plothole/mixup by showcasing this:

the idea that if something is moved on the normal plane where someone could theoretically access its ghost---or where it's supposed to be---in the Upside Down, then they could essentially still manipulate the light source.

(This is also the case when Will touches the alphabet wall. There are technically no lights on his plane, but the lights are still sensed from the regular Hawkins plane of existence.)

The group has Dustin move the Lite-Brite toy in Stranger things so they could draw IN THE AIR where the toy is in actual Hawkins, which does not add up to me because their light source (which I’m assuming the gold dust is coming from) is from the regular plane & not the Upside Down, but I guess makes sense as to how Joyce was able to move lamps & lights around their home/Will's room in season 1 and still have Will able to communicate, even though the house would not have looked the same in the Upside Down because of it being stuck on November 6th.

which brings me to the question,

how did Will know about all the lights & lamps in his bedroom and around the home (besides the alphabet wall, which he could somehow see) in season 1?

HE COULDN'T.

This is proven in The Other Side comic when Joyce tells him to "blink."

"What does blink mean?" he asks, and then my precious boy LITERALLY BLINKS (he closes his eyes) and somehow the lights flicker.

After season 4 came out, I saw so many people say things like, "Why are we just now finding out how Will communicated in the Upside Down? Why didn't Will tell everyone sooner?"

Guys... MY BOY DID NOT KNOW !😭

He wasn't touching magical fairy dust with his hands or playing with Lite-Brite's. He was literally closing his eyes and just making it happen.

HOWEVER..

The alphabet appearing on the wall in the Upside Down still makes no sense in the story, as we’re shown that everything should be the same as it was the day Will disappeared. While things in Hawkins CAN be moved around & “sensed” in the Upside Down (lights, lamps, sound, etc), the actual core can’t be physically changed because it’s stuck in time.

“But what if things that are changed in Hawkins are also changed in the Upside Down Hawkins?”

This is obviously impossible, shown in season 4 episode 7, right before the group discovers the light phenomenon, when Nancy looks for her guns and realizes they’re not there because it is stuck in time. Therefore, Will somehow seeing the alphabet wall in the Upside Down makes no sense. Him making it light up DOES makes sense, however, according to season 4 logic, but him seeing it doesn’t seem to fit with the narrative the Duffers have created surrounding light sources within the Stranger Things universe.

so, does will have powers?

I am personally not super big on the Will Byers powers theories, but honestly there aren’t many explanations as to how exactly he manipulated flickering the lights in season 1 and The Other Side comic. In the s5 teaser released yesterday, we see behind-the-scenes of young Will falling out of a tree in the Upside Down.

That, paired with the older BTS photo of young Will laying in Castle Byers,

means that we’re finally getting Will’s side of the story way back from s1, so we’ll be able to see how much of The Other Side is actually canon !

[piratefishmama]

u know what i wanna know? what poor sap bought the Byer's house?

after all the news stories since '83, after all the horror shit coming out of that town?

What nutcase bought that house?

AND HOW HARD MUST THEY HAVE BEEN REGRETTING IT AFTER S4

[thegonse]

mike's patronization of el

i feel like something not discussed very much in the discussion of why m-leven is unhealthy is mike's sort of patronization of el. i think this is a huge factor in why el breaks up with mike in s3. maybe he assumed she wouldn't be smart enough/knowledgeable enough to find out he was at the mall. (given she didn't really leave hopper's cabin much, but still..) this whole scene is just suuuper telling to me.

like first, the whole finger pointing (like a parent...) and the whole "what. are you doing here" all slowly like el doesn't understand what she's doing ??

and then mike asks max, "what's wrong with you? you know she's not allowed to be here!" like el isn't literally standing RIGHT THERE. it's like how parents talk about their children when the kid is like in the backseat coloring or some shit??

then el walks up to him right before she delivers her famous line, and (i cant gif stuff but trust me) mike sort of looks like he's trying not to laugh here? like what could she possibly do? and then the face he makes after is just sooo telling. like he couldn't believe she actually like...did that? spoke her truth like a person?

its just like ughh... like its so obvious mike still sort of views el as like, a child almost, not a teenage girl the same age as he is, capable of understanding and processing more than she lets on ("mike, i understand..." "you say i go...i never leave!") during s1, mike knows el is super powerful, sure, but during the times when she isn't actively saving their lives, he only really sees her as a very scared, very quiet girl who doesn't know of very many societal customs ("what is wrong with you? what is wrong with you?" "she'll send her back to pennhurst or wherever she comes from...").

i thought this moment in s2 might be turning point for him, but i guess not? i mean, she seems pretty independent here, having a whole new look and obviously very alone when she comes into the byers house.

but then it's all back to the "are you sure you'll be ok.. you don't have to do this..." sort of stuff when she's leaving to close the gate. it sort of reminded me of a parent sort of allowing their kid to have "a phase" and knowing they'd grow out of it, as the whole breakup scene did. and then in s3 we're right back to el only seeing mike, nobody else, etc. so of course he doesn't really figure she knows much of anything/anybody but him and hopper.

i could go on and on about the angela-roller-skate scene and the monologue in s4, but i feel like that's been hashed out already. and just a disclaimer.. this isn't to hate on mike or anything. obviously he's a teenage boy, and they are not known for being the most mature, and el has her problems too in the relationship. these are just things i noticed