#stranger things infodumping

[rougarouuu]

Currently thinking about Robin Buckley from Stanger Things

I just finished listening to Rebel Robin, the podcast, and so this post is confined to JUST the context of that series, so heads up, there's gonna be spoilers ahead! Read at your own risk!

!! SPOILERS AHEAD !!

I loved Rebel Robin so so much. And like, I love how much of an in-depth look we get to take on her character in this series. Like yeah, we get to see her through the series, but since this is so focused on her we get to see more of a look at her inner monologue.

I think my favorite part of the podcast (and I have a few favorites) was Robin explaining to Mr. Hauser that she doesn't want to stand out too much, even academically, because she needs to stay in her camouflage. This happens in Episode three, "The Inferno" (thank you to @clowns-are-cool for making a transcript of the podcast!!) Mr. Hauser and Robin discuss this in which Mr. Hauser asks her why she's reading Dante's Inferno in the original translation, and she says that she "likes a challenge." When Mr. Hauser asks her why she isn't in advanced classes, Robin explains that she tries so hard to be painfully average and go unnoticed. They have a bit of a back-and-forth, jumping from topic to topic, and eventually, it shifts to Barb, but that's not what I'm referring to here.

Robin, in this scene, breaks down what I think a lot of people feel, and I know that I felt like this myself in High school and I'm breaking out of that now in college, but -- the mindset that you can't stick out too much or you'll be mocked no matter what. Robin's fear of being the nerd, fear of being chewed up by "The Hawkins Monster", which is really just high school society breaking you down until you fit in, and Robin doesn't want to lose her individuality. And this kind of goes back to her saying the following:

"I hope so. Because otherwise- If I'm totally honest with myself I'm scared of really truly rebelling and it feels like I'm close sometimes you know? Like I'm almost someone who is unique and interesting and unafraid but the camouflage is working too well and I'll turn into someone who never fights at all because I never decided who I wanted to be and I worry that if I- If I don't figure it out soon that someone else is going to decide for me" -Rebel Robin: Surviving Hawkins Episode 2, "Frankenstein"

She explains that she gets really close to rebelling, but doesn't. But what I don't think she understands is that her teetering on the edge of society by not fitting in and pushing back against the expectations and trying to fight "the system" is a bit of a rebel against society. She IS someone whos interesting and unique, maybe not entirely unafraid but she still gets close to it with how brave she is for following behind Dash in "The Outsiders" (Ep. 5), and saving Mr. Hauser from being essentially stalked. She is all of these things she just doesn't realize it because she doesn't fit her idealized version of this description, I think. She has decided for herself, she just doesn't see it yet.

Another thing that I really love is the way that Robin puts two and two together about Mr. Hauser's sexuality in the end, and she doesn't make it a big deal. She has her moment of realization, and she processes it, and then she immediately hatches a plan to protect her favorite teacher. She immediately came up with a plan to keep him safe and threatened Dash into staying in line, essentially, with her false accusation of pulling the fire alarm. Personally, I love this scene because it shows her connection with someone else on a deeper level than just "outsiders in this society", it's beyond that. It goes into Robin seeing someone like her. Seeing someone who is unconventional and, while afraid to be himself, still becomes a role model and is still passionate about his job and the life he's made for himself. And I know that some people might think that that twist is so unnecessary and not needed, but I think it's a key part of Robin coming to terms with herself and her own sexuality. I think that's why the smile that Mr. Hauser gives her at the end means. The happy-yet-sad smile. I think he's happy that she's coming to terms with herself, but he's sad that she's going to have to live her life in fear and not be open about herself, either. He sees himself in her. He sees his potentially awkward, askance, fifteen-year-old self who didn't fit in anywhere trying so badly to figure out why the system is so against him. And he sees it in Robin throughout this entire time that they get to know each other. He's happy that she has someone she can see herself in but he's sad because he's been along the same exact journey that Robin's walking on and he knows it isn't easy.

I have so much more I can say on this podcast but I also want to read the book, so I might ramble more and more every now and again but I wanna get the full picture before I make any assumptions. This post was entirely impulsive though so who knows what'll happen. Thanks for coming to my TedTalk :) Feel free to add on / comment / ask anything I'm so absorbed into this world right now /pos

[jay-birds-fly]

A candid image of me cleverly tricking my unsuspecting friends into sharing an interest with me so I have someone to infodump to

[nelyoslegalteam]

please tell me about your dnd campaign, stranger

hi hi hi hi hi hi hi do you have any idea how happy i am to get this ask. you have activated my trap card this is going to be SO long i am sorry in advance but The People Need To Know About My D&D Campaign.

so we’re playing in Adventures in Middle Earth, which is. supposedly a Tolkienverse-specific 5e mod but frankly it’s robust enough to fully count as its own system if you ask me. like it has its own guidebooks, character sheets, premade adventures, and features mechanics that 5e just straight up doesn’t have. it’s like if 5e were actually good. anyway. may i present to you:

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ The Mirkwood Campaign ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

so what, exactly, happened in the intervening years between the events of the Hobbit and LOTR? we did, BAYBEEEEEE!!

we are:

Murdoc, a hobbitish warden (adventures in middle earth’s version of a bard), played by yours truly!! raised in the shire and eventually moved out to the middle of mirkwood by an eccentric uncle who idolizes bilbo baggins, murdoc is the heir apparent to the brandybuck family inn. unfortunately for murdoc, he has developed extremely nasty prophetic dreams and is now burdened with the ability to see the future! a skill that has definitely left him with a very normal relationship to his new day job of Being An Adventurer!! i am unhinged and have uh. Talked About Him A LOT If You Care To Read This, but he is full of murderous rage and also tea and loves his friends very much. he also, more recently, surrendered himself as bait to the great werewolf plaguing mirkwood, trusting completely that his friends would come and save him. he was right. they did. and he lost his right hand in the process. :)

Ríros, an elven warrior (aime version of a fighter), played by @jaz-the-bard. tall, buff, sunshiny, and an absolute himbo. ALSO loves his friends VERY much and this is KEY. unfortunately for ríros, he is a redhead, and that does cause problems in a world where maedhros feänorion once existed. (stranger, i am so sorry if you are not one of my silmarillion regulars and did not know what you were getting into by asking me, a silmarillion blog, to tell you about my d&d campaign, and now have no idea who or what the fuck i am talking about). ríros is notably not maedhros though! he isn't even noldorin!! maedhros is a ghost who lives in his sword (and who is also played by jaz)! and who also maybe kind of accidentally possessed him one time, if you wanna read this here for a better explanation of ríros mostly but also all of the above.

The Bearer, a human slayer (aime barbarian), played by @thymo-leonta. grumpy old man. unwilling father to all these young and stupid adventurers he’s been stuck with. are they all adults? yeah sure. they’re still Children. we are making him go grey. also full of murderous rage. looks like he's running from his perfectly normal, happy, loving family. is actually acutely aware of the fact that he has been doomed to die. killed the werewolf that took murdoc's hand. as a consequence, became the werewolf that took murdoc's hand. has two dogs, both named Dog <3

Déorwyn, a human wanderer (aime ranger), played by @shadowkat2000. resident party Horse Girl. a fellow sufferer of The Bad Prophetic Dreams^TM. because this is not quite unfortunate enough for her, déorwyn Hears Dead People. apparently our GM gives her extra secret bonus ghosts that the rest of us do not hear or know about! this being the source of her foresight makes her pretty distinct from murdoc, despite them both seemingly suffering from the same thing, in ways that i have LOTS of emotions about. her horse is named windrider and Their Bond Is Unbreakable uwu

and @potatoobsessed999, our obligatorily Extremely Ominous GM!

(we are also occasionally joined by Ioreth, a human treasure hunter (aime rogue), whose player is unfortunately not on tumblr. a founding member of the party, has earned the epithet The Feral, mostly loves to hang out in the woods by herself, look for shiny things, and cause chaos. as a beorning, she CAN astral-project herself as a bear. it rules. once got possessed by a ringwraith, probably holds the most compassion for characters who have been through similar out of any of us. is usually covered in mud.)

initially in the employ of radagast the brown, a tenure that did not last due to murdoc's insistence that saruman is evil (i mean. yeah lol.), we're a group of adventurers traveling mirkwood with the aim to defend it as sauron slowly gathers power. we are

very

successful at the Fighting And Killing Things part of this

we specialize in:

lugging unconscious bodies through the woods!

lugging DEAD bodies through the woods!

lugging EACH OTHER'S bodies through the woods!

lugging things through the woods in general!

setting things on fire (usually murdoc's fault)!

making fun of our enemies so bad they just give up!

INCLUDING the ringwraiths (shoutout to ríros)!

serving annoying politicians subpoenas!

murdering them like the one time it was totally justified we promise!

accidentally convincing the council of mirkwood that murdoc's inn is a small fiefdom!

being generally cursed (except for ríros) (he just looks that way)!

HIRE US to take care of whatever problems are happening in YOUR local cursed forest! wights? patricidal politicians? generally awful politicians? sauron? the same fucking werewolf again? it's definitely just tuesday to us!

you can count on

｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ the union of murdoc ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

anyhow, jaz is absolutely wonderful and has written several fics of our party, including (but not limited to):

Cooking Contest for the Free Peoples, based on an in-game conversation about beating sauron at competitive cooking,

In Which There Are More Ghosts, which is not canon to game but is in fact Extremely Representative of the exact kind of nonsense we get up to (campaign's haunted),

A Stranger With a Friend's Face, a canon to game horror story of how ríros got slightly possessed, the party acquired maedhros, and neither murdoc nor déorwyn managed to explain the presence of the vengeful ghost residing in murdoc's scepter and bullying him in his dreams to any of the rest of the party right up until this very moment,

and this wonderful drabble from the horror arc in which we were isolated inside of a haunted longhouse. complete with party memes here.

there's more, and i am going to a.) pick on jaz to add them if they can find them, and b.) pick on my beloved friends in general to Please Help Me Infodump About our Game!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Top to Bottom, Left to Right: Murdoc, the Bearer, Déorwyn, Ríros, Ioreth]

[musicalchaos07]

Modern AU Jonathan texting Nancy

[im-a-bit-strange]

Tell me something!

It can be anything: a head cannon for a character you like, a tv show you are watching, a fun fact, something good that happened recently, something bad that happened, something you need to get off your chest. Infodump if you want. Tell me about a bird you saw or your pet. Tell me about work or school or an essay you have to write. What ever it is, I want to know about it!

[prodigal-upsiders]

having so many thoughts about music evolving from a hobby to a survival tool to a love language with the fruity four and i just 

after ‘86 they all have songs they can’t listen to anymore, all carry updated mixtapes like talismans in case, just in case, comfort and paranoia and protection all tapped out in the frequent little sounds of someone tapping their fingers against a plastic case. there’s a lot of time spent sitting together, back-to-back or curled around each other, hands clenching tight together while their safety songs play. 

as it sinks in that they’re safe, as they move away from hawkins and stubbornly build their own life, the weird co-dependent four of them, music comes with them. steve lowkey steals all of the best vinyl from his parents’ house, not that anyone but him was enjoying it there, so he hauls his whole collection to boston; eddie is constantly coming home from work with new tapes in his pockets because he thinks one of them would like this or just plain needs to listen to it for their own good; nancy starts keeping a little journal of lyrics that resonate with her, and one day she jots one down on a sticky note instead and by the end of the year one of their living room walls is covered in lyrics they love; robin learns new things like a sponge and instruments scratch that itch just as well as language does, constantly barging in to the music shop where eddie works to get her hands on something new and interesting until she can play steve’s song on so many different things (eddie and robin’s favorite, which steve and nancy hate them for, is the kazoo.)

it’s small things, too, ways each of them say i love you. nancy’s voice, still crackly and quiet from just waking up, crooning out a french love song as robin’s arms come around her waist while they both wait for the coffee to brew. steve taking the eyeliner from eddie’s hand as he gets ready for a show, just a snippet of put your makeup on, fix your hair up pretty, and meet me tonight in atlantic city sung soft and low between them, eddie smiling as he closes his eyes and hums the harmonica parts back. somehow steve and robin always end up with the same song stuck in their heads--sometimes they’ll be out all day and not see each other until dinner, when one of them is still humming it and the other can go “oh so it’s YOUR fault” and they’ll both launch into the bit they’re stuck on, full muppet voice at full volume. 1997 rolls around and “Bitch” comes out and ruins eddie and nancy forever, they’re thirty years old and so annoying about duetting that song in the kitchen with spatulas for microphones.

their home is loud and quiet and soft and wild and everything they need it to be, and it’s never silent. they love music and they love each other and none of them are lonely again.

[sleepyeye17]

Neurodivergent Love Languages: Infodumping

I recently saw a post by someone named Amythest@neurowonderful about the five Neurodivergent love languages: Infodumping, parallel play, support swapping, ‘crush my soul back into my body,’ and ‘I found this cool object and thought of you’. I thought it would be a nice little Steddie series. Here’s the first one, which is infodumping. (The story that Steve is telling is not based on any actual book. I’ve just been listening to A LOT of the Fated Mates podcast.)

Eddie is sitting on the sofa, watching Steve pace and ramble. Steve wanted to start reading what he called “elf books” in an attempt to understand the kids’ interests better. Instead, he’s gotten hooked on gay fantasy erotica, and spends many afternoons trying to explain the plots to Eddie. Eddie has to admit, he’s based more than one campaign on Steve’s literal fairy porn. 

“Okay, so in this one, there’s this guy named Sorsumilus, okay? And Sorsumilus is cursed. See, when he was young, he was a real asshole, and bullied a lot of people. He was a dick to this witch, so she curses him, and turns him into a dragon shapeshifter, which is something, like, really bad. People don’t like dragon shifters. And she says that unless he bones a human before his twenty-first birthday, he’ll be stuck as a dragon forever.”

“Wow, harsh.”

Steve talks with his hands, throwing them up and gesturing. He speaks with his whole body when he’s excited. Eddie hugs a pillow and smiles.

“Yeah,” Steve says. “And he tells the witch, like, that’s fine, I’m fucking gorgeous, I’ll absolutely pull before then. But she curses him, and says, no human will ever want to fuck you.”

“Even harsher! Jesus!”

“Okay, meanwhile. There’s this guy named Joseniar, and he’s a wandering bard. And he’s just doing his wandering thing, and Sorsumilus sees him and thinks he’s hot. So Sorsumilus kidnaps him and takes him back to his lair. And they bone.”

“Wait. And Joseniar is cool with this?”

“Yeah he’s into it. Sorsumilus is smokin hot. But he can’t tell Joseniar that he’s a dragon shifter, obviously, so whenever he turns into a dragon he has to, like, run off. And Joseniar thinks that Sorsumilus isn’t into him.”

“I thought if the dragon fucked a human the curse would be lifted.”

“That’s the problem, see, because Sorsumilus is still turning into a dragon, and he’s like ‘why isn’t this working, maybe we’re doing it wrong.’ So they have to do it, in, like, lots of different ways. Cause like maybe it doesn’t count if it’s not the right position.”

“Very scientific.” 

“But finally, it’s the night before his birthday, and he starts to cry.” Steve stops pacing and grows still. “And he tells Joseniar that… That he has to leave forever. Because he’s a monster. And nobody can ever love him, and that he’s cursed. And then Joseniar says that…” Steve runs his hand through his hair. “Well, that he loves Sorsumilus, and that the reason he’s immune to the witch’s curse is that he’s actually a werewolf.”

Steve blinks hard and swallows.

“And then he watches Sorsumilus turn into a dragon, and he’s like… He’s like, you’re so beautiful, and I love you.” Steve wipes his eyes and laughs a bit. “It’s stupid. Really stupid. But I liked it.”

Eddie stares. He feels punch-drunk, sitting and watching Steve. He loves the sound of Steve’s voice. He loves Steve’s wide open smile, and the way he gestures when he’s excited. He loves that Steve tried to read fantasy to connect with the kids, and ended up crying over manimal erotica. Eddie loves everything about him.

“Come here.” He holds his arms open and Steve laughs and flops down onto Eddie’s chest. “Steve. You’re so beautiful. And I love you.”

Steve lets out a choked noise that’s half sob, half giggle.

“I love you too.”

“You want to be the wolfman or the dragon tonight?”

Steve buries his face in Eddie’s neck. 

“We can take turns.”

“I’ll see what we have in the dress-up box.”

[mayhasopinions]

for the drawing rec :))

spidey-will‼️ (and MJ wheeler)

oh anon you know me so well

[bogwitchlesbian]

Steve: I love you dearly, but sometimes talking to you viscerally upsets me

Eddie:.... YOU CANT JUST SAY THAT AND GO BACK TO BAKING LIKE YOU DIDNT UPEND MY ENTIRE PERCEPTION OF MYSELF, STEVE

[birt-art]

I went the wrong way on a hike today and asked an older chap for directions and not only did he offer to drive me to the actual trail head (I was on the wrong side of the ridge oops) but it turns out he was a local archaeologist/historian and so he spent the next 45 mins telling me all about the local area and the old mining tracks and machinery and gave me a little tour of the canal and explained how the culvert diverted water from the river which used to be tidal and ships used to come all the way up it and this car park used to be the loading bay from mine to canal to ship and I love getting old folks to tell me history !!

[jay-birds-fly]

If you or a loved one enjoys infodumping you may be entitled to “pretty please tell me about it, please”

[thelostboys87]

there's a whole plotline thing in lover boy about how bobby journaled and beau really wants to read them because obviously he wants to absorb every piece of bobby that's left behind from when he was alive and also spend more time with the parts of him that beau never saw....but he's conflicted because that was bobby's private space so even though its a limited chance to experience a new part of his friend he doesn't know if he should invade that or why he feels entitled to it now just because bobby is gone....its about the conflicts of grief and how we treat a person after they have passed....however realistically what is going to happen is beau will open the journal after going back and forth because he expects to see something really personal and not for other people's eyes but knowing bobby it will just be some shit like this

[stupid-sloot-headcanons]

Henry developing feelings for someone and only being able to flirt by giving facts about spider breeding and courtship rituals

"Typically the male performs a kind of dance with rhythmic movements to put the female into a trance. If it impresses the female, she mates with him. If it doesn't, she eats him. If I were a spider--if we were both spiders--do you think you'd like my dancing? I think I'd be better at it as a spider. I can't dance, really. But spiders have so much dexterity and mobility, and..."

*proceeds to infodump about spiders for the next several minutes*

[princessazalea17]

We have come full circle: Death of the Stranger Things/Riverdale Era.

One of my friends shared the news in an Instagram group chat, and I was PISSED. So, your girl is back with another rant.

We have come full circle. I dont know if it's because me and my peers and I are grown adults now, and we are no longer in that Stranger Things/Riverdale era where everyone wouldn't shut up about their favorite Netflix shows. I remember those days when Netflix took over and everyone had it. I was late to the party because back then I didn't have the money to be able to afford streaming services, and I had to resort to websites like KissCartoon, KissAnime, and those YouTube videos with the high pitched voices and the TV show playing in the corner of the screen (or, if you were unlucky, a 2 hour background on a loop with a link to the video in the description).

Well, it appears that I might be going back to that route because, at this point, the cost of all these subscriptions is eating into my wallet. I can eat the cost of the $12/month for the plan listed in the screenshot because I was "grandfathered in." However, add the cost of Spotify premium (which went up now that I'm no longer a student), my gym membership, and other streaming services.

Others have even mentioned online that we have too many streaming services to begin with to the point where it is becoming like cable. Even mobile carriers and other sites (like Spotify) include access in their plans-- I used to get free Hulu with Spotify Premium student (but I never used it because I heard the ads are unbearable). Netflix had the most access with shows before companies bought the rights to many of them. A lot of shows that are on MAX, Hulu, and Prime Video used to be on Netflix, believe it or not. Not to mention all of these random smaller sites like Vix, Britbox, Crackle, Paramount Plus, and others I forgot to mention - it is becoming too much. Eventually, cable companies will start bundling these services into their plans.

The main reason why I am on Netflix so much is to keep up with shows and movies that have stemmed from the books I have read, and because I don't want to have to use Prime Video or buy them individually. Shadow and Bone is on there, Heartstopper, All the Light We Cannot See, and other series that were based on books. Netflix also has a good selection of anime and cartoons, like Bee and Puppycat or Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (mainly part 6, which is a Netflix exclusive!).

I even have nostalgia merch that I purchased secondhand and from Hot Topic of shows that were once big on Netflix and TV, mainly from being interested in these fandoms back in my younger days. Back in high school, if you wore Stranger Things merch, you would receive tons of compliments. Now, it's almost as if no one even knows the show, as if the hype died down. I don't see people talking about it as much online anymore since people were shitting on Eddie Munson and Max Mayfield stans and Kate Bush and Metallica blew up on the internet. You can literally find their merch at Ross now - not to hate on Ross, because I love shopping there, but a lot of pop culture merchandise that I find there is mainly from fandoms that are super generic or have otherwise died down. I remember wanting Rick and Morty merch so bad when it was popular! Now, you can literally find their merch everywhere - the men's section of Ross and Rue21 is flooded with their hoodies and shirts. This can also be tied with harmful trend cycles, but I will go deeper into this topic in another post.

Wrapping this post up because I'm getting mad. But I might post another rant soon. Not sure yet.

Here is a little song rec for today

[gift-of-prophecy]

there is something so similar between peter quill and steve harrington and i think it makes sense why i’m obsessed w them

the Man-Whore™ of the group

thinks they can solve their problems by charming their way through them

daddy issues!!!!

spends an entire movie/season reconfessing love to an old flame that does not want them anymore (no MATTER HOW DESPERATE IT LOOKS)

ends up taking responsibility for all of their friends lives

stupid as all hell (but secretly actually not really)

!!!!SPOILER!!!! ALMOST DIES!!! OH MY GOD PLEASE STOP!!!

oh and a phenomenal ass

[dollarstoreartsupplies]

see my issue is I genuinely want to write stranger things shit but the ONLY CHARACTER VOICE I can nail down is dustin so every thing I write ends up like 

There's a measured, practical reason for all things. A careful, logical explanation that makes things work and makes people do the things they do and makes problems appear and sometimes, though rarely in small, livewire towns in Indiana, makes them disappear.

Dustin Henderson knows this well.

and then the second I introduce another character it just erodes into

Dustin shuffles her feet a little until Robin pats her bed for her to sit.

“Hi.”

Robin grins at her, a little wobbly, “Hi.”