#the real max not just sadie sink being in this show

[prettyboybillyhargrove]

Dacre Montgomery (‘Stranger Things’) on filming his Season 4 appearance from Australia: ‘I put everything into this moment’ [Exclusive Video Interview]

Sam Eckmann TV June 17, 2023 6:30AM

“I like to do a lot of character prep and development and sort of live in character,” explains Dacre Montgomery of his acting process. The breakout “Stranger Things” star made a surprise return to the hit Netflix series in Season 4 despite his character Billy being killed in the previous season. His appearance was brief, but it provided the actor with a unique filming opportunity and the chance to put a final touch on a role that means a great deal to him. “It’s a culmination of hundreds of hours of work and really living in character in many ways,” says Montgomery. Watch the exclusive video interview above.

The Duffer Brothers called Montgomery near the start of the global pandemic with the offer to return for some pivotal scenes with Max (Sadie Sink). “And then it became quite difficult to leave Australia,” says the actor, noting that he was stuck in his home country while the series was being filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Montgomery recorded lines of dialogue for Sink to work with as she filmed in the U.S., but it became too difficult a prospect for him to join her. To his surprise, production agreed to shoot his material in Perth. “They decided to shoot the scenes in my hometown, but a sound stage of the size that they needed, with a blue screen stage, didn’t exist. So they built one just for the one scene in Western Australia, which was awesome,” he admits. The costumes, wigs, and prosthetics for Billy were flown in from across the globe, and the actor worked with a local Australian team to put it all together.

“But the strangest part of it all was I was on a blue stage,” he admits. He had a tiny earpiece playing Sink’s lines for him, but he otherwise only had a tennis ball to act opposite. The performer describes the process as “highly emotional work,” not only because of the content of the scenes, but because of his deep attachment to his character. So despite the strange circumstances, filming by himself while in and out of hotel quarantine, Montgomery “put everything into this moment.”

Because of his isolation in Oz, Montgomery reveals that he had “no real context obviously of what was happening in the rest of the season.” This includes the setup that the villain Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower) produces an illusion of Billy as a representation of Max’s grief, and as a way to lure her into accepting death. But Montgomery had no designs on portraying a new version of the character. “I really just wanted to play Billy for Billy, and give the sort of authenticity of the character work in that space,” he explains, “There’s so much core memory there of Billy and who he is. So this sort of materialization of him, it was important for me to play the character properly rather than trying to be an offshoot.”

Viewers may also describe Billy as a villain, but Montgomery is drawn to the discovery of what lurks beneath the surface of this kind of figure. “There’s this sort of truth in a weird sick way in the mask,” he explains, “These antagonists, or perceived antagonists, are trying to cover up deep trauma. So obviously that they wear this mask that’s outwardly facing.” During his time on “Stranger Things,” he enjoyed exploring what made Billy put on his mask in order to humanize the character. Montgomery had to mine his own personal fears and demons in order to tap into this facet of Billy. That process is scary, but also cathartic. “I think working with Billy, there was three or four years, however long I was involved with the show, of catharsis,” states Montgomery.

[brionysea]

Just finished watching stranger things. Is bad that I find El/Eleven a little overrated and over hyped? I dont hate her character. Its just the other characters are more interesting and relatable. She's just not my favorite. Plus the actress is not my favorite either. Love Sadie Sink as Max though. She's my favorite character. Joyce is second.

nah, i've said almost this exact thing before. millie's acting is like, genuinely impressive, especially in season 1 because they were all so young at the time (and i make an effort not to get parasocial and weird about actors in the first place because... what's the point? they're just doing their jobs) (That Man's face has started to annoy me though), but el herself is just like... there. she's badass and all, girlboss girlpower girlslay, but that's kind of it?? and other characters do it better tbh. this might be why MBB is so sick of playing and being known for eleven; a lot of it does seem quite boring to film, and stranger things has been going on for years of her life at this point

i've found a level of relatability with el recently because i realised her arc is realising that she doesn't need romantic love in her life to be a whole person, which is HUGE for me because aroace characters are still so rare, but even then it's just like... okay :) that's nice :) because there's not that much TO her

el is just kind of... blank. in terms of backstory and character. she doesn't feel like a real person who could exist in the real world. she literally grew up in a mostly white room with a few rainbows on the walls, and a key competent of her overall story is that she has no idea who she is - which makes you feel for her as she tries to figure it out, but also makes it harder to connect with her. they're all fictional characters but even within that context, el is a fictional character, because no one's life looks like that, y'know? (at least not the backstory. the part where she has no idea who she is is kinda relatable, but if i'm already living that why would i also want to watch it? i already know that it's not that interesting. it's actually incredibly dull)

so many badass female characters look like el, where they have to be trained their whole lives to be badass while male characters can just pick things up, with the sexist implication being that women are inherently less adaptable and capable than men unless A Man turns her into a weapon through years of training, and then she can be badass. the show is aware of this trope, because they combat it by having nancy as the regular girl next door who learns to be a badass like the men typically would (jonathan tries to, but he's a terrible shot, and then they realise that nancy's a phenomenal one), but when you put el next to nancy and max and robin who are all so much more grounded and relatable to me as female characters (who i always feel more of a connection to, because they're Like Me), obviously i'm gonna go for them more

+ max and joyce are probably my favourites too :)

[storiesbyrhi]

I just re-watched season 2 of Stranger Things and here's the takeaway for me - stop me if you've heard this one before ;) - whoever I was when I watched it in 2017 is not the girl you see before you. I have a wayyyy different interpretation of the characters and the show.

(Season 1 thoughts here.)

'MADMAX' was the coolest way to introduce Max. She is absolutely as rad as I remember. I'm not entirely sure they knew why they wrote Max into the show... Was it to give Lucas something to do (which is shitty for his character); was it to add another girl (yay tokenism); was it a setup for later seasons (I might accept that because not all new characters have to be the star of the show)? Who knows! What I do know is that Sadie Sink really gave Max teeth in an otherwise... eh storyline.

I forgot Nancy and Steve went to Barb's parents for dinners. Makes me so fucking sad. The entire Barb situation is tragic. Idk if it was a reaction to the 'Justice for Barb' movement but regardless, having some follow-up around that was so important. Nancy's trauma being (somewhat) explored was great too.

Jesus H. Christ Noah Schnapp can fucking act. Like yeah, Sadie Sink killed season 4 but Noah Schnapp season 2 is incredible. And he's thirteen! And the intensity and nuance in his performance are wild! !!! !!!

I remember being so charmed by the Dustin and Steve pair-up. Still am. Still am.

"He likes it cold." Yikes. Like I said about season 1, it's cool watching this through a Vecna lens. It feels plausible he was the plan for the show all along.

My memory of Dart was a nice one. Turns out that I forgot he killed Mews. Fuck that guy Dart. He is not my homie. RIP Mews. You deserved better.

I remember the demodogs being more dog-like. They truly be serving Silent Hill, huh?

Unpopular opinion but I don't hate the Kali storyline. I can see how I thought it sucked in 2017; waiting all that time for season 2 to finally come out, then getting that. I probably wanted more action and group bonding. However, I like that we got to see a) an alternative outcome for El had she not found Mike and Hopper, and b) El gain some autonomy in her search for history and home. It makes her choice to be Hopper's daughter more meaningful. The storyline also broadened the danger and cruelty of Brenner and co., and gave a legit setting for El to learn more about her powers.

RIP Bob. My memory of you was correct and you truly are a hero. Casting was A+ because nobody thought they'd violently kill a LOTR/Goonies star in the 80s themed show.

Watching the entire gang in the Byers house in episode 8 was so cool. That sweeping shot of all of them poised ready for the demodog attack... chefs kiss. I am now even angrier that they were all separated in season 4.

There's so much talk about cool television dads. Din Djarin this. Bandit Heeler that. Joel Miller who. Bob Belcher why. Where is the hype for Joyce Byers, who once again proves to be parent of the motherfucking year?! Are you kidding me?!

Knowing that the show goes on to call Mike the heart of the party is a real kick in the teeth. Will is so utterly the heart of this family and found family.

So, I never fell in love with Steve. Not a Stevie girlie. But, ah, this rewatch has me feeling all kinds of things. The fucking character development on this boy?! Might have to branch out into some Steeeeeedie x Reader fics. Shiiiit.

I. Love. Nancy. She. Is. So. Smart. Give. Her. More. Guns. And the scene with Dustin at the dance still breaks my heart. I love her, your honor.

Murray was exactly how I remembered.

Hopper was wayyyy better this season. The "sometimes I think I'm a black hole" speech was fantastic. Him telling El about Sarah, finally, is so healing for them both.

My opinions about Jonathan and Steve changed so much between 2016 and 2023, so I went into this with an open mind re: Billy. However, here's the thing. He's racist. Racists just aren't babes. No matter how else his behaviour and personality are contextualised, he will always be a racist so it's a hard no for me. Yes, Billy is the victim of an abusive parent, but that can only be used to explain some of his behaviour. Not all of it. Nor can it be used to excuse some of his behaviour. Nothing that has happened to Billy can justify the way Max is terrified when she hears his car. She is terrified of him. I'm not saying they don't love each other in a very complicated messy way, but when I try 'redeem' (for lack of a better word) season 2 Billy, I can't. Billy deserved a safe and good home, deserved better than what life gave him, but he'll continue to be a blocked tag for me. I do wanna say that I think he's an important character for a lot of people, and that is so valid. That's why I don't go around posting shit about him 24/7. I'll probably have a lot to say about him in season 3 too, because hey guess what, sexualising a teenager is weird as hell @ grown up adult women living in Hawkins.

At the end of season 2 I am so keen for some more El/Will friendship, Max development, and Jopper.

And I'm onto season 3. (Edit: here's the link!)

This has been a Stranger Things Rhi-Watch.

[lowcountry-gothic]

**Stranger Things 4 Volume 2 Spoilers in tags**

[moonflowerdamie]

ok so i just watched volume 2. gonna tell you guys my thoughts because WHAT THE FUCK.

⚠️STRANGER THINGS V2 SPOILERS!!!!!⚠️

seriously. what. the fuck. did i just watch.

i have so many thoughts about ep 8 and 9 so i’m gonna try and condense them into lil sections for y’all so. here goes.

•brenner’s death•

-we were supposed to find it…sad? the death of the man who kidnapped and abused children for his own gain? yeah, nice fucking try duffers, with the ‘sad emotional music’. honestly i’m glad the fucker’s dead. one of the only good things to come out of vol 2.

•will and mike•

-i now understand why the duffers waited until after pride month to release the new eps because wtf??? they’ve built it up that will’s in love with mike the whole season (the whole damn show) and then he just…doesn’t say anything? sure he had that monologue where we all know he was talking about himself and not el but. he didn’t even come out to mike? or anybody for that matter. sure, the scene with jonathan is undeniable that jonny boy knows and accepts him and it was a really sweet scene, but it felt like a cop out. will didn’t ever actually confirm anything. fucking bullshit. william byers get behind me, i’ll protect you from the duffers this time.

•stancy•

-fuck ME i hated this storyline. i fucking HATED it. i’ve already spoken on here about why steve and nancy should never be romantic again, and the fact that the duffers tried to push that arc was bad enough but. also. did you guys clock how ooc steve was because of it??? like, he just starts spouting shit about wanting six kids and a perfect life to nancy, who just NEARLY DIED, and then does it again in the woods when robin runs off alone—completely ignoring her well-being and safety in favour of trying it on with nancy again. that’s so not the steve we know. the steve we know and love would never let robin run off alone, and he certainly wouldn’t be basically ambushing a girl with his fucking life plans that make no fucking sense. and if that all wasn’t bad enough, THE WHOLE PLOTLINE WAS IRRELEVANT ANYWAY. they don’t get together because nancy’s still with jonathan and it never gets addressed again. fucking idiotic storyline.

•jancy•

-ok so can we all agree that this ship has run its course? like, don’t get me wrong, they’ve been cute the past few seasons, and i wouldn’t hate it if they were endgame, but. come on. jonathan is STILL LYING TO HER about college, their plans clearly don’t align anymore and they just want different things in life. and i get it, it’s cute that the actors are dating in real life, but that shouldn’t be the only thing holding the ship together. i just think the duffers have made it clear throughout the season, then with that ending scene in vol 2 when jon and nancy are repairing hop’s cabin, that these two are going to inevitably part ways.

•jopper•

-one of the saving graces of these eps. they FINALLY kissed and it was sweet and cute and perfectly built up, in my opinion. joyce and hopper stay one of the best ships in the show.

•max•

-is she alive? is she dead? WHO KNOWS???!!? honestly the HORROR the duffers have put me through with her this season. it was fucking brutal having to watch her bones snap like that. i was honestly shaking, like holy shit. and then she died, and then she didn’t? hmm? what did el do that saved her? what consequences will that have??? so many unanswered questions. but, i will say this: sadie sink deserves a fucking emmy.

•ronance/vickie x robin•

-i am so beyond pissed at the duffers brothers for the shit they pulled with robin in these 2 eps. like, vickie’s not in the season except for one two minute scene in ep 1 and then they bring her back for the last ep? and yeah, her and robin could be cute i guess, but it felt so shoehorned in. like they clearly just shoved that scene in at the last minute to fill a diversity quota and makes me fucking ANGRY. the opportunity was there for robin to have a fully fleshed-out, meaningful, poignant romance with nancy. they’ve been together all season, they’ve grown closer, understood each other, looked out for each other. hell, i even thought the duffers might go there with that scene where robin grabs nancy’s hand outside the creel house. but no. because why give us an actually good wlw relationship when you can shove it to the side and give us absolutely crumbs of representation? bullshit.

•eddie’s death•

-tbh i was expecting him to die, and so i wasn’t shocked but. it felt very anticlimactic. like, the whole focus was on him dying a hero—but then he didn’t technically save anyone? he just…died? for seemingly no reason? and yeah, dustin’s reaction BROKE me, but like then nobody else ever mentions it? not even steve, robin or nancy, who have been with him the whole season. it just all felt so rushed. joe quinn, you did a great job man, and you deserved better writing.

•elmax•

-is it just me or did every one of max and el’s scenes together feel very…romantic? like, yeah they’re best friends who haven’t seen each other in a while, but all of their interactions were framed and built up to seem almost like lover’s reuniting? like they’re touching each other’s faces constantly when they first see each other again, max is looking at el’s lips, max’s ‘death’ involved el crying over her just as much as lucas. and when el visited her in the hospital everyone like made way for her as if she’s the most important person to max. am i going crazy here??? someone tell me they get what i’m trying to say. anyway, another saving grace of the season, elmax remains superior.

•the ending•

-i actually think the ending was pretty cool. like it sets up a vastly different, darker and more epic final season. we actually saw the battle with the upside down and vecna having disastrous effects on hawkins. and i thought the return of the mind flayer actually was kinda cool, and the way everything was explained was pretty good. but, after these 2 eps, i’m not sure i trust the duffer brothers with another season. well. we’ll see what happens i guess.

overall, volume 2 was a let-down. ooc characters, messily wrapped up plot lines, shoved in, shitty representation. it all felt rushed and like the duffers kinda gave up halfway through. highlights of the eps include: the jopper kiss, elmax, robin grabbing nancy’s hand when she was scared, hopper beheading a demogorgan, eddie playing guitar, erica kicking that one guy in the balls and natalia dyer, noah schnapp, caleb mclaughlin, millie bobby brown and sadie sink’s acting.

what did you guys think?

[luv-loo]

I’m gonna rant on some faves because boredom and so my mind doesn’t explode. SPOILERS AHEAD !!!

Max Mayfield — MY QUEEN. If Ryan Reynolds is every straight mans crush than Sadie Sink is my straight girl crush 😻 I remember watching season 2 and seeing her for the first time and felt SO HAPPY !! As a girl who has guy friends and (at the time) only hanged with them she made me so much less insecure about that fact. Her acting was on POINT season 4 and my fave thing the whole season and SHE STILL GOT THE END OF THE STICK. But season 3 Max doesn’t get enough love imo because let’s be real, she’s the real mpv for helping El to get in her own skin. Max & Sadie are my queens and I’ll make sure they are treated as MUCH.

Lance Sweets — HONESTLY WANT HIM TO BE MY OLDER BROTHER OKAY, or that cool uncle. I love him to DEATH. His dokiness, his smarts, his awkwardness & his weird as way of being a therapist to Bones & Booth but yeah know— I’ve already spoiled myself and I’m just SAD. I love Booth as well, but whenever he or Bones talk down to him pisses me right off. NO. HE IS APART OF THE FBI FOR A REASON YOU BABOONS. I love him with Daisy (even if she can be a bit overbearing at times) but I also low key ship him with Fisher simply by the fact there both high class NERDS. Anyway, love him.

Chrissy Cunningham — Unpopular opinion, but I felt Chrissy death more than both Barbs AND Eddies. Let me explain. Barb because she wasn’t really a fleshed out character imo, beside being Nancy’s smart and overly safe friend, but honestly Steve and Nancys relationship in S1 was cute imo and didn’t deserve half the shit it got from Barb. ANYWAY. I loved Eddie a lot, like all ST fans, but his death felt so rushed and so unsatisfactory to the plot and the end talk with Dustin & Eddie’s uncle just made me hate it more. Chrissy got character development from the moment she was on screen until her untimely demise. Her trauma was so real, something I kind of related to in my own way. I just loved her and it was the only time the season I actually shed a tear.

Rudy Wade — Probably the most unrecognisable name on the list, but Rudy is from S3-S5 of the British TV show Misfits, about powers and crap and it’s GREAT. Anyway, Rudy’s power is what I like to call “Emotional Doubles”. He basically has a double of himself but is all his bottled up emotions in that double. He’s a character I relate to way to much, mainly in the aspect of hiding emotions to the point it’s unhealthy. I’ve loved him since he appeared. He’s cocky, he’s hyper sexual (like a lot of British characters tbh), WAS depressed (I’m not sure if he still is) & basically dubbed himself the uncle of Finn (another character). I just love his personality, as well as his double, Rudy Too. The guy who plays them is SUCH a good actor because the two (plus a third, but we don’t talk about the ukulele villain) are the same person but he plays them so well that you can just tell in their faces which one is which. He’s just great and I love him OKAY?!

Neville Longbottom — I had my Harry Potter phase in and out for like 3 years now and every time I go back to Neville and I just can’t believe he was treated like THAT. My boy doesn’t deserve that shit man. Let him enjoy plants and kick some BLOODY ASS. He’s probably the one character I enjoy both in the movies and books that I didn’t have any complaints about (expect his thing with Luna, idk I’m very picky with ships when it comes to certain characters). He’s GREAT. He’s AMAZING. I just wanna give him a hug so much omg. Snape can die all over again by me for what he put Neville (and Harry and EVERYONE) through.

Ginny Weasley — I WILL NOT STAND GINNY SLANDER. She was done so dirty in the movies I’m still PISSED. She was basically my favourite in the books and than the movies royally pissed me off. The stage play was good though, Australian Ginny actress was great in it. I hate how they did all the Weasley dirty in the movies, but I can’t change anything so I’m just gonna rant. In the books she was the girl I wanted (and honestly still want) to be. She’s sporty, she’s pretty, she can talk to anyone and doesn’t take shit from anyone and we LOVE TO SEE IT. Her romance with Harry was kind of rushed at the end of the books, but better than the movies lol. She’s the best and I’m honestly slaty she really only got to name one child with someone she liked, aka Luna as her only daughters middle name.

[salvatoreren]

Vol2 Thoughts

Alright everybody welcome back and ill try to make this as clean and constructed as possible anyways

i suppose chapter eight was the calm before the storm despite many people have died already

max having her halloween mask tho lmao what was she going to do with it and those poor people who got their van stolen,

the way i screamed when nancy saw jason, and erica just seeing the rest, im so glad eddie and the others stayed in the van, like please, dude my jaw dropped when i saw some dude kissing vickie, like poor robin, she deserves better

the way all of them had their moments while on the grass making weapons, i love that, i feel erica about lucas lol, robin and steve just comforting each other and being the best and that dustin and eddie scene, i love when they were scuffling, god they're so wholesome, YOUR HONOR I LOVE THEM, THE NEVER CHANGE UGHHH PLEASE IT HITS DIFF NOW

i cried when will was crying, he's been through so much and ik i have set my negative views regarding ships but like i said byler and mileven was cool okay? anyways im sure what he said to mike was his true feelings

ik it's just me but i wish brenner and el had more closure like a max and billy moment but i think like i said a month ago with hopper saying the need to surpass fathers and grow, it made sense actually because in order for el to grow she needs to defy and surpass him

ALSO WILL AND EL HUGGING

now

CHAPTER NINE REALLY WAS SO HEARTSTOPPING, I HAD A HEADACHE WATCHING IT, MY HANDS WERE SO COLD AND MY STOMACH WAS TWISTING AND SHIT, I WAS SO FUCKING SCARED BUT ANYWAYS

THAT BIT WHERE THEY TRY TO FORCE MIKE IN EATING PIZZA WITH PINEAPPLE, THAT WAS SO CUTE

THE LUMAX SCENES! THE HOW PRESUMPTUOUS OF YOU COMING BACK, I LOVE THEM THEY'RE SO CUTE UGHHH

THAT "CHRISSY THIS IS FOR YOU" HAD ME BAWLING AND SCREAMING, UGH I LOVE HIM, THOSE PEEPS WERE RIGHT ABOUT EDDIE PLAYING MASTER OF PUPPETS, HE WAS INSANE FOR THAT, UGH PLS

IM SORRY BUT I LAUGHED SO HARD WHEN DUSTIN AND EDDIE KEPT STABBING THE BATS LOL

THE WAY MY HEART BROKE WHEN EDDIE CUT OFF THE SHEET, DUSTIN SCREAMING, I HATE THIS

MY POOR BOY DUSTIN GETTING HIS LEG HURT

AND PROPS TO MURRAY, I LOVE HIM HE WAS CRAZY SHOOTING THAT FLAMETHROWER, MVP

THE SINCLAIRS BEATING THOSE TWO DOUCHES LMAO WHY WERE THEY ONLY TWO THO, ERICA KICKING HIM RIGHT IN THE NUTS AND HITTING HIM WITH A FLASHLIGHT QUEEN! ALSO LUCAS SAYING NORMAL IS A FUCKING PSYCHOPATH, YES HE RESIST CONFORMING

MIKE PULLED AN EREN ON ELEVEN UGH IN ASTONISHMENT BUT ALSO UGH IN DISGUST SINCE THEY REMIND ME OF MY NOTP, AND SAYING HOW HE LOVES HER, MILEVEN MAKES ME SOFT GOD

THE WAY THE MUSIC SET AND SHOWED EACH BATTLE JUISFAHKJSAF, I LOVE NANCY SHOOTING AT VECNA UGH, SHE WAS SO BADASS

I CRIED SO MUCH WHEN MAX SAID SHE DIDN'T WANT TO DIE AND ALSO BACK WHEN SHE WAS IN THE SNOWBALL PART, HER CRIES WERE SO GENUINE, SADIE SINK DOING SUCH A GREAT JOB AGAIN

and now my thoughts on our beloved boy eddie's death

yeah i screamed and cried as twice as much, esp when dustin was holding him, like bro what, he can't die, i was saying it with dustin that he can't die and after that the disappointment, the unfairness set in, like steve got bit by a bat too but he lived, dont even get me started on max, IT'S SO UNFAIR, he had his MOMENT, IT WAS HIS YEAR, im just ugh really disappointed by his death, pretty numb about it, who knew one death could bring such a huge feeling of disappointment like the posts ive seen where brutal and really mad but i suppose they had the right since eddie had potential, him dying was unfair, it was just for shock value and it didn't really advance the plot unless they're using that for season five

the disappointment is really real, im really sad and beyond pained that it had to go that way, they're right eddie could've been kept around just like max and robin, we prayed for steve and robin too much, forgetting who we really should've prayed for but yeah im glad those two are alive, i feel really bad for his uncle though, his nephew missing, having his poster constantly vandalized then only told that he was dead ughh it's so unfair, i am in pain and i miss him already, i loved him like a child, he was amazing and fuckkk

RIP baby boy we will miss you

also i remember someone saying that if hopper and el reunite again and hopper says hey kid, they were going to lose it, i wonder how they're doing rn lmao

honestly im so happy that mike and hopper hugged, their relationship in season two was great but then forgotten and soiled at season three so yey

THAT ENDING THO WITH THE MUSIC AND SHIT, GOD I LOVE THAT

to be honest i really wish it ended with season four, idk this season felt like the end and for it to be succeeded feels wrong but all in all it was actually a great season finale, just eddie's death really did sour everyone's enjoyment, despite how i feel ill stick around because i love this show and am too attached to it, it's basically my comfort show

i have more to say regarding my favorite parts but i kinda forgot about them sorry, i watched the two in separate days

[talesofafangirlwithadvr]

I finished Stranger Things Season 4

Let’s discuss!

This is definitely my least favorite season so far. I think the main reason for this is because my favorite part of all the past seasons is watching all the storylines and characters come together in the end and seeing how they all influence each other. Because of the spilt in seasons I feel this was a lot of build up anticipating the second half coming in July.

Let’s break it down more:

Eleven 

This season her plot felt long. I hated seeing her get bullied in the first few episodes, but as the majority of her story involved getting back her powers and reuniting with Papa, I forgot that California plot even happened. There were times I found myself not really caring and wanting to get back to the other plots. We’re anticipating she will take down Vecna once and for all, but does she always have to be the one to save/fix everything? Is that storyline too familiar or overdone? 

California 

This storyline was eh. Other than the introduction of Argyle, I didn’t love our time away from Hawkins. Everyone was in a state of distress (as expected), and I especially didn’t like seeing Jonathan and Nancy having problems (more on that in a second). I definitely think Will has a crush on Mike. 

Nancy and Steve (and Jonathan)

I want Steve to find love and be happy. I really do. I think his character development across the series has been one of the best parts. However, let’s find him a different love interest. I like Nancy and Jonathan (soo much) and I feel their problems due to being long distance make completely sense and are realistic. It shouldn’t make them break up. Please don’t do it. 

The Hawkins Crew

For me this plot is the strongest from part one. I looked forward to it every time and couldn’t get enough. I especially like the pairings we got and the overall group dynamic (as we’re missing Eleven and Mike (and Will) from the group). They just work so well and balance each other nicely. They’re also the ones trying to take down Vecna which was another reason I liked them so much. (Also want to note how much more horror-like this season is.) 

Sadie Sink 

*clapping hands emoji* *clapping hands emoji* “clapping hands emoji*

Sadie Sink is so talented and I feel that has really been showcased this first half of the season with the journey Max has gone on. I feel like how we got so much focus on her and the way they included her grief for Billy’s tragic death. Episode 4 is perfection. Looking forward to following Sadie’s acting career after Stranger Things.

Eddie

Fantastic addition to the show. Watching episode 1, I didn’t know how I was going to feel about him, but as the season progressed I liked him more and more. I really like how the kids are trying to protect him for the law and the way he is welcomed into the world of knowing about the upside down. He has great sarcasm and is just a great fit. I hope no harm comes to him. 

Speaking of being a great fit....  

Robin continues to kill it and is amazing. I love everything she says and how real she is. Can’t believe she’s only been on the show since season 3. Her friendship with Nancy was so well done and I hope she gets to go out with Vicki. (When they were in their scene together at the Pep Rally I couldn’t stop thinking about how it’s Jo March and Anne Shirley and I love them even more. We need more of them in part two). 

Hopper

I had some anxiety watching Hopper this season. I really wanted them to get out of the prison like three episodes earlier. His reunion with Joyce was fantastic though. 

And lastly....

Found this guy fishy right from the beginning. Originally, I thought he was just in Eleven’s head, but then I saw Papa look at him, so I knew that theory was incorrect. The last twenty minutes of episode 7 was REALLY well done. I DID NOT think he was going to Vecna and I loved how his narration to Eleven was paired with Nancy watching his origin. So cool! My main question is that one day he could just do stuff with his mind? That part still had me confused/asking questions. But seeing the Upside Down creation was awesome! Now I just want Nancy to be okay. (Btw shout out to Barb being brought up again!) 

July 1st cannot come soon enough! 

[watchinglikeafangirl]

So, it's time I post something about the things I liked and disliked about Stranger Things season 4 because many people discuss this half season.

Let me tell you, I don't hate it and I don't love it. It has its flaws but that doesn't mean there are no good parts about it.

What I loved about Stranger Things season 4

Max is filled with deep regret and guilt she didn't try to change it, didn't try to change the way they see each other. And the trauma of seeing him die, sacrificing himself to save El and Max and all of them, sits deep. It's the whole package of grief. Her mother has a lot of stress, they moved to a trailer park and Max feels empty and alone. Isolation is what easily happens when you grieve and work through trauma. You don't have enough energy for socializing because you barely sleep and feel like others might not understand you because they haven't outlived something similar. I remember when my grandpa died and my best friend was there, silent, and just said "oh okay" because she didn't know what to feel. You can feel more of an outsider than ever before when people you care about react this way. It totally makes sense for her to break up with Lukas. He reminds her of the time before all of this, when life was a light breeze, but it pains her that he is holding on to that old version of her. "I have changed", she feels misunderstood, too caught up in her head and overwhelmed by life going on and people not stopping for a minute like she did.

My first point is Max played by Sadie Sink. I love Sadie Sink, especially since "all too well" because she nailed that. Here in this fourth season, she could show off her potential as well. After the finale of season 3, it would have been cold of the writers to let her move on as if nothing has happened because Billy was her brother after all. At his grave she says something like "you hated me and I hated you but maybe we could've started again" which captures very well how much she was used to his attitude. She was used to it. Billy was always moody and an ass but somehow they were stuck together. I wouldn't say it was hate, it wasn't love either. They lived together without existing together. Just a mutual understanding of the situation with the deep wish to change it but communication is too hard.

I think it's a very interesting storyline and showed an extremely different side of Max and the way she copes with strong emotions. Before, she swallowed all of it, but now, she's at a loss. I find it truly amazing how well Sadie Sink portrays this grief and dispair. The graveyard scene had me holding my breath when she read out her letter and started crying.

Also, we see Max having a very strong will. She was always part of the team, part of the plan, didn't stand out. But here with Vagna, she is alone, she fights her battle and she has such a strong will to live, this whole scene reminded me of Harry Potter. Vagna is the dementor Harry pushed away with a patronus filled with happiness. It's the same Max did and she holds on to dear life because despite it all, she wants to live. It's a very different character approach.

Let's move on to Will. Will and El work out great as siblings and it's of course because Milly Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp are such close friends in real life. Else this wouldn't have worked out so great as it did. But I truly love their sibling dynamic with both of them being the outsiders but Will always tries to let the situation seem brighter than it actually is. He comforts El and tries to show her that even though he doesn't understand her the way she wants to be understood, he is there and will always be. He never takes her for granted, never calls her stupid and tries to save her from herself mostly. Other than Mike shouting "what did you do", Will knew El didn't mean it that way. She didn't mean for Angela to be hurt that fatal and El is obviously very disturbed afterwards.

Side not: I love how the Byers are calling her their sister/daughter. Like when Joyce is handcuffed, she says she has three children at home and begs for mercy. Joyce is always so warm-hearted, I love her.

The whole Satan thing Jason believes in. We love a little drama and Jason definetly called it the second he went onto that Basketball field and gave us a little speech before the match. When Patrick dies, he goes on a rampage and explains this weird incident as a satanistic sacrifice and I can't tell you why but I just love this. He doesn't know anything about the upside down. He is just a lost young man who saw something unexplainable and nobody wants to listen. Why not explain something that's scientifically impossible with a myth? It's what every culture does. It's human. And it causes a lot more stress because now, they are all on a run and have two problems to fix. One is fixable in sight but the whole town believeing they are vessels from satan is a whole new, more political and societal problem. I am excited to see how this will work out.

Next, we have Steve and Robin. The iconic duo. I love these two. Robin is so smart, she just needs the right spotlight and Steve calling himself "their babysitter" is hilarious. And this may be an unpopular opinion because Nancy and Jonathan are epic, but I like Nancy with Steve. I kinda liked it in season one when Steve was not a total douchbag, he had his moments, and I like it even more now that he has grown. Nancy has changed. So much so, that going back to Jonathan may even hold her back. I feel like they grew apart. Maybe they will find their way back but right now, I'm on the NancyxSteve ship.

My issues with Stranger Things season 4

I have to say, this won't be shorter than the things I liked because there are some things in writing that I can't agree with. They make sense but then they don't and I am lost.

First of all, it makes sense El is sad and angry at the world. Her life is shit, really, and I think telling Mike a different truth made the real one easier when she was alone. School is hell for her and a different reality, a reality you'd love to be true can be soothing but it makes reality so much more suffocating to a point when you can't breathe any more. It's why she explodes and hits Angela with her skate.

Mike and El were always about not lying, El herself always says "friends don't lie" but she's going against her principles and straight up lies to Mike, knowing he is not there to see how much she suffers. Suffering alone is just not any option, Will knows that but can't reach her. El is basically pushing everyone aside, feeling like an outcast and it never reached this extent before. She isolated herself before, was irationally angry at others and hurt innocent people. But it was never that far. And Mike doesn't make it better. The fight was really important and it showed all the insecurities they both have. Mike is not well with emotions and El has too much of them, it's all understandable but I somehow don't get their whole drama. I don't get how it could go this far, how Mike acts like he did in season one. Hasn't he grown one bit? The last time he blames El was in season one. He screamed "what did you do" as well and he makes the same mistake. I just don't want to see it because it doesn't make sense to me why he would talk to El like that when he knows her so much better now.

I think Mike finds himself again when El is arrested and they go and try to find her. Here comes the next problem: their story just ended. Jonathan, Will, Mike and Argyle are on the run, try to figure out what the Nina project is and they are so important characters (Mike is the original protagonist) but they are hardly seen? They have like 10 scenes and then that's it. Nothing happens on their way once they hit the road and the imbalance of storytelling starts.

We have El returning to "Papa" which I deteste because why is this man still alive? She is given a choice but doesn't have one. When she walks away, implicating she says no, she is being anaesthetized. After that she agrees to all of it, desperate to get her powers back. And I'm totally on dr. Owens' side here because El is really just traumatized and needs to be away from it all. Unhappiness can cause much more damage to powers and the will to life than dr. Brenner thinks. El might be strong but there's always a limit and she didn't ever take a rest. He is pushing her, following a goal we can't see.

As you can see, I don't like the way they bring back season 1 because season 4 has moved on so much further.

Let me tell you, there's something else I dislike very much. It's the imbalance of storytelling. The roadtrip is barely mentioned, El has the brainwash going on and the two most viewed storylines are Hopper and Eddie which I find weird because they are all equally important. The priorities of the characters have suddenly changed and I don't know why. Hopper's story and rescue is way too long. We didn't need this back and forth for hours. And upopular opinion: I don't like Eddie that much. He is freaked out, I know, but he is kinda incompetent and slows them down and he looks like someone who can't live on his own...

And here, the most unpopular opinion ever because I haven't met anyone who agrees with me: I don't like that Hopper is still alive. There, I said it but stay with me, I'll explain. See, I am in general someone who says she didn't need season 4 to happen because season 3 was so hyped up, I feared they couldn't recreate that. I was right, they didn't. But that's not it. I personally think the ending of season 3 is a proper ending. It's a small open ending but most things are settled there. Billy died and Hopper did as well, both for the better cause. It would have stayed as heroic as that was, if the show would have just ended and their deaths saved the world. Because now it's like Billy died for nothing because the upside down still messes with the reality and the fact Hopper didn't die, means the gate is not fully closed. They did all of this for nothing. And I don't like it. The fact Hopper lives, is not logical to me because everyone else in that room vanished. Why didn't he? Even if he fell down, he was still in the same room... doesn't add up to me.

As you can see, I had a lot to say about this season and I only checked it out because I was curious to be honest. But let's see what's about to happen in five weeks

[merlindoesntwearpants]

I just had a dream that there was a video game but it wasn't a video game because I was doing it. But there was a train on an enclosed track and on it robots fought in the different cars and I was supposed to shot at other robots and there was also achievements for stuff like shooting the moon. But the moon was too far away and my friends boyfriend was confused about it and then i realized there was a model of moon in front of a business you passed on the train. There was a zombie outbreak so my friends and I decided to use the train as a means of fighting them. Then there was a race/marathon that I was participating in. But it was super unofficial and had no spectators yet it was really important and Naya Rivera, Michael Jordan, and the actress who played Max in stranger things was there. Also why would I ever be willingly running. That's Satan's work. There was two days of the race. Maybe it was actually a test. I was watching news declassified yesterday that maybe why there was running. So at the end of the 1st day Sadie Sink (i looked up her name) walked into a warehouse and I saw her get possessed by what I can only assume was a demon. Then i was watching a new season of stranger things. But a had to do the second day of the race even though I had already lost. Oh yeah I lost or was eliminated on the 1st day so i could just do one lap instead of the whole course. I had my phone in the waterproof pouch around my neck which i wear irl at work. And I was trying to listen to stranger things as I ran because I was on the last episode and desperate to know how it ends. There were some other runners stuck behind other runners and talking about them like they were stuck behind a slow car in traffic. Oh before the 2nd day running started Finn Wolfhard was showing me pictures of him teaching Millie Bobby Brown (I wish her 2nd name had ie at end too) how to make Mac and cheese which she wanted to know so she could make it for someone. But the one they made together was thinner so she made a thicker one to actually give to the person who I forget. He specifically told me she wanted the Mac and cheese thicc. I laughed. Going back to the race, i finished my lap. Oh side note the race was entirely on the side of the road and we kept having to go into tall grass so cars wouldn't hit us. I was holding up and watching my phone as I walked. I walked into a warehouse that was different than the one Sadie Sink got possessed in. Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown and a couple other child actors from stranger things were there. I couldn't really see them they didn't have a concrete form but i knew they were from stranger things that's why I'm not naming names, i couldn't really see them. But they were entirely real and not strange within the confines of the dream. They were discussing the Sadie Sink possession situation. Millie Bobby Brown was stirring a pot but I don't think it was Mac and cheese. The formless children asked me if i was sure she got possessed and I gave the affirmative. I was still kind of watching my phone. I apologized and elaborated that it was the last episode of the season, knowing that they'd understand my devotion to finding out what happens in the show. I stopped the video on my phone and thought about showing them that it's stranger things, which i decided to do but I was still anxious whether they'd be flattered or creeped out. They didn't make any comment so i don't know how they felt about it. Finn Wolfhard showed me the Mac and cheese pictures again (I forgot to mention earlier that these are printed out photos, not just on his phone) and he makes the same thicc joke. I figured he forgot he already showed them to me so i pretended like this was my first time seeing them and laughed again. Millie Bobby Brown turned the conversation back to the actual important matter of their friend being possessed and I woke up

[mygreatadventurehasbegun]

Stranger Things has been watched...

And I have so many FEELS.

I will put my spoilers below the cut (and tag them), but all I will say before that is that if you’ve been liking the season so far you will love the last two episodes.

First, I cried at least four times during the past four hours.  

Will made me cry two of those times...holy shit, Noah Schnapp is such a good actor...that scene in the van between him and Mike?  And him turning away to cry?  And then later when he and Jonathan are talking in the kitchen?  SO MANY FEELS.

Then of course...Max.  Again, such a good performance from Sadie Sink...really all the actors are on point...how they got so lucky with child actors, I’ll never know...but, damn.  When we thought she was gone and Lucas is holding her?  Her saying that she could see or feel anything and not wanting to do started pushing me over the edge.

But what opened the floodgates entirely?  

Hopper.

Hopper and El.  

I was sitting on my living room floor, full-on sobbing...there were too many emotions to process at once, but there I was on my floor, trying to process them while also trying see the screen through my tears.

OK.  Let’s move on from the crying for now...

I really liked that massive action set piece in the finale.  Cutting between Hopper fighting the Demodog, Lucas and Jason fighting in the attic, El and One, Eddie and those bat creatures...I was curled up in a ball, seriously worried that we were going to lose so many of these characters.  

Speaking of...RIP Eddie.  He was such a cool character, and I wish he could have been around longer.  But I guess at least one of them had to go, and he drew the short straw.  But I liked how he chose to go back, because of how ashamed he was at running away from Chrissy.  And his death scene was rough...

So...El has healing powers, now?  That’s an interesting curveball, or did I miss something?  It seemed like she did something to at least bring her back...but it seems like Max is lost somewhere in her own mind, if El can’t find her.  Do I think Max will stay gone?  Probably not.  Since she’s not dead, I feel like her comatose state will come into play in season five.  And side note: I thought it was really sweet how Erica stayed with Lucas at the hospital.  It was such a nice show of support for him, and she didn’t even need to say anything.

I do wonder what happened to Dr. Owens.  Since we didn’t see him die, I’m assuming he’ll be back at some point next season.

I love that Vecna was mostly a practical effect...that the actor was covered in makeup, and they just enhanced it with CGI.  He is so creepy, I’m sure it was not difficult at all for actors to be scared of him.

YES to Hopper and Joyce getting a make out session!

So...it seems like the Upside Down is starting to bleed into the real world...that can’t be good.  I hope that Will gets a bit more to do in terms of the fight...he has that connection with the Mind Flayer/Vecna...I hope that they do more with that then him just being the one to sound the alarm.

Ok...I think that’s it...

We only have to wait two years for season five... :(

[z1ggy2003]

i love how she doesn't let the industry affect her so much. she's so grounded and mature. she knows what she wants, she knows what she's talking about... she's this type of person that you think you know, but there's so much in her that just surprises you every time. she's also so smart and funny. like damn i know we don't really know celebrities aside from what they show us but she's one of those celebs that their genuine energy just translates to the camera. god i won't ran out of words to say about how wonderful sadie is.

like at this point sadie's not just a celebrity that i stan. she's like a friend to me now. it may sound stupid but like sadie inspires me every day. and at this point of my life where im just lost and confused, she's like a reminder for me of how to focus on things that matters. and just accepting the fact that we're growing, nothing's the end and everything's just possible.

I've never felt like sadie's so high, like this celebrity that i wanted to be because of how they look, how they dress, how people think they're unreachable. she's this person that you feel like can be your friend and understands you. you don't feel a less of a person. i just love her so much :( like i won't be able to get out of this now im so attached to her right now.

miss sadie sink i love you so much. thank you for being such an inspiration. i hope someday I'll get to see you and just be able to look at you in person. and if im lucky maybe I'll get to tell you how wonderful and inspiring you are. while people care about how you look, your talent, there are people like me who's lucky to be able to connect with you in a personal level. and i think that's beautiful. in a world we live right now, im not afraid to say that a celebrity inspires me nowadays. just inspires me to get up and dream. no one understands how lost i am and how much I've changed. it's really meant to be that i got to watch you on fear street and just be in complete awe of how brave ziggy berman is, how much she loves her sister, how misunderstood she was.

I'll never forget this phase of my life. im turning 19. when im back in the real world there's this constant reminder that i should be like this, i should be doing this, i shouldn't feel like this, why am i like this. it's easy to get lost in track. it's just crazy. with max's storyline this season i get to tap into the feelings i don't know i have. thoughts i never got to express, to understand. im trying every day. im fucking trying... my life's so messy. im just trying to run up that hill right now, I'll try even more harder. i want to be brave... i need myself. i need to get up and try harder. and I'll never forget how you and your characters were so connected and special to me. im running up that hill. i will run up that hill.

[gojaimas]

Chapter 35 Comment Replies

csgt: “Oh, I forgot to mention it in the past chapter, but I definitely got the feeling that Ben having a new normal watch and Gwen replacing the charm with a normal locket means the definitive end of the ‘hero’ part of their story”

Yeah, pretty much. They’re moving on to new stages in their lives as they grow up.

csgt: “So Lucy is now developing real feelings for both Ben and Gwen? Ohhh, that complicates things… Maybe she will find someone else and get over them? Even though now I’m seeing the chances of ‘Bwenucy’ happening raise a little (maybe 5 percent now instead of 1 percent?)”

Things are a little more complicated now. People have been noticing for a while that there is a chance of the story going in the Bwency direction, so this probably made it seem more likely to everyone. You’ll just have to see how it plays out over the rest of the year.

Davidscrazy234: “If this was made into a live action show, like Arrow and The Flash which cast person would u choose for Ben, Gwen, and Lucy?”

Ooh, there’s a fun question! Let’s see…

For Ben, I’d go with David Mazouz, AKA young Bruce Wayne in Gotham. The scenes where he’s partying and pretending to be a spoiled rich kid makes me think he could totally pull off Ben, plus beating the crap out of bad guys is right up his alley.

For Gwen, I’d say Sadie Sink, AKA Max from the second season of Stranger Things. I’ll admit it’s mostly because she’s a fierce redhead, but she seems talented enough to pull off a character who’s pretty much the exact opposite of Max as well.

And then for Lucy, I’d pick Elsie Fisher, AKA the voice of Agnes in the Despicable Me movies. She did a live action film with Bo Burnham recently too. She’s such a sweet girl and just seems like a constant ray of sunshine, I think she’d be perfect for Lucy.

These actors are 15-17 years old now, so I guess it could only work as a sequel to my story at this point, but they would’ve been perfect for it if the series had started like 4 or 5 years ago.

Guest: “I have a question- is Gwen shorter than Ben in this story? Otherwise she wouldn’t have been able to lean into his chest without having her butt stick out awkwardly.”

Haha, yes, Ben is the taller one now. Gwen used to be taller than him, but he hit his growth spurt and surpassed her, which I sort of eluded to a couple times in Year 3. I remember Ben Ten Thousand being really tall, so I figured this was how they would turn out. The drawing I did of them for the story image is a little closer to what I imagine their current relative heights are now.

Guest: “I’m like the track you’re heading with. Lucy was only featured in one episode in the original and she had so much potential, I always kept an eye out for her. Her characteristics stood out. The wedding when Ben danced with Gwen and then Lucy were really sweet moments. Came for a Bwen fanfic but I’m also in love with Lucy.”

You and me both, my friend. Lucy wasn’t even in the character list for Ben 10 fanfictions until I started this story. If nothing else comes from it, I hope people start to like her a bit more.

Jagcity: “Just a little side inquiry, it seems that Frank loves his daughter (or at least checks up on her) more than Natalie does; I guess Gwen’s mom is simply the stern and frowny type.”

Gwen’s dad is a softie, sort of a typical doting father. Her mom is much more strict, but she’s definitely the one who pushes her to succeed more, which Gwen is mature enough to be thankful for. Ben still finds Natalie mean and scary, and it confuses him that Gwen doesn’t seem to see her that way at all.

Guest: “that bathroom scene was the first time we’ve seen Lucy expressing her true intentions and emotions behind her cherrful happy go lucky mask and she seems to be conflicted… she cares for others which is why she wants Ben and Gwen to be there for each other but at the same, even though I can’t say she’s human, she’s got emotions. She’s just better at hiding it like Ben.”

We have seen her “mask” slip before, which I think is a good way to put it. Back in the summer of Year 2, she broke down because Joel and Camille were missing. That was an unrelated matter, but I hope it effectively foreshadowed how Lucy might not always be the cheerful, happy go lucky girl she appears to be.

Guest: “This was a really effective chapter and it only was that way because of the events and progression leading up to it.”

THANK YOU! Yes! Now you all know why I had to write a story the length of a Harry Potter book before reaching this point. I hope the payoff was worth the wait.

Guest: “I don’t know how to root for right now, it’s like Toradora all over again.”

I’m really glad you brought up Toradora, which is hands down one of the best romance anime out there. It wasn’t one of the biggest inspirations for my story (which would probably be Oreimo in addition to Little Moments), but I can definitely see the similarities.

Guest: “Since you mentioned you’re in college, what’re your aspirations and plans for the future? You’d do great as a author, writer for animes, characters and novels judging by what I’ve seen from you. You seem to have an interest in gaming so you could have a certain paths on that or just take it as a way to kill time. Whatever you’re gonna be in the future you sure as hell are gonna be successful”

Thank you for saying so! I actually graduated about a year ago, but I started writing this story while I was still in college. I’m currently working as an engineer at a medical device company. I have no real training or experience as an author, so I’ll probably just stick with fanfiction as a hobby for now. I’m also learning to draw in the anime art style, so maybe I’ll try making a fan manga at some point as well. In the past, I’ve competed in really low level Super Smash Bros and Magic the Gathering tournaments, but I couldn’t see myself making a career out of it. In about a year or two, I plan to decide if I wanna stick with what I’m doing or go back to school for a bit to transition into something else. I have a friend who got into the game design industry after he graduated, which is something I would love to do as well. Becoming a teacher is another option since I like working with kids and I used to tutor other students in math, science, and programming, plus my aunt is a middle school math teacher. I also have a friend who got into writing for television after he graduated. I was mostly joking, but I already made him promise that if he ever somehow makes it big and gets his own cartoon, he’ll let me voice the villain since I’m “basically already the villain in his life.” I know a lot of my readers are in college, so I just wanna say to all of you that life can be pretty cool after you graduate, and I hope you all do as well as my friends and I have.

Guest: “Do you think Joel is dead in the Last of Us Part 2”

I don’t think so. Wasn’t he in the trailer? Either way, I know I’m gonna play the shit out of that game the second it comes out.

Guest: “God. Been reading from December and this story’s at the TOP of the Ben 10 fanfic section, well deserved. Gosh bless”

Is it really? Awesome! Also, I thought it was funny how you start the comment with “God” and then switch to “Gosh bless” at the end. Lucy prefers “Glob” because she’s a fan of Adventure Time.

Guest: “‘Shut up and put your hands around me’ Gwen is such a tsundere lmao”

Haha, absolutely! I love tsunderes. Totally my type.

Guest: “Since you haven’t seen Alien Force... did you by any chance check out Omniverse since some flashbacks involve the friendship Gwen, Lucy and Ben.”

I only watched a few episodes of Omniverse. I even specifically sought out the episodes that had Lucy in them because I wanted more of her. The show didn’t really appeal to me, but I enjoyed the episodes I saw and the Lucy ones were helpful for crafting her character in my story.

Guest: “We all know Ben and Gwen are gonna end up together and you also mentioned you might write epilogue one shots would it be possible to also write a optionn B) alternative ending where Ben and Lucy got together or would that not fit with the course of the story you’re taking in? Just like how they did Amigami SS, in each 5 episodes, they pair the MC with a girl in alternative ways and timelines of course to see how it would’ve played out. I feel bad for Lucy to be left out and as much as I love Bwen as she does, wish she had her chance too.”

The Bwen ending and the Bwency ending are the only ones that are really on the table right now. I will say that the ending is one of those two options, but I am willing to write an alternate ending for the other one. It’s hard to imagine a Ben/Lucy ending that wouldn’t be completely soul-crushing for Gwen, but I might consider giving it a shot.

Guest: “‘Beeeeeeeen! You...you...You're doing it wrong!’ ‘Give it a rest Dweeb, I'm doing the best I can.’ ‘Ahhhhhhh...Ouch! Wrong hole, Doofus! Do you even know what you're doing down there!?’ ‘Maybe I should've just asked Lucy for help...’”

Hey! How did you get my manuscript for Year 5?? I mean, uh...get this filth out of my Christian Minecraft server.

Guest: “Just wondering, but is this a purely Bwen fic? It seems kinda sad that I read 200K words thinking that Lucy doesn't really stand a chance. I was wondering how much of a jump it would take for all three of them to get together but it doesn't really matter anyways since you already finished writing this work. I just found this piece about 3 days ago and I gotta say I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I look forward to reading what kind of ending you have in store for these characters.”

It’s not purely a Bwen fic. It was my intention for everyone to know Ben and Gwen were going to end up together from the start, but for it to be unclear at this point if Lucy will be involved with them as well. Some of my readers are more convinced it will happen than others, but like I said earlier, I am willing to write both endings. Only one of them is written right now though.

[moonflowerdamie]

i’ve just finished vol 1 of stranger things and i’m gonna rant about my thoughts so:

⚠️SPOILERS FOR STRANGER THINGS⚠️

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

holy shit it was incredible! the vibe, the plot, the characters, all *chefs kiss* perfection. it was all amazing tbh, but i’m just gonna talk about my personal favourite things from the season.

• ep 4–‘dear billy’:

holy mother of god this episode. this fucking episode. possibly the best stranger things episode ever, if i’m honest. max’s storyline this season was brilliant, dealing with the loss of her abuser/brother, high school, a fading friend group—it was a dark twist for the character, but one that felt gritty in such a natural way. billy didn’t get a redemption arc (thank god) but max still dealt with the loss in a very real, very raw way that felt so genuine—big pat on the back for the duffer brothers there.

this episode, though. we got to see max’s true feelings; her isolation, her grief, her suicidal thoughts and feelings. it was a real exploration of her character that made me love her all the more.

and i can’t not talk about that end scene. holy. fucking. shit. the cinematography, the song choice, the way it swelled as max rose from the ground, the tension, the suspense, the goddamn flashbacks. all of it was just fucking breathtaking. i was crying and shaking the whole time. max’s determination to get back to her family, the way she collapses in lucas’s arms. absolutely the best scene in stranger things history, and one of my favourite scenes of all time in anything ever. chills. every time. and sadie sink deserves all the awards for her performance, i’ll stand by that. icon behaviour.

• the vecna/001 storyline:

this had me gripped from the start. honestly, i was so intrigued the whole time—and it was played out incredibly well.

from the first scene making us think eleven killed those kids, to the big reveal that 001 had been behind it all along, to eleven blasting him into the upside down and creating vecna. phew. was on the edge of my seat from the start.

it also makes sense in a way that’s not too perfect, but just perfect enough. it’s a reason for all previous seasons, a perfect storm. it felt like the stuff of epics, the final enemy, the final battle. mwah, i loved it.

• eddie, steve and dustin:

i loved them this season. best boys 4 life.

we got the steve and dustin best bros dynamic back, plus seeing how much they mean to each other through eddie coming between them. perfection. i love those little doofuses.

and eddie himself was great. brilliant character, comedic and interesting. good job joe quinn.

•lumax:

i’d never really hated or loved this ship before season 4. i mean, it was kinda cute, but i never got all the hype surrounding it. now, i think i do.

their angst this season was just 😤. the way you can so clearly see that they still care for each other, the way they still need each other. lucas being max’s safe haven. max being the one lucas is vulnerable around. amazing, spectacular. it’s clear they love each other, they just need to figure some stuff out first. my second fav ship of the season.

and here we go, my favourite thing from stranger things season 4 vol 1:

• RONANCE!!!!

oh. my. god. these two stole the show for me.

their dynamic was just immaculate the whole way through—from bickering strangers to grudging allies to genuine friendship. it was exactly what i imagined for them and natalia and maya played it so well. their scenes were honestly my favourite. and whilst i love them as friends, i’m a feral ronance shipper—and lemme tell you, i was FED.

firstly, robin tells steve in the video store that she rambles around the girls she likes. cut to robin talking non-stop around nancy in the library. ROBIN I KNOW UR SECRET BABE.

then, we see tammy thompson (finally), who could be a carbon copy of nancy wheeler, from the style down to the heart eyes for steve. SHIT robin, do you have a type—popular pretty girl who falls for the preppy pretty boy? just admit you like nancy already oh my god.

robin’s obsession with having nancy like her?? the fucking lesbianism of it! like, wanting this other girl so desperately to think you’re cool that you end up being so annoying she has to shut you up with mystery and monsters? the gay agenda. needing to be her friend but you don’t know why until—oh shit, that’s why.

the way they just complete each other!!! they bounce off each other so easily, coming up with all the plans and the genius ideas and basically saving the whole group together. the way they play off each other in the asylum, convincing the guy to let them see victor (and holy shit the way nancy looks at robin during her speech). they save max’s life together, and are the only reason the group can save themselves from vecna and i just think that’s neat.

finally, to address the stancy plot line. it’s clear the duffers are trying to make it seem like steve and nancy will get back together, and who knows, maybe they will. but i think (i hope) the duffers are smarter than that.

nancy and steve are the characters who have had the most development over the course of the show. they’ve both grown into themselves, become different and better people. and to have them get back together would completely defeat their respective arcs. i can see them being good friends, but i don’t think they’d realistically work as a couple again.

for one reason, it was made clear in nancy’s vecna vision that her biggest fear, the thing that haunts her most, is that she killed barb, that barb died because she slept with steve. that shit still fucks with 3 years later. and i think she’ll always associate that guilt with him, no matter what. i don’t think she’ll move past that enough to have a healthy relationship with him.

for another, steve clearly doesn’t know what he wants—and i think he needs to figure that out on his own. he’s desperate for love, that’s obvious, and he’s latched onto nancy because she’s his ex who’s showing interest. i think he needs to come into himself a little more before he thinks of trying a relationship.

finally, it’d be pretty cruel of the duffer brothers to have nancy do what she did to steve with jonathan to jonathan with steve. it’d be unoriginal and disappointing, and it wouldn’t really make sense. at least have nancy and jonathan break up officially first, you know?

so no, i don’t think steve and nancy will get back together. and i also think jonathan and nancy will break up when she realises they don’t need each other anymore. they were trauma-bonded, that’s true, but she’s doing well on her own, and they want to take separate paths in life. so that leaves nancy a single pringle.

and who’s right there with her? robin motherfucking buckley.

robin, who annoyed the shit out of her at first, who is frustratingly clever and infuriatingly funny. robin, who saved max’s life, who tried to help nancy, unselfishly, with her love life when they barely even knew each other. robin, who’s become the closest thing she has to a friend since barb.

robin, who i think is gonna save her life.

last time we saw nancy, she was under vecna’s curse. and we all know the only way to break the trance is to play that person’s favourite song. and sure, steve might know it and that’ll be that, but what if he doesn’t? what if he can’t save her?

robin will step in. we saw her routing through nancy’s draws in her room, and we saw her holding some of nancy’s tapes. i don’t think that was a coincidence. i think robin knows nancy’s favourite song and is going to save her life with it.

and boom. just like that, robin stops being the annoying new friend. robin becomes the life-saver, the ally, the rock in the middle of the hurricane. and nancy starts to fall for her.

but what do i know, eh?

anyways, those are my thoughts on season 4 volume 1!!!! i’d love to hear yours—just send me an ask, some of your ideas about what’s gonna happen in vol 2, what your thoughts about the first volume are—love you guys :)

[hannahberrie]

Stranger Things Returns Bigger and Darker Than Ever Before

[A/N]: I’m currently enrolled in a Magazine Writing class at university, in which we write magazine-style feature essays. For one of my assignments, we got to do a review essay on a media of our choice. I, of course, went with the second season of Stranger Things! 

My professor wound up really loving it, she’s even going to use it to teach future classes! Some of you guys said you were curious to read it, so here it is! Small disclaimer: I kind of spill the tea on just a few things that I didn’t like about the season, so please don’t hate me for my opinions! 

After the first season of Stranger Things skyrocketed into the pop-culture stratosphere last summer, the bar for the second installment was set dauntingly high. The creators of the infamous Netflix original series, twin brothers Ross and Matt Duffer, were no longer unknown underdogs with minimal experience under their belts, but rather household names credited with creating one of Netflix’s most popular television series to date.  

Stranger Things 2 was released on October 27, 2017. The installment was largely promoted as a cinematic sequel, despite the season’s nine-episode composition. This would prove to be risky. “Netflix was like, ‘Don’t do that, because sequels are known to be bad,’” Matt Duffer said to Entertainment Weekly, recounting what had happened upon pitching the second season. “I was like, ‘Yes, but what about T2 and Aliens and Toy Story 2 and Godfather II?’ We want people to argue about what season is better. I want the debate. I want the Toy Story debate!”

So, now that the second season has been released, one looming question remains: Could Stranger Things 2 possibly live up to the first season?

Yes.

When we return to Hawkins, Indiana, the fictional town where Things is set, we’re reunited with all the characters we came to love in the previous installment. Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Lucas (Caleb Mclaughlin), and Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) are now 13 years-old and back to doing what they love: geeking out over video games. Joyce (Winona Ryder), Will’s mother, has a new love interest in her life. Nancy (Natalia Dyer), Mike’s older sister, is still mourning the loss of her best friend from the previous season, while also dealing with the ongoing love triangle between Steve (Joe Keery), the once hard-hearted jock turned softie, and Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), Will’s older brother and the quiet, ever-dedicated introvert. Police Chief Hopper (David Harbour) is back to dealing with the dull crimes of Hawkins residents, notably two farmers arguing over who poisoned the other’s pumpkin patch.

But, in typical Stranger Things fashion, nothing is as it seems. Will, having been rescued from The Upside Down (a dark, mirrored dimension of our world) in the last season, is still struggling with the trauma of his experience. The newly re-staffed Hawkins Laboratory is still shrouded with secrets. And who could forget about Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), the adorable, bad-ass, telekinetic 13-year-old who seemingly disappeared in last season’s finale?

To quote Matt Duffer, “It’s cliché to say bigger and darker,” but the second season of Stranger Things is exactly that, though it does take its time building up to it. While last season dropped viewers right into the action, this season is much more of a slow build. The first few episodes feel more like character studies than a sci-fi thriller, but it works. The Duffers have created a sandbox full of diverse and lovable characters, and now they get to play in it. There are several scenes that, while adding little to the overarching plot, are entertaining in and of themselves, as they just show the characters being themselves, like Mike and Lucas arguing over who gets to be Venkman (à la Ghostbusters) for Halloween, Steve providing Dustin with hair styling advice, Joyce struggling to play back a VHS-C tape, or Eleven breathlessly captivated by the soap operas she watches on TV.

While the last season kept characters’ plotlines grouped into three main categories (the kids, the teens, and the adults), season two blurs these borders. Relationships seamlessly broaden outside their natural boundaries as new character dynamics are explored. In particular, the bonds that form between Steve and Dustin, as well as Hopper and Eleven, are heart-warming and ingenious combinations. Both pairings provide not only humorous fun, but emotional weight, and the acting chemistry between the respective performers is undeniable.

However, the new season is definitely not all fun and games. As the episodes go on, the plot slowly builds upon itself, taking small moments and extrapolating them. Events that seem mundane, such as Will feeling chilly or Dustin finding a slug-like creature in his trash can, turn out to have monstrous consequences (no pun intended).

Nowhere is this phenomenon best executed than through Schnapps’ performance as Will Byers. In season one, Will hardly had any screen time, but in the new installment, he’s the primary driver behind all the main action. His performance starts off with a subdued Will, an average kid who feels isolated by his peers. When he tells his older brother, Jonathan, that he’s sick of feeling like “a freak,” because of how carefully he’s treated, his voice aches with the painstaking frustration of any child who just wants to live a normal life. But by the final episodes, in grating contrast, Schnapp’s performance explodes into a frenzied, darkened terror. As the darkness from the Upside Down overwhelms Will, Schnapp writhes in convulsive fits, screams in complete and utter agony, and at times (perhaps most horrifically) is completely, emotionlessly, and hauntingly still.

Despite being only 13 years old, Schnapp completely excels in Stranger Things 2, and I wouldn’t be surprised if his powerful performance makes him one of the youngest Emmy-award winners to date. His performance, along with the continually solid delivery from the rest of the cast, makes the show.

While the season may start slow, the payoff is completely worth the wait; it all cumulates in an electrifying, heart-pounding final two episodes that are some of the best hours of television I’ve ever seen.

However, this new season is not without its faults. The story falters when it dares to step outside of Hawkins. Two new characters are introduced: young tomboy Max (Sadie Sink) and her Jack-Nicholson-esque older brother Billy (Dacre Montgomery), but both feel largely one-dimensional. While not unlikable, Max doesn’t add much to the overall arc of the story, and largely serves as a plot device to create tension between Dustin and Lucas. Her brother Billy, while terrifying, often feels like he’s just there to bide time for the show and add a little drama on the side. There’s definitely potential to be explored with both characters, but this season leaves them thoroughly underdeveloped.  

The biggest step outside of Hawkins takes place in episode 7, one of the most polarizing episodes in the whole series. The Lost Sister spends the entirety of its runtime taking Eleven out of Hawkins and into Chicago, where she meets up with a rag-tag gang of criminals who have darker intentions lurking beneath the surface. The Duffer Brothers insist that this episode was necessary, stating that “Eleven’s journey kind of fell apart, like the ending didn’t work, without it.” Even though the episode does give Eleven the opportunity to grow and strengthen as an individual, it’s unfortunately filled with unlikeable characters, feels painfully long and repetitive, and is the only episode of the series that I might consider skipping upon re-watch.

The Duffer Brothers reportedly want a four-season run for the series, but in order to do this, they’ll have to master the balance of expanding Hawkins while also staying true to the heart of the show. Season 2 shows hints of this, but it’s still a work-in-progress. Nevertheless, the new season is deeply satisfying and a true love-letter to its fans. I had the pleasure of watching it surrounded by friends and family, and throughout the entirety of its nine-hour-runtime, we were cheering, pleading, screaming, laughing, crying, and having the time of our lives, something that I believe is a welcome and much-needed relief.

Even though the original season of Stranger Things aired only a year ago, the world, particularly the United States, has arguably changed since its July 2016 release. Trump was elected into office. Three major hurricanes tore apart regions like Texas, Florida, and Puerto Rico. We’ve seen over 17 terrorist-related attacks, including the worst mass shooting to date.

As tension seeps deeper into our world, the darkness can often feel suffocating. This is similarly mirrored in Stranger Things 2. The first season was bright with childlike ingenuity. Even when attempting a feat so immensely impossible as saving their best friend, Will, from another dimension, the characters found strength through relying on each other and relating their problems to familiar entities, like Dungeons and Dragons.

In contrast, despite all the monsters, superpowers, and multiple dimensions, the second season is weighted with the gravity of reality. The boys have to learn that not every problem can be solved like a board game. As Mike states when discussing how the boys should protect Will, “This isn’t D&D. This is real life.”  

The second season is much darker, and not just in a figurative sense. The lighting often shadows scenes in blacks, reds, and yellows — colors that traditionally represent deceit, hazard, aggression, danger, and fear.

The violence is more graphic as well. Instead of a lone Demogorgon monster creeping out of The Upside Down and capturing a single victim, there are hoards that feast upon their prey with bloodied vigor. No character is safe as even the lives of the children are continually put on the line.

Times have changed. The stakes have changed.

But despite all this, it would be thoroughly inaccurate to write Stranger Things off as a depressing, nihilist series. For with every gruesome horror, there are pulsating moments of hope and light that continue to carry the show just as strongly as they did in season one. One of the most heart-wrenching and warming moments takes place in the penultimate episode, The Mind Flayer, in which Joyce, Mike, and Jonathan attempt to reach the remaining ounce of Will that hasn’t been swallowed up by the demonic force possessing him. Though tears stream down their faces and their voices are laden with sorrow, they powerfully recount their happiest memories spent with him: Mike meeting Will on the first day of preschool, Jonathan building a fort with Will after their father walked out on them, and Joyce’s proud recollection of Will’s 8th birthday, in which he drew a spaceship for her with his new box of 120 crayons. Will stares back at them, shaking, a single, intense light illuminating his wide-eyed face.

The moment stands out as one of the best written, directed, and acted scenes in the whole season, and reminds not only the show’s characters, but we as viewers, to never give up. Even when it seems that all we love has been lost, there is light, there is strength, and there is hope.

[jancys-blue-bayou]

The problems with screentime in Stranger Things 2

Okay so this isn’t anything new but I feel the need to rant a bit about it anyway: the only real problem with season 2 of Stranger Things was the sheer size of the narrative. Adding several new characters into an already big ensemble, doing a very special episode for one of the main characters with some of those new characters meant big problems with the screentime given to both them and the other characters.

Because what made season 1 so great was the size of the story and the pacing of the narrative. Running three separate storylines that then intersected was done beautifully, especially how it enabled them to connect to different genres (the kids sci-fi-story, Nancy and Jonathan in a horror movie scenario, Hopper and Joyce in a conspiracy thriller). The pacing was so good, cutting between the different storylines in a way that always kept you glued to the screen.

Of course they made season 2 in a similar way, separating the characters into different plotlines that ran parallel until they intersected, and I enjoyed both how they kept some pairings (Nancy/Jonathan, Hopper/Joyce) but also found new constellations (Steve and the kids, Mike/Will/Hopper/Joyce). But, adding so many new characters, Max, Billy, Bob, Kali and her gang, Dr. Owens, Murray, meant that we had loads and loads of characters all jostling for screentime. All the new characters need screentime to be introduced and made a part of the story, but as a viewer we’re invested in the characters we already know and love. And everyone ends up feeling shortchanged, most of the new characters feel underdeveloped or pointless while several of the old characters feel underutilized and pushed aside. Most obviously Nancy and Jonathan, but I’ve also seen similar complaints about for example Mike.

Of the new characters I feel like Bob, Owens and Murray worked out the best. Bob because he’s given screentime to be one of the more fleshed out of the new guys, plus Sean Astin brings a natural likeability to the role. Owens and Murray work because they are well-written in to the plot in different ways. Now to Max and Billy. I like Max, I like what Sadie Sink does, but I think the role is underwritten, existing solely in connection with male characters as a love interest. The Duffer Brothers have said that they introduced Billy because they wanted a human antagonist, writing him in the way Steve was initially supposed to be until Joe Keery’s charm changed that character. Fine, I get what they’re after, the human antagonists of Stephen King is great and a staple of the eighties and the influence of Stephen King on the Duffers can’t be overstated. But, do they have to incorporate that Stephen King trope as well? I love how they balanced the shoutouts and references to the 80s in season 1, it always being very present and obvious yet not in a gratuitous way. Now it feels like they’re getting away from that with Billy. Like people have pointed out, he didn’t have any influence on the actual plot of the season, he could’ve been removed and nothing of the plot would’ve been different. There lies the problem for me, his character is only there as a part of the shows style and look, in the same way music and certain imagery is, but having a character only be stylistic and not plot-relevant, I don’t like. He’s just an 80s archetype for the sake of an 80s archetype, while other characters like Nancy, Jonathan, Eleven, Hopper etc start as archetypes that are then flipped on it’s head (like how Nancy is the horror flick chick trope but is then shown to be genresavvy, competent and much more above that).

Kali then. Obviously Eleven wasn’t the first test subject, of course they were going to adress that, but I’m not a fan of how they did it. Kali by herself is an interesting character. But the whole thing with the Warriors gang... it’s along the same lines as I touched upon earlier, with it feeling like the Duffers 80s references started to become gratuitous. Now to the love it or hate it Very Special Episode. I hate it, duh. I get that they wanted to be brave and do something different, but damn it just breaks the whole flow of the season, halting all other parts of the narrative like that and of course does away with the pacing I wrote about earlier, where they otherwise are so adept at juggling several storylines next to each other. Of course it deepens Eleven’s character and she learns about herself, but the character development she undergoes there didn’t need a whole episode, in fact I would’ve loved to get more glimpses of Kali throughout the previous episodes, like the opening scene of the season, think they could’ve written it differently.

So except for the way all the new characters kind of get each other’s way in fight for screentime which renders them underdeveloped, it also has the effect of doing other characters a disservice through the hogging of screentime. Mainly Nancy and Jonathan. OK, obviously as a hardcore Jancy shipper i’m always going to want more screentime for them, but it’s not just about that. Their plotline, exposing the lab, is great but given too little screentime given the enormity of their actions and also, since the plotline separates them very clearly from all the others and sends them on their own little adventure, not giving it more screentime really pushes it aside. Now the romance aspect of it, I love that Jancy became canon this season. I’ve seen some shippers being not happy with the way it happened, feeling that it was rushed. Personally I don’t feel it was rushed per se (ie I like the idea of them finally just jumping each other’s bone after skitting around it for so long), but it came off that way due to their lack of screentime which led to an amount of showing not telling, as @valkyriav have written very well about here. That’s basically why I write my fic The Real Shit, to fill in some blanks since we didn’t get enough scenes of them because of the screentime being devoted more to other characters. Btw, @jancystrangerstuff sent me this link earlier, the middle pic in the second row really looks like it’s from a deleted scene in the car the morning after (given her outfit and from the way their positioned, like she’s next to him in the front seat to me), thought I show it because that kind of provoked this whole rant.

Finally, all these characters being introduced and not developed enough this season really made me feel like season 2 was very much a stepping stone in the larger scheme of things. Obviously Kali and other test subjects will be a part of the show’s future and hopefully Max and maybe even Billy will be given more depth, and I still have hope that they will be able to write and balance all the characters in season 3 better.