#will byers main character energy

[andiwriteordie]

Chapter Four | The Coming of Will Byers

Summary:

Dustin gives him another exasperated look. “For the last time, I told you that I’ve been thinking about this for a while, okay? Admit it. It’s a viable plan, and it might end up helping us. You’re just being protective.”

“Uh, yeah, no shit,” Mike snaps. “And I wonder why that is! Oh yeah! Because this plan is dangerous and traumatizing and all around fucked up! Great plan, Dustin.”

Or:

With time running out before One’s inevitable attack on Hawkins, Mike and the other members of the Party go searching for answers and ways to gain an advantage in the war, before finding them in an unlikely source: Will.

will byers main character energy WHEN?!?

okay, yeah i couldn’t resist lmao. i know i just posted a new chapter, but i’ve moved onto writing chapter 9 today, so... here’s chapter 4, my friends. get ready for some major will byers main character energy and also the return of protective mike wheeler!!!

there’s a post i made a while back about one of my hopes and dreams for will in s5, and well... i decided to make it reality in my little fic because why not??? :) i hope you all enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it!

[cluelessbees]

Look at Will in this shot

This is so main character of him and I love it

[threeimagineryboys]

i love the fact that we’re already acting like will is the main character again when in reality he only got one line and two shots in the new trailer…

🕯MANIFESTING MY INTUITION IS RIGHT NONETHELESS!!!🕯

[lunar-years]

The Duffers really knew what they were doing with that “in season five we’re coming full circle back to season one groupings and parallels” comment because I have now seen jancys, stancys, and ronances all try and use it as clear “evidence” for their endgames. (And don’t even get me started on the Party discourse.)

They woke up and chose chaos the day they said that and you know what? I do have to respect it.

[perexcri]

fic recs!!

i woke up to being on a couple of fic rec lists and really appreciated it, so i wanted to capitalize on the nice energy and make a list of some of my own favs that i've read recently that i didn't necessarily see on the other lists :D check these out because they have some of the best prose/plots/characterization that i've read in the fandom :] 💜

one soft infested summer (M, 18k+, 3/7 ongoing) by @wheelersboy - this one is perfect for all the highler fans out there! it's got stoner byler of course, a music festival, lots out camping, and some really amazing writing! i started it just for the fun stoner vibes because Why Not, but i'm staying for the beautiful writing and the really complex and delicate relationship mike and will have in this one

Light Sleepers (T, 15k+, 2/6 ongoing) by @helioleti - WillEl-centric fic set during the time gap between the end of s3 and the beginning of s4 that explores their dynamic and their respective problems with mike, all while trying to cope with moving across the country from everything they know. each chapter is meant to reflect a certain stage of grief, which fits so well with all the complicated emotions everyone is going through!

drank my poison all alone (T, 4k, one-shot) by silverluminoqity - mike gets vecna'd and has to face his past self who's ashamed of who he's grown up to be, and my dudes the writing goes SO HARD. by far one of the best mike gets vecna'd fics i've read with such a good take on his character

star eater (T, >1k, one-shot) by @lowlightt - another fic where the writing does not play. honestly if you have a few minutes, READ THIS FIC. it's mostly just a confrontation between will and vecna, but it's so so powerful and impactful. and again, i cannot state it enough: the writing is AMAZING

tell me again (you said yes) (M, 32k, 3/3 complete) by @willow-lark - hey remember when cleradin was like a Thing for a brief second a few months ago? well if you miss those vibes, or if you just like great writing and some of the best weaving of canon into a fantasy au i've ever read, please look no further than this fic (and it's first part, fireball him! (cast protection)). i love this one dearly and enjoyed the wonderful ways Lark wove canon (specifically s1) into such a different setting, plus it was nice to see many of the other characters play a role in the events. beautiful, astounding, heart-wrenching - and did i mention there's an elopement 👀

In Undertow (M, 17k+, 3/6 on-going) by @souverian-are-we - this and one soft infested summer have become my summer byler reads~ when i say i love this fic, i mean you will have to pry it from my cold, dead hands 🥰 we've got estranged byler, jancy engagement with some stoncy going on in the background, and most of the characters still reeling from the consequences of their final battle with the upside down. it's all set at a lake house, which provides some breathtaking/atmospheric writing that this author uses to their advantage. it has some of my favorite scenes i've ever read in fic too, ones that have literally taken my breath away

california show your teeth (T, 77k+, 10/19 on-going) by @fireflywitch - what if the Byers and Hopper families were from Lenora and moved to Hawkins? this fic takes this one simple premise and turns it into one of my favorite fics i've ever had the pleasure of following along with. it essentially functions as a retelling of s1 and s2, gives almost every main character that's been featured in the show thus far a lot of time and space for their own plots, all while culminating into one larger story underneath. i don't think i've read a fic quite like this one in terms of its scope, plotting, and characterization, because there are a lot of moving parts, but this author goes above and beyond. i cannot recommend it enough

all i know is pouring rain (and everything has changed) (T, 3k, one-shot) by @willelfanpage - i think i read this one at the beginning of my workday while i was running some report on my computer and had to go about the rest of my day as if everything was fine ahah :'D seriously though, it's 3k words that pack an emotional punch all while examining will's relationship to rain. the writing is just gorgeous, and it's a character study that i haven't really seen done before, which was quite enjoyable~

Chasing Heartlines by (T, 7k+, 1/2 on-going) @cherryisgone - if you liked Tip-Toeing on Lilypads then may i direct you to its sequel, which features so much pining mike that he might as well be a tree? again, if you like cleradin/fantasy aus, then Cherry my beloved has you covered 💜 it fits so neatly with Lilypads and provides some fun contrast between will and mike~

Touch Me Like You Know Me (M, 15k, 4/4 complete) by @starsarefire824 - this exists in the rare pantheon of fics that actually made me cry. imagine an estranged byler reunion with all the emotions turned up to an eleven, and lots of lingering on lost time and how life sometimes takes us places we never thought we'd go. it's absolutely beautiful and is a classic to me :]

come back to me and forgive everything (T, 78k, 18/18 complete) by @howtobecomeadragon - i saw a lot about this one when it was on-going but am only just now getting around to reading it, and all i can say is why did it take me so long to get to it :') this author does such a good job of writing will and mike's relationship with a lot of nuance and complexity while still managing to make them feel like the teenagers they are. basically, will has to spend every july at lonnie's house in indianapolis, and for this summer in particular, the event is a lot more emotionally impactful for both mike and will. there's lots of emotional depth, the complexities of coming out and/or realizing you're queer, and, at the heart of it, how two friends try to mend things between each other. it's so soft and sweet

that's all i've got for now!! i'm quickly running out of time on my lunch break :'D also haven't been writing as much, but it's been fun to read more and relax a bit. hope you guys enjoy these because they're genuinely some of the best stuff i've had the pleasure to read in a while 💜💜💜

[queerxqueen]

WILL BYERS SERVING MAIN CHARACTER ENERGY IN THE NEW TRAILER IM

[powderblueblood]

I’m a slut for a good heist, what’ve you got cooked up so far? 💜

cee my love let us walk and talk

so the conman!steve au has been once again on my mind like a hat for many a hundred of year mostly because i want him to have his danny ocean moment!!!! and danny ocean isn't full smooth either, he's got a little goofy energy like steve has

this really came to light after i got this whopper prompt request from my love cherry @stveharringtn

and with this i formulated the plan.

steve is fresh out of the joint, and you're a former mark of his. you met him while working at a country club in order to put yourself through college. during this whirlwind little affair, he (stupidly?) had you stash a number of stolen pieces of jewelry on his behalf. he eventually went to jail for this and the running theory is you're the one who ratted him out-- the main runner of this theory is robin buckley, president of the don't shit where you eat club, and steve can see where she's coming from. but still. love prevails and makes you do dumb shit.

you, on the other hand? well, since steve's arrest, you changed your career path-- studied to become a gemologist so the next time some bastard in a linen suit asks you to hold a couple of sparklers, you'll at least know what they're worth. you're currently working as a fence in new york's diamond district.

and steve harrington is back on the streets. and old habits die hard.

supporting cast of characters include but are not limited to--

the aforementioned robin buckley as steve's partner in crime (our resident rusty ryan), dustin henderson as the bright-eyed young pickpocket-turned-professional conman under steve and robin's detailed tutelage, eddie munson as our beloved munitions expert, lucas sinclair and mike wheeler as the resident getaway drivers and will byers as the surveillance expert.

and on your end? you've got jane hopper and max mayfield working as your very own diamond scouts-- two former teenage cat burglars who you weren't about to leave starving in hell's kitchen.

the student becomes the master.

but then the master approaches you with a plan to lift millions of precious jewels from a prestigious new york exhibit (one that nancy wheeler happens to be managing (robin? your wife is calling)). he also plans on lifting YOUR HEART!!!!!!!!! FUCK!!!!!!

[beaulesbian]

If it will be true that Will has powers, Vecna must have been so pissed that this kid just ruined his “unspoiled realm”.

(Edit: 8th of July. I added few more points at the end of this long post that I forgot the first time I posted it.)

so El banished him to an unknown realm, where he found means to gather more superpowers,

a realm “unspoiled by mankind”. which we can assume he wants to do something similar with Hawkins and the World now that he has the gates open.

He created the Shadow monster of this energy cloud, but we don’t see if he changed anything else in the Upside down.

and then this kid gets taken in the Upside down, and we see it looks exactly like Hawkins, with buildings, electricity towers, etc.

so if Will sensed Vecna even after they got the shadow from him, maybe it was two way and he can sense Will too,

and he was angry, pissed and maybe curious who did that, who has that power to create/change things, just like him?

also

something about this part in mike’s monologue made me pause

just a thought.

and then this part. “a divine intervention” is a d&d cleric spell (lvl 10)

EDIT, added:

On top of all this,

as I was rewatching the 4x9, and once again thought about the gates meeting in front of the library,

I remembered this part from the Jamie Campbell Bower interview.

“I went crazy for, like, two days. In my apartment, I put a picture of Will Byers in the middle, and then all the other characters around it.”

The other gates opened where Vecna killed his victims, and then they reached through Hawkins to meet specifially at the library, where Will was found in 1x9 - where he was found (barely) alive.

Also we know thanks to Nancy that the Upside Down is stuck on the date that Will went missing - 6th of November, 1983.

Will Byers main character with powers in S5 please! It’s all pointing back to him, it’s all connected around him!!

[erikiara80]

More on Will, dragons and Petergate

The disco ball is associated with the Mind Flayer/hive mind/Vecna. There is the one at the snow ball, when the Mind Flayer is looming over the school.

Two in S4. One at the Rink-o-mania, where El remembers the massacre and we hear the clock ticking sound (I'm sure we’ll see that place in a vision in S5)

And one in Max’s memory, where Vecna attacks her.

Oh, and when El throws him in the air, he’s exactly under the disco ball.

(gif credits to certifiably evil)

But iirc, the first time we see a disco ball is in 2x01. At the Arcade. 

Where Will has the first vision of the Mind Flayer storm.

And what are the kids doing there? They’re playing Dragon’s Lair.

So Will, Mind Flayer/Vecna AND a dragon’s lair. Ok

In 3x03, at Castle Byers: two eagle upside down, two dragons (interesting, I have thoughts about that too), and Mike's voice: Something’s coming. Not to mention that the password to CB is Radagast, a reference to The Hobbit, a story with a red dragon.

Then the drawings of Will the Wise and another dragon, in case for some reason we missed all the other references, lol

And in the same episode, in one of the lifeguards’s magazine there’s an article about Rick James, who released a new album in 1985, The Glow (analysis of 3x03 here)

The glow is also the power that a martial artist can develop in the movie The Last Dragon. 

Once you are able to use that power, a mystical energy that makes your hands and body glow (Will=lights) you become the last dragon (analysis here)

So, in S3, mention of Rick James/the album The Glow. And in S4, the poster of the Last Dragon at Family Video (post here)

But I noticed another poster with a dragon, on the opposite side of the Family video! Like the two eagles facing each other at Castle Byers.

Pete’s dragon. Another Peter! 

Peter references so far: 

Fairy/Will in S1, Skull Rock, the light particles at the Wheelers’ and the clock chiming as a warning like the alarm clock in the crocodile’s stomach (Peter Pan). The two (Peter) Venkmans, Lucas and Mike, foreshadowing of Will and Max being targeted by Vecna. Owens’ son Peter and Henry/Peter Ballard. The Peters (plus keys) at the Warzone store. And the parallels ST shares with Fringe, where one of the main characters is Peter Bishop, who has a lot of parallels with Henry and Will.

Here another possible parallel: Will, dragons and the god Gozer (Ghostbusters)

Pete’s dragon 

It’s the story of an orphan who flees his abusive foster family, with the assistance of an unseen force he calls Elliot. But Elliot is real, it’s a dragon that can turn invisible and helps children in trouble. In this story there is also memory loss and people who blames Peter for troubles that the invisible dragon causes... 

Interesting.

Much to think about!

Are there other Peters?

[most-canon-non-canon-ship-poll]

they're toxic + mike is gay and in denial

Why Mileven is shit - a submission-based essay, part 1/3

Mileven - a currently canon het ship from the Stranger Things fandom between Michael (Mike) Wheeler and Jane (Eleven) Ives/Hopper/Byers/IDK

12 years old girl raised in a lab is thrown in a relationship with the first boy she ever meets. They constantly fight, lie to each other and develop a unhealthy co-dependent bond. The boy has a close ambiguous relationship with his male best friend which leads a good part of the fandom thinking that he is actually gay. People who stan this ship constantly throw homophobic slurs to this male best friend and some even argue that they hope he dies of AIDS next season

Where do I even begin. I do not care what anyone says the chemistry is not there. Another cog in the Should Have Never Been Written As A Couple machine. What made them cute in earlier seasons was their platonic dynamic and Mike's kindhearted nature to help her. It is hilarious this is apparently their "flagship" and "main" couple when they have the least amount of chemistry and the poorest written out of the others. They are not their best selves together, not only hurting themselves, but the people around them. Mostly Will, which is clear as day in Season 4. At the end of Season 4 I am so to the nth tired of the same shit different shovel with them. I am probably too gay to see The Vision fans of them see, but I do have eyes and it looks to me like they've been slowly crumbling. There is no foundation for their relationship they were barley friends a week before Mike kissed her and then she vanished for a year. They maybe had a little bit of interaction between closing the Gate and Snow Ball. Kissed again. Then spent all summer making out and ditching their friends until El comically broke up with him. Their relationship is exhausting to watch. The drama eats up too much screen time. I am tired of watching them hurting themselves staying together. There is no meaningful conversations since maybe Season 2. In Season 4 what could have been one ended poorly and the other interrupted comically. They've dragged out the Mike saying "I love you" story line, seemingly concluding it while El was being strangled in a Mind Scape trying to save Max who was also in said Mind Scape being slowly to tortured to death. Said confession prompted by using Will's own veiled confession disguised as El's an episode earlier. Plus Will using his own words to encourage Mike to help her. He did to help her, but that was painful to watch there was so much going on! Then they expect me to believe they're better than ever afterwards when there is nothing to indicate that? I need them to break up please free them. Free me. I am over it bro.

My propaganda is *drum roll*. Season 4. That's it. I am putting faith in the other haters to submit something coherent. I do not have the energy unfortunately. It is shit now, but would be even more shit if they finish the show endgame. I do not care about them. I want focus on the supernatural plot!! I want focus on characters and conversations that don't revolve around or circle to their relationship! I don't want to see another character to become a mouth peice for Opening Their Eyes and What Really Matters and they'll "Work out." I am exhausted of third parties putting more effort into Mileven than Mike and El themselves. I want them to be their own people because they come off miserable together. They both vocalize their pain and no one that ships them cares! I have never in my years of watching shows have seen such a terrible,boring and annoying couple championed as much as Mileven. Every other canon couple in the show is miles better, yet are over shadowed. They are holding together by Elmer's glue and popsicle sticks. Them being boyfriend and girlfriend means nothing to me when the chemistry is not there. Final propaganda- Most of the more vocal fans are homophobic and go out of their way to harass others.

Two incredibly written characters that have so much potential outside of a relationship. seriously their relationship is absolutely erasing all and any personality that the show gave them separately. That and they're just incredibly toxic, el literally met mike almost first thing after living in a lab her entire life, she has no reason to start a romantic relationship, especially at that age. mike is also super insecure, and using el's love towards him to ease said insecurities. incredibly unhealthy on both sides how this became the main ship of the show absolutely BAFFLES the fuck out of me

[andiwriteordie]

every time the duffer bros talk about will being the main character of s5, my brain turns into the bill nye the science guy theme song except instead of “bill bill bill bill bill bill” it’s just 

WILL WILL WILL WILL WILL WILL

[serenity-lattes]

My Dearly Departed

Prologue: Please Stay

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Steve Harrington

Summary: Billy dies after the battle of Starcourt Mall and Steve refuses to leave him alone. While he’s helping prepare Billy for his final resting place, he reminisces and mourns what could never be. 

Warnings: Major Character Death (canon), blood and injuries, brief suicidal thoughts (later parts), mourning/grief/panic attack, morgues (later parts), angst without a happy ending

Word Count: 1108

A/N: For my C2 square “Hugs” square in @billyhargrovebingo See the moodboard I made for this fic and for my free space on the bingo! Also, while I was working on it, I discovered this fanart by ichigata. And as always, thank you to @writer-in-theory and @lcvingprentjss for being the best beta readers and hype team.

If anyone had asked Steve what the worst day of his life was, he would have said Saturday, November 12, 1983, the day he went to Jonathan Byers’ house to apologize and was subsequently sucked into the mess of everything involved with the Upside Down. If someone were to ask him now, it would, without a shadow of a doubt, be Thursday, July 4, 1985. Ten minutes ago it would have been because of being held by the Russians, interrogated, and tortured. Now? He is confident that when he walks out of this mall, half of him will be missing.

From his spot on the second floor, despite the fireworks being hurled down at the Mind Flayer by various members of the party, Steve can see Billy hovering over El, who has her hand on his cheek as she cries. He can’t hear what is being said, but he sure as hell can see that determined look in Billy’s eyes. It's not the kind of look where he's going to get into some petty fight with a classmate. No, it's the kind where he is about to do something incredibly stupid, something that means life or death.

“Stop it,” Steve gasps, watching in horror as Billy stands and begins to take on the Mind Flayer himself. It would have been an impressive sight, one teenager holding off that monstrosity, but the tentacle thing that jabbed him in the side said otherwise. He vaguely hears Robin say something, however, all he hears is the blood rushing past his ears as he runs down the powered-off escalator steps toward Billy. By the time he reaches the scene, Billy’s got six tentacles stabbing him in the abdomen, two in the front and four in the back. Steve’s eyes widen despite the pain that radiates from the left side of his face as the Mind Flayer lifts Billy up. No, no, no.

“Billy!” he screams, the gut-wrenching feeling that there’s nothing he can do finally starting to sink in. Then it happens. The Mind Flayer opens its mouth and out comes one more limb, striking one final blow to Billy’s chest. Faintly, he hears Max screech out Billy’s name, yet he could only focus on the sickening squelch of Billy’s body succumbing to the brute force of the impalement before the Mind Flayer’s pulling all its limbs away, dropping Billy from its grasp. Somehow Steve pushes the shock aside long enough to catch Billy before he hits the ground. Steve cradles Billy in his arms as he gets knocked back onto his ass, and gives his body a once over. There are so many wounds from the limbs and the many teeth on each one, he isn’t sure where to start.There’s so much blood. Too much blood. 

“Stevie,” Billy gasps out, breathing wet and labored. Tears are streaming down both their faces and Steve shakes his head, putting a hand over Billy’s main chest wound to apply pressure to try something, anything he can to save him. Billy can’t die, not here, not like this. The look on Billy’s face, the sad, tired eyes say it all, though: this is it. Steve sobs and does his best to hug Billy and kiss the side of his face. 

“I l-love you,” Steve whispers, reaching up to caress his cheek. Billy only has the energy to nod minutely, however, that doesn’t stop Steve. Billy deserved to know he wasn’t alone in this cold world, that he is loved, “I love you, Bee, a-and I always will.”

“Me too,” Billy manages, but the gurgling in his lungs is all too apparent. Whimpering, Steve rests his forehead against Billy’s. They had plans. They were supposed to go to California, get that shitty little house near the beach, adopt alley cats, and wake each other up with kisses laced with stale morning breath. They were supposed to have decades worth of holidays and anniversaries, they were supposed to get grey hair together, reminisce on their lives when they grew old, and get a plot next to each other that their family would leave beautiful flowers on. Steve wasn’t supposed to do this alone, he can’t. Not without Billy.

As the Mind Flayer begins to stumble around, Steve instinctively shields Billy with his body to protect him from any rubble and fallout. When it’s finally quiet, Steve looks up and sees the giant thing on the ground, dead. Good riddance, fucker. He turns his attention back to Billy, thumb brushing softly over his cheek, as he takes a breath, Steve pulls away so he can peer into those beautiful baby blues, “It’s okay… you’re going to be okay.”

In the background, Mike is hugging and consoling El, and Max is approaching slowly from the entrance of Scoops, too in shock to say anything. She falls to her knees, making Steve scoot back some so she can say what she’d like. Billy’s breaths are getting fainter with each exhale and each time, it breaks Steve’s heart a little bit more. She puts her hands on Billy’s shoulders, as if that will rejuvenate him. Billy coughs and splutters more blood, eyebrows furrowed as he looks up at Max, fighting off the inevitable.

“Billy... Billy, get up, please. Billy, get up, please, please…” Max begs him, tears streaming down her face as she puts her hands on his shoulders, coaxing him to stand. 

Using the last of his energy to speak, Billy looks between Max and Steve, “I’m sorry,” he whispers before letting out one final exhale. No. Please… Eyes widening, Steve’s lower lip quivers as he sees the life vanish behind the eyes he has fallen in love with more and more every single day, knowing they will be the same eyes that haunt him for the rest of his days. 

Max begins to shake his shoulders, “Billy… Billy, wake up. Please,” she sobs, falling back into El’s embrace, leaving Billy in Steve’s arms. Steve lets out a shaky breath as he pulls Billy in closer, burying his face in the crook of his neck. “Come back,” he whispered around a sob, holding Billy tight, “I can’t do this without you.”

Steve can smell the traces of Billy’s cologne, the Marlboro reds, and the fucking aquanet. He can also smell the metallic smell that comes with blood, and the salt from sweat and tears. 

If anyone had asked Steve what the worst day of his life was, he would have said Saturday, November 12, 1983. Now, it would, without a shadow of a doubt, be Thursday, July 4, 1985, the day the other half of him was lost forever.

Main Masterlist

Billy Hargrove Bingo Masterlist

[jaywalkers]

10 characters, 10 fandoms, 10 people

thank you to both @decaflondonfog and @thetrojeans for tagging me to do this! was a good thing to zone out and do on night shifts this week hah

kevin day from all for the game this man has been my chew toy for the last two years and there are no signs of that ending. eternally fascinated by his character and his narrative

nico diangelo from pjo/hoo what can i say. he rewrote my brain chemistry at the tender age of eleven and i am still yet to recover

jiang cheng from mdzs/cql i rightfully spent a good year and a bit absolutely obsessed with him. i'm very drawn to third main lead characters — even more-so if they have sibling issues and inferiority complexes.

kenma kozume from hq!! very close to my heart for the simple fact of knowing what it is to grow to love something despite your best efforts.

harrohark nonagesimus from tlt ohhhh she's a mess. i love her so much, i love her brain and her energy and her manic determination not to turn around.

blue sargent from trc i really didn't expect her to be one of my favourites in trc but bllb took me by absolute surprise! she's so spunky, and i love her narrative and coming of age

benji ovich from beartown i can't talk about this guy without crying but he is so precious to me. he is such a good person.

hob gadling from sandman THIS GUY ON THE OTHER HAND IS INSANE AND I LOVE HIM. thank you ferdinand kingley for absolutely doing this guy justice in the tv adaption

yatora from blue period his perspective on art, and creation, and where hard work fits into those is so very close to mine, and i love his approach to all of them. he's just cute, too.

will byers from stranger things this kid. ohhhh this kid. i really want to see more of his story in s5 but lets just say i need him to be happy so desperately

@dayurno @frickenpasta @02511213942 @mostlymaudlin @sunriseinorbit @moondal514 @greatnearness @kamyska @picturedframes

[stranger-chichka]

Stranger Things/IT (1990) parallels

As I was watching IT (1990) lately I realised something. I need you to recall the moment our Cali gang is driving home from Rink-o-Mania, Argyle and Jonathan are talking about the wheels and…start singing (I already analysed this scene, but my main focus was on the wheels, now I want to focus on the word "blip" and what it hints at).

Jonathan calls the incident with Angela "a little blip" and then he and Argyle start singing this word. The melody is definitely "Entry of the Gladiators" written by Julius Fucik. It is associated with circus and clowns, right? And who's the main villain in IT? Pennywise. A clown.

Before we move on, I want to add some references I found in the name of the composer.

Julius. I noticed this exact word in relation to drinks while analysing Starcourt Mall teaser. It means "youthful, downy-bearded" and my guess is that it's a reference to the OG party's DnD characters? Will draws them with beards. Fucik. In 1985 Tomas Fucik was born. He's a Czech former swimmer (we have A LOT of water references in ST), who specialized in backstroke (=piggyback reference?) and individual medley (=El's individual arc reference?) events.

So, the song. The name of this military march (= soldiers attack the Byers' house and are chasing El) is "Entry of the Gladiators." It was composed in 1897 (1+8+9+7 = 25. 2+5 = 7)

In s3 Hopper calls himself Antique Chariot, and "chariot" is a two-wheeled vehicle that was used in ancient times for racing and fighting and was pulled by a horse or horses. And this foreshadows his fight with a sword against the demogorgon.

Joyce calls herself Wheelbarrow, and "barrow" is a vehicle moved by a person from which fruit and vegetables, etc. are sold at the side of a road. This one foreshadows the Cali gang's road trip + pineapple pizza in s4.

So, the original march is called "Entrance of the Gladiators" op. 68 and adaptation - the one, that became a screamer march for circuses, often used to introduce clowns - is called "Thunder and Blazes."

Thunder. A loud rumbling or crashing noise heard after a lightning flash. Lightning comes first with the sign of light presence followed by thunder. Light = Will. He is the first to realise his feeling for Mike ("It was a 7"). And Mike = thunder. He's always late. And, of course, blazes. Downtown on fire.

A giant creature with a gaping mouth. This once again reminded me of IT. In the final battle IT transforms into a giant spider with big teeth. And who is obsessed with spiders in s4? Henry Creel.

IT (1990)

source

Now, the word "blip." A spot of light. At first, I thought it was something romantic because of how Mike always sees Will in the light, but that was until that moment in the film. Deadlights.

"The Deadlights were writhing, radiant orange lights that were a mysterious but very deadly and terrifying eldritch form of energy that originated from the preternatural dimension known as the Macroverse, also known as the Todash Darkness (=the Upside Down). They're a recurring plot element in Stephen King's works including The Dark Tower and IT. It was well known that just a mere glance into the bright lights instantly caused death or permanent insanity."

IT used these Deadlights to blind new victims, usually children, and robbed them of their conscious minds. It used this to drive his victims insane as well as leaving them both immobile and lifeless before taking them away to consume later."

Doesn't remind you of anything? Or better to say, anyone? Vecna.

I believe the blue light in Stranger Things = The Deadlights = evil while the yellow light going from Will is opposite to that - it's good.

Examples of blue light in ST:

the Upside Down is blue;

Vecna kills under the blue light;

blue light in Starcourt Mall and it's associated with 1) russians who were opening the gates into the Upside Down; 2) Vecna, because he's connected to the Upside Down; 3) Mike, because of this teaser and his probable blood connection with Henry;

Scoops Ahoy has a lot of blue everywhere. Bad things happen to Steve and Robin when they're wearing Scoops Ahoy's uniform + it's name and theme related to water and water is bad. We can see Scoops Ahoy when Billy dies. Also, they’re selling ice-cream. It’s cold. Who likes it cold? The Mind Flayer? Who controls him? Vecna. Everything in the Starcourt Mall is pointing at his presence there. Water is bad in IT as well. Bill's brother is killed by it when it's raining. Pennywise literally says that his victims “float.” Bill relives his memories of first seeing IT in the form of Georgie (his brother) in the basement of his old house, all while actually being submerged in underwater (=El & the sensory deprivation tank). IT lives in the sewers (=an artificial passage or pipe, usually underground, that carries waste and used water from sinks and toilets) and the Losers defeat it there.

Vecna chases Billy in blue light;

blue light at Rink-o-Mania & Will wearing blue outfit there;

+ the disco ball may symbolise Vecna's watching them (a reference to Snow Ball and "Every Breath You Take" song about stalking) but later we have this transition from the ball (=Vecna) to the yellow light (=Will).

We have this contrast of blue = cold = evil (He likes it cold. When it's cold I want to die. The preacher likes the cold) and yellow = warm = good. It's definitely Will.

Yes, Will is similar to Vecna in many cases, but they're so much like Harry Poter and Voldemort. Harry/Will was chosen by Voldemort/Vecna. Voldemort wanted to kill Harry but in reality, created a connection between him and Harry. This connection was both a good and bad thing. Harry could feel how Voldemort felt but Voldemort, knowing about this connection, could manipulate Harry. The same thing is with Vecna and Will. Will tells Mike in the cabin: "I can feel him. I can still remember what he thinks and how he thinks." But in s2 Vecna uses this connection for his own purposes. God, I was supposed to write a post about UT/Stranger Things parallels and ended up on Harry Potter parallels, I'm hopeless...But let's go back to IT.

IT reminds Venca so much. Let me demonstrate:

can disguise Itself as anything its victims want - or fear - to see (=Vecna showing his victims their fears);

prefers to encounter Its prey alone (=Vecna usually attacks when they're alone);

assumes a form which is the most terrifying to Its prey before revealing Its true form, and driving the poor unfortunate to madness (=the same with Vecna here);

an interesting fact: in 1985 IT changed his form into the shark from Jaws. Guess what poster we see in Will's room, very often behind Mike's back? The Jaws.

feeds on that human’s soul, the one thing that gives It sustenance (=Vecna also feeds on people's souls and becomes stronger from it);

"Silver cat feeds"

adopted a cycle (= never-ending story) of hibernating for long periods and waking approximately every 27 to 30 years (=Vecna kills his mom in 1959 and starts killing again in 1986);

telepathy (can clearly read the Losers' thoughts, and use them to its own advantage), mind control ability (has the ability to erase particular things out of a person's memory or knowledge = birthdaygate), telekinesis (these are Vecna's powers too);

Possibly IT may have an effect on the weather in Derry's region. On more than one occasion, when the Losers face It, the weather changes into a thunderstorm. Most notably at the final confrontation, which actually devastates Derry's downtown region. Also, possibly photokinesis (light manipulation).

In Stranger Things we see a thunderstorm:

in s1 on the next day Will went missing when the boys go looking for him (Mike insists on them going);

in s2 we hear thunder when Bob comes to Byers to check on Will and Mike's already there, worried as hell about him;

in s3 when Mike & Will are arguing, Mike hurts WIll's feelings but immediately rides apologising;

in s4 we also hear thunder during Mike's monologue to El, when he's ripping off the band-aid and thinking this time he definitely lost Will.

Every time Mike is devastated because he thinks he lost Will he manipulates the weather subconsciously.

Talking about photokinesis, I do believe both Vecna and Will can manipulate light. But as I wrote previously, Will's light is always bright = warm = good, and Vecna's is blue = cold = bad.

It leads to this moment in Creel's house:

Time manipulation = Vecna (maybe Mike, because he's always late); Weather manipulation = Mike (we see Alice wearing a dress with colourful umbrellas on it and Alice might be Karen); and...light manipulation = both Will & Vecna.

Also, I found some characters' parallels, so I'm adding them too.

This obvious love triangle was already mentioned by incredible @will80sbyers - El/Bill, Mike/Bev and Will/Ben.

Bev is Ben’s first friend at school, she initiates their conversation and Mike is Will’s first friend in kindergarten, who also initiates the conversation (AND they ended up together).

Bill’s brother is killed by IT and he blames himself for that. In s4 El thinks she’s the one who killed the kids in the lab (=her brothers and sisters), she also suffers from that feeling of guilt. However, it’s not their fault and they admit it in the face of evil.

Bev is the first person who volunteers to help Bill and fight against IT and Mike is the person who takes El to his home and is going to protect her from “bad people.”

Ben writes a poem for Bev, but she thinks it's from Bill at first and has a crush on him. Will paints a picture for Mike, but makes him believe El commissioned it.

I believe Max is paralleled to Audra (Bill’s wife) in s4.

She’s taken by IT and is made catatonic. The Losers Club rescue her but she’s still not there (=Max is taken by Vecna, is cursed, the party saves her but she's in a kind of coma). Bill never leaves her side and he’s the one who heals her (I didn’t include the moment of El making Max's heart beat again, because she's not awakened yet.) Also, this parallel gives so much Elmax energy that I start worrying about Lucas’s fate in the show… However, he's the one never leaving Max's side in the hospital, so I hope the Duffers won't copy everything from IT and it will be Lucas who heals Max (No hate, I like Elmax, but I just want Lucas to have a happy ending too!!!)

Dustin is paralleled to Mike in some ways.

both are bullied and threatened at school;

both are connected to the library (Mike works here Dustin goes there a lot);

both were separated from their party for some time (Mike stays at the hospital after being hurt by Henry while the Losers Club are fighting IT, and Dustin in s3 while he’s stuck with Steve, Robin & Erica).

Now, some things that are bothering me.

The first one - Silver cat.

I still have doubts about who exactly it is. It's associated both with Creels and Wheelers, because my guess is they somehow must be connected. The same in IT - it's associated both with IT (eyes like silver coins) and the Losers (silver slugs and Bill's bicycle).

I recalled the Kas theory and the existance of the artefact called the Eye of Vecna. "The only way to permanently destroy the Eye of Vecna was if both the Eye and the Hand of Vecna were attached to the same creature, and then that creature was slain by the artefact known as the Sword of Kas. Any other attempt to destroy either artefact merely transported it into a hidden vault in an unknown location." We already saw Hopper with the sword. I believe we'll see Mike with the sword in s5 considering he's paralleled to Hopper a lot and so he could be paralleled to St Michael. Also, the disco ball at Rink-o-Mania is silver and I already wrote about my thought it is the way the Duffers wanted to show us Vecna is watching our trio. Vecna's killing while Mike went to Cali ("Silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west"). Bev wounds IT with 2 silver slugs made by Ben (We know that Will's slug in s2 transformed into demodog and then demogorgon. Does that mean in s5 they will be fighting against Vecna with the party or what?) out of a silver dollar in their first battle in the chapter that is called The Bullseye. After Robin & Nancy succeeded in finding what they needed about the Creels family they call Dustin and Robin says Nancy's "shot in the dark was a bull's-eye," and in the battle against Vecna Nancy makes 5 shots (+ 2 Molotov cocktails from Steve & Robin before) and then Vecna vanishes. Together it's 7. 7 fireballs?

In the same battle Bill has performed the "Ritual of Chüd" (a psychic battle in which the two forces duelled with their wits = El is fighting Vecna through her mind) in an attempt to face IT in the Macroverse, the alternate universe where It is from = the Upside Down.

We have another Wheeler sibling who kinda helped the party. It's Holly. Her Lite Brite with a rabbit on it helps the party to communicate with those who are in the Upside Down through the lights. And what is interesting, when the 4 gates open, they start spreading, we hear the chimes and we are shown Creel's house, Eddie's trailer, Lovers Lake, the road where Fred was killed, Wheeler's house with falling photos, Holly and Karen, then again, Creel's house and the library. They showed us the places where the 4 gates were opened + Wheeler's house. Why? And Karen has her own poster in s4. Why? Because she's Creel. And her children too.

Look at these parallels between Holly and Alice. Nightmares. Both are scared because of Vecna.

Also, it's interesting that Holly has dogs on her collar. Dogs are associated with Mike ("I'm not a dog!" ) and demodogs. Dart was a demodog and I have a theory in mind that Dart may symbolise Mike being ashamed of his feelings toward Will = Holly knows about Mike's feelings toward Will. Also, she knows about the supernatural stuff (remember her noticing the lights and the monster in the wall in s1 + noticing the trees moving in s3?)

One more silver reference in IT - Bill's bicycle name is "Silver" and in the end, he takes Audra on a ride on it and during that ride she awakens. I don't have any idea what it symbolises but a bike has wheels, lol. The Wheelers will play a crucial part in healing Max or what? (actually, this resonates with @madwheelerz 's guess of Creels having the ability to reanimate).

2. The second thing and my main concern is Lucas.

I haven't written about any parallels between him and IT characters because I'm not sure who is he paralleled to. Mostly it's Richie I guess, but also Bev is the one entrusted to fire the silver slugs at IT and we know about Lucas's Slingshot Proficiency (knocking Billy briefly unconscious to save Max in s3) + his idea with fireworks in s3.

Richie:

provides emotional support for the group (= Lucas gives emotional support to Max in s1 and s4 + he's the one to give Mike advice when he starts having problems with his relationship with Eleven);

becomes a secondary leader (=s1 Lucas vibes when he's focused on finding Will) and rescues Bill (=in s1 he's the one to warn the party the dad people are coming for El) when the Ritual of Chüd goes wrong, helping Bill kill IT in the final battle;

ferociously fights IT alongside his friends and keeps Bill focused when his grief for Georgie becomes too much + keeps him stable when he thinks Audra might be dead (I believe we'll see Lucas & El bond in s5).

But this. This makes me feel worried about him. In their second and final battle against IT, Losers hit IT with their collective belief and love and childhood nostalgia. Bill fights his way inside It's body, locates It's heart and destroys it.  But one of the main characters dies. It's Eddie. He uses his aspirator as before to seriously hurt IT in the physical world, losing his arm in the process and dying of blood loss. THIS scares me. Because look at the poster near Lucas. It says: "BE HERO GIVE BLOOD." And he's wearing blue. Blue=Vecna. There’s so much blue in that room actually. (Okay, I also remembered it was originally Mike standing near that poster but he decided to stand between El and Will, so now it’s Lucas who’s near it. God, I don’t want anyone from the party to die. PLEASE, NO. If he’s gonna sacrifice himself for Mike…I don’t even want to imagine it. Just no.)

Some parallels I've already posted you can check out here, here and here (if you made it till the end of the post...I hope somebody did though).

Wow, it took me some time to finish this post and I’m not even sure many people read it till the end, but still, I hope someone will. The Duffers really take a lot of inspiration from Stephen King’s books, especially films based on his books, and it’s so cool picking up all these parallels, I really enjoy the process and I want to believe some of us will enjoy the result!

P. S. I haven’t read “IT”, so the research is mostly based on the film and some info from Wikipedia and other sites, so if any fans of King and IT happen to read this post and have something to add or correct me, be free to leave your comments <3

[will80sbyers]

the really big moments that bring forward the upside down story and the story in general are connected to El & Will + Mike usually has the solution or brings the other characters to act in a way that drives the plot to a resolution in the first two seasons... I think in s3 & 4 this shifts a bit to other characters and it's more equally distributed but we are more fixated on how Mike feels for El and Will from a visual standpoint in particular...

and the fights Mike has with them, or what Mike does and doesn't do... are what carries the story, because El finds Max bringing her to spy on Billy and Will runs to Castle Byers and realizes/admits to himself that the monster is back in s3... and in s4 Mike going to Lenora is a storyline on its own and him not saying the ily to El is what in part makes her act on all that insecurity in the first place & have a reason more to go get her powers back + Will loving him is the focus so many times visually this season (and also I believe that if he was in Hawkins he would have put all of his energy into saving Max and would have thought of something that would have helped because he did it before lol ) and Mike has the monologue

and of course all the characters are integral to move the plot in a way and resolve everything (and that's what I love most because everyone is important, even new people like Argyle, Eddie or people that could be just used as comedy like Murray etc etc... usually they are not forgotten and have moments too) but Mike's love for them is often focused on more heavily even if all the other characters have a deep love for them and want to help them the same (and often do help)

I think this visual separation sets him apart in the story too because the camera is following him and his reaction to things...

also what I noticed is that El ends up looking like the main character because she has created the gate for the upside down and is more connected to the lab and Henry than anyone else of course & visually she is set apart too and put as independent since s1

We focus on :

s1 : El + Mike & Will + the other characters each

in s1 Mike is VISUALLY the protagonist that drives the plot forward, he is the one that brings them to find El that is the new mysterious character, he is the one that insist and believes her when she's talking about how Will is alive and then brings the solution to Joyce and the adults

s2 : Will + El + Mike & Will + the other characters each

in s2 Mike is the one focused on and singled out with his monologue to Will and he's the person (with Hopper of course and also the others) that makes El want to go back home to them because him calling her every day and their romance story is what brings her to check on them again and find out they are in danger and need her

in s3 the story is more equal with all the other characters imo (Lucas's fireworks moment, Max and her story + Lumax + Dustin and the Russian storyline) but we are still focusing on Will having a connection with the monster that warns them they have to act somehow and brings Mike to make plans + El & Max trying to find out what happened to Heather + Mike's feelings for El AND Will in the finale...

s4 is more equal too but it's them being separated from the others what almost makes them all lose everything and we still focus on El's storyline that is completely set apart from the others and independent like in s1 and s2 + Mike & Will ( Will's feelings for Mike in the van speech are what later prompts the focus on Mike's feelings with the monologue for El that is playing in the background as ALL the other characters fight their own battle, visually it looks like Mike is telling all of them to fight if you notice how the scene plays out )

that's what I mean when I say it's different...not necessarily more important but set aside and scrutinized more from the directors

I really believe Mike's love will be the force that drives the resolution of the fight against the Upside Down because it kinda always was in a way

[pinkeoni]

Which character's arc you predict they will nail, and which ones will fall flat?

I mean the hope is that every character arc will be handled with care, but the truth of the matter is every show is susceptible to fall into pitfalls, don’t they?

I of course have a big faith in how they handle Will’s arc, as well as El’s, Henry’s, Mike’s, and the rest of the main party members. I also think the whole Byers-Hopper fam is going to get ample attention, they are basically at the core of the story now.

Now, I do have a running list of characters in my brain that I think run the risk of potential flanderization. Not that I’m certain it will happen but rather that I’m scared it might happen— Those characters being Murray, Argyle, Erica, and unfortunately my girl Robin.

Now that isn’t to say that I dislike any of these characters, I actually love them all alot! I’m just nervous about the possibility of their personalities and arcs being watered down for the sake of being purely comedic relief without any amount of depth given. Robin I’m a little less worried about because she’ll have her love story with Vickie, but I’m still a little nervous that they’re going to take Robin’s hyper energy that was fun in season 4 and pump it up to an extreme and over the top level, thus why I say flanderization.

Of course, crossing my fingers that every character is handled with care and gets the proper amount of time dedicated to them 🤞🏻