#dynamic: dustin/erica

[samgelina-jolie]

[jaegerisim]

Dustin and Lucas are the only characters that have had an incredible relationship and insane chemistry with every character they've interacted. I said what I said.

[greenfiend]

Ever notice how these four members of the basketball team are inverted/upside down versions of the party?

The clues are the visual similarities...

Let’s start with least to most inverted:

Patrick and Lucas

Their personalities aren’t so different, as Patrick does seem like one of the nicest members of the team. Here’s where they are opposites:

- Lucas/the Sinclairs are shown to have the healthiest family dynamics on the show. Patrick, on the other hand, has trauma from his family and seems to have an abusive dad. Lucas’ dad respects Lucas’ mother to a great degree, while Patrick’s dad is implied to be abusive towards Patrick’s mother.

- Lucas has other friends outside of the basketball team, Patrick does not.

- When Lucas disagrees with the group he’s in, he stands up against them. When Patrick disagrees, he continues to follow along.

Chance and Mike

We do not know much about Chance, but we do know a few ways he is much different than Mike.

- Chance is a follower. He just goes along with Jason, not questioning any of his decisions. Mike, on the other hand, is a leader. If Mike disagrees with a plan, he makes his opinion known.

- Popularity is likely something important to Chance, whereas Mike states he doesn’t care about that.

Andy and Dustin

Okay now huge contrasts ahead! Andy is not a nice person at all. I would say he is likely the cruellest out of the basketball team.

- Dustin and Erica continue to increase their friendship/bond. Andy, on the other hand, is so incredibly cruel to Erica that it’s hard to watch…

- Andy is overall very insensitive to others, whereas Dustin is considerate and a good friend.

- Andy (and the others) are easily tricked by Lucas. Dustin is not so easily tricked- he’s observant, often skeptical and good at critical thinking.

Jason and Will

I’ve NEVER seen these to compared before but there’s actually a lot of contrasts here!

- Jason hates DnD. He views is as satanic! Will, on the other hand, begs his friends to play with him.

- Jason is a leader, easily commanding a crowd of people. Will is a follower.

- Jason is performative… with his relationship and everything. Will is the opposite, he’s very authentic.

- Jason is quick to lash out to others when things bother him, making his problems everyone else’s problems too. Will keeps his problems all inside, not wanting to burden anyone.

- Jason does not forgive Eddie, even when confronted with evidence of Eddie’s innocent, he still refuses to let it go. Will, on the other hand, is so quick to forgive everyone… even when forgiveness isn’t necessarily deserved.

- Jason is quick to be violent when faced with a perceived threat, pulling a gun out on Lucas who isn’t even at all threatening! Will cannot even pull the trigger when faced with an actual threat.

- Jason becomes “split” into two horizontally… Will has imagery of being “split” vertically (Phineas Gage).

[michaelwheelerdefiodental]

Jocks dynamics on Season 5 and comparing them to Henry Bowers gang from IT (and others iconic 80s villains):

This boy below with a blue shirt is the only one that didn't wear their jersey in season 4. I believe he wasn't part of the team at all in Season 4. My theory is that just like Lucas, he is just a black boy trying to fit in; he even did some research and helped them with Eddie's case, just like Lucas. He helped them find the house of that drug dealer named Rick. But he was never seen with them while they were going on a "mission", he just gave them tips and hanged out with them during parties, he doesn't appear in the basketball game, playing or even in the bench, if i remember correctly. His shirt is similar to Lucas blue shirt in episode 2 too, i think they were purposefully making parallels with these two.

We can see Andy and Chance on this paparazzi pic, and supposedly the same guy from season 4, but now he is wearing the jersey below his jacket (we can see the collar from the jersey they use, and some green color too).

Now we have a new jock, a blonde one, that not only resembles Jason (of course), but young Johnny Lawrence from Karate Kid too. This means he will be a big problem, the Duffer Brothers wouldn't cast someone similar to Johnny, a 80s iconic bully, to just make him a random weakling bully (the actor name is Deric Replogle).

He is following Dustin on the school grounds, so he is taking the lead against the actual symbol of the Hellfire Club. Meanwhile, Andy, Chase, and the new teammate are following Mike. When Dustin is at the cemetery, he is the one person more close to him; i think he will do the most damage to Dustin. Chance is there with him, the actor is shaking hands with one of the Duffers. There's no sign of Andy, maybe the actor is behind the camera, or he didn't participate in this scene.

Now i'll explain what i think their conflict will be. Andy is probably the leader now that Jason is dead, and we know he is way more crazy than him; Jason had a twisted idea of justice, but Andy seems to like to inflict pain on others. He made jokes about Chrissy being the one that was murdered, smiled while talking about hunting Eddie, and tackled Erica, a 11-year-old, while threatening to break her arm. Now this new blonde jock could be another violent and sadistic asshole, he looks like Johnny Lawrence, who is someone very dangerous to mess with, and he is the one most close to Dustin after they beat him; this can make both Andy and the blonde to try take the leadership for themselves. The blonde resembles Jason, and this would make Andy feel like an underdog again. I think he actually cared about Jason in some twisted way, but now that he is in a leader role, he won't let anyone take this from him.

We can compare this group with the four core. Andy would be Dustin, the blonde guy would be Mike; both Mike and Dustin are the ones to take the lead a lot of times, and some people tend to discuss who is the real leader of the four core, but they wouldn't care about it. On the other hand, Andy would definitely care about somebody taking him off his leader role, and this blonde jock can be the one. Chance would be Will; both are quieter guys, but Will actually has his own opinion about things and isn't always hiding them; Chance just followed Jason and Andy like a stray dog. The blue shirt guy would be Lucas, as i said. He just wants to find a way to fit in (there's a post here on Tumblr comparing the four core with the original jocks from season 4, but i couldn't find it, if you have it, send it to me so i can put the link right here).

After being challenged by the blonde too many times, Andy would end up killing him, and right after this, he would decide to kill the whole main characters gang for good, after the whole town turned into absolute chaos. He can be influenced by Vecna to do all of this, just like Henry Bowers from IT book and movies. And we know Stranger Things is heavily influenced by IT; Vecna is literally a mix of Pennywise and Freddy Krueger. Pennywise influenced Henry to kill his father, then he made the whole city of Derry be engulfed by a storm. Soon after this, he made Henry and his friends, Victor and Belch, go after the Losers Club. On IT, Henry's main target was Mike, a black kid, and it isn't a reach to say that Lucas, a black teenager, will be Andy's main target too, as he will probably think Lucas killed Jason.

After seeing all this crazy shit happening, the new boy (the one with the blue shirt on season 4, in case you have forgotten, lol) would be scared, as he didn't really want all this to happen, he just wanted to fit in, just like Lucas. Now there are two options that the writers can take, 1: he decides to get the hell out of this group just like Lucas on Season 4; 2: he can continue in this hellhole and die with Chance, just like Victor and Belch from IT, to show that not everybody is like Lucas, some people will decide to continue in a bad environment just to fit in; Andy would die later on after having an encounter with the main group, just like Henry Bowers.

Or: Andy could end up being someone like Patrick Hockstetter, a sadistic maniac that ends up having a premature death, then the blonde takes the role of Henry Bowers for himself. But i think the other way is more coherent; Andy is already established as a character (and there's always the chance of this blonde guy being just a random that don't even has lines, but i hope not don't think so, lol).

I think this would be a good way to implement some horror with human villains in the series. If you're going to make a high school bully a villain, make him terrifying, just like Henry Bowers. There's the military like Sullivan and Linda Hamilton character, but i ain't really scared of them; i just know they have resources like guns; they aren't scary at all for me.

I came up with this idea after seeing @will80sbyers posts about these paparazzi pics, thank you!

[miaoumeowmiaw]

MORE ST5 LEAKS AND INFORMATION (AFTER FEBRUARY)

Hey... I’m back. Recently my ST5 leaks from May blew up on Twitter, so I figured I could put all of my Asks here. There are unreleased photos of the characters and set available in the ENG Minou server, but they will posted on Tumblr and Twitter in a separate post to make it easier to access. In the meantime I hope this interests you, too.

I saw an account on Twitter posting a leaked photo with the synpsis of the first episode of ST5. It said “Chapter One: The Crawl. Hawkins is under quarantine after the Upside Down events. Our heroes hide from the government, still plotting a capture, when an unexpected event destabilizes the team. Steve and Robin take over the new radio station, buzzing with odd mysteries, as a new face shows up in town.”

Fake.

the bar “leak” about will talking to a young, caucasian guy with a mustache… is that legit? i’m cringing just thinking about it, but the milevens seem to be very happy and are taking this as a win, so.

I can confirm there is a character who talks to Will at the bar. There is no stable answer for the gender and appearance of the character, last time I checked. This leak is old and only based on residents and staff near the area of filming, who caught glimpses of the scene.

ok i'll bite wdym by the field kiss

There is a kissing scene between Mike and Eleven. It is NOT on the baseball/softball field, it is on a field near the radio station. People blew it out of proportion, but it was confirmed as being real around the same time that my original May leaks were gathered, and is still true as of January.

It looks like I’m an exception here because I care more about the plot and family dynamics than ships. Do you know anything about what’s going on with Henry/Linda’s character/ upside down flashbacks ?

Henry is using new methods of sensory and mental illusion to keep track of his victims. No more of what we saw in ST4, and music does not work as it usually would. Key words to keep in mind: flashbacks, « false flashbacks », visions, beliefs, and control. For some characters there is a larger tilt toward one of these 5. For most of the season he is pursuing Holly by pretending to be a new, troubled resident of Hawkins and requiring her assistance. He causes the death of Ted in front of her. Derek, Erica and Karen join the investigation into these interactions and Holly's disappearance. Will begins to be pursued when Mike, Dustin and Lucas start a separate investigation. It is as if he is a child again, and the only reason we know it is a false flashback is because it blends with reality. This is especially true for a tree Will falls from: visually, it switches. Henry becomes more attached to the real world the longer that the Upside Down remains exposed to Hawkins, and the longer that he pursues residents. There are multiple sicknesses and attacks from the Upside Down. After a certain point he fully reveals himself as Vecna and kills the majority of the military team who were maintaining the quarantine zone of Hawkins and stunting the main cast.

Tell us 👹 Also do you have info on the Hopper x Mike talk? Sorry if Im being annoying I just didn't have a good day lol

It's a sad conversation, but also positive. Maybe bittersweet is the word. It was based on a loss or something similar that impacted both characters, but more Mike, and he makes a sarcastic or joking comment to Hopper about having hope and confidence in something related to it.

Do you know if the whole Holly is the Cleric Mike was talking about thing is true, and if Mike+Will+Holly spend time together?

The figure theories are correct, Mike was referring to a Dungeons and Dragons character meant to represent and protect Holly. That name and quote were taken directly from the graphic database, meaning that, if they were approved by the Duffer brothers and additional crew, they would have been featured together in promotional material and goods for VOL 1 October and November releases.

Based on what you know so far, were the Duffers telling the truth that the new season would have a focus on Will’s character? Or were they overselling it? Thank you!

Yes.

Any hints at what Henry wanted/wants Will for? What does he “build”?

Fire.

Is there more to Karen wheeler? There's been so many theories on this lady she's interesting

Yes.

hii, do you have any info on that “Secret ‘Red Rock’ set” they built behind the radio station? A paparazzo mentioned they might have filmed some military scenes there but idk. It's ok if you can't answer

The military filming was in the general area, not that set specifically. Security was too tight for anybody to have seen what went on in the desert (« red rock »). It wasn't a secret, it was just located in the forest near WSQK and they did not want to test their luck. I agree with the paparazzi and locals in it being either a flashback or Upside Down-related shoot.

Do you have any leaks about the older teenagers/young adults (Nancy, Jonathan, Steve Robin)? I heard Robin and Steve are running the radio station or something like that but that's it.

Steve does not pursue Nancy. Nancy and Jonathan continue to date. Dustin is independent from Steve and Robin for the first half of ST5 as far as we guess, spending most of that time with Mike, Will and Lucas in their investigation. Robin is the main host of WSQK 94.5 FM: The Squawk. There are two 97P25J3 company vehicle models that they use and transport between sets, and in universe the older teens enter the Upside Down through them or are part of the plan in doing so. Specifically Jonathan and Steve with Dustin joining them. The Turnbow family of Realtors own multiple pieces of land in Hawkins, including the WSQK radio station and tower. There is a character who seeks temporary refuge in the WSQK radio station. The equipment in the WSQK radio station and vehicle is used to intercept Hawkins Laboratory and government communication, but they are unaware that it was detected and tracked to their location. This equipment is also considered for use in sharing pieces of information between the Upside Down and the real world. The WSQK radio station is raided.

Ok so I'm probably way off here but I think they may use time travel not to change timelines but to discover things they need to know ie somehow going back and watching wills vanishing for example. Or vecna actually taking them back through memories? Yeah I'm so wrong right

The Upside Down is an alternative reality that captures a moment from time and preserves it, because there are little to no things present to disrupt how things were in that moment. Specifically humans and their fragments in the environment. Think how our own reality works. Everything is linear. Things happen because we as humans cause them to happen. This is exactly what the Upside Down is, the only difference being there wasn't any humans to cause things to happen, until Will Byers was sent. Therefore is not possible to change that alternate reality in a way that resets time. If you can't do it here, you can't do it there. Vecna is not the exception to this. He does not cause any sort of time travelling, he is only giving characters that feeling through flashbacks, visions, nightmares and whatnot. It's not something they are controlling or wanting to do to try and win, it's something that is forced onto them to try and weaken their personhood. This is his new method.

Do you know anything about where Joyce, Will and Jonathan are living in season 5? People think Will might be staying over at Mike’s in episode 1

Wheeler residence.

Haha, I think you'd be doing the shipping fandom a favor. Because i think it's gonna be anti climatic regarding what's actually canon in the show, compared to fan fic, some want to be canon. I'm actually interested in who may die ( if anyone ) because I did see on x that apparently there's a fake sacrifice👀

Close to or more than the amount in Season 3 if you count the Flayed. However most of these deaths we see are people part of the government and local community. Ted dies near the beginning and there is a fake but impactful death plot near the end of ST5. The potential of Max, Will, Holly and Karen dying is brought up frequently, as well as a character that experiences an attack on their midsection, but this is a minor issue in the plot and they heal.

Pls sir may I have some more Will info? Anything 🥺

Birds are notorious for not displaying symptoms of illness. They need to be kept away from the rest of the flock, typically in a room that has disconnected air circulation and frequently cleaned caregivers. Many contributors to this, including travel-related stress, can worsen their condition by the simple fact that, while kept away, they hear the flock but are unable to interact with it. Birds yearn for the connection and they yearn for the help, but their biology does not allow them to display it, and the individuals observing are not able to properly translate that. It is lost between two species without adaptation and a learned understanding of their different behaviours, and this can then be mistaken as aggression or fear. Rather it is the attempt to maintain their own integrity in moments of sensitivity.

Hi, thanks for answering our questions btw! I'm unaware if you know the stage play. I know it's not officially canon in the duffers story. But will anything be used in the series from the play? Because in the play Henry went to dimension x and his blood changed in the play due to particle exposure. And I feel they could use this to explain wills time there with the blood change in the series. It's meant to link to the use of powers from the particles changing their blood. Sorry you may not know about that. Just curious. Thanks anyway!

The VR game has a lot more similarities to ST5 than the play. However neither of them are compulsory to experience for understanding the plot.

the leak about will having a love interest (that’s not mike) came out waaay before they shot the bar scene with him. so, i’m just wondering where the love interest leak even came from since it’s not referring to the bar leak… or was it entirely made up? i’m still confused about it which is why i’m asking you.

So-so.

last thing! please tell me the chance x will (bychance) stuff is just people being silly and that there’s nothing happening there. will’s love interest being some npc jock… i can’t see it. it’s so wild to me 😭

Fake.

Who is Mr.Miller?

Mr. Miller is a high ranking officer part of the American military and stationed in Hawkins to oversee INDIGO and other subprograms under MKUltra.

Oh, I just had an insight that the military lab might be underground beneath the destroyed downtown Hawkins (I’m delusional)

While there is a new laboratory and the INDIGO subprogram of MKUltra is still continuing in ST5, it's not to the same scale as previous seasons and it is not in the same manner as the Rainbow Room. I highly suggest looking at the first PDF leak for graphics, because there is a full map of Hawkins: what I can tell you is that the laboratory may or may not be in the path of the UD cracks and tunnels.

hii, do u know if the leak about khali coming back is true?

So-so.

[blueskiesandstarrynights]

@stcreators event 03: comfort (dynamic) ↳ Dustin Henderson & Erica Sinclair (insp)

[piastrinorris]

@stcreators event 05 • dynamics

HELLFIRE CLUB + discord profiles (in/sp | temp)

+ some explanations/headcanons:

"book club" is the older teens' role for discussing all things stoner. eddie thought it would sound too boring of a role for the younger kids to ask them about. dustin relentlessly asks eddie what kind of books he reads to see if he's already read them.

mike, lucas, dustin and erica all play characters they canonically have in the show. gareth's is canon from flight of icarus (as is doug's name). jeff plays a warforged called realboy who refuses to believe that he's a robot, and boingy, well. boingy's whoever and whatever you want them to be.

doug made the server on eddie's request. eddie swore he could handle having owner powers. he could not. but he insists that the dm should have omnipotence in their campaign's server, so doug gives him the illusion of such. doug removed channel and role adding permissions within less than an hour of granting them to eddie.

erica periodically gets doug to kick lucas out of the pranksters chat as a prank in and of itself. lucas will drive himself mad expecting a prank to be planned against him at any moment, erica will revel in the psychological warfare.

simp city started out as a joke where doug banished the 3 boys for talking too much about their beloved blorbos in the brainrot channels. when mike started really trying to be a part of everything that eddie is, even if he doesn't really like some of the same things (see: basic miw lyric status to mimic eddie's), the boys subtly alluded to mike that they talk about crushes, including one miss nancy wheeler, to keep him well away. (they are all nancy simps though)

jeff loves wrestling and doug loves lego. they told me this themselves

[thestobingirlie]

conformity in stranger things

(as we see it through the characters of steve, dustin and eddie)

dustin meets steve while steve is already heading down his own path — he’s leaving behind ideas about high school and relationships, and figuring out who he is without them.

steve, by season two, had already become disillusioned with the idea of high school, and power struggles, and being the most popular guy in school. which is why he doesn’t react to billy’s taunts.

despite what the fandom may have you believe, steve’s seasons long arc about his struggle with conforming to the person people expect him to be is done.

don’t get me wrong, steve is still hanging onto some ideas in s2, like pretending you don’t care to get girls, and seeing nancy as different to all his other girlfriends (though i personally think that speaks more to steve’s prior relationships than the way he views woman).

and so, dustin and their friendship play a major role in steve fully moving on from the concept of ‘conforming’. steve doesn’t want to change who he is to get people to like him, or love him!

and with dustin, he doesn’t!!!

they make up dorky handshakes, and give each other advice. they talk about girls and steve teaches him how to achieve his signature hairstyle.

their relationship impacts both boys, but neither of them are conforming. it’s pretty much the exact opposite!!! despite what some fans would have you believe steve and dustin have a positive impact on each other!!!

dustin doesn’t change who he is to impress steve! he’s just as dorky as before, and in fact imparts some of that dorkiness onto steve!! steve and dustin help each other to find who they are, and figure themselves out.

on the other hand.

eddie had a negative impact on dustin.

dustin in s3 is dorky. he likes science, and school, and building great big radio towers up hills.

dustin in s4 is failing classes, treating friends like shit, his hubris is at an all time high; all aided by eddie’s high opinion of himself and ideas about conforming.

see. when eddie talks about conforming, he doesn’t really understand what he’s talking about (which is why his fans don’t either).

when he criticised people for ‘conforming’, all he’s really talking about is people being interested in things he doesn’t like. parties. band. science. basketball. he looks down on them all.

he makes snap judgments, and reduces them down to stereotypes. we literally watch him learn this on screen!!!

we literally watch as he verbally recognises that he knew nothing about steve, and yet reduced him down to his interest in basketball.

and here’s where the irony comes in. eddie is literally leading the club on conformity.

everyone in hellfire wears the exact same thing, and he makes fun of the clothes they used to wear. he seats himself on a thrown, and judges anyone that wishes to come before him before he deems them worthy to play a game. he’s not accepting all losers. he’s literally telling them they’re lesser than as he stands on tables in the cafeteria, and then fights against erica playing with them… just because he thinks she has to prove herself to him first.

that’s the point of eddie’s character!! that his whole big speech at the beginning of the season is wrong. and we literally see how he’s wrong scenes later when eddie interacts with chrissy.

people watch eddie learn and grow as a person, and then reduce his character right back down to who he was when he was first introduced.

tl;dr — if one of dustin’s relationships is about conformity, it’s his friendship with eddie, not steve. his brother dynamic with steve is about the complete opposite. about reaching across dumb nerd v jock social divides and finding a family.

in looking up to eddie, dustin has let his other interests fall to the wayside. he’s snarkier, makes fun of steve more (just like he’s been watching eddie mock jocks for months), his friendships with the rest of the party are at an all time low.

and yet. some people would have me believe this is dustin’s truest self? who gets his mormon girlfriend to hack into his school because he’s failing latin. who mocks steve for ‘wanting to be a hero’ when just the season before he was prepared to die by steve’s side.

[atmilliways]

(Directly inspired by Eddie and Jeff’s friendship dynamic in this, which is much lighter and sweeter than what’s about to follow.)

What if a fic where all the Upside Down shit happens and Eddie lives, and Steve actually seems to be interested in him which is insane… but Chrissy died. Eddie and Jeff bonded over their nerd-on-jock crushes for all of high school, he can’t just get his guy when Jeff’s crush is dead.

So, with much angst and pining, Eddie withdraws. He stops flirting with Steve or responding to him much at all, just one-word answers to questions until Steve gives up on asking. (Which takes a while, the hot stubborn bastard.) And then it hurts too much to hang out with the entire group, because Steve is always there on the outskirts, watching him like a kicked puppy. He still sees Nancy regularly (because she’s even more stubborn than Steve) and by extension Jonathan and Argyle, but Robin drifts off, siding with Steve.

The kids are divided: Mike sticks by Eddie, Lucas and Erica stick by Steve, Will and El try to remain neutral because they never really knew Eddie to begin with but obviously lean more team Steve, and Max is just pissed at both of them for being idiots. Dustin tries to be there for both of them, but it’s such an obvious strain that Eddie starts pulling back from him too, telling himself he’s giving the kid a break. (Part of it, too, is that Dustin can’t help talking about his favorite people and doesn’t always catch himself in time to avoid giving Eddie anecdotal updates about Steve. He tells himself that by absenting himself, he’s sparing Steve from the same thing.)

Eddie is miserable, but he can’t admit why any more than he can break the NDAs and risk the government taking it all back—his pardon, his diploma, the brick and mortar house, the money that means Wayne doesn’t have to work himself to the bone anymore or worry about Eddie having to deal to help make ends meet.

And Jeff isn’t stupid. He notices, and he can guess why, and a few vague references to Harrington that make Eddie’s face do this awful, awful thing only confirms it.

It takes a long time, but Jeff manages to convince Eddie that he has his blessing. And then it’s another month of wallowing and calling Nancy at inappropriate hours to freak out about how much he’s ruined everything—but she seems to think he still has a chance with Steve.

So eventually, Eddie walks up to Steve’s front door in his best jeans, clutching a bouquet of sunflowers and trying not to sweat through his shirt even though it’s spring again and still nippy out, hoping against hope that his high school crush will let him inside.

[aria-bun]

So me and my friend had a debate and it made me realize how you can see which characters are favored by the creators by how much of their backstory (how the grew up, what happened before s1, their family lives) we know of them.

For this, im going to be using characters that got introduced in S1, as they have had the most time to be added onto (almost a decade), plus Max as a shoe-in.

This list would be: The Byers(+el), the Wheelers, The Hendersons, the Sinclairs, the Mayfields, and the Harringtons.

The Byers:

Joyce married Lonnie and had Jonathan and Will before separating (I don't remember explicitly why, probably because he was a piece of shit). Jonathan and Will live with Joyce with no visitation from Lonnie, and are very close. Joyce isn't the most stable parent, so Jonathan helps around, kind of co-parenting Will. El grew up in the lab, and we see all the stuff that happens when shes younger, which makes sense since she is the main face of the show, so she's kind of exempt from this list.

The Wheelers:

On the outside, they're seen as the perfect suburban family, but in reality, Karen and Ted are in a loveless marriage, especially proven in s3 when Karen is having a weird relationship with Billy. The Wheeler siblings have a normal sibling dynamic of shouting and a love-hate relationship, with (this mainly applying to Nancy) the pressure of having to hold up the "perfect family" image.

The Mayfields:

Max's mom married Billy's dad when Max was young (I dont know if they mentioned what happened to her dad or if i just forgot), after Billy's mom had died. They lived in California until they were introduced in s2. Billy's dad is physically and verbally abusive, which has influenced Billy's actions towards Max. After Billy's death, we know that Billy's dad left, and that Max's mom isn't in a good mental state, leaving Max to take care of herself while also coping with her brother's death.

Now lets compare that to what we know about the Hendersons, the Sinclairs, and the Harringtons:

The Hendersons:

Dustin's dad isn't in the picture (we dont know why), and his mom likes cats.

The Sinclairs:

Lucas has both of his parents, who are in a loving relationship, and he has his sister Erica, who he has a generic sibling relationship with.

The Harringtons:

Rich background, Steve's parents are never around, but it's never expressed as to what his relationship with them is like. (Ik he wasn't meant to be a main character and he was supposed to die in s1, but its been a decade, they could have added onto it at any time)

We can also see this in how their trauma affects them

El and Will both have similar "im the freak" mindsets, which gives them the struggle of being able to make new friends and expand their circle. They also have a lot of trauma from the upside down, and El unknowingly blocked memories of what happened with 001 due to how traumatic they were.

Mike was bullied his whole life, which does reflect in his character, making him quick to react to situations rather than analysing them before responding. His trauma doesn't come from his family, but from other people he has been around. With both him and Nancy, it is shown that they both struggle with telling people that they care about "I love you" (Nancy with Steve, Mike with El), probably from seeing how "love" affected their parents.

Max's mental health had a steep decline after loosing Billy, and it is explicitly shown and a large part of her character in s4, so that one needs little explanation due to how blatantly obvious it is.

Now, Dustin, Lucas, and Steve have all been dealing with the Upside Down just as long as the others have been (besides Max), and little trauma is shown from it.

Dustin and Lucas were both bullied like Will and Mike were, yet it doesn't seem to actually affect their character like it has for Mike and Will. Both also have their share of events happening with the Upside Down.

Steve did go through a character arc, but we don't see how trauma has affected him, especially since he seems to be the shows punching bag. He got tortured by russians, almost got shot by his ex, has gotten into fight after fight for these kids, and got dragged to the bottom of the lake by his ankles and proceeded to get strangled and attacked by bats.

And none of them seemed to be affected by any of it.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

If there are any other ST characters you want an analysis on, send an ask!

[citrusandrottefruit]

I love Steve because he seemed like a jerk at first. I thought I would dislike him, after all, he was the typical "bad" guy from usamerican high school movies. The fact that he surprised me softened my heart.

Because his party was just a get-together with his friends, his girlfriend, and even included his girlfriend's friend. Because he was being silly trying to impress her. Because he wasn't making fun of her behind her back or acting like it was a sacrifice to be with her.

He wasn't an idiot making a bet, he was a teenager interested in a girl.

He did some reprehensible things, but he acknowledged it. Do you have any idea how hard it is to look at your own actions, realize they were wrong, and try to do something about it? Even having to get over the feeling of distrust, over the fact that Jonathan did something terrible (those pictures haunt me). He got beaten up, it was so easy to hold on to that and never decide to apologize.

And he came back when there was danger. He could have just been human and run away to survive, but he chose to go back and fight for Jonathan and Nancy's survival too, even though they weren't on the best of terms.

So in season two he won me over completely. Because he's loving and compassionate, willing to forgive and ask for forgiveness, even when he's not the one in the wrong. Because when a kid comes to him for help, even if he has something he needs to do (apologize to Nancy), he goes and helps. He puts his own safety on the line to protect people he barely knows.

I don't even really like Stranger Thinks. I like Steve. I like his dynamic with Dustin, the potential that can be explored about how his relationship with Nancy ended, his dynamic with Robin, with Erica, with Lucas, with Max. With Eddie. I like how he becomes protective of all these people. I like how he's a little goofy, how he supports his friend, how he doesn't hold a grudge against Jonathan. I even like how he's not the "brave" guy who throws himself into danger without thinking: he almost left in season one, he didn't want to leave the Byers house in season two, he would never have gotten involved in Dustin's investigation if, well, it wasn't for Dustin who would have moved on anyway, he didn't want to go after Eddie right away. He hesitates when he has the option, because that's what any normal person would do, but he becomes a shield when danger is imminent, he takes responsibility to protect others.

I really like him.

And honestly, I find it comforting to read about the "big empty house" and the absent parents. Because, despite the family dynamic, he's a sweetheart. AAnd I don't think it's because of Nancy, because from the beginning, even when they were barely involved, he already showed the kind of person he is. What I believe is that the trauma and realizing that the kids needed protection brought out this protective side even more and he decided to take responsibility to be the one the kids were looking for.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Spoilers on X: "A closer look at the new clip of #StrangerThings5! https://t.co/IApPyToeHH" / X

Couple of thoughts here:

1.) They've been placing a heavy emphasis on Holly having an important role in S5. I know it's been speculated she will be the Wheeler who vanishes (as the title for the second episode of S5 states), but I'm skeptical about her just being held captive and having to be rescued in the UD the same way Will was in S1. Considering Holly's photo is being paired with El, Will, and Vecna, it's likely she'll play a part in bringing Vecna down (and may even do something that leads to his death).

2.) How many horrific visions is Vecna planning to inflict on Will? 😟

3.) It's nice seeing the core 4 of the Party (Mike, Will, Lucas, Dustin) back together in school, but that does raise some questions for me: Is the gate still open in Hawkins? If that's the case, how are they managing to still live there while attending school, especially after the end of S4 implied the Upside Down was going to infect Hawkins and cause it to decay? Is the military stationed at Hawkins High School and other areas of the town? How are other characters reacting to the disturbing changes around them?

4.) I'm assuming Jake Connelly's character is going to be the 10 year old bully that was discussed in previous interviews, and I'm guessing he'll either be targeting Holly or Erica with his nastiness. 😒 Gotta be honest, I'm not thrilled about the idea of yet another bully on the show, especially when we're in the final season and this is supposed to be a showdown between the main characters and Vecna/The Mind Flayer. I'll reserve judgment for when the season premieres, but I'm not enthusiastic about what they've revealed so far about this character.

5.) Yay for Steve, Jonathan, and Nancy working together in the same scene. I'm hoping we get that same "Monster Hunting Trio" dynamic from the S1 finale after they beat the Demogorgon the first time. Lord knows I've wanted that friendship between the three of them for a while.

[steveharrington]

Have we seen Steve interacting with authority figures? I feel like we must have at some point but I can't think of any... which is maybe why I struggle to imagine what Steve and Hopper/Joyce sharing a scene might look like. I guess there's that scene with Barb's parents?

we HAVENT ‼️ hardly anyways! off the top of my head i’m fairly sure that the only adults we’ve seen steve interact with (and i define interacting by him talking to them directly or vice versa) are barb’s parents like you said, the guys he walked up to cleaning the theater marquee, and the russian general. genuinely cannot think of anyone else. isn’t that so upsetting

i wouldn’t call barb’s parents or the movie marquee guys authority figures per se, but i do think you could kinda categorize ozerov that way. at the very least, he has massive power over steve (literally has him tied up and drugged). i think it’s notable that of these instances where steve is sharing a scene with an adult, he is consistently doing some sort of repentance. cleaning up the marquee, visiting barb’s parents after she died in his backyard, and being beaten for finding the operation (which served as a larger message to steve that once again reminds him he was an Evil Little Boy). we’ve never seen steve interact with an adult to receive comfort or protection—it’s always the opposite, actually. uncomfortable at the very least, literally being tortured at the most.

i think a very underrated moment is steve threatening ozerov by saying that hopper is going to save them. i think it’s sooooo genuinely deeply sad, actually! he so confidently thought hopper (and other adults ie the us calvary) were going to come save him and robin, when actually no one even knew they were down there. if dustin and erica hadn’t saved them, literally no one would have!!!! the same protection that hopper and joyce provide the other kids/teens don’t really extend to steve and robin, which makes sense logically since they’re kinda on the outskirts. they are not their children or close friends of their children. but i think that line is so meaningful and sad because it kinda implies that steve thinks of himself as falling under that umbrella of protection, but he doesn’t :(

that’s not to say that i think hopper is canonically like “fuck steve harrington i don’t care about that kid”, but the writing in st thus far hasn’t really been dynamic enough to give us glimpses into the various ways that All these kids/teens/adults are inherently tied together after going through category 5 monster moments every half a year together. i really hope season 5 remedies that (it sounds and looks like they might?) by giving us these rare interactions between characters who have almost been killed by the exact same Creature several times but have somehow never talked. i also want so badly for someone to acknowledge that steve becomes the de facto adult when joyce and hopper aren’t around (i know mom steve jokes got annoying but they stemmed from his behavior clearly modeling that of a Parent with the kids) and maybe give us insight into how steve views himself….does he feel like an adult? would he view hopper as an authority figure, or would he almost see him as a peer and equal considering they both end up being the meat shields when it comes to fighting people and monsters? i need to know…..

i do think we’ll get at least a crumb of steve and hopper in s5, at least because david harbour and joe keery have both talked about wanting to share scenes and it would be so mean of the writers to just be like no sorry we don’t have time for a 2 second interaction in this 10 hour season LOL but we shall see <3

[steddiebingo]

Congrats @just-my-latest-hyperfixation on completing our Kissing Booth Challenge!

--

Prompt: Lust

Dream a little dream

Rated E, wc 1,230, Chose Not to Use Warnings, Tags: Dream Sex, Or Is It?, Top Steve Harrington, Bottom Eddie Munson, Implied/Referenced Mind Control, Dubious Consent, Oral Sex, Anal Sex, Body Modification

“That's right, baby,” Steve murmurs, gently taking him by the shoulders and guiding him down to the floor. Somehow, Eddie only realizes that they are both naked when his bare knees hit the cold tiles and he catches sight of Steve's hard, flushed cock right in front of his face. Was he naked all this time? He doesn’t remember. “Don't worry about it. Don't worry about a thing. You've been wanting this, haven't you?”

Prompt: Love

Say it again

Rated T, wc 850, Chose Not to Use Warnings, Tags: Post-Vecna (Stranger Things), Everybody Lives, Cuddling & Snuggling, Getting Together, Fluff, Accidental Love Confessions

“Good morning,” Eddie finally whispers, a hushed and awed thing. Steve yawns and smiles. His eyes are more gold than hazel in the morning light. He murmurs something. Two sleep-slurred words, half muffled by the pillows, so low that Eddie almost doesn’t catch them over the birdsong picking up outside. Then he pauses. His eyes go huge.

Prompt: Body Swap

Some sort of hive mind thing

Rated T, wc 970, Chose Not to Use Warnings, Tags: Secret Relationship, Coming Out, POV Dustin HendersonI, Implied Sexual Content, Crack, Body Swap

“You both went to bed as usual,” Dustin says over the ensuing string of bickering, wondering not for the first time who's babysitting who here. “Then, a few hours later, you woke up to discover that you're stuck in each other's bodies.” Eddie-who-looks-like-Steve snorts a laugh and Steve-who-looks-like-Eddie elbows him. “Quit it! Be serious about this!” “I’m trying to, but he said stuck in-” “Did anything happen last night?” Dustin asks.

Prompt: Amnesia

For Safekeeping

Rated M, wc 1,017, Chose Not to Use Warnings, Tags: Fae Eddie Munson, Human Steve Harrington, Mind Control, Memory Loss, Master/Servant, Implied Sexual Content, Dubious Consent, Dark Eddie Munson, Alternate Universe - Fantasy

“Sit.” He does. His tunic rides up as he kneels by His Lordship's feet, exposing most of his legs and thighs, but the mossy ground is soft and warm. His Lordship likes to wrap himself in long, billowing robes, deep black like the night sky. Him, though, he prefers in shorter and lighter garments. “You’re such a pretty thing, my sweet,” he told him once, fingers tracing the patterns of his moles on naked skin. “And pretty things should be put on display, not hidden away.”

Prompt: First Date

It's a satanist thing, you wouldn't understand

Rated T, wc 2,067, Chose Not to Use Warnings, Tags: Post-Vecna (Stranger Things), Everybody Lives, Established Relationship, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Good Babysitter Eddie Munson, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Bullying, Implied Sexual Content, Eddie Munson is a Little Shit

“I’m sorry,” Erica says, but she’s talking to Eddie now. “You shouldn’t still have to deal with all of that, it’s fucking horrible.” Eddie smiles, bold and brave and beautiful, lurching forward to pull her into a hug. It ends up a bit awkward since her bike is still wedged between them, but she allows it without so much as a scoff. “Aw, m’lady,” he coos, but the look he shoots at Steve over the top of her head is sharp as a blade. Steve feels a shiver run down his spine. He knows that look. It means Eddie has a plan, and neither hell and all its devils nor an overprotective boyfriend are gonna keep him from seeing it through. “Ever the valiant one, looking out for little old me and what small sliver of honor I can still call my own. However … it’s your honor that has been insulted here, and that’s the far greater slight.”

Prompt: Secret Date

Whatever it is you’ve been doing

Rated T, wc 1,307, Chose Not to Use Warnings, Tags: Omega Verse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha Steve Harrington, Omega Eddie Munson, Secret Relationship, Courting Rituals, Fluff

“I wanted you to be friends!” Dustin whines. “Not- … Not whatever it is you’ve been doing! Hell, the other day at the gas station, you bought him a pen!” “Because he always steals mine and I thought he might like it,” Steve shrugs. “It was shaped like a dragon and had those little sparkly stones for eyes.” Eddie smiles at him. “It’s a very metal pen, thank you.”

Prompt: Roleplay

Right off to horny jail

Rated T, wc 1,059, Chose Not to Use Warnings, Tags: Post-Vecna (Stranger Things), Everybody Lives, Established Relationship, Halloween, Halloween Costumes, Steve Harrington in a cop costume, Crack, Humor, Eddie Munson is a horny shit, So is Steve Harrington

When he arrives, Eddie is crammed into a corner of the kitchen with Robin and Vickie, gesturing animatedly and laughing about something or other. He spots Steve at the door, turns to wave at him … and then he freezes. For a moment, he just stands there like a marble statue in a cheap vampire costume, face going paler by the second while his eyes rake over Steve’s outfit. The chunky boots. The khaki shorts that he last wore two summers ago and that are just shy of too tight now. The old uniform shirt that Hopper reluctantly borrowed him, and the pair of dark shades and hat that complete the whole ensemble. Then he runs.

--

Congratulations again to @just-my-latest-hyperfixation for their win!

You've now earned the Kissing Booth badge!

[pookienatalie]

✨ 2024 in gifs ✨

rules: post your favorite and most popular post from each month this year (it’s okay to skip months)

i was tagged by @vanmarkus and @shlofolina, thanks guys ily 😘

january:

favourite: 4k celebration - followers fave stranger things dynamics no. 1

most popular: steve harrington + underrated shots prt 2

february:

favourite: make me choose - lucas and will or dustin and erica

most popular: steve harrington + underrated shots prt 3

march:

favourite: make me choose - fave 2 stranger things seasons part 1

most popular: steve + his amazing sense of hearing

april:

favourite: make me choose - grease or fargo

most popular: dogmeat the bestest girl in the wasteland

may:

favourite: make me choose - jackie taylor or lucy maclean

most popular: make me choose - steve's bmw or nancy's stationwagon

june:

favourite and most popular: 4.5k celebration - fave steve outfits per season

july:

favourite: 4.5k celebration - nancy + pretty strangers colour palette

most popular: jackie + laura lee death parallels

august:

favourite and most popular: steve "physical touch" harrington

september:

favourite: lottienat anarchy

most popular: make me choose - steve's poses

october:

favourite: child's play + purple and orange

most popular: over the garden wall parallels

november:

favourite: robin american girls remake

most popular: martha jones + bones of the hand

december:

favourite: spotify wrapped meme - no. 45 + 911

most popular: endless gifs of steve harrington 88/?

tagging some fellow awesome gifmakers (no pressure as always 😉) ~

@torisprlng @emziess @lengthofropes @beetlejuce @vinnymauro @ncthandrake @jeeyuns whoever else wants in 😘

[miaoumeowmiaw]

It looks like I’m an exception here because I care more about the plot and family dynamics than ships. Do you know anything about what’s going on with Henry/Linda’s character/ upside down flashbacks ?

Same, can you tell? I will see what I can say...

Henry is using new methods of sensory and mental illusion to keep track of his victims. No more of what we saw in ST4, and music does not work as it usually would. Key words to keep in mind: flashbacks, « false flashbacks », visions, beliefs, and control. For some characters there is a larger tilt toward one of these 5.

For most of the season he is pursuing Holly by pretending to be a new, troubled resident of Hawkins and requiring her assistance. He causes the death of Ted in front of her. Derek, Erica and Karen join the investigation into these interactions and Holly's disappearance.

Will begins to be pursued when Mike, Dustin and Lucas start a separate investigation. It is as if he is a child again, and the only reason we know it is a false flashback is because it blends with reality. This is especially true for a tree Will falls from: visually, it switches.

Henry becomes more attached to the real world the longer that the Upside Down remains exposed to Hawkins, and the longer that he pursues residents. There are multiple sicknesses and attacks from the Upside Down. After a certain point he fully reveals himself as Vecna and kills the majority of the military team who were maintaining the quarantine zone of Hawkins and stunting the main cast.

The Mind Flayer does return and there are 2 plot twists that immediately come to mind but I don't think I can share it. One is a false death or loss though. I also don't think I can share Linda's part in the story. But hopefully some of this stuff about Henry and the Upside Down flashbacks help ଘ( ິ•ᆺ• )ິ