#erica bullying everyone is one of the best things in stranger things

[flowers-that-sing]

im going to be SO normal about my rewatch of stranger things s3. SO normal.

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things Erica The Great Review

Warning: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from this graphic novel, as well as from Season 4 of Stranger Things!

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things reviews, and let me know what your thoughts/theories are about the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things "The Game Master" and "Erica's Quest"

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Stranger Things Kamchatka

Synopsis: Following the events of season 3, Erica has embraced her love for Dungeons & Dragons and begins organizing campaigns centered around her new D&D character: Erica The Great. At the suggestion of her mom, she enlists her friends to play the game with her. However, Erica's attempts to control D&D cause her friends to turn on her with disastrous results. Now it's up to Erica to fix things before everyone ends up in trouble.

Observations:

This is the third graphic novel since Zombie Boys and The Bully, and it's once again penned by Greg Pak, this time alongside Danny Lore. Released on January 26, 2022 (four months before season 4 premiered), it serves as an interquel between when Erica was first given the D&D books by Dustin and Lucas at the end of season 3, and when she substitutes for Lucas at Hellfire Club in the season 4 premiere. The graphic novel chronicles one of her D&D campaigns with her friends (Kelly, Tanya, and April). Compared to comics/graphic novels like Kamchatka or Into the Fire which were dark and intense, this one is light-hearted, which is welcoming. This story focuses on Erica's personal development, both in how she plays D&D, and as a person.

When it comes to discussing character development in the series, most of the fan discourse usually centers around Steve's growth and how he's evolved since the show began. While I 100% agree that he has, and that it's one of the best aspects of the show, there are times fans tend to overlook other characters who have changed as well. Two examples that come to mind are Lucas and Erica. I will cover Lucas's development when I review Lucas on the Line, but for this discussion, I'm focusing exclusively on Erica.

Erica's growth has been interesting, and as she's evolved as a character, so has my perception of her. When she was introduced in season 2, I didn't care much for her. IMO, she came off as little more than a bratty younger sister who made disdainful remarks about Lucas and his friends, and at one point (unintentionally) acted as a hindrance when Dustin was trying to get in contact with Lucas. I know there are fans who loved her snark, but I found it mean-spirited and off-putting. I get she was 9-10 years old at the time, and I know some kids tend to act like this at that age, but it doesn't make it any more pleasant to deal with. It also doesn't help she didn't have much to do with the main plot, so I didn't see a reason at the time to get invested in her.

Season 3 was different. I know fan opinions about Erica were mixed at the time, but in spite of that, I liked her better in season 3 for two reasons: 1.) From a narrative perspective, she actually had a point for being there, namely in helping Steve, Robin, and Dustin infiltrate the Russian base underneath Starcourt Mall, and later aiding Dustin in rescuing a drugged Robin and Steve. 2.) This was the season Erica's character development started to kick in. Her reasons for getting involved were initially about "Free Ice Cream for Life," but once things go horribly wrong and she's informed about what's really going on, she finally realizes the danger everyone is in and starts taking the situation a lot more seriously. On top of that, after her talk with Dustin about how she's secretly a nerd, she begins embracing that aspect of herself rather than snidely putting it down like she's done in the past.

Season 4 is where I liked Erica the most. The sequence of her helping to win Eddie's D&D campaign was fun, and it's noteworthy she didn't have to be bribed by Mike and Dustin either. She aided them because she loves the game and she see herself as Dustin's friend. As she tells Jason later when he's asking about Dustin: "Know him? I've bled with him." She still retains her snark, but it's more directed towards people who actually deserve it: Like when Eddie acts condescending towards her initially when she shows up at Hellfire Club, or even some of the barbs she throws Jason's way. This exchange especially is golden:

I love how a.) Erica clearly likes Max and approves of her relationship with Lucas, and b.) Even if she is being snarky here, she's not disapproving of the idea of Lucas going out with guys, but thinks Lucas could do so much better than Jason. 😂

Jokes aside though, I also appreciate how, in an entire room full of adults who were silent and complicit during Jason's speech at the town hall, she is the only one who wasn't afraid to stand up to Jason and call bullshit at his attempts to paint the Hellfire Club as a Satanic cult responsible for every bad thing happening in Hawkins. She knew this was going to turn into a lynch mob that would target her brother and his friends, and she was having none of it.

Initially, she does throw shade at Lucas and Dustin when they're caught by the police and lie about what they're doing, but when she's informed about what's actually going on, she willingly drops everything to help them escape (and judging by her unsurprised look at Lucas's explanation, she probably already figured out the recent deaths, combined with Lucas and Dustin's suspicious behavior, had something to do with the Upside Down). She later does everything she can to stop Vecna along with the rest of the group, and helped save Max's life (following El restarting her heart) by getting emergency respondents there to stabilize Max's condition before it got worse.

Adding on to this, I love how season 4 subtly shows Erica caring about Lucas without the constant snide jabs. Like Erica coming to all of Lucas's basketball games on her own accord (minus the one she missed for Hellfire Club). Or staying in the hospital with Lucas while Max recovers. Or even rushing to Lucas's aid after overpowering Andy. Lucas on the Line also expands on her protective side towards Lucas, such as getting angry when Lucas gets called a racist slur by someone on the basketball team, or even being worried for Lucas when he's made the target of a bomb threat at school.

In Stranger Things tradition, Erica is someone who appears one way on the surface, but has a lot more hidden depths to her character.

This brings me to the interquel Erica The Great: Much like the short story "Erica's Quest," Erica is still developing her skills as a D&D player at this time, and is looking for people to play with her. The story kicks off when her mom suggests inviting her friends to do a campaign despite their unfamiliarity with D&D.

Her friends eventually agree, but problems arise when they have a hard time understanding how the game is played. Erica doesn't help by being impatient and dismissive when they question things. There's also the fact Erica is more interested initially in getting the glory and credit for herself rather than genuinely wanting to work with her friends, resulting in them feeling inconvenienced.

Naturally, this pisses Tanya off, and she leaves to get her mom's bird (a parakeet) to show off to April and Kelly as a way of one-upping Erica. A fight breaks out between them over this, resulting in the parakeet getting loose and flying next door to the house of Erica's neighbor, Miss Dorothy.

Because she knows Tanya will get in trouble with her mother for losing the bird, Erica agrees to get it back for her, all the while dealing with Miss Dorothy's dog and a bunch of other obstacles.

If you've followed along to this point, you can already guess what kind of story this is, and how it plays out: Main character starts out selfish and self-centered. Catastrophe occurs, forcing them to work with others to solve the problem. Through trial and error, they eventually learn the value of teamwork, acknowledge their faults, and grow as a person.

While the plot itself is formulaic, it works here for Erica in bridging parts of her character development. Not only is she learning to be a better player and Dungeon Master, but she's also learning to be a better friend to those around her. She was already beginning to show signs of this towards the end of season 3, and season 4 acts as the culmination of that. This graphic novel shows the big leap forward for her. She's starting to shed her "It's All About Me" attitude while also taking responsibility and learning that it's okay to rely on others for assistance instead of doing everything on your own.

On top of that, regardless of whether or not this was intentional from the writers, I like how the graphic novel serves as a nice deconstruction of the "Mary Sue/Author's Self-Insert" archetypes and how obnoxious they are. The character Erica creates and uses in D&D initially resembles that: She's presented as perfect in the game with no meaningful flaws she has to work through. She's naturally great at everything she does, and both the game's narration and her "companions" are just there to prop her up. Rather than making her look awesome, it just makes her character an uninteresting scene-stealer. This contrasts hard with Erica outside of the game where she's called out for her flaws, works through them, strengthens her friendship with the other girls as a result, and likely takes what she's learned and applies it to the game to make "Erica The Great" a better written and more compelling character. By the end, she's even giving her friends the chance to add their own spin to their D&D campaign because she recognizes it's important for them to try out their fun ideas.

And I get that through all of this, Erica's still a kid who's around 10-11 years old at this time, and that certain levels of being self-centered are expected. I even get creating fantasy worlds at that age where you're the main character of your story, who does everything perfectly and is constantly hailed for your amazing accomplishments. I did the same thing myself when I was growing up, so I recognize I'm not in a position to judge others on that account. However, in the context of this story, it's still nice seeing that growth from Erica.

Something else that's fun is how the quest to get the parakeet back is viewed through Erica's imagination as a D&D adventure. From Erica's perspective, the parakeet is a fiery Phoenix, Miss Dorothy is a mysterious witch, and her dog is a Cerberus. You can tell the artists had a lot of fun with these scenes:

I also love the small detail of Erica starting her D&D Campaign at "Starcourt Tavern," which is fittingly symbolic for the place where her story and first encounter with elements from the Upside Down began:

One tiny question I have though: Where is Tina in all of this? She's been repeatedly name-dropped by Erica and Lucas in seasons 3 and 4, and yet she hasn't made any appearance on the show or in this graphic novel. We get Kelly, Tanya, and April, but we don't get Tina.

Oh well! 🤷

On a final note, in regards to where they take Erica's story in season 5, I'm wondering if she and Lucas will spend most of their time together for the last season as they deal with Vecna's impending invasion. The ominous ending for season 4 certainly suggests that:

Since Erica's also in the hospital with Max at this time, I wonder if she might even have a role in resuscitating Max from her current coma.

Additionally, I also believe that since the comics and season 4 placed a heavy emphasis on Erica's skills and knowledge as a D&D player, she may end up employing them in a way that brings Vecna's downfall in the final season. There's even an argument to be had that the scene of Erica in "The Hellfire Club" rolling a 20 for the team and defeating the D&D version of Vecna is foreshadowing that she'll have an important role to play in the Party's fight against Vecna.

Overall, a fun graphic novel that does a great job enhancing Erica's continuing character development. Check it out when (and if) you get the chance!

[ginalinettiofficial]

anyways i’m rewatching all the teen & kid scenes in st2, and remembering how i felt when i watched it wayyyyy back when it first came out vs watching it now is WILD

like first of all: they’re all my babies, every single of one of them, i love them all endlessly

secondly, never noticed before how WILD billy was to stalk up to steve at that party no prompting no onscreen reasoning ever given???? one second he’s playing w toilet paper the next he’s fucking naruto running to the hot guy on the other side of the room just to silently glare at him?????? billy r u ok???????

some other things i didn’t notice/remember that feel important now:

- will’s visions are fucking henry creel !!! eyes rolled back in his head and shaking and everything. they really did some cool parallels in s4 to s2 will with vecna’s victims and i’d totally forgot about it by the s4 came around

- always forget that dustin liked max for a second there. poor dustin he can’t catch a break

- erica “just the facts” sinclair look how BABY she is!!!!! she’s so little!!!!!

- billy hargrove wore denim on denim to both his first AND his second day at his new school. legends only

- max: “let’s just try to make the best of a bad situation!” / billy: “what in the goddamn HELL and FUCK did you just say to me?”

- why are there SO many redheads at hawkins high this cannot be a coincidence i’ve never seen so many red headed teenage girls in my LIFE as the minor characters/extras on stranger things. there’s like at LEAST five of them what is UP with that do they have a club???? they have to have a club?????

- billy was there in the bg for that entire fight max and lucas had before she got in the car and he yelled at her to stay away from him which truly is context i 100% never noticed before! like billy didn’t just see her walk away from a random kid looking upset and then yell at her about it, he watched her very obviously fight with and yell at that kid and then walk away w tears in her eyes. doesn’t excuse the very clear implied racism that the duffers just had to shove in there, but it does give a new perspective on that whole car convo

- eddie’s van is at tina’s party i’m not fucking kidding ????????????

- where is the fandom love for that random toga dude at the party!!!!!! “pure fuel” i love you toga kid!!!!!!

- natalia dyer acting her ASS off as drunk nancy i love it

- joyce byers threatening to genuinely murder children for bullying her son, we stan

- max’s FACES god sadie sink is so funny her expressions this entire season are just GOLDEN

- why did dustin have so much baseball gear does dustin play baseball???? give me dustin baseball backstory lore i’m begging

- also fr dustin being the calm stable one in the house vs his nervous wreck of a mother esp when mews went “missing” !!!! like oh, no wonder this kid latched onto steve “i’ll parent anyone” harrington so quickly

- max is SUCH a bad liar and she and billy both know it and it’s hilarious she makes the EXACT same faces when she’s lying about knowing lucas, seeing him at the arcade, and the “talkative mormons” i love her

- i always forget how billy starts off his scene w neil by speaking loudly and with attitude and i think that’s important!!! it’s something we forget often in fic and fandom depictions of the hargrove family dynamic but like. billy is still able to sass like a teenager and raise his voice sometimes and get defensive without being /immediately/ hurt and tbh i think that makes the whole neil thing almost worse !!! it’s at least different than if we pretend that neil’s the type of abuser who is CONSTANTLY blowing up and making everyone walk on eggshells all day long. it seems like he’s more one of those where he HAS good and fair days and then sometimes he’ll just SNAP and TURN and that’s just its own sort of horrible because like…. it’s the false sense of safety it’s the never knowing when the mood is gonna shift it’s the constant testing for boundaries that are ALWAYS shifting, never consistent, never predictable !!!

- i’ll go to my grave believing that when dart approached dustin in the shed he wasn’t gonna try to hurt him at all. poor dart he was just tryna see his buddy!!!! he loved dustin!!!!!

- max telling lucas that billy used to be okay but now he’s just angry all the time and tearing up talking about it really hit home !!! i’ve had family members who i’ve seen be consumed by anger and just. hoh boy actually i think i need a full separate post to talk about this one because it got to me. that whole convo on the roof of the bus does NOT get enough attention

- also the brief dustin/steve/max scene right before that is comedic GOLD and i watched it four times in a row because i was dying

- billy was SO excited to go on his date or wherever the fuck he was going and i WISH there had been SOME context before that moment as to what he was planning to do because it seemed pretty damn important !!!

- jonathan and nancy and murray scenes just kill me that shit is so funny. how was the pull out jonathan

- also billy fully just put cologne on his dick. truly a teenage boy ladies and gents!!!

anyways half of these make me want to write their own post but that’s a dump of most of my big thoughts so far. haven’t rewatched ep 8 yet so ofc will also have feelings to share on that but yea. stranger things 2 what a TIME!!!!!

[luvingspence]

stranger things volume 2 spoilers!!

i am mourning and will never recover.

eddie munson, my beloved, you were too good for hawkins. the fact that he is gonna be remembered as a murderous cult leader and not the good, funny, heroic guy that he was actually kills me STOP </3

also lucas screaming ‘erica help!’ killed me :( the way his voice just broke, i love him so much he’s too good for this world!!! and max? don’t get me started i was literally screaming and crying

and WILL?? will is totally in love with mike and it hurts me. will talking about being different takes us right back to season one where joyce was talking to hopper about why will was being bullied and it’s so sad. he was literally telling mike everything about how he felt in that car but instead of saying it himself, he was saying it through giving mike advice in regards to eleven. my poor baby :(

dustin? that poor boy, whenever he said he’s gonna take care of everyone when eddie was gone, that must have been the hardest thing for him, i’m just glad he still has steve alive :(

and SPEAKING OF STEVE, i hated the nancy and steve tension. it ruins character development? i love nancy to bits but she was not good to steve and he was not good to her, a huge part of the pivotal points of their characters (especially for steve) was their relationship ending and the duffer brothers tried to bring it back for what😭😭

HOPPER AND EL REUNION! BEST PART!!!!

the ending though? CMON LET THEM BE HAPPY

overall, i thoroughly enjoyed it!!!!

especially jason dying <3

[frog4278]

Hi hello I am here to spread @dawg3i and I's Stranger Things monster AU propaganda

So far the monsters we have are:

Mike - Gargoyle

Will - Wizard (I know he's canonically 'zombie boy' but this works)

Dustin - Gorgon

Lucas - Zombie

Max - Oni

El - Anomaly

Steve - Werewolf

Robin - Werecat

Jonathan - Poltergeist

Nancy - Vampire

Billy - Straight up devil

Eddie - Vampire

Argyle - Kappa

Joyce - Witch

Hopper - Werewolf

Suzie - Possessed dummy doll (Think Slappy)

Jason - Werewolf

Chrissy - Fairy

Angela - Pixie

Dr. Brenner - Warlock

001 and the other lab kids - Anomaly

El's whole anomaly thing is that the anomaly is a hybrid of a bunch of other monsters and some nasty Upside Down stuff. So the anomaly is covered in vines that act as armor and the main body is kinda smokey like the Mind Flayer.

[El's anomaly form. 001's form is more white. The anomaly towers over werewolves and causes mass destruction wherever it goes]

The Party didn't know any of this in s1 of course. They just thought El was a weird bald fairy (She started out as a fairy when she was born prior to becoming an experiment. After she lost her abilities post s3 she had to learn how to actually be a fairy and cue the s4 bullying) Honestly Lucas and Dustin were relieved when she disappeared after going into her anomaly form to defeat the demogorgon because what the fuck

Mike, after El disappears: EL WHERE DID YOU GO

Lucas: Maybe this was for the better uhahah whatthefuckwasthat

Dustin: nonoyeahhhhaaha I think this is for the best

Other misc notes because this whole post is a mess. Dustin wears a hat because of his snake hair and he's tried to turn Ted to stone multiple times bc he keeps forgetting Ted is already stone (Ted's also a gargoyle). Gargoyle Mike. Mock. Or Rike. Dustin names all of his snakes and names one of them Dart for honor. Mike says he can totally use his wings but he's a filthy liar. He’s like totally able to fly he just can’t right now cause of reasons. Shut up. Vampires can go out into the sun and moonlight by wearing certain rings made by witches/wizards/basically any magic handler (Think Vampire Diaries). The Wheelers got theirs from the Byers and Eddie was able to get fashionable ones. Erica's the type of zombie that will crawl on walls n shit. Lucas’ bed is just. A bed of dirt and a tombstone. A tombstone with a single Micheal Jordan poster taped to the headstone. Fairy Chrissy has those cottagecore vibes.

Pre s1 Steve and s1 Steve would take any moment to shift into his wolf form. It was an ego protector and a huge thing to show off his strength and intimidate people. But then Jonathan (A fucking ghost) put his ego in place and made him tone down on the shifting. It made Steve realize that no matter what there's something bigger and worse than him that can kill him.

Anyways s2 Steve was very clear about changing every now and then for specific purposes or emergencies. Cue Dustin going "Holy shit can I PLEASE see your wolf form please please please" and Steve's like "shut the fuck up"

None of the kids had seen his wolf form so they kinda always pestered him about it. During the demodog standoff he didn't even change then, only making his arms go halfway for strength purposes. During his fight with Billy, he only changed when Billy started attacking the kids. He WOULD'VE won if Billy hadn't had silver brass knuckles. Billy almost murdered him. Steve now has burn mark esque face scars from Billy's silver brass knuckles.

Jason is like s1 Steve and transforms all the time. Jason’s wolf form is unusually smaller. People don’t know much werewolves so there’s nothing to compare to and everyone just thinks he's huge but in reality Steve’s form is like 7ft while Jason's is 6'3".

In The Party and Hellfire's DnD games humans just have extensive lore since they're so uncommon in their world. They all have overpowered humansonas.

Will is the most naturally 'human' looking out all of them except for maybe the vampires. His inhuman features are stuff like pure purple eyes, claws, pointed ears, purple scales, and that thing evil characters have where there's black stuff on their hands and feet. That but purple and not evil. He also has that on the tips of his ears.

Steve's type is just. Vampires. I can't blame him. Even when Eddie and Nancy are in their bat forms Steve and Robin go heart eyes. Their tails wag whenever Eddie or Nancy enters the room. They try to hide it but it never works. They lean up against a wall when they walk in and they don’t say anything but they have a silent understanding. The way Robin finds out about Steve’s little crush is when Eddie and him are talking at Family Video and his tail is going 90mph. Steve finds out about Robin's crush on Nancy when he starts noticing that she has a death grip on her tail only when she’s talking to her. She blames it on anxiety or just a fidget like chewing your nails but they both know she’s a terrible liar. Also stuff like her ears perking up when Nancy's talking, her pupils widening, and purring.

Will is just a little guy. A lad. He can fulfill his life long dream of casting fireball. Joyce mentors him in his magic.

[There he is!]

Vampires probably can't smoke weed so RIP Eddie I guess. Pixies have simpler wings than fairies, like a translucent color. Fairies got them patterned pretty ones. Angela lowkey has a boring look but don't tell her that or she'll kill you. Pixies and fairies also carry around magic Tinker Bell style.

Gargoyle Mike cannot win a fight despite being a literally chunk of stone. He just freezes up. He has no idea what to do other than tackle. After he tackles you he tries to put on as much dead weight as he can. Just render them down until they give up. During his fight with Billy in s3 at the pool Billy chucks him through the wall. Possessed demon beats the shit out of a living boulder.

Max, just witnessing Mike get thrown through a fucking wall: a

Every time Dustin comes across a wild snake he wants to adopt it. It is his now. It just follows him home and everyone has to deal with it.

Lucas: Dustin can you like. Not bring those in here

Dustin, wrangling like four or more snakes in his arms: Oh wow. Okay so this isn’t a safe space

The Castle Byers scene. Oh boy. You know how in ianowt Sydney got overwhelmed and she just like. Screamed into the forest and shit blew tf up around her. Will does that. He just sits there in the rain as Castle Byers turns to rubble

Aight that's all we have for now bye

Oh and here's some art by dawg3i go reblog all of their stuff right now

[doverstar]

Maybe I'm dumb (?) but I still don't get why Eddie didn't like Jason? Like, we never seen Jason bullying him or anything. Actually, he is the one who provoked and, as you said, Jason only got violent when he had to deal with a very hard situation, so I doubt that he left his gold boy image before Chrissy's death. (Not defending Jason by the way)

Hi! You're not dumb! Good point. I guess the assumption that Eddie didn't like Jason came from two things: the cafeteria scene and the Munson Doctrine dialogue. It's easy to understand why Jason didn't like Eddie. But Eddie's antagonism seemed all bias. Now, he turned out to be right about Jason being a jerk underneath all the prep, but the assumption is, again, that they were mutually bullying toward one another. Jason calling Eddie "freak" in front of the whole school, shouting it, shows he's not afraid to be totally rude to Eddie. Maybe because everyone at school doesn't like Eddie, so it's safe for his reputation to insult him. Jason's the school hero, Eddie's the school villain. Yeah, in the one scene we saw, Eddie provoked Jason. But that kind of implies to the viewer that the two of them have crossed warpaths before. Eddie is supposed to have an obvious mental stigma around jocks and rich kids, but no more than Jason and the rest of the school have an obvious stigma surrounding Eddie and his friends. I think it's a mutual dislike based on completely contrasting personalities. Also a lot of people like to sprinkle in the idea that they both like the same girl. And that's super enticing, and it actually would be believable if Eddie had confirmed been crushing on Chrissy quietly since middle school, and there's Jason, everything Eddie despises, dating Chrissy. That makes the cafeteria scene hit differently and I enjoy speculating about that, but-

There's no confirmation of that, so I'm not gonna put that much into it. I think if Eddie has a baby crush on Chrissy, a back-burner crush like I've described him having before, then that just definitely wouldn't help his already-present animosity towards Jason. Jason is everything Eddie doesn't like. Eddie is everything Jason doesn't like. On the surface. If Eddie got to know Jason, he might see Jason is driven and has a code of morals and tries to take care of his own. Jason might see that Eddie is the same way. They have that in common. But they're teenage boys, and they can both be jerks, and they have a lot of pride. The difference between the two is that when Eddie is proven wrong about a presupposition of his, he gives in and recognizes he was wrong. (Erica in D&D, Steve Harrington in general, Nancy Wheeler with guns in her bedroom, Chrissy not being mean and scary.) Jason can't handle being wrong and refuses to accept it, even if it means he's gonna shoot a freshman over it. Between the two, Eddie definitely seems like the better person, despite appearances, but that's Stranger Things' M.O. People are people underneath, regardless of how it looks. You're seeing everyone's life through a keyhole; no one is just how they appear. I don't think Eddie ever assumed Jason was that violent person that he became after Chrissy died, no. I think Eddie assumed Jason was just a token popular rich-kid jerk. And he turned out to be correct, in a way. Jason's life circumstances led him to believe he was always right, and that made him dangerous and horrible to people in the end. Eddie already knew the guy was proud. That pride just became volatile when something crazy happened in his life. So yeah, that's why I think Eddie disliked Jason. It's simple-ish, I guess? I mean, you shouldn't assume things about people; you should believe the best about them with some natural instinctual caution. But in this case, Eddie was right to dislike Jason. Just not for the right reasons. In my opinion!

Gosh I love these asks-

[tiktaalic]

Genuinely suspect they’ll kill one fan favorite main character in like the last season though and I doubt it will be a minority (I think the duffers realize that’s be a bad look) so Lucas, Erica, Will, Robin, and probably Dustin (idk if when writing him they consider him a disabled character or not especially since he’s not actively getting bullied about it now) are safe. Max and hopper already “died” recently so they’re safe. Nancy’s good because if she dies who will date boy? If they were going to kill jonathan I think they would have done it already bc no one would have cared.

I’m pretty sure that leaves Joyce, Steve, and El…

I can’t see it being Joyce for whatever reason. Maybe it’s because she is the biggest name actress in the show she is the 80s and her and hopper are the “best” couple on the show (uncontroversial, no rivals, adults so they have the best chance of going the distance) and killing her would really only make her kids sad, which yes now includes El who is Stranger Things but like. Lucas, Dustin, Steve etc will just be like “wow that sucks guys sorry about your mom”. Hopper mourning Joyce would just be a rehash of her mourning him which would kind of blow but stranger things CAN BE repetitive.

Steve would be a good bet because he’s tied to all the kids more or less, it’s resolve the love triangle they just re stressed so it’d impact all the older teens (except Jonathan maybe I’m unclear if they’re friends) and the adults would feel bad since he’s a young guy even if they don’t have much of a dynamic. But then the two biggest characters they’ve killed so far are “Steve but if he was truly an asshole” and “guy we wrote to have the same emotional impact as Steve dying” so killing him would be the same old, same old. Stranger things is a bad enough show that I suspect they might do it, but I’m not convinced it’ll definitely happen.

El though. El is the stranger thing. El was supposed to die in season one to wrap things up in a nice little bow before they decided to drag the show on to milk it dry. I can 100% see the show ending with her death because “it was always the plan” and/or “with her gone things can finally be normal” and it’d be the ultimate sacrifice narratively since she’s the main character, she’s connected to everyone (except maybe Robin, Steve, and Erica) so big emotional impact! And how else can she kill villains that she already failed to defeat? Not that I ascribe to these thoughts necessarily but I’m sure this would be the reasoning behind it. And somehow I feel like killing her would be less controversial, obsessed fandom wise, than Steve. He’s just some guy by stans love some guys. But there’s also no reason they can’t both die but like you said. Allergic to killing main characters

All of this is because they kill people for emotional impact as opposed to plot necessity

So I think there’s like. A 50% chance el literally dies midway through the last ep or whatever and in that case (and ONLY that case) byler happens and it’s the worst canonization of a gay relationship. Ever I think

Nothing to add to this I think it stands on its own.

[fadeintoyou1993]

how about Nancy?

one aspect about them i love: i love her intelligence and her whole arc of like. coming into her own bc of something she felt strongly about IDK i just think she deserves the world and shes a lesbianl idk. UGH like u just know shes gonna b an iconic fuckin bitch good for her <3 shes gon change the world! also i LOVE when smart girls are mean and i LOVE when nancy is on her bully shit! ALSOO the fact that nancy is literally The Older Sister of stranger things just says SO MUCH about her character #tome so literally this may be my most loved aspect of her like. To sum it up. She is the older sister. lKFJLJF

one aspect i wish more people understood about them: SHES TRYING HER BEST OK AND SHES SO SMART AND CAPABLE AND ICONIC AND TOUGH AND BRAVE LIKE YALL ARE SOOO MEAN AND ANNOYING!! ppl who called her a bad friend cos they liked barb SAUR much like im so sorry idgaf bout barb and the way yall treated #mygirlnance back in s1 made me Not give af about barb HARDER!!! anyways nancy wheeler hive fr fr fr

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have about this character: she is neurodivergent BC EYEEE said so, shes OCD - she might b autistic too fuck it! she is now cos i said it. SHES. GAY <3 umm she wants to smooch robin buckley <3 and she hates her brother mike wheeler (affectionately).

one character i love seeing them interact with: ROBIN. and mike KLFJSDFJ and nancy w the kids honestly. HER AND DUSTIN UGHJSF also pls give me more max x nancy i need it so desperately...

one character i wish they would interact with/interact with more: literally anyone BUT jonathan at this point like girl HELPPP sfldkf this season is such a breath of FUCKIN AIR....... her and robin god SO TRUE so true soooo true. i also rly love her and steve's dynamic as it is NOW more than i did when they were tg bc im obsessed w the whole We On God Got Divorced At 17 vibes like KJFSLJSDF. also her and mike bc they are #so real as a gay older sister who fucking hates her gay younger brother but would also kill for him.... like i get them.

one (or more) headcanon(s) i have that involve them and one other character: SHE AND ROBIN ARE #GOING #TO #KISS !!!!!!!!!! nancy and erica and robin and max would probably start a book club or sumn. or they just get together to talk abt how much smarter they are than everyone else . nancy helps eddie w his exams. U FUCKIN KNOWWW eddie gettin that diploma!!! and also she wants to smooch robin

[okaydyke]

list of things I don't like about stranger things because I'm grumpy

season 1: not a whole lot. - the duffer brothers are not very good at writing bullies. their bullies are annoying to watch and I've never felt any sense of danger when they're around. when mike is about to jump off that cliff? I don't buy any of that. give me a henry bowers writing his fucking initials on a kid's stomach, don't give me a bully that just makes a couple of mean jokes and expect me to believe he'd force mike to jump off a cliff. that kid would be scared his mom would ground him. - also not a huge fan of nancy not really having a personality until after barb dies. I get that that's kinda what they were going for, but I'm not a fan.

season 2: - I get that the narrative they were going for had eleven separated from the group, but wHY - eleven has barely had any fucking contact with real life people, but put another girl in front of the boy she likes and she'll be jealous. wtf was that for? stupid as hell and I hate it. - season 1 had three groups: kids, teens and adults. and that was enough. el going on her own just didn't work and slowed the way thing off. will and mike going with the adults while the other kids are doing their own things works well enough, but the most enjoyable parts of the season are always when everyone's working together, and the writers just seem to not want to go there for some reason. - not even gonna talk about the el traveling episode. that was bad.

season 3: - it turns out that I also don't think the duffers are good at comedy. the beginning of season 3 has a lighter mood that didn't really blend well with the actual plot, so when episode 4 comes along and things start happening I'm...confused. - also why four fucking episodes of set up? - season 1 had a lot of "hopper punching people and getting too easily into government facilities" but here they raise that to a 100 and it takes me out a little bit too. - what I hate most about this season is: hopper. every fucking thing he does is played for a joke. hopper wanting to break up el and mike? HILARIOUS. hopper being mad at joyce for not going on a date with him (????????wtf????)? WOW FUNNY AS HELL GUYS I love hopper, but so many of those things felt out of character and it makes it harder to enjoy the rest. - they also don't know what to do with nancy and jonathan this season. those two only work for the plot and don't have a whole lot of emotional motivation for anything happening this time around, even though they had a Tough Time in season 2. no, that's all behind, they're 100% fine. - the more comedic timing works well for robin/steve/dustin I guess.

season 4: here we fucking go - let's say I like the hawkins story and that's mostly it - I'm actually incredibly fucking mad about the way they treat eleven. the whole thing with angela and the bullying in school felt cheap, not entertaining, and ridiculous. this kid was truly raised in a lab, and they think her being bullied is the best story they can come up with? the fact that they chose to get el back in the lab, only to give us a villain origin story, and then proceed to go on with the story like it wouldn't affect this fucking kid is fucking absurd as well. - this season the character that forgot about their previous trauma is will. now he's only gay with a crush in his best friend and that's all there is. - mike is so out of character it almost made it seem like they were going to make will x mike happen, which is hilarious. 10/10 one of the weirdest writing I've ever witnessed. - listen, they have to know that they made a plot driven show and not a hangout one. but they keep adding people to the cast, and giving too much time to side characters that are not as interesting as they think they are, and wHY!!!!!!!!!!!!! - lucas and erica being the only people attacked by the racist boys..............I know these writers are white but christ, this was bad - most things with the hawkins gang (except for them tying to make nancy x steve a thing again) works so well. they can't look at the other subplots and think they work just as well. it's just not possible. it can't be I think I'm done. bye

[suckerfordylansstuff]

Stranger Things 4 thoughts (SPOILERS)

ALRIGHT! Now that I've finally finished the new season of Stranger Things (my family didn't want to cooperate at all) and I've had some time to process everything, I want to share my thoughts.

I have to be honest, I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped. Sure there were a lot of exciting moments (like seeing papa alive), but some things felt.. forced? Or they didn't give much attention to them.

What I loved about season 3 was how great the Duffer Brothers were to have four-three different storylines AND making it work perfectly. None of the groups felt overlooked or overdone, it was the perfect balance between the characters, their emotions and their goasl and it was awesome to see how everything connects and how all the groups together can work with one another at the end. I haven't felt that with this season yet.

I guess that the groups maybe will meet up in the upside down, at least that's what I hope for tbh, but I haven't seen some build up for anything. Maybe they're saving the most important things for the last two episodes, idk.

Now let's talk about the groups. Imma start with everyone's favourite couple, Hopper and Joyce and of course our karate kid, Murray. Their plot was by far my favourite. It was so interesting to see Hopper in Russia, his hope slowly fading away, but then gaining it immediately back the moment his eyes landed on Joyce. Plus, her and Murray were so funny and so chaotic, I love them.

Now for Jonathan, Will, Mike and Argyle. I wanted to see more. It didn't feel like much, but I did enjoy their moments together. Argyle is super funny and Jonathan is adorable when he is high. Mike is well Mike and Will needs to accept himself and talk to Mike about his crush on him (also about them forgetting his birthday, yikes). I like how they kind of point out Mike's lost feelings for Eleven, idk if we will have an actual chance with Mike and Will, but I don't believe that mileven is going to last much longer. That or Mike has commitment issues, since he can't write I love you, because he did say it in season 3.

(Also, Suzie's house is a nuthouse.)

I guess it rans in the Wheeler family, because the Wheeler's this season have been confusing af. Nancy what is happening? Why is there unwanted tension between you and Steve. Why is everyone around them pushing the two together? We had a whole plot point about how Nancy and Jonathan are best for eachother and how much they cared for one another in season 3 despite their arguement and now what? We just going to throw all that away? I cannot tell you how excited I was to see those two combine forces together as friends, but they had to ruin that for us with shit that doesn't even make sense. Nancy deserves so much more than making her character fight between two boys.

What I got from this whole plot was that Nancy started seeing Steve in another light, because she's scared that Jonathan might be pulling away from her. Sure, writers have her be worried about that, but the answer here is communication, not cheating. Steve better make her remember the reason why they broke up, if they don't I'll hate everyone.

Moving on. Dustin is awesome as always. I love Lucas. We need more of Erica. Max has SERVED this season. Eddie is hilarious. Robin was nice (in some points a little annoying but I still love her). Steve is the love of my life (that scene with the bats had me on the floor). These new bullies annoy the living crap out of me. Plus, Eleven needs to have some peace for longer than a year for the love of god!

I'm not really sure how I feel about vecna.. yeah he's terrifying, but this humane approach to the upside down makes me fear that they will pull a riverdale and I'd hate to see that happening with one of my favourite series.

Overall I both liked and disliked this season for many and different reason, but I still have hope for the last two episodes. Sorry if this is too long, but thank you if you beared with my thoughts till the end!

[thesaunatest]

breaking down the new leak bc i havent seen NEARLY ENOUGH discussion. ill also be ranking each section with how likely i think it is of actually happen, with 0 being impossible and 10 being confirmed

according to the leaker, these are the titles of the episodes. im going to give this a 4/10 just because these dont fit the vibe of stranger things, and dont even really mesh together the way episode titles have in the other seasons. plus, they changed the season 3 episode titles after they were announced, so other than ‘the hellfire club’ i dont think anything is set in stone

well no shit. we’ve already seen the calendar from inside the school, plus their clothes fit with spring 10/10 this is happening

i will give this a 6 because i do think we will get continuous flashbacks from hopper, but i dont think he lost his memory from brain washing. i just dont think that would fit with the flow of the series

this one was actually funny bc what the fuck is a weed addict. im fully on board with the theory that the byers moved to california, fully believe jonathan is a habitual smoker through argyle, and it would make sense for el to be getting bullied. i actually think will fits in better in california than he did in hawkins, and if the casting rumors are true about them looking for teenage boys for hockey extras, maybe will is on the team. thats a longggg maybe, so i give this theory an 8

yeah. this was a giveaway from the news clip at the end of season 3, in the same way that owen’s speech to nancy and jonathan in season 2 was a giveaway to season 3. i give it a 10

if it takes place in the 85/86 school year then yeah, the timeline of grades adds up. everything about eddie checks out, we already know mike and lucas are on the club, and based off of jasons audition tape, id be pretty sure that lucas is on the basketball team, although i do think the track team will have some relevance to the plot. and poor max :((((, it checks out with mrs kelly’s audition tape. i give this one a 9

yes, will’s birthday is attached to spring break, maybe he invited everyone???? idk, i get that the party would want to have a reunion but realistically why would he invite everyone??? i doubt they would have enough space for all of them, plus i dont think we’ve ever seen will talk to max. also, would karen really leave holly behind?? would ted really be okay with that??? i love the idea of karen having a bigger role but its just not realistic. its more likely that nancy and mike were planning on going on their own, nancy has to back out last minute, and mike argues that it isnt fair for him to miss the trip because of nancy, so they let him go alone. i really dont see jancy as the couple to break up and then get back together so if theyre over, theyre over and i dont think they would break up with a whole season left. lucas and max..... yeah they break up. no clue if theyll get back together or not. will is not coming out as asexual, he would come out as gay if anything. and there go my robin/kali dreams. mike and el are not having an implied sex scene. that is not happening. all of lucas’ subplot seems likely. i give this one a 5

yes this is extremely likely. 9.

not the best look for stranger things to have 8 new men written into the plot, while all the new girls get killed off. oh well, the all male writers room strikes again. i guess they had to make steve fit into the plot somehow. also, how would they be together at first when theyre split in 3 different locations at first????? and wouldnt they all get together in the end when joyce and murray bring hopper back from hawkins??? giving this a 5

and why would erica do that???? this just doesnt make any sense to me because everyone who is fully aware of the events is part of the main cast, and not even all of the main cast know. itjust doent make sense for erica to do that, i just dont see it happening. as for steve and dustin, yeah obviously. 5

continuing this in part 2

[thegayhimbo]

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons Review

WARNING: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from this comic and Season 4 of Stranger Things!

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things "The Game Master" and "Erica's Quest"

Synopsis: Taking place before and during seasons 1-3, this comic chronicles the origins of The Party, their discovery of D&D, how the game impacted their lives, and how their shared love for fantasy and adventure allowed them to bond.

Observations:

Fantasy has always been appealing to me since I was a kid: The idea of creating worlds with your own characters, creatures, mythology, and story. The idea of universes out there more extraordinary and unique compared to the one we live in. The idea your imagination can bring some semblance of peace and security to your life. I know this and have lived through it. Even 27 years later, despite becoming more cynical and jaded through trauma and bitter experiences, I will always understand those who use fantasy to confront the harshness of the real world. It's why Mike's words hit home for me when he's telling the bookstore owner about why he's interested in D&D and wants to spend money on it:

"It really is like a war. We just want to fight on our own terms." Isn't that how we all feel at times? Some days, you're trying to survive the chaos of life, while other days involve you making choices between what is right and what is easy. Some days, everything is a shit-show, and you're trying to find something to keep you motivated. Some days, you have to deal with truly vile people and accept that they exist whether you like it or not. We all fight battles of some kind. We all have different ways of coping with how cold and indifferent reality can be. We all crave some sense of control in our lives.

For Mike and his friends, D&D provided that. Not only did it allow them to process their world easier, but it also gave them a sense of liberation from how oppressive the (as Eddie would put it) "forced conformity" of their society is. It's their world, and it's where they are the masters of their own destinies.

Now I'll admit I never really got into D&D. Both my brother and my college roommates tried to rope me into the game, and at the time I didn't have the patience for it. However, I do understand its appeal, and respect how it's a game for both kids and adults that forms friendships and can be a fun, shared experience for everyone. Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons is not only a story of how D&D influenced each member of the Party, but also a love letter to both the show and the game itself.

The artwork for this comic is incredible and some of the best I've seen so far. I love the drawings of the various D&D campaigns and the creative designs for the creatures the group encounters during their travels.

I also love how each campaign either draws upon the Party's experiences from school and their daily lives, or from the trauma they've endured since their encounters with the horrors of the Upside Down:

That last part is significant because at one point in the comic, Mike seriously questions whether or not D&D has any real meaning for him or his friends following his first meeting with the Demogorgon and the revelation that monsters exist:

Just like in the short story "The Game Master," Nancy is the one who comforts Mike during his crisis. She helps him realize that even though things can't go back to the way they were after everything that's happened, he still has his friends, and what made D&D valuable to them in the first place (aside from it being a means of dealing with the world around them) is that it brought and kept them together as companions.

Nancy recognizes the value D&D has to Mike. It's why she dressed up as an Elf for his Elder Tree Campaign all those years ago, and it's why she still encourages him despite his doubts.

(Side Note: I've always enjoyed the sibling dynamic Nancy and Mike have, and I'm praying season 5 includes more interactions between the two of them).

Speaking of which, this comic does a great job cementing the importance of D&D to Mike and Will's relationship. Mike is the one who introduced Will to D&D and even coined the nickname "Will the Wise" for him:

On top of that, in a deeply heartwarming moment, Mike goes out of his way to craft a specific campaign for Will following Will's rescue from the Upside Down. He knows Will is struggling and scared due to what happened to him, and works to help Will feel better and regain his confidence by giving him the opportunity to be a hero again. As Mike explains to Nancy:

This even extends to Mike handing over the role of Dungeon Master to Will by the time Max and El join The Party:

I know it's pretty common these days in the fandom to bash Mike for being insensitive and oblivious, but moments like these demonstrate he is capable of putting thought and effort into helping and encouraging his friends and loved ones. A big reason Will is passionate about D&D is because Mike inspired Will to embrace his talent and imagination. Will isn't likely to ever forget that.

Another aspect I enjoyed was getting to see how Mike, Will, and Lucas met Dustin. Back in season 1, Dustin remarks that he didn't become friends with them until around 4th grade, and the comic elaborates more on the circumstances of their meeting:

Turns out D&D appealed to Dustin's love for math and probabilities. There's also how he expressed interest in the game and didn't belittle it like Mike's other classmates did. Dustin is a curious person after all, and is more interested in figuring out how something works instead of dismissing it like other people do when they can't understand it.

Finally, there's Lucas's interest in D&D. At the beginning of the comic, when he and Mike are hiding from Troy and James, they go into a bookstore where they see the owner has created a display of The Battle of Waterloo, which is something that impresses Lucas:

There is the possibility I'm reading too much into this, but Lucas's comment about his dad's service in Vietnam and his refusal to talk about it makes me wonder if Lucas's interest in D&D isn't just because of the fantasy-adventure elements, but because it's his way of trying to understand what his dad went through during the war. The game has those battles between good and evil, as well as teaching people about making tough choices and relying on your companions when the going gets tough. Lucas is smart enough to piece things together, and even if his dad was reluctant to talk about Vietnam, he may have figured out aspects of that war based on what he was taught in school and whatever small details he could have picked up from his family.

Mike talks about how D&D for him is about fighting a war on his own terms, and the same goes for Lucas.

But it goes beyond that: D&D gave the boys memories to cherish, and the means to not feel alone while growing up:

Something else I want to discuss are the dates presented in the comic:

I don't know what information (if any) that Jody Houser or Dark Horse Comics were given about season 4 when this comic was written (which came out in late 2020/early 2021), but I find it to be a pretty big coincidence that the date Mike and Lucas discover D&D for the first time is on September 8th, 1980, which is exactly one year after the Massacre at Hawkins Lab took place and El banished Henry/One/Vecna to the Upside Down.

We also find out Mike's birthday is on April 7th, 1971. Granted, this is what the comic presents as his birthday, so I don't know if it's his actual birthday on the show. Regardless, it's still a cool detail.

And this was the gift Mike's friends gave him on his 10th birthday:

Finally, there's the last D&D campaign the Party plays in 1985 before El and Will leave Hawkins for Lenora. On the surface, there are callbacks to season 2, with Will's character in the game getting taken over by an evil entity (similar to how he was possessed by the Mind Flayer) and the Party having to work together to save him:

The big difference is while Will was able to be rescued in season 2, his character dies tragically in the game:

Again, I'm not saying the comic creators have any foreknowledge of what's going to occur in the final season, but I've been firm in believing that one or more main characters will end up dead before season 5 is over. I did a post a while back speculating that Mike was marked for death (and giving my reasoning for why), but I also wonder if it could also be Will, especially because of Vecna's creepy interest in him. There's a connection between the two of them the show hasn't fully explained yet, and (as I talked about in my review of Stranger Things The Other Side), I've seen fans on social media note the parallels between Vecna and Will and speculate on the idea of Will possibly turning evil in the last season. I'm skeptical of that happening (mostly because of the backlash the Duffer Brothers would face for it), but I do question what Will's fate will be in the final season. For what it's worth, Ross Duffer mentioned in an interview that Will's arc in season 5 will tie the whole series together, so make of that what you're able to.

There's also the final battle:

I remember the vision Vecna shows Nancy in season 4: A dark cloud spreading over Hawkins. Downtown on fire. Dead soldiers. A creature with a giant gaping mouth. An army of monsters invading. The death of her family (including Mike). Most of this is likely foreshadowing for what's to come. Just like the Party faces down an army of demons in their final game, they will also be facing down Vecna's army of monsters in the final season.

But in spite of how bad circumstances get, the one thing I trust is the Party will still have each other to rely on. I will be sad to see them all of them go once the show is over.

Overall, a solid comic and one of my personal favorites. I highly recommend it.

Coming Soon: Stranger Things Kamchatka Review

[giveamadeuschohisownmovie]

So, I re-watched Stranger Things and I have a couple of things to say...

It’s not really a huge deal to say that there are too many characters on the show. The fandom has pointed this out multiple times, it’s nothing new. But after re-watching all 3 seasons, it’s occurred to me that not only are there too many characters on the show, certain characters could’ve been cut out in favor of developing several established characters.

Let’s start with our good old trash man, Billy Hargrove.

Issues with the quality of his character writing aside, I want to make the argument that Billy was unnecessary for the show. Why? Because we already had two high school bullies established in season 1 that could’ve been in his place; Tommy H and Carol. Are you telling me that it was too much of a stretch to break up Billy Hargrove’s arc and give it to Tommy and Carol? 

Think about it. Season 1 ended with Tommy and Carol turning on Steve and going their separate ways. Right there, the show could’ve used that split as the start of Tommy and Carol’s villain arc in season 2. Instead of this random guy from California trying to take over Hawkins High, it’s Tommy H and Carol, who used to serve under the previous king, Steve. The story practically writes itself as there’s already a motivation behind Tommy and Carol wanting to destroy Steve’s reputation; they think he’s weak for getting beat up by Jonathan and losing Nancy, plus they are envious of his popularity and status. You can even say that they’ve been plotting to go against Steve since the beginning. 

Well, all that said, what about Max? How does she fit in with this rewrite? She’s Billy’s sister and she’s an important character to the pre-teen storyline, you can’t just write her out. Well, my answer to that is...why not just write Max as either Tommy H or Carol’s younger sister? You don’t see Tommy or Carol’s family life in season 1 so it’s not a huge stretch to say, “Oh yeah, Tommy or Carol have a younger sister”. Maybe Tommy or Carol’s single parent married Max’s single parent, just like Billy and Max’s relationship in the show. That’s not a hard retcon to make.

Lastly, Billy’s arc just feels more complete when given to Tommy H and Carol. Because instead of a random guy trying to seize power, it’s Steve’s former best friends. The conflict is far more personal and just works better for dramatic tension and Steve’s character development. 

(Also, another thing. If both Tommy H and Carol are possessed by the Mind Flayer, we can cut out another character; Heather. There, we’ve already managed to trim the cast down to a more manageable size) 

Alright, that’s Billy. Now, another character that I think could’ve been cut, and I know this will be a very controversial pick...Robin Buckley. Before you yell at me, let’s break down what Robin’s purpose was in season 3:

1) In juxtaposition to Steve Harrington, Robin was the band geek social outcast in high school. Part of her character arc in season 3 was to contrast Steve, the popular guy. 

2) Be the intelligent investigator who always calls Steve out on his bullshit. She also takes the lead in the Soviet storyline and you can argue that she was the lead of the Scoops Troops group.

3) Be really sassy and insult every character in the show. She’s not doing this out of malice, that’s just a character quirk.

Now, with all that said...why couldn’t Nancy, Jonathan, and Erica fill in those categories?

1) Jonathan Byers --> High school social outcast who hated the popular crowd (aside from Nancy)

2) Nancy Wheeler --> It’s already established that she’s intelligent and that she can take the lead in investigating (her entire arc in season 2 was collecting evidence on the CIA). At times, she’s the one leading the high school storyline.

3) Erica Sinclair --> really sassy and insults everyone on the show, namely her brother. She’s already in the Scoops Troops storyline already, it’s not that big of a stretch to just have her take over insulting duties. 

In the actual season 3, I distinctly remember that Nancy and Jonathan’s story arc was criticized for being meaningless to the overall story and that the journalism subplot didn’t really go anywhere. Well, since that’s the case, why not drop the journalism subplot and pair Nancy and Jonathan up with Steve again? You know...since they have a long running history? Instead of using screentime to build up a new main character, you can now use that screentime to develop the characters you already established. 

Okay, I’m gonna stop the post here. I don’t actually think season 3 was terrible but it’s pretty average when compared to the previous seasons. Hopefully, the too-many-characters problem is noticed by the Duffer brothers going into season 4 but only time will tell. 

[toongrrl-blog]

Pink Power Rankings (Pt. 1)

Hi I am here to look at famous pink outfits in film and TV history and figure out: is pink a power color for this character? I choose to leave out obvious ones like Pink Power Ranger because, duh it’s in her name and this is gonna be a long list. Also avoiding real-life figures and onscreen depictions of real life figures because keeping it short (and I don’t have the time)

Pictured above are the bridesmaids at First Daughter Luci Baines Johnson’s wedding in the 1960s. 

Mimi Tachikawa

She is the most obvious pick from Digimon and the girl most decked out in pink. To paraphrase this video from The Take: there was once a show about a strange world beyond our own, somehow a group of preteens were pulled into this world not of their accord, including a young 10 year old girl. Along with her friends they were exposed to the elements and fought monsters out to harm them, she was sexually harassed by two clearly adult digimon, uncomfortable with the elements, often had to put up with toxic masculine BS, and was often snarked at by the story and even some of her own friends for being so girly and into pink. Of course some audiences and the story were overcome with sympathy with this girl pulled away from a familiar world...

Just kidding! They weren’t and some audiences even gave her a lot of shit and this has only been recently examined. For a while Mimi Tachikawa had a problem that seemed to be well known by a lot of female characters, like Carmella Soprano, Betty and Megan Draper, Margaret Sterling, and yes Skyler White. Put a flawed, complicated woman character alongside more charismatic (and male) characters and she will be disliked (despite the audience being more likely to be she than the menfolk held up as icons). 

This is sad because looking back, Mimi was truly a badass all along: she sticks up for herself, speaks up for herself, she is unapologetic about her love of pink and girly things, she is quick to tell guys when they are getting in her space, she’s honest, she lets Tanemon go on and fight with only a sincere question if she really is going to while the others hold their Digimon down, she stands up against the Numemon who were harassing her and her friends, and she was funny as hell. Sadly it took a long while for fans to grow up but many of us, especially girls, reclaimed her as our own. It also helped that Mimi came before girly icons like Elle Woods, Leslie Knope, and Joan Holloway and also before the boom in Gen X and Millennial women contributing to comedy and starting their own stand-up specials and movies and TV.

Power Ranking: 10, all because she held her own, no matter the haters and was glad to see us no matter how odd. 

Karen Wheeler

Another complicated lady, this time older and from the 1980s. This is Karen Wheeler of Hawkins, Indiana whose children are off on their own adventure. She is trying to tap into her sexual power here. It’s dicey because the man in question is a young man and she is a unhappily married affluent housewife in the suburbs; she agrees to meet him at the motel for “private swimming lessons” and does herself up in a way inappropriate for swimming lessons (in Scarlet Letter Red to boot!), only to be stopped by the sight of her lazy husband sleeping on the Laz-E-Boy with their youngest child Holly on his chest. This season sees Karen open up to her two older children over the patriarchy and saying goodbye to a best friend and girlfriend after confessing his love for her.

Power Ranking: 6, because her sexual power was on shaky ground and only based on her looks and attention from a man but she shows some character development that season. 

Nancy Wheeler

This look was a game changer, but Nancy is no stranger to pink and preppiness. Here she is wearing an outfit that recalls the postwar “Boyfriend Shirt” from Brooks Brothers for the female collegiate set and it’s updated with long loose but pinned hair and designer (or mock) jeans. In this outfit she goes monster hunting with her younger brother Mike’s best friend’s older brother and Nancy’s classmate, Jonathon Byers and squares off with slut-shaming police officers and a mother who chastises her for lying about her whereabouts and losing her virginity while Nancy’s best friend Barb Holland is missing and she also tells off boyfriend Steve for trying to cover his ass by not participating in the police investigation. This is the look (which can easily double as office wear) when you want to go straight from school where you have an impeccable GPA to monster hunting in your neck of the woods to find the whereabouts of your best friend and for fighting the patriarchy. 

Power Ranking: 8, this is a girl on the move as we can see with her rolled up sleeves. 

Eleven

The Iconic Look, the look where she made a boy wet his pants, found two missing kids, broke a bully’s arm. The Polly Flinders dress would alter the way we see girls in dainty pastel pink dresses. 

Power Ranking: 10, can you do all that without touching someone?

Barb Holland

The most tragic look for this was the sweater that Barbara Holland (1967-1983) wore when she was taken by the Demogorgan and killed. This was the look where she was the recipient of a wet willie from a boy who looked down on her and her best friend who was dating his popular friend, the look where she accompanied her best friend reluctantly to the popular boy’s party, and where her friend turned her back on her concerns. This is the look of a passive and traditional (to her detriment) femininity. She did gain a huge following who cried foul over her fate. 

Power Ranking: 4, points up for the fandom and devotion but she wasn’t empowered. 

Erica Sinclair

That was depressing, let’s go to the girl who embodies America: Hawkins resident wise-ass, the girl who kept her observations and words as tight as her corn rows, and her planning as precise as her perfectly well done baby hairs (Black readers, feel free to correct me as I document her fabulousness), My Little Pony nerd and Economics wonk, and American Heroine. Erica sassed her way into Stranger Things with a raised eyebrow and a lusciously girly girl wardrobe that stands out and fits in with her Midwestern environment. She’s no stranger to pink and she commands attention and the best service at Scoops Ahoy and manages to get several ice cream dishes for free (the most elaborate ones) before getting in on finding the secret Soviet military base. Girlfriend manages to deal with teenage shenanigans, assassins, creatures from another world, near-death experiences, almost being captured by foreign enemies and the most awkward sing-a-long ever. She doesn’t seem to have lost her child-appropriate enthusiasm for games even when telling off old balding men for getting her age right.

Power Ranking: 10, you can’t spell America without Erica

Joan Holloway

Pink is an appropriate color for the resident femme intellectual of Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, it shows that Joan is willing to defy “the rules” of fashion for redheads (she also wears red) and it ties into her 1950s persona of the bombshell who is trying to get married to a man who’d move her out to the upper-middle class suburbs and she wouldn’t have to work. That was Joan at the beginning: over time she started to own her natural independent streak and her willingness to buck expectations of her based on her gender and looks but also deals with the same men who ogle her, disrespecting her intellect, her hard work ethic, and even her body (fuck you Greg Harris). In this fuchsia number (still in the pink family), she sets up a luncheon with a colleague (Peggy Olson) where she pitches the idea of them setting up a production company with their names, while Peggy didn’t take, Joan starts her own “Holloway & Harris” with her babysitter and mother. Sealing her end as a strong, productive, independent woman who learned to own herself as she was. 

Power Ranking: 10, men may like scarves but women like not being tethered to men. 

Betty Draper Francis

Meet Elizabeth Hofstadt Francis and her ex-husband Don Draper (actually Dick Whitman), for about 10 years of marriage, they have enjoyed a union where they looked like a couple right out of a magazine, he being a square jawed handsome self-made man with an athletic build who often is compared to old-school movie stars like Tyrone Power or Clark Gable or Cary Grant and she, a beautiful model from a wealthy family in the Main Line area of Philadelphia who studied anthropology at Bryn Mawr and speaks fluent Italian and is often compared to Grace Kelly (and other Hitchcock Blondes). But the interior of their perfect colonial in the suburbs hid an ugly reality where she suffered from ennui and was a brat to her kids while he gaslighted and cheated on her with other women, more modern women, like she wasn’t enough. Eventually she found out his true identity and floored that she had been living a lie and gave up her last name for an imposter, she divorced him and married a man she met at her husband’s work function. 

About three years later, Don is happily married with a younger and much more modern woman (Megan Draper) while Betty is married to a man who loves and accepts her even at her worst but to her chagrin has put on a lot of weight (a blow to a former model who grew up being raised that weight gain or being fat was the worst thing a woman could be) and she hasn’t dealt with her unhappiness in a productive manner. 

For a while well into 1968, she accepted the extra pounds (although looking like she lost some) and coming middle-age and even dyed her hair black, until her new husband tells her he plans to run for office and as he was excitedly recounting what is to be done, says “Everyone will see you” not knowing that his young, vain wife would read this scenario differently and after assessing her new look to an old evening gown of her’s, she sped up her weight loss and returned to her slim and blonde look that turned heads. Soon she takes a drive to her son’s summer camp and runs into her ex-husband and they feel the old spark and sleep together; it is there she tells him that he as a lover is different than him as a husband and admits about the young wife she looked down on, “That Poor Girl, she doesn’t know that loving you is the worst thing to get to you”. Next morning she has breakfast with her new husband, who is none the wiser, while Don heads back to the city. But is Betty really happy?

Power Ranking: 7, not satisfied but has received some closure about her relationship with her ex-husband. 

Sally Draper

This is Sally in her birthday party dress. On that day her father built her a pastel colored playhouse, Mother prepared treats for the adults and kids for her birthday party, she and her friends played out their parents’ (admittedly shitty) marriages at the playhouse, her father goes out to get her birthday cake from the bakery and returns only with a golden retriever named Polly, while her unhappy mother fumes about her husband doing something shitty and humiliating and not being allowed to ream him out because he brought a dog and that makes him the good guy. 

Power Ranking: 5, she gets a dog but is still young and dependent on her messy parents. 

Rachel Menken

Meet Rachel Menken Katz, running into her ex Don Draper while he is out with his latest mistress and she with her husband Tilden Katz. She would end this series as dying from cancer after having two young children and running her father’s department store and instead of flowers, requesting that donations be made for a Jewish hospital in the Jell-O Belt. In 1960 she fell in love with an ad man who proved to have been miserable and having lost his mother during his birth, as she did, she also competed in what was called “a man’s world” at a time when women were relegated to assistant roles at best and she split from him when he wants to run away with her, mostly because he wants to run away from his issues and not because of his feelings for her. As her sister Barbara said, “she had everything”.

Power Ranking: 8, she ends up dying young but she manages to “have it all”. 

Megan Draper

Meet Megan Calvet, later to become Megan Draper. How does she become the next Mrs. Draper? At this timeline, Don Draper is dealing with life after divorcing Betty Draper (now Francis) and is trying (and failing) to quit alcohol and trying to date the intelligent, warm, no-nonsense, and close-to-his-age Dr. Faye Miller. But that night Megan, who noticed she caught her boss’s eye, decides to make the moves and in a uncharacteristically demure (many fans thought she looked frumpy here) but at worst basic outfit, she sleeps with him. This is the outfit for a quickie that later won his heart and has him pop the question and she becomes part of Creative at their work. But is this really for the best?

Power Ranking: 7, she married Don Draper but then again she married Don Draper. 

Peggy Olson

Meet Peggy Olson, who officially walked away from the things holding her back from feeling at ease with herself and her choices. After a whole season where the priest impressed by her skills has learned that Peggy had a child out of wedlock and put him up for adoption and starts pressuring her to admit her “sin” while Peggy would rather move on with her life, she tells him they don’t see eye to eye and walks away from the Catholic Church and while the Cuban Missile Crisis is going on, she lays down in her bed with the pink comforter and pillows with her pink floral nightgown, she lays herself down to sleep and prays with a contented look on her face.

Power Ranking: 9, she’s not fully absolved of the issues plaguing her but refusing to wear a hairshirt and beat herself up? Awesome. 

Dawn Chambers

Meet Dawn Chambers, from 1966-1968, she was the only black person (let alone black secretary) at the uber-white Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce (pun intended for the decor) and like many minorities in positions occupied by less marginalized people, Dawn had to keep her head low and not stand out (despite some co-workers considering her as remarkable as a sore thumb). But then in 1968, she made the mistake of punching in for a co-worker and they get caught by Joan Holloway (and it’s so horrid, thank God Don Draper intervened on Dawn’s behalf and Pete reminds them of how the ad agencies are being looked at for their minority quotas). This was also the season where Dawn took to wearing blazers over her blouses and skirts or dresses and here Dawn is wearing a conservative grey blazer over a pink shirt with ruffles down the front and a red plaid skirt when her work life alters for the...better? It is there that Joan sternly gives her the promotion of keeper of the keys, title not pay, and Dawn tells her that she decided she doesn’t care whether other people in the office hate her but she doesn’t want to disappoint Joan, who withholds any warmth or approval. The next season we see Dawn stand up to a entitled and mediocre white man (Lou Avery) and first she is moved to reception and then she takes over Joan’s post as Office Manager (With her own office! And the salary!) while Joan goes upstairs to her own office in Accounts. 

Power Ranking: 10, this is a big fucking deal for a Black Woman in a mostly-White corporate setting during the 1960s. 

Trudy Campbell

1970, Trudy Vogel Campbell has remarried her estranged husband Pete and they are moving out to Wichita, Kansas with their young daughter Tammy where he will work a plush job for Lear Jet (and they are being flown out by them!). 

For the past ten years, Trudy and Pete have had a difficult marriage where he was dissatisfied with the choices he made and that he really didn’t want to marry her, and Trudy had to deal with being a woman with fertility issues at a time when motherhood was seen as a primary goal for women and women who didn’t have kids or chose not to were seen as weird at best. They had to deal with pressure from her father to adopt, his parents snotty issues, she had to deal with her husband’s attitude, his envy of others, and his cheating. But Trudy laid her boundaries and was able to stand up to her husband, without losing her gracious manner and her zest for society. She tried to be a supportive wife and she found some common ground with him, when it comes to common decency and politics, and they make an amazing pair on the dance floor. 

Then came the end after their divorce: they behave more amicably, he’s more involved with their young daughter, he fights for Trudy, and he gives an amazing pitch for her to come back. She takes him back but lets him know that she isn’t the same girl he married a decade before and she looks at things for how they are. 

Plus she is gonna rule Wichita!

Power Ranking: 8, she accepts there will be compromises but states her boundaries and has them met and will be a society wife. 

Elle Woods

Who shows up in court in LA hot sandals, a pink tote bag for her canine companion Bruiser, long glossy hair, and a curve-hugging but professional power dress in shocking pink? Elle Woods. After trying hard to be taken seriously by her fuckboi ex Warner and her snotty, neutral toned Harvard classmates and learning that her Professor got her in an internship for a important lawcase (where they defend her fellow Sorority Sister) just for her looks, she leans into both her natural intelligence, expertise, and love of pink and all things girly to defend her friend and solve the case. 

Also can we talk about how both Legally Blonde and Bridget Jones’s Diary are both movies where the attractive blonde protagonist is humiliated by showing up for a costume party in a Playboy Bunny costume under false pretenses and she deals with sexual harassment and being underestimated regarding her intellect? But LB ages better because it kinda pokes fun at the beauty myth more and is more inter-sectional and Elle finds supportive women to add to her posse of supportive sisters and she supports other women in turn.

Power Ranking: 10, Sisterhood and owning your personality quirks and interests and boldly defending others is always a win. Case Dismissed. 

Lorelei Lee

The ultimate Pink Power icon and the one who set the path for all femme-y and cute loving blonde protagonists with wit and ambition. This is the song for a woman who sings about how transactional heteronormative relationships in the mid-century were and how the performative actions of men in heterosexual relationships don’t do much to improve women’s lives, like paying the rent and that they would use women for their own uses and could be shallow enough to dump women if they lost their beauty and/or got older, so for insurance make sure you get money or rather things that can be hocked and worn with pride, like diamonds. Tom & Lorenzo covered this in their One Iconic Look series and this sequenced has been spoofed several times in Hey Arnold!, Crazy-Ex Girlfriend, Birds of Prey, and most famously by Madonna, and it is the look for women who not only feel good about their curves but also want to show them off.  As T&Lo said about the ditzy Lorelai and her savvier friend Dorothy Malone (Jane Russell):

These women were all about power, control, and looking out for each other. Men were side stories or play things.

And in the repressive Fifties it was outrageously pink and smelt of female sexual power (pink pussies). 

Power Ranking: 11, hawwwwwwww that’s what you get for having an iconic and referenced look!

Marge Simpson

The most nostalgically remembered outfit in cartoons and the most written about in think pieces and articles by Millennial women who grew up watching The Simpsons and the rest of what the Animation Renaissance had to offer. In “Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield”, the family goes out to the outlet mall in Ogdenville where Marge and Lisa happen upon a beautiful pink Chanel suit that even left my cartoon-apathetic mother enthusiastic and Marge is soon seen by a old high school friend who mistakes her for being wealthy and Marge goes along with the ruse and is invited to Country Club activities with the ladies where she shows up in several talented alterations of her suit (until getting destroyed by Santa’s Little Helper, RIP Iconic suit), she also gives her family a hard time about how they don’t fit into that Country Club Scene and then when forced to see how she hurt them (and even Baby Maggie), turns around and tells them she loves Homer’s sense of humor, Lisa’s compassion and outspoken human rights politics, and just loves Bart (even if she can’t figure what she likes about him). 

This also happens to be another instance where Marge sacrifices a social life (she’s not seen with a lot of friends who have her back, aside from a brief time with Ruth Powers), chances for social mobility, and her own self-improvement for her family. While we love a mother who prioritizes her family’s autonomy, we still kind of hope that she didn’t have to sacrifice her own identity for her family. 

Power Ranking: 8, points for the iconic suit and it’s layered meanings. 

Bridget Jones

A rare move of power for a normally powerless and insecure woman and in a shocking pink blouse and black slacks that show off her hourglass curves and go with her coloring. 

Pink is not a color Bridget isn’t familiar with, especially with this deleted scene that shows her in Pink Passivity (and it looks delicate on a blonde with blue eyes and pale skin but could risk her fading but I as a brunette would look popping!). But here after entering a relationship with Daniel Cleaver (who is a walking red flag) and finding out he was keeping her as his side-ho to his skinny, bitchy American girlfriend and colleague and I have my problems with Bridget Jones as a series (which would take several parts) and I can talk about how Peggy Olson and Joan Holloway were a lot better written versions of her (klutziness and awkwardness but succeeding!). But this is a huge power move where Bridget wears a simple outfit that owns her looks (even being affirmed by a older and previously antagonistic co-worker that she’s actually thinner than the average woman and she can’t back down, like ever) and is able to quit her job for a better and more glamorous job and tell off her ex-boyfriend for how poorly he has treated her. And all her co-workers smile off as she walks off in triumph after telling Daniel she’d rather wipe Saddam Hussein’s ass. I kinda wish I could go Joan Rivers on Daniel here. 

Also points on that bolder shade of pink. 

Power Ranking: 10, no one gets to burn a cheating, manipulative bridge like that (and yes she is conventionally prettier than I but that’s not the point). 

Alice Macray

I know, I should shut my mouth and wear beige but my personal color analysis says I’m a winter person.

It’s an interesting power move, albeit within the confines of patriarchal society and even the only defiance that wouldn’t get her tsked at because she is serving the Male Gaze. And yet it’s a natural part of her characterization in this part of the series: the traditional housewife stubbornly keeping her pedestal and fighting to stall progress for other women pursuing other paths (part of wearing beige and shutting up as Mother of the Groom is to allow the Bride to take center stage) but it’s also a path she had to take what with being a dyslexic in a less informed and intolerant era and growing up in a sheltered, conservative Catholic family. This is also the outfit she wears when she spots a younger wife being forcibly yanked by her husband, alluding that the patriarchy isn’t benevolent. 

This isn’t her first time in pink, or even a pink and blue combination: she wears pink when she goes and gives out bread to defeat the feminists at the Illinois Legislature, she wears pink and blue when Bella Abzug calls on her and her peers’ hypocrisy, she drinks a Pink Lady when she is given a “Christian Pill” and it matches her lavender dress. It’s also ironic: pink, white, and blue are the colors of the Transgender pride flag and she is defending White Heternormative Cisnormative Christian Values TM and it’s also a color combo that shows up in the beauty parlor she frequents where she and her friends wring their hands over working women gaining more ground and feeling that their comfortable privilege is being taken away by women who sully their hands working outside the home while they stay home with their children in their coordinated pastels and have maids of color keep their worlds nice and orderly. 

But she is wearing a pink maxi dress with a high neckline and a very prominent hat that provides very ladylike shade for her fair skin, just like our first Pink Power Girl Mimi Tachikawa, and like Mimi, Alice will take a life-altering short trip to Wonderland. And like Pink Power Girl Eleven, she finds her true hidden power and starts wearing more saturated colors as time goes on. 

Power Ranking: 5, she is on her way to breaking out of her little safe world and doing more than subverting a wedding tradition. 

[letyourcolors]

the oc & stranger things? :)

the oc:

my favorite female character: marissa cooper

my favorite male character: hmm i think ryan atwood

my favorite book/season/etc: i honestly love all of them but, while other seasons have some boring or annoying phases, season 2 is the oc reaching PERFECTION it was really the highlight of the show

my favorite episode (if its a tv show): i haven’t rewatched the show in a long time so i don’t really remember all the episodes specifically. 1x07 was definitely the turning point from ‘okay it’s nice’ to ‘WOWWW i love this show!!!!’. i love 2x14 and 2x15 they are soooo pure jfklsfçdg 3x25 is very very sweet too! and i LOVE the finale!!! it’s such a beautiful way to end their story and i’ll literally cry my eyes out every time i watch it

my favorite cast member: hmm i don’t really know them?? i love olivia wilde who isn’t a regular cast member but i guess it counts

my favorite ship: it’s definitely the core four. i don’t care that much about the romantic dynamics and tbh my favorite couple is probably ryan & taylor which is very unpopular lol

a character I’d die defending: marissa cooper! i’d defend all of them but marissa is the only one who actually needs it because everyone hates her when she has done almost NOTHING WRONG!!!! my baby deserved way better

a character I just can’t sympathize with: well obviously i hate volchock, oliver and trey (marissa honey.... such bad luck). one that i really didn’t like for no reason in specific was summer’s dad?? idk why

a character I grew to love: julie cooper and taylor townsend!!!! when i first knew them i hated them but at the end they were my faves i love them so much

my anti otp: the only time i really hated a ship on this show was when sandy cheated on kirsten with that annoying lady named rebecca i guess? don’t really remember but i hated them very much

stranger things:

my favorite female character: ERICA i’m not kidding i thought she was the best part of season 3 (but i love the other girls too)

my favorite male character: i like the boys! i think my favorite one is lucas because the others are constantly praised by the fandom and for me lucas is an incredibly well constructed character

my favorite book/season/etc: i’m gonna say s3 because it was the most connected to the show i had ever felt and it made me laugh so hard and robin & erica were introduced and ugh FLAWLESS. but they’re all pretty great

my favorite episode (if its a tv show): i don’t know if any episode in particular stands out for me but i love the one where eleven saves mike from the bullies and dustin screams ‘SHE’S OUR FRIEND AND SHE’S CRAZY!’ just bc that moment was so pure!!!! and i also love the one with erica saying ‘you know what i love about america? capitalism’ just to get ice cream for life hfkjslhgs

my favorite cast member: i don’t really follow any of the members :(

my favorite ship: it’s definitely the whole squad (and scoop’s trupe specifically) but romantically i guess it’s jonathan x nancy. i think they’re so cute

a character I’d die defending: hmm i guess robin. i mean she doesn’t need me to defend her from the fandom but if they were all real life people i guess i’d always stand up for her cause she’s perfect

a character I just can’t sympathize with: billy??? and btw what is up with y’all romanticizing him he was a PIECE OF SHIT

a character I grew to love: jonathan byers. i thought he was very creepy the first time i watched the show and didn’t like him at all but i’ve rewatched it this year and omg he’s just so soft how could i ever dislike such a pure heart

my anti otp: i don’t really have one. i mean i don’t ship nancy x steve but i did enjoy them while they were together on s1 so it’s not a notp

thank you for sending me!!!! i had a lot of fun answering fjklsdjgs~ljfkla

[sourwolfstories]

Hey! Can you rec some sterek soulmate! Fics pls? Thank you so much

Marked by Verya

The name of a person’s soulmate appears on their skin, in that person’s handwriting, at the age of twenty. Derek has been wondering for the past several years, what kind of name is Mieczyslaw?

Body Language by LadyMerlin

In an alternate universe, soulmates exist, and they can communicate with each other by writing on their own skin.

The catch? No one knows their soulmates’ name. It could literally be anyone under the sun, and Stiles just doesn’t have that kind of patience.

Ink Me by AsagiStilinski

Derek is never going to find his soulmate, because there’s no way in hell there exists a man named Mieczyslaw in Beacon Hills

Then Erica hires Stiles

Beat by Kalira

Derek’s heartsong isn’t quite normal, but he’s always loved the drumming beat that winds through his dreams. He didn’t expect to find that its origin, his other half, has been waiting right in front of him.

Accidents Happen by pyrrhical (anoyo)

Settling a soul bond was exactly as romantic as the movies made it seem: a simple kiss.

As it so happened, CPR worked, too.

Fate Thinks It’s Funny by AsagiStilinski

In a world where everyone has their soulmate’s first words to them printed on their wrists, Derek and Stiles end up with some of the worst: “Oh God please help” and “Derek” respectively

To be fair, their first meeting is almost as ridiculous as it sounds like it would be

Take My Mind, Take My Pain by LessonsFromMoths

Soulmate AU where you have a black stain where your soulmate is supposed to touch you for the first time and it turns to millions of colors once they do.Stiles was born with a very visible black palm on his cheek.

Three Marks by sanam

“And then there was pain again, but this time it was in only three places—his arm, below his clavicle, and next to his heart, all on the left side. It felt like the skin was being sliced apart, ripped open, flayed off—And suddenly it was done.Derek looked across the room and saw the boy on the floor, looking about as bad as Derek felt.”

Derek and Stiles learn that bonding is probably best done with ridiculous amounts of video games and maybe a little bit of time.

In Name Only by Cobrilee

In a world where no one finds out who their soulmate is until after they get married, Stiles concocts the perfect scheme: marry his long-time client, Derek Hale…

You know. Just to find out who he should be marrying.

There’s no way this could go wrong.

Yeah, Pass The Salt, Stiles by CallieB

Yeah, pass the salt, Stiles.

They’re not particularly inspiring words. Not like the long stream of goo spilling over Scotty’s arm. But somewhere, Stiles’ soulmate is out there, waiting to say them to him.

If only he could stop thinking about the mysterious hot stranger he met in the woods.

A Second Chance at First Impressions by Cobrilee

Derek grew up with the world’s most embarrassing soulmark, which is honestly not the best first impression his soulmate could make. Then he meets the guy, and all of a sudden the soulmark doesn’t matter quite so much after all.

spice up your life! by callunavulgari

“I said,” the girl drawls, setting her elbow down in a saucer of ketchup and grimacing. “That this whole soulmate thing is fucking stupid. You’re supposed to find someone based off of the music they’re listening to? How would you even know what was really stuck in your head and what was in theirs? It’s complete shit.”

Derek, who has had everything from Dancing Queen to the Barney theme song stuck in his head all night, winces, and says abruptly, “I think my soulmate is in middle school.”

Secondhand Soulmate by AnnoyinglyCute, Inell

Not always, not even most of the time, but sometimes – 24% of the time, statistically speaking – people meet their soulmates and live happily ever after.

THIS isn’t that story.

This is the story of Stiles Stilinski, whose soulmate died before he was born. This is the story of all the sorrows and heartache Stiles experienced, all the bullying and oppression from those who should know better but didn’t. This is also the story of the friendships Stiles made along the way, of the battles he fought – and won – and the love that endured through it all.

I Was Present While You Were Unconscious by CharWright5

Stiles had often thought about how he’d meet his soul mate, the literal muscular man of his dreams. He just didn’t ever imagine finding him on Facebook where a friend had shared a news article about a werewolf John Doe in a coma after a car wreck four hours out of town. And he also didn’t expect to bond and fall in love with the guy’s family before ever saying two words to him out loud.

Written in the Stars by Quixoticity

Derek Hale is a lucky guy. He’s got a great family, good friends, and a fulfilling job as a tattoo artist.

He’s also one of the twenty-five per cent of the population born with a soul mark.

He likes his life, but he’s waiting for his soul-match. The odds of meeting them aren’t great but hey, Derek’s a lucky guy. He has faith.

He can’t believe how good his luck really is when one day his soul-match wanders right into his studio, all long limbs and copper eyes. There’s just one problem: Stiles is there to get his soul mark covered up. Permanently.

94%, Dude by eeyore9990

The guy was really too young for the leather daddy aesthetic, but with the leather and the more-beard-than stubble and the eyebrows… Yeah, he was kinda working the hot grumpy leather daddy biker gang leader look.

And Stiles liked it.

***

For the prompt: Sterek soul mark fic wherein marks never match, they just line up perfectly to be a shape.

Marks and Mics by DLanaDHZ

Hale siblings Derek and Laura have been hired to run security for Stiles Stilinski’s music tour. Business as usual, except someone is trying really hard to prove they’re incapable and hurt Stiles. Derek finds himself curious about Stiles’ bitter attitude and a strange illness that plagues the singer. And on top of that, Derek’s soulmate remains elusive.

Worth Waiting For by yodasyoyo

Stiles slumps further in his desk chair, and stares disconsolately out of his bedroom window. Perhaps he should be celebrating. After all, this afternoon a soulmark appeared on his wrist revealing the name of his soulmate.

He has a soulmate.

Fuck. He scrubs one hand across his face.

This is a disaster.

Covered in Fur and (Your) Words by OverMyFreckledBody

People that said that the words on your skin - the first ones from your soulmate - didn’t matter or affect your life were big fat liars. Stiles is one hundred percent sure he wouldn’t have started creating costumes if it weren’t for the words What the hell kind of costume is that? on his arm. He’s also sure that if he never got into the hobby, he would never have met the man who said them.

Model Material by dobrien

Prompt: Soulmates AU where any tattoos one half of the soulmate pairing get show up on the other person’s body. Can be taken in any direction the author wants but no suicide etc.Model/Soulmate AU: Stiles finds out who his soulmate is and he’s willing to do what it takes to meet them, even if that means becoming a model for Alpha Fashion Magazine.

The Possibility of Silence and the Reality of Sound by crossroadswrite

Derek grew up knowing that soulmates are something to be cherished, so when he got a voice in his head, childish thoughts and flashes of color and objects, he’d excitedly jumped on his mother’s bed to tell her. She had smiled, ruffled his hair and told him how she was proud of him, even though Derek hadn’t really done anything.

I’m Lost In You by matildajones

He knows he should move but a part of him still feels paralyzed. He has clear feelings of not being able to move his body, of not being able to even blink.

“Oh my god,” Stiles says, and he clambers to his feet, feeling dizzy. He easily finds a mirror in the room and then the most gorgeous eyes stare back at him. They’re a sea-green instead of the normal brown that he’s used to.

He’s looking at his soulmate.

–

Stiles wakes up in his soulmate’s body, on his twenty-second birthday, with blurry memories of the past year. Derek doesn’t wake up at all.

There’s a cup with his name on it by hellodickspeight

The sight before him is breathtaking. Wide opened whiskey eyes searching above his head, pink lips slightly parted, tongue wetting them as he considers his choice, messy brown hair sticking in every direction, moles dotting a pale skin, Derek can’t wait to ask for his name.

A soulmate AU where people have the first name of their soulmates written on their body.

Of Soulmates, Pseudonyms and Misunderstandings by halcyon1993

Ever since he asked his mother one evening why she had his dad’s name tattooed on the inside of her left wrist, Derek has dreamed of finding his soulmate. There’s only one problem—the name that appears on his wrist on his eighteenth birthday is something he can’t even read.

Soul-Mark by PaigeRhiann

His wolf purrs happily because it has taken eighteen years and getting his family killed to finally discover the name of his promised. The person he’s destined to be with. Or, as Werewolves call it – Mate.

“Genim S.” He repeats

“That’s a really fucking weird name” Laura snorts, turning back to the movie.

“Yeah, it is” he nods.

Connected by readridinghood

After the death of his wife, Stiles finds himself left alone with their three children, struggling to keep from being sucked into a void of grief and despair that her death left him with. Knowing his children are safe in the pack’s arms under Derek’s watchful eyes, he struggles to regain his footing. What do you do when the world keeps tumbling over you and what you’ve thought of as fact no longer holds true? As the world comes back into focus, so does the love for Derek he thought he’d long since conquered and now with his eyes open, what he thought was the end of him, is only a new beginning.A decade after he fell in love with Stiles, countless days of keeping himself restrained while building a friendship with him, Derek finds out with absolute certainty that Stiles is his mate. You only mate once in your life, so how is it that Stiles was mated to Sophia, his wife and mother of his three children, the woman he is grieving the loss of at the same moment that Derek makes his discovery.

An Unpredictable Amount of Turtles by skoosiepants

Stiles says, “I have a five year plan. A five year plan to popularity that will tank the minute I meet this guy.”

“I feel like you’re exaggerating,” Scott says, but Scott has a katana-wielding badass waiting for him at the other end of the rainbow, and Stiles has terrariums.

Or—

A soulmate au with turtles and angst.

Soul McMates by distortedreality

The black script magically inked onto Stiles’ skin at birth declares that the first thing he’ll say to his soulmate is “welcome to McDonalds, how may I help you”.

Stiles’ life was clearly destined to be a fucking joke from the start.

Who’s the Loser Now? by Scavenger

Stiles just expects to run and swim, hopefully come at least third place, and then go home. The universe has other plans.

To Leave A Mark by Fanfiction_is_Literature

Stiles Stilinski was born with a strange mark on his skin that resembled a paw print. No one thought much about it since birthmarks weren’t rare, but Stiles started to notice it change as he got older.

Derek Hale was a rare werewolf: the kind with a soulmark on his skin. But as tragedy struck both him and his mate, his interest dwindled in finding him or her. That is, until he started to notice similar changes from his mark in a certain teenaged boy with an alarming amount of moles.

Or: The Soulmate AU where soulmates are rare and get tattoo-looking marks on their skins that describe their mate.

Sparks (Your Touch) by stilesanderek (minxxx)

Stiles has always dreamed of imprinting. Of touching someone for the first time and feeling his world changing right then and there. Of knowing that that person would love you and be with you until the day you die. And yet nothing could have prepared him for with whom he finally imprints.

Or in which when Stiles gets promoted to detective, he gets a new partner, Laura Hale, with whom he instantly becomes best friend and who he thinks is the most perfect person to step into his life, the only problem being that her brother Derek hates his guts.

Countdown by actingup

0000d 00h 00m 37s

He always imagined meeting his soul mate would take forever; that time would slow down and he would see them walking towards him, he would know without a doubt who it was. It might have been someone he’s seen before but never talked to, or it might be a complete stranger that he never would have guessed. He didn’t imagine it in front of about a hundred people, maybe two-hundred, at a Dolphin show.

soulmates tbh by bleep0bleep

“It’s been five months,” Derek says darkly. “Why am I still getting these proposals? You know these are probably all fake marks.”

Five months since the paparazzi had snapped that photo of him with the overzealous fan tugging at his shirt, five months since millions of people on the Internet realized that the birthmark revealed was in fact, the mark, five months Derek was inundated by claims from people who desperately wanted him to believe that they were his soul-mate.

Soulseeker by alisvolatpropiis

Sighing, Stiles reaches for Derek’s big hands, cradled in his broad lap, his skin lighting up even more at Derek’s touch. He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes, preparing himself to look for Derek’s soulmate. Whoever you are, he thinks, you better be worth him.