#henderhop

[stfandomconfessions]

El and Dustin should have ended up together instead of her and Mike.

[will80sbyers]

Oh my god what if El made them friendships bracelets with their names 😭😭😭

[thebylertheory]

I hate that the Stranger Things fandom makes people feel like they can only like canon ships. People get ANGRY if you ship something that is not canon, and that is so baffling to me. Sometimes people ship two characters together simply because they think they'd be a cute couple in theory, not because they think they're going to end up together on the show. And that is okay. I need people to realize just how okay that is.

I have a lot of ships that I like. Some are ones that I know will never be canon. And others are ships that I think actually stand a chance of being canon. But guess what, whether or not any of my ships become canon will not stop me from shipping them. I'm going to ship whatever I think is cute and nobody is going to try and make me feel bad for that. I shouldn't have to give you a 50 page document on why I think my ship is going to be canon in order for me to like it.

[helioleti]

(Throws 10 Things I Hate About you Byler/Henderhop AU at you) Join my cult

[stranger-things-yapper]

I can't stop thinking about the possible dynamics of the party if S2/S3 was really the end of the supernatural threat.

Like, I imagine Hopper paying Dustin to tutor El so she's not so taken aback by school subjects in high school.

I imagine Dustin explaining to El what the scientific method is, and El going to the movies to watch romance and romcom films, and putting things together. Seeing how she can approach romance through experimentation, by observing and testing things she sees in movies in real life.

I imagine El deciding to test Mike and see how much he actually likes her, with a simple decision: she stops initiating kisses. Every time she sees Mike, or they are alone together, she decides to never go for the kiss first, to see if he goes for it himself. To see if he ever wants to kiss her, instead of being kissed by her.

I imagine Mike not even being bothered by it. He still holds her when they are together - puts her arm around her shoulders, links arms with her, holds her hand, holds her by the waist - but he never initiates a kiss anymore. Maybe a peck on the lips when he arrives or leaves, but never more. And he doesn't even seem to notice the absence of it.

And I wonder: what if she starts observing Mike and Will from afar? What if she starts seeing things between them that only happen with couples in movies?

And it just starts eating away at her, because she might not even know gay people are a thing, so why does WILL, a FRIEND, gets the heroine treatment from Mike, instead of her, his actual girlfriend?

I imagine El and Dustin spending more time together because of their studies, and El seeing how he talks to and about Suzie. I imagine El looking at the sweet things Lucas does to make Max feel loved.

I imagine El understanding how she hasn't had any of this with Mike for a long time, and reaching the inevitable conclusion.

Mike doesn't love her. At least not how she wants to be loved.

And I imagine her doing what she does best when she's faced with a situation not going her way - confronting it IMMEDIATELY.

She starts a fight with Mike as soon as she understands his feelings. Maybe in the school cafeteria. Maybe during a hangout with the party. In front of Will, in front of everyone. And wreaks absolute havoc. She brings Max and Dustin up, and they have to agree with her because yeah, when she puts it like that, the way Mike treats her IS weird considering she's supposed to be his girlfriend, and Mike SHOULD do better. And Mike feels attacked and ganged up on, so he gets more and more defensive. And it ends in the most chaotic breakup ever, with the party split between consoling El and helping Mike.

I just want El to understand love. And even more so, understand that it is not what she's getting from that relationship.

And I want people to show her what it is like to actually be wanted. How it feels like to be chosen, instead of just being the default option.

[zom61eboy]

the biggest missed opportunity was not making dustin and el a couple

[valentine47287]

[lordystrange]

If Stranger Things was meant to be a basic ”a nerd falls in love with a superpowered girl” story, they would’ve could’ve should’ve written it about Henderhop.

[yourlocalbadgerscales]

Wait guys HENDERHOP MAKES SENSE AND IM SO HERE FOR IT WHOAGH :0

Didn’t even know this was a thing!!

EVEEYONE REBLOG WITH UR FAV HENDERHOP MOMENT IN CANON

[miwiromantics]

I seriously cannot do this anymore!!! I’m crashing outttt

[missmisry]

me to fic writers:

[soniclion92]

This tweet made me think of henderhop :))

[will80sbyers]

Henderhop crumbs 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[kittykat940]

My otps ❤️

[frankenstein-ate-my-left-shoe]

@steddie-week Day 5- Reunion / exes to lovers or getting back together

i'm challenging myself to keep each of these at 660 words; see day one for more of an explanation!

"Dude, seriously, what’s so importan—”

Oh shit.

“Oh fuckin’ hell Dustin, seriously?”

Steve takes a moment to take him in.

The years have been good to him; his hair is still long, pulled back into a bun for the occasion, and the white streak of hair that mirrors Steve’s cuts across the left side of his head.

The door clicks shut, and he and Eddie Munson are in the same room together for the first time in years. 

Eddie’s eyes lock with his for a fraction of a second and snap away in the next. “Seriously Dustin? Look, I love you man, but this is too mu—”

“Both of you just shut up and listen to me. I love you guys, but you need to get over your shit now.”

“We don’t have any shit.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Steve confirms in a croak.

“Bull.” 

Steve finally manages to look at Dustin, his gaze having taken an avoidant trip around the room; his arms are crossed across his chest, a frown on his face. “No, really, we just aren’t… we’re not..”

“We just never got along Dusty, Steve and I are just too different, alright? It’s not going to get in the way of you and El’s special day or whatever.”

“Bull.” Dustin repeats.

“C’mon Dusty, I don’t want to do this right now—”

“I know you two were a thing.”

...

What?

“What?!” Steve and Eddie say in unison, Eddie continuing with “Where in the hell’d you get that idea?”

Dustin’s eyes roll so hard his head follows, “Oh come off it; you two were inseparable for a good year after everything, and you’re right, you were too different, that’s why we all noticed when you were joined at the hip. Or should I say joined at the dick.”

“...That’s not how it works.”

Steve whirls on Eddie, “That’s what you’re concerned about?”

“If he's gonna roast us he should do it properly!”

“You—”

“Alright!” Dustin cuts him off (again), giving each of them a glare then turning to the door. “You two stay here and figure it the fuck out, you hear me? I’ll be back in an hour.”

He’s just about to close the door when his head pokes back in, “And for the love of god, take a shower if you touch butts.”

The door clicks closed loudly, the sound of the lock engaging even louder.

Steve sighs, “Listen, Eddie–”

“I don’t have anything to say to you.”

He turns to glare at his ex, “Well I have something to say to you, asshole.”

Eddie rolls his eyes and his shoulders ruck up closer to his ears, but he doesn’t look like he’ll interrupt again.

“I was going to tell you that day, y’know. But you didn’t–” he clears the lump from his throat, “I’m sure you thought it’d be better, huh? A clean break?”

Eddie’s shoulders hike higher, his arms cross over his torso.

“Well, I waited. And waited. Then called Robin. Cried… a lot. I was devastated.”

“Is that what you wanted to tell me? How miserable I made you?

“No.. well, kinda, but no. What I wanted to tell you was that I love you.”

Eddie makes a wounded noise, but Steve continues.

“I wanted to say it to you then, but I’d be lying if I said I didn't want to say it to you again now.”

That does it; Eddie’s head snaps up to look at him. “You loved–”

“I still love you, Eddie Munson. And you don’t have to say it back, I don’t know if you ever felt the same w—”

Kissing him again is like coming home.

“You were–” Eddie says when they separate, cutting off when Steve pulls him in again.

“I was going to, yeah.” another kiss, “I wanted the real thing with you, Eddie. I wanted everything. I want everything.”

Eddie grins against the next press of Steve’s lips.

They end up needing to use the shower.

i love a 'steddie exes reunion at one or multiple of the kids' weddings' trope

on AO3 here!

[stranger-things-yapper]

Henderhop headcanons go!!!

Dustin making the effort to help El understand what she likes and doesn't like since she's been in a lab her whole childhood.

Dustin competing with Max to see who shows something to El first. Lucas keeps their score, and they keep inventing more and more niche things to show El.

Dustin taking El to see romance movies so they can gush about the plot, and complain when characters make dumb decisions or miscommunicate.

Dustin showing El the My Little Pony cartoon so she can join his conversations with Erica about it. El becoming even more annoying with friendship phrases after it.

Dustin asking Steve if he can show El how to play basketball just to see if she likes it, and getting dragged into the game as well because Steve will not risk getting beat by a girl in a one-on-one.

Dustin asking Eddie and Robin if they can show El how to play some instruments, and if they have some music to show her besides what plays on TV. Both Eddie and Robin being appalled by El's music taste and each other's.

Bonus: Jonathan getting very annoyed at Dustin for not asking him to show El some music, too, and just sitting El down next to his stereo so she can hear what "real music" is like. El understanding that sometimes it's good to cry to music, it makes her feel better.