#her actively seeking out lucas and dustin and mike’s (and yes! even mike’s)

[astrobei]

maybe my number one stranger things pet peeve is when people write max mayfield like she’s an asshole who hates her friends (especially mike) as if her love for and memories of her friends did not give her the strength to realize she wanted to live. as if her love for her friends didn’t literally save her life.

[givehimthemedicine]

lumax as a premature relationship

first: I don't mean any of this like "the show shouldn't have done it". what I mean is that with lumax, ST is telling the story of a relationship whose flaw (if it can be summarized into just one) is that it happened too soon.

probably out of comparison to milkvan, and the delay of canon byler, lumax gets lauded as the wholesome ship based on true friendship that slowly blossomed into romance. but that's not accurate. Lucas is a good friend to Max, but Max isn't to Lucas, and it certainly wasn't slow.

even platonic lumax should've been a slow simmer but was a speed run

the newly-introduced Max has high walls, which suggests anyone who wants to get close to her will have to take a slow approach. but then before you know it, Lucas is just kinda. in there.

yes, it takes him most of the season to earn Max's trust, which sounds long, but isn't. the first time Lucas and Max ever spoke was Halloween, Wednesday. the arcade I think is Saturday, and the junkyard is the day after that? so she broaches the darkest subject in her life... 4 days after meeting him. with like. zero prompting. "that fog looks cool! btw my parents are divorced and..."

Max's walls are only so high because of how badly she wants to let someone in, so it's understandable that the right person could get in relatively fast. I have no problem with that trope. sucker, in fact. but opening up here was CRAZY for someone with huge trust issues:

you have to be careful who you confide in about abuse because if your confidant mishandles it so that your abuser finds out you told, things could get MUCH worse. she simply doesn't know Lucas well enough to know he won't accidentally put her in more danger (which actually he already did: by following her out of the arcade after she said not to, and again by showing up at her house).

this talk was moments before Max saw a demodog, meaning she's gone along with the supernatural story without any evidence. I'm not criticizing that; she's a kid who likes fantasy, wants friends really bad, and isn't above playing make-believe in order to be included. what bothers me is she confided in Lucas about her abuse BEFORE seeing a shred of proof this entire outing wasn't the elaborate prank she feared it was. in the infinitely more realistic scenario that these boys are just messing with her, and will ditch her after they've had their laugh, this could so easily have led to a much darker situation at home.

the timing of that conversation was so objectively, stupidly unsafe that I'd call it bad writing if it was an isolated incident. but, self-preservation instincts so terrible they can sometimes be better explained as elf-sabotage - that's just classic Max.

romantic lumax seemed kind of forced because as a new kid in town, all Max wanted was friendship

the snow ball is about a month after everything else. Max and Lucas don't seem to be a couple yet. it doesn't even look like they're dates. so to kiss him suddenly felt like another jump way ahead. he sure looked surprised.

I guess a month is a while when you're 13, but the romantic aspect felt rushed to me because the whole season is full of indications that Max only wanted friendship. and that's made super clear by her constant focus on group friendship. her dialogue throughout 2 is consistently group-oriented.

her behavior is too: as of Halloween, Max has Lucas and Dustin in her pocket. if she's crushing on Lucas, or enjoys attention from boys in general, why on earth would she go out on such a limb seeking Mike's acceptance after she already has what she wants?

because that's not what she wants most. she wants to belong to the whole group, like she keeps saying. (I'm going to ramble much more about this theme in another post soon)

Max continues to prioritize friendship / group activities even after lumax becomes a thing

a few examples:

lumax's idea of "romantic time" can include their friends, in contrast to milkvan prioritizing alone time.

Max (and Lucas) drop 1 on 1 time (washing out his eyes is a scene that's an easy kiss opportunity for your standard tv teen couple) in favor of a long trek in the sun to build a radio tower so Dustin can talk to a girl she doesn't believe exists. Max and Lucas do skip off together, but again in contrast to El and Mike who leave early to make out, they only leave because it's time to go home.

^that's the same Max who tagged along and earnestly participated in armoring up a junked schoolbus to fight monsters without any proof.

despite downsizing for trailer living, she kept the Michael Myers mask in memory of the first night she felt like a part of the party.

unlike others who yell for their loved one from the UD, Max calls out for Lucas and Dustin.

her life-saving montage includes many platonic as well as romantic moments.

alright killjoy, if Max only wanted friendship, how's it make sense that SHE initiated all the romantic stuff?

ST is not a universe where grabbing someone's hand in a tense moment is necessarily an indicator of romance. Dustin said he could feel "the electricity" when Lucas and Max held hands on the bus, but then, Dustin also ships stobin.

the kiss, I could actually come closest to calling a writing misstep because.. it wasn't written. it feels forced because it was, as a last-minute unscripted thing - not because the Duffers decided it fit Max's characterization, but purely because they thought it was funny how uncomfortable Sadie was with filming her first kiss. <- this interview is actually so gross.

but, that kiss is canon regardless of how I feel about bts lore, and it fits and it works in the sense that this is the story of a flawed relationship. Max initiated it despite not being ready for it, simply because she thought she was.

Max's childhood fears about bad relationships have made her overeager to prove a good relationship can exist. so the first time a boy is actually kind to her, she's like OH SEE LOVE IS REAL I DONT HAVE TO GROW UP TO BE MY MOM LET'S GOOOO and hurls herself into something she's not mature enough to realize she's too immature to execute well.

if that kiss was so misguided, how's it still Max's happiest memory?

there's no conflict there.

she grew up around terrible relationships and probably feared she was destined for the same, so to find a nice boy like Lucas must have given her such incredible relief and hope. in her young mind, that dance was her happily ever after. you never forget how good a moment like that felt, regardless of how well reality lived up to it.

that said. can I point out that reality hasn't lived up to it?

Max choosing the moment lumax began, as opposed to any moment from the year-and-change of its actual contents... might be less good the more you think about it. like. she doesn't describe this as her favorite memory. she says it's the time she was happiest. in other words, she hasn't been as happy before or since.

that kiss marked lumax's moment of greatest potential, which I think is what made Max so happy. not the relationship she's actually gotten so far.

mmkay and then what do I do about the fact Max STILL wants to date Lucas?

once again, Max is the one who makes things overtly romantic by doodling a picture of them holding hands. but as you may know from my recent lumax diatribe, I don't see how the ship is seaworthy at present.

so the top layer of my interpretation is that Max is still operating under the same ideas that caused her to kiss Lucas in the first place. she's not thinking about how it'll work; she just wants. this is fast-forward Max again. it's a similar moment of hope to the snow ball kiss. romance with Lucas once again looks like her lifeline out of an awful situation.

the layer underneath that is less fluffy:

Max might've accepted this invite in as much an "I might die tonight so it won't hurt to make some lighthearted plans for the future, he did just save my life so why hurt his feelings for no reason" way as anything else. I don't mean her affection is fake. she just might consider the movie date a pipe dream.

consider that her attic monologue happens only a couple minutes after the doodle, and shows that her suicidal ideations are barely behind her. like, the wanting-to-die part is just bait at this point I think, but the deserving-to-die sentiment still feels fresh and sincere.

consider that Max so recently scolded Lucas for assuring her things would work out because that's "never true" in her life... and now here she is drawing a doodle of things working out.

sure, this could be a girl who's thinking "yes!!! ✅ Attending Event! I genuinely expect to be alive, deserving of love, and in the mood for romance this Friday!" but to me, it honestly seems more like a girl thinking "God, I wish."

btw the doodle would've been perfect as the advent of romantic lumax, imo

if lumax had grown slowly out of a healthy mutual friendship, Max really could be ready right here.

imagine: s2, Max earns her place in the party, but to grow especially close friends with Lucas takes a year; the bus talk happens in s3. we can tell their friendship is starting to want to become more. depression interferes in s4. but their bond helps pierce the fog, and they protect each other from Vecna/Jason.

you hit me with the movie doodle after THAT buildup? adorable, precious, showstopping. at that point, that date could've been their happily ever after. <- this is what people think it is already!

lumax is one of many flawed relationships (and that's okay)

another sign that lumax is supposed to be flawed is its place in the larger pattern of flawed relationships: parallels with other characters and ships.

Max and El in particular share a similar stumble into their relationships: both bond with the first boy to treat them with kindness, and throw themselves into a relationship that actually costs them the friendship they should've had with that boy.

and all the party relationships illustrate different friendship/romance progressions:

lumax is the story of a romance that should've been a friendship first/also and isn't going to succeed til it gets this right

byler will be the story of a romance that was a friendship first and will succeed by remaining one also (or so the themes and patterns suggest)

mileven is the story of a romance that should've been a friendship instead.

literally all of ST's relationships, including the endgame romances, have flaws that are intentional and meant to be explored. in fact that's like... most of what the show is. and most fans can readily admit that about all of them, until they get to lumax, which they think is uniquely meant to be perfect and is flawed only in its writing. this view strips lumax from its broader context and ignores many lessons it's there to teach us about ST's overarching themes.

understand: my aim in pointing out lumax's flaws is not to persuade anyone to enjoy it less or stop shipping it!

flaws don't mean you aren't allowed to like a thing. if anything, it makes them way more interesting to discuss, and more compelling to root for/against. we don't have to pretend our characters are perfect in order to enjoy, ship, and learn from them.

more on all this coming soon in another post exploring different types of love in the Max plot!

[thepokyone]

Finding Eleven Pt. 9

Pairing: Billy Hargrove x Reader

Content/Warnings: angst; violence; language

Words: 2564

A/N: So Billy is in this chapter. Finally. Things are happening, and I dropped canon like it’s hot, so there’s that. Anyway, enjoy!

Series Masterlist

Part 9: Benched

“It’s not like it was before,” Hopper said, all of you gathered around as he had discussed what he had seen at the gate. “It’s grown. A lot. And I mean, that’s considering we can even get in there. That place is crawling with those dogs.”

“Demodogs,” Dustin interrupted.

Hopper raised his eyebrows. “I’m sorry, what?”

“It’s demogorgon and dog mashed together,” You said, before Dustin could rehash the whole thing again. “Moving on.”

“Uh, right,” Hopper said, shaking his head. “As I was saying-”

“I can do it,” El said quietly.

“You’re not hearing me,” Hopper said. And as much as you agreed with him, you knew she was right. It was the only way.

The resolve was clear in her voice. “I’m hearing you. I can do it.”

Though her eyes still slid to you, seeking your approval. You gave her a tiny nod, feeling warmth curl in your stomach at the realization that it was your permission, not Hopper’s, that she wanted, even after all this time.

“Even if El can, there’s still another problem.” Mike’s voice cut through your silent conversation. “If the brain dies, the body dies.”

“I thought that was the whole point,” Max said.

“Will is part of the body,” You said.

Mike nodded. “And if we’re right, and El closing the gate kills the Mind Flayer’s army…”

“Will dies too,” Lucas finished.

You leaned back, running a hand through your hair. “There has to be a way to separate Will from the Mind Flayer.”

“You’ve done it,” Joyce said, staring at you. “How did you do it?”

“Force of will, mostly. But Will could never do it. Even with my gifts, it was like he was pressing shards of ice into my brain,” You said, frowning. “It’s too risky for me to try and free Will, I couldn’t do it. I barely held the Mind Flayer off the first time. There has to be another way.”

“I want to see him,” El said, breaking the troubled silence that followed.

“Okay, sweetheart. Sure, you can see him,” Joyce said, she and Jonathan leading the way to his room. It was frigid, a chill crawling it’s way up your spine. After your experience with the Mind Flayer, you never wanted to feel cold again.

“He likes it cold.” Joyce’s voice was soft, but it was enough to break you out of your thoughts.

“What?” Hopper asked. He clearly wasn’t following.

“It’s what Will kept saying to me. He likes it cold. We keep giving it what it wants!” Joyce exclaimed. “When you tried to bring Will back, Y/N, you said it tried to take over your mind instead. Like shards of ice?”

“And hot water was what helped me beat it back,” You said slowly, comprehension dawning on your face.

Nancy, too, had caught on. “If this is a virus, and Will is the host, then…”

“We need to make the host uninhabitable,” Jonathan finished.

“So if he likes it cold…” Nancy continued.

Once again, she was cut off - this time by Joyce. “Then we need to burn it out of him.”

“We have to do it somewhere he doesn’t know this time,” Mike said.

Dustin agreed. “Yeah, somewhere far away.”

Hopper spoke. “I know a place.”

The following few minutes were spent in a flurry of activity, Hopper carrying Will out to Joyce’s car as he gave directions to his cabin. While they were busy, you joined Steve and Nancy to search for heaters or anything else that may help Will, though you drifted away to give them privacy. They had history, and it wasn’t your place to interfere. Regardless, you offered Nancy what you hoped was a comforting smile before following after Steve, back towards the house.

“Mike is just saying goodbye to El,” Dustin told you. “They’re out front. I’d give them a minute.”

“Thanks,” You said with a nod, moving the curtain to glance out the window. You thought for a moment they were going to kiss, but Hopper called, and you knew you had only moments to say goodbye to her. You hurried outside before they could leave.

“You’ll be fine,” You said softly, pulling her into a hug. “You’re so strong, stronger than I ever was - and I don’t just mean your powers. You’ve been through so much, you could have ran away at any moment, but you didn’t. Not like I did. And I need you to know that leaving you behind was the worst decision I ever made. I’ve always regretted it, so when you get back, I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“You don’t have to,” She whispered, eyes glistening with tears.

You pressed a kiss to her forehead, clinging on for a moment longer, knowing that where she was going you wouldn’t be able to protect her. Finally, you dropped your arms, meeting Hopper’s gaze. “I’ll keep her safe, Y/N. I promise.”

You nodded, wiping away the tears from your eyes as El climbed into the passenger seat. You watched until the tail lights on Hopper’s car disappeared from view, reaching out to squeeze Mike’s shoulder. He glanced over at you, and you could see his eyes glistening in the darkness.

“It’ll be okay,” You said softly. He nodded slowly.

“Let’s get inside,” Steve said, after several more minutes had passed. “It’s not safe out here.”

“Doubting my ability to keep you safe, Harrington?” You teased, shooting him a weak smile.

He smiled back. “Not a chance. But let’s not stick around to attract unnecessary trouble.”

“Couldn’t you levitate this or something?” Steve complained, staring down in disgust at the demodog he was being forced to carry as Dustin made space in the fridge.

“Need to save my strength,” You said with a smirk, though it didn’t reach your eyes. “We’re not out of the woods yet. I still wish I could have gone with El.”

“But you said it was too dangerous,” Lucas said as Steve was working on wrangling the dead demodog into the fridge.

“It is. It doesn’t mean I don’t wish I could have gone. I can’t protect her from here,” You said with a sigh.

“She seems to do alright without you.” Mike hadn’t meant for the words to hurt, but they stung anyway.

“Yeah. I know,” You muttered. Unlike Mike, who was pacing a whole in the floor, you had taken up residence on the couch, eyes half-lidded shut. Being a glorified babysitter wasn’t exactly how you had planned this playing out. You ignored them as they bickered, though something caught your attention.

“There’s nothing we can do,” Steve had been saying.

“That’s not entirely true,” Dustin said slowly. “I mean, these demodogs have a hive mind. When they ran away from the bus, they were called away.”

“So if we can get their attention-” Lucas started.

Max finished his thought. “Maybe we can draw them away from the lab.”

“Clear a path to the gate,” Mike said thoughtfully.

“I’m in,” You said.

“What?!” Steve asked. “That’s a suicide mission! You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“I got it!” Mike said excitedly, moving off towards the kitchen. “This is where the chief dug his hole. This is our way in to the tunnel. So here, right here -” at this he ran off to a different part of the room, “- This is like a hub. So you got all the tunnels feeding into here. Maybe if we set this on fire-”

“Yeah, that’s a no,” Steve said, looking less than pleased.

The kids, however, were ignoring him. Dustin spoke. “The Mind Flayer would call away his army.”

“They’d all come to stop us,” Lucas said, sounding as if that was the best thing he had heard all day.

“And Y/N could hold them off!” Dustin finished, looking at you.

You raised your eyebrows. “Wait, I don’t know about that. I mean, five or ten? Sure. But over a hundred? Not a chance.”

“It’s not like we’d wait around for them!” Mike said impatiently. “We could circle back to the exit, and by the time they realize we’re gone-”

“El would be at the gate,” Max said.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Steve yelled over the noise, glaring at all of you. “This is not happening.”

He met protests from the kids, but you were starting to realize that he could be right. Even with your help, there were too many things that could go wrong. But at the same time, if you stayed put knowing you could have helped and something happened…

“No buts! I promised I’d keep you shitheads safe, and that’s exactly what I’d plan on doing. We’re staying here. On the bench. And we’re waiting for the starting team to do their job. Does everybody understand that?”

You blinked. “Uh… no. I never played sports? I mean, that is what you’re talking about, right?”

Steve let out a sigh. “It’s not happening.”

“This isn’t some stupid sports game!” Mike said angrily.

“I said does everybody understand that?” Steve asked, pointing a dish towel at them. You had to cough to hid your snickers, but you weren’t entirely successful if the glare he sent your way was anything to go on. “I need a yes.”

He probably would have gotten them to agree, if an engine revving hadn’t broken the silence. Max ran towards the window, horror on her face as she peered out.

“Who the hell is that?” You asked.

“Don’t ask me,” Steve said with a shrug.

“It’s my brother,” Max said.

“Oh, that asshat you had to sneak away from earlier?” You filled in. She nodded. “Great. Just great. Because this day couldn’t possibly get any better.”

“He can’t know I’m here, he’ll kill me. He’ll kill us,” She said, sounding scared.

“Do you guys keep forgetting I have powers, or…?” You trailed off, raising your eyebrows. Max glanced at you, and though she still looked worried, she was a little calmer than before.

“I’ll handle this,” Steve said lowly, stepping towards the door. “Step in only as a last resort, Y/N.”

“Alright, alright. Fine,” You said, shrugging. “Though I’ll decide when that is.”

“Deal.”

Billy’s voice was loud enough that it carried through the walls of the house. “Am I dreaming or is that you, Harrington?”

Steve’s retort was quick. “Yeah it’s me, don’t cream your pants.” You let out a light snort.

“What are you doing here, amigo?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” Steve said. “Amigo.”

“Looking for my stepsister. Little birdie told me she was here.”

“Huh, that’s weird. I don’t know her.”

“Small, redhead, bit of a bitch,” Billy provided.

You clenched your jaw at the insult, but Steve, to his credit, sounded unphased. “Doesn’t ring a bell. Sorry, buddy.”

“You know, I don’t know, this… this whole situation, Harrington, I don’t know. It’s giving me the heebie-jeebies.” To be fair, it was odd that Steve was at the Byers’ house.

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?”

“My thirteen-year-old sister goes missing all day. And then I find her with you in a stranger’s house. And you lie to me about it.”

Steve scoffed. “Man, were you dropped too much as a child, or what? I don’t know what you don’t understand about what I just said. She’s not here.”

You realized, a little too late, that all four of the kids had their faces pressed to the window, while you were listening in on the conversation with your ear pressed to the door.

“Guys, get down!” You hissed. But it was too late.

Billy’s next words were barely audible. “Then who is that?”

“Shit!” Dustin exclaimed, the four of them ducking down. “Did he see us?”

“Yes!” You said, irritated. “Thank you, idiots. Get behind me, all of you.”

They scrambled to obey as the door whipped open, Billy striding inside. Steve was nowhere in sight. His eyes narrowed. “Well, well, well.” He slammed the door behind him, advancing. The kids scuttled backwards, but you refused to back down. “Look at what we have here. Lucas Sinclair, what a surprise. And who the hell are you?”

“Does this count as last resort?” Dustin asked, as Billy stopped mere feet away from you.

“Yeah, I’d say it does,” You said casually, simply tilting your head.

“I’m here for Max. Get out of my way,” Billy said lowly.

“I’ve heard all about you,” You said, crossing your arms. “And you’re not getting anywhere near those kids. So I suggest you turn around and walk away before I make you.”

He scoffed. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“I’ll give you one more chance. Move. Out. Of. My. Way.” Billy meant the words to be intimidating. To anyone else, they would have been.

“No.” He had barely moved before you spoke, your power, halting him in his tracks. “Stop.”

Billy was frozen in place, unable to move despite his best efforts. He was struggling against your hold, you could feel it, but it was fruitless. No one had been able to break free of your orders. “What the hell did you do to me?”

“I’m keeping you from hurting anyone else,” You said calmly.

Steve burst into the door, looking winded but otherwise unharmed. “Sorry, I-”

“No worries,” You said with a shrug. “I’m handling it.”

“Max, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?” Billy demanded, though the question was much less impressive considering he couldn’t actually do anything.

“It’s none of your business, Billy,” She said softly. “Just leave me alone.”

“I can make him, Max. Just say the word,” You offered. Billy was still struggling against your power, and the concentration you needed to keep him in check made blood begin to drip out of your nose. No one ever fought against your control this much - it was actually quite impressive. “Stop fighting it, it won’t do any good.”

“What kind of freak-”

He didn’t get to finish the sentence. Your temper snapped, dropping your use of mind control to instead grab him via telekinesis, striding towards him even as he was shoved back against the wall. “I’d choose your next words very, very carefully if I were you.”

“Y/N, stop!” Steve ordered, grabbing your arm. “Stop. Don’t sink to his level.”

You grit your teeth, staring up at Billy’s terrified face. Steve was right. You dropped your hold, and he slid to the floor with a thud. Your glare, however, didn’t falter. “Don’t try anything.”

Billy was staring at you, a mixture of fear and intrigue on his face before he dropped his head, avoiding your eyes. “I won’t.”

“What are we supposed to do with him?” Steve asked, staring down at Billy.

You were thoughtful for a moment before speaking. “We take him with us.”

“Take him with us? We’re not going anywhere, remember? We’re on the bench,” Steve told you, looking annoyed.

You shook your head, a steely glint in your eye. “I’m not going to hide here anymore. Hopper and El need that distraction to get inside. So we’re going to go start a fire, and you can come willingly… or unwillingly.”

“Alright, alright. Fine.” Steve threw his hands up in defeat, recognizing by your tone of voice that you would do anything to protect Eleven, even if it meant forcing him to agree. “Let’s go help Hopper and El.”

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