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the-lark-ascending69 · 7 months ago

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i’m begging please make the flayed robin a fic it would be so good

Hii anon I'd love to!! However I am unable to write fanfic in this moment of my life. Ever since 2022 my life can only be summarized in college stuff, college stuff, a little bit of work and more college stuff. I am falling behind on my reading schedule as we speak lol 🙃 i expect to be free to write some time after... 2028, maybe (big maybe). I CAN draw though, which is not such a long-term compromise. Maybe I'll manage to draw something one of these days.

For the time being I would like to redirect you to two GREAT flayed!Robin fanfics that I adore, the devil's after both of us by @eskawrites and We're Going to End You by UnholyHelbig. Both featuring ronance. These are the only ones I know. Sadly, looking up "flayed Robin" on ao3 hasn't turned out to be a very fruitful search, but that doesn't mean there aren't more out there! I'll have to keep searching. If anyone reading this knows of more flayed!Robin fanfics please lmk!! Of course there's also @snowangeldotmp3 's rebel robin: surviving the upside down AU, which I'm still trying to catch up with, but it sounds like they're working on some cool flayed!Robin stuff!

While I can't give you a fanfic I CAN share with you some flayed!Robin ideas I have:

Vecna/the Mind Flayer is incredibly subtle this time, choosing to corrupt Robin rather than completely taking over her body and replacing her. He preys on her darkest thoughts, which are generally, jealousy, resentment, shame, self-deprecation hopelessness and loneliness. They both open the door for him, and act as weapons he uses to slowly torture her and turn her against her loved ones.

It begins with Robin feeling irritable, out of place, especially with Steve. Steve suddenly stops feeling like home and more like someone she shares a loving bond with but who can never really understand her, because he's a heterosexual man, because he has money, because he's high on the social pyramid and she spent her whole teenage years fighting to not fall to the bottom, because he can allow himself liberties not permitted to her. She begins to resent him. When she begins to isolate herself from him, it becomes incredibly easy for Vecna to make her spiral further and further down.

Almost nothing Robin says while possessed is 100% untrue. It tends to come from something she really feels. In normal circumstances, Robin would feel a bit sad knowing Steve can never fully understand her experience. Flayed!Robin resents him over it and wants to hurt him. But the pain is there. There ARE exceptions though, and they're interesting because the others are so used to hearing her say evil half-truths that when she says something so horriffic the real Robin couldn't possibly believe it, they think she means it deep down.

Flayed!Robin isn't physically violent - another reflection of the real Robin's nature. He uses her silver tongue to attack the others.

There's a lot of confusion from the rest of the group, even once they figure out she IS possesed, because its like she keeps coming back before being pulled under again. One moment she's acting normal and the next she's telling Nancy she always ruins everything. It's hard to tell what is true and what is a lie

Flayed!Robin targets Nancy specifically, not because it's particularly useful to Vecna - I mean, it is, but there's more to that - it comes from Robin's shameful love for Nancy, the source of so much pain. Flayed!Robin takes her anger out on her.

Flayed!Robin particularly enjoys making Nancy cry. Her favorite method is reminding her of Barb, blaming her for everything that goes wrong and telling her everyone would be better of if she were dead. Otherwise, she'll get them all killed until she's the last one standing. At the beginning though, she's just mean. She acts irritable and angry and rolls her eyes at her and doesn't take her seriously and casually insults her intelligence. She does it sparingly enough that Nancy actually wonders if she heard that right, if Robin is being serious, if it's just an instance of her "not understanding social cues" or if she really thinks she's "losing her spark" or "keeps talking nonsense lately", or whatever Vecna makes her say. This is one of the cases in which Robin doesn't mean what she says in the slightest.

Another way in which flayed Robin likes to taunt Nancy is by publicly accusing her of homosexuality. Everyone awkwardly ignores that most of the time (though sometimes Hopper sideyes her, Joyce closes her eyes and inhales deeply, and Mike snaps and loudly declares his sister isn't gay), and they ignore Nancy's sharp breath and tight fists when Robin says anything on the matter ("Aaw, Wheeler, are you in love with me? You know, I did take you for a queer but I didn't think you'd be after me. Thought you were still hung up on that Barb girl").

At the beginning of Robin's possesion, Nancy was incredibly kind to her, saying sweet, loving things to her even if unsure if she could hear her or not. She promised she would take care of her and that she'll be okay. Robin would usually roll her eyes and tell her, voice full of scorn, that if Nanch Wheeler is promising to "take care of her" then her odds aren't very promising. It hurts Nancy so much to hear that. She thinks there's a little bit of the real Robin behind those words.

Nancy becomes exhausted after some time. Exhausted and angry. She convinces herself it's only Vecna in there, and she refuses to offer him any kindness. He will pay for what he did to the girl she loved.

When they get her and tie her up so they can think of a plan, they leave her alone for a moment, and for the first time, Vecna retreats entirely, to let her fully feel the bite of ropes around her wrists, keeping her immobilized, tied to the chair. He wants her to fully feel the terror of her trauma without any numbing effect. Bonus points if she's not fully alone - Nancy is keeping watch, and Robin is scared and confused as to why she looks at her with such cold eyes, why she won't help her, why she won't comfort her when she sees her panicking and crying and begging. It's the worst torture so far, and when Nancy steps forward, and looks at her with so much hate, and says "Shut. Up", Robin feels her heart break all over again (Nancy had told her she loved her once and she never knew what she meant by that. She supposes the love is gone now). She has no idea Vecna has played with Nancy in this way a million times before.

Whenever they drug her to keep her unconcious, Nancy gives her as much physical affection as she can - stroking her cheek, brushing her hair, cuddling her. She wonders if, in this way, Robin will feel something Vecna doesn't.

When she comes back, Robin remembers everything she said while possessed and won't stop apologizing, refusing any comfort Nancy tries to offer her because she thinks she doesn't deserve it, but Nancy won't hear any of that. She stays by Robin's side no matter what, even if it means skipping school or not sleeping. The girl she loves is back and she's not wasting a single second more away from her.

#ronance #flayed robin #will try to make a flayed robin tag #because people seem to like this concept

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celestialvoid-fanfiction · 1 year ago

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I know a lot of people have already pieced this together, but I find it interesting how the teens in Stranger Things deal with trauma.

In Season 1, Steve was carefree and would chug beers, get drunk, smoke, and pick fights just to get his ass beat in order to feel something.

But after Barb disappears, Steve doesn’t drink again. He goes to parties with Nancy, and while she gets drunk, he doesn’t drink and he doesn’t smoke.

He punishes himself by denying himself anything that would numb him.

After being drugged and tortured by the Russians, Robin becomes increasingly anxious, more shut off and less carefree. She isn’t the sassy, smart person she was in season 3, instead, she second guesses everything she thinks and does.

Eddie took and dealt drugs. Chrissy turned to drugs to deal with Vecna torturing her, but Eddie got sober after Chrissy died and stayed sober, even after being falsely accused of her murder, going to the upside down, and everything else he survived.

On the other hand, Nancy chooses to numb herself by getting drunk. She blames others for Barb’s death and spirals out of control. She turns to violence to vent her frustrations before reigning it in and using that angler to fight Vecna and the Mind Flayer (who were the real ones responsible for Barb’s death).

Billy drinks, smokes, gets violent and parties hard as a way of rebelling against his father and dealing with the trauma of his childhood, but after the trauma he faces in Hawkins, he smokes more, drinks more, gets more violent, drives recklessly. His behaviour gets more and more self destructive.

I was going to say that the only one to deal with their trauma well is Jonathan, but in the latest season we see how shut off he is—he falls out of touch with Nancy, turns to drugs, and gets more and more anxious. He held it together for so long, but as soon as they left Hawkins, he couldn’t hold himself together any longer.

#stranger things #steve harrington #robin buckley #eddie munson #nancy wheeler #billy hargrove #jonathan byers

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thestobingirlie · 10 months ago

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you understand my fave characters like no other before, are there any fic recs that you would want to bestow upon this humble ask??

this ask is about a month old lol, but here i am!!

in no particular order:

to have a friend

"Maybe life will be different soon. Now that I've been fully myself for a year, I know there's no going back. As it turns out, being a loner suits me beautifully. But there are times when I crash hard into the hope of finding my people. Friends who would stick with me through anything. A girl I can have a less hopeless crush on. There are adventures waiting for me. I know it." -Rebel Robin

Robin finds her people.

this fic is a must read!!!!! just beautiful. my favourite robin fic ever

the wine of life by littlearrows

After the Upside Down, Steve, Nancy, Robin and Vickie take the '90s to rest and grow up. Along the way, there's weddings, kids, a treehouse and one car breakdown.

(aka my stancy & rockie slice-of-life future fic)

theeee stobickancy future fic!!! it’s canon to me, no matter how the show ends lmao

honestly, all of littlearrows works are a must read, katie is a beautiful genius!!

the road goes ever on by MaryPSue

The Battle of Starcourt has been won, but its aftershocks are still rippling. Separated from the rest of the Party, Will struggles with feelings of abandonment, while El is trying to find her place with the Byers and come to terms with the loss of her powers - and the closest thing she's ever had to a father. Back in Hawkins, life is slowly returning to normal, or at least as normal as life ever is. The Party are starting to adjust to having two of their members at a distance, though everyone's still missing El and Will, Mike most of all.

But life in Hawkins never stays normal for long. Someone - or something - is following Steve and Robin, and they may not be the only ones under surveillance. A spectre from El's past makes an unexpected - and unwanted - reappearance. And an old enemy may turn out to be much more than meets the eye.

And sometimes, the bad guys are smart, too.

Separated by miles and misunderstandings, with communications failing and their enemies somehow always one step ahead, Hawkins' strange little fellowship find themselves caught between holding on and moving forward. If they want to survive to see another November, they'll have to face the past - and each other.

very fun body horror fic!!!! i just love fics that interact with the upside down outside of strict canon.

the very best people by scioscribe

“Why are you messing up my undercover operation, Steve?” Dustin said. “Do you want another tear to open up in the space-time continuum and suck us all into the Upside Down? Do you want the entire world to turn into squishy, mind-flayed zombies because you and Robin couldn’t get your shit together?”

(Or, the one where Steve and Robin go undercover in an evil suburb.)

stobin pretending to be a newly-wed married couple to go undercover. what more could i want from a fic?

minor falls, major lifts. by millcrs

“Steve.” Shiv lowers her voice an octave. “Steve. Calm down. Just let me see, okay?”

“I don’t want you to see.” He smacks her hands away, feels the cut of a modest rock nip at his knuckles. Wambsgans outdid himself.

“Where’d he get that?” Steve laughs, points, and Shiv’s eyes flicker to her finger like she forgot all about it. “Fuckin’ Macy’s?

—

“Look,” Connor says, palms up and placating. “We can point fingers at each other, or we can be honest with ourselves and blame the commies.”

st/succession crossover; steve as one of the roy siblings. i’m soooo obsessed with the entire series!!

in a strange land by MrsEvadneCake

Doom comes to Hawkins, Indiana. Population est. 30,000.

It’s cold, that’s all, and the breeze is kicking up. That’s why Steve feels the chill go up his spine like someone dropped an ice-cube down his back.

“Why wouldn’t I be real, El?”

“The Aboleth got you.”

i’ve absolutely rec’d this before, but i don’t even care because it’s literally one of the best st fics ever, and i need everyone in the fandom to read it.

nothing really sticks by rosie447

Steve cuts his hair with safety scissors in the bathroom of Family Video. Maybe he's less okay than he's been letting on.

steve trauma fic, everybody cheer!!!!!

#stranger things #st fic recs #asks #anon

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thegayhimbo · 10 months ago

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Stranger Things Tales from Hawkins Review

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)

Stranger Things Reviews/Theories

Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:

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

Stranger Things Erica The Great

Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”

Stranger Things Tie-In Books:

Stranger Things Suspicious Minds

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)

Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)

Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)

Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review

Stranger Things Flight Of Icarus

Stranger Things Lucas On The Line

Stranger Things Episode Reviews:

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 1 of 2)

The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 2 of 2)

Synopsis: Set between the events of Seasons 1-2, this comic chronicles tales from various Hawkins residents as they attempt to survive the daily grind while also dealing with lurking threats hidden beneath the town.......

Observations:

One of the reasons I've expressed interest in the Stranger Things comics and tie-ins is because I see them as an opportunity to expand more on characters, storylines, and other mytharc elements. It's a well of untapped potential that makes for good reading material.

To their credit, they have done this with some tie-ins/comics.

With others...........for whatever reason (whether it's lack of imagination, or being kept on a creative short leash by Netflix and the Duffer Brothers), they've turned out some real disappointments. These range from stories that are contradictory to the show's canon, to focusing on characters that no one cares about (and are likely NOT going to have any important roles in S5), to simply rehashing plots/character arcs that have been done to death without offering anything new to the table, or simply failing to take advantage of characters who have been introduced (i.e. Argyle, Colonel Sullivan, Vickie, Gareth, etc).

In that regard, Tales from Hawkins is a mixed bag. It's an anthology comic composed of 4 different stories. Two of them focus on main characters (Murray and Robin) whereas the other two are about minor Hawkins characters from the show who have dangerous encounters with the Upside Down. The ideas explored in these stories support the show's themes, but the way certain stories were executed left a lot to be desired.

As usual, I will be splitting this review into 4 parts, with each one covering a different Issue from the comic:

Part 1: Dale and Henry

For those who don't remember, Dale and Henry (no, not Henry Creel) were the hunters who disappeared in S1 and were later confirmed dead at the hands of the Demogorgon. We saw them briefly at Benny's Diner, but the audience was only informed about their gruesome fates later.

This is the story from their perspective.

LSS: Both of them were out in the woods "hunting," saw a trail of bleeding animal carcasses, decided to continue investigating in spite of all the warnings that this was a BAD IDEA, encountered something they shouldn't have........and you know the rest.

The artwork for this story is haunting. In addition to capturing the beauty of Hawkins at sunset and the dark horrors of the Upside Down, the pictures manage to convey a sense of gruesomeness and dread as Henry and Dale follow the Demogorgon's trail of destruction:

In some ways, it reminds me of the first Predator movie with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In that story, Arnold played a character name Alan "Dutch" Schaefer who was part of a military team that discovers corpses during their mission in the jungle. When the Predator arrives, it starts picking off the team one-by-one until Dutch is forced to face the monster in a showdown.

The biggest differences between Predator and this Issue are 1.) Neither Henry nor Dale are military trained, and they certainly aren't the expert hunters they portray themselves as (which the comic spells out):

And 2.) Unlike the movie, where there was at least a chance for Dutch to fight off the Predator........that ain't the case for Henry:

All of which brings me to my first problem with this particular story: Because we already know the fates of Dale and Henry before they happen, it becomes hard to get invested. TV tropes even has a name for this called Too Bleak, Stopped Caring where things are so awful for the characters (or the audience knows things are going to end badly) that readers/viewers emotionally tune out and become apathetic to what's happening. This isn't the same thing as the Eight Deadly Words (I don't care what happens to these characters), but it comes close to that.

It doesn't help that the comic doesn't do much to flesh-out Dale or Henry. We get a brief snippet about how Henry's wife Val is undergoing chemo and how Dale has grandkids, but that's it. It's useless trivia which doesn't factor into the situation taking place, and it still doesn't get me to care. I'm not saying I need to hear their life stories, but you gotta give me more than that.

Adding onto this, there are continuity errors that were hard to ignore. The comic states that Henry and Dale's fatal trip into the woods takes place a few hours after Benny's death, which would mean this would've occurred on November 8th. However, in the show, Hopper is informed by Powell and Callahan on November 11th that Henry and Dale disappeared into the woods the day before, which means the fatal hunting trip would've had to happen on November 10th. I watched the show and took notes on the days certain events occurred, so I know what I'm talking about.

Jody Houser was the writer for all 4 anthology tales, and this isn't the first time she's made continuity mistakes like this. She did the same thing in SIX when she wrote Terry breaking into the lab to rescue El as taking place in 1978 in spite of it being confirmed by people working on the show that this actually took place in 1974. She also did this in two other stories she wrote ("The Game Master" and Dungeons & Dragons) when it came to Will being in the hospital after his time in the Upside Down. "The Game Master" claims Will was discharged from the hospital before Thanksgiving, whereas Dungeons & Dragons contradicts this by depicting him as still in the hospital after Thanksgiving.

I was willing to overlook these errors early on (let's not forget the Duffer Brothers blunder in forgetting Will's Birthday was on March 22nd), but this has gotten to the point of being ridiculous. If fans are able to better keep track of dates than paid writers can, that's a problem that needs to be fixed pronto.

Despite my issues though, I will give credit where credit is due in that Jody Houser kept one thing consistent: Will finding a dying Henry in the UD and comforting him in his final moments. This is an event that also took place in her other comic, The Other Side:

It's a small moment, but a heartwarming one which highlights Will's empathy and willingness to look out for others, and I'm glad it was kept in.

Part 2: Murray Bauman

I know fan opinions about Murray are all over the place. Some like him, some hate him, and some are completely indifferent to him. I'm in the third category.

I've never hated Murray, but out of all the main characters, he is the one who could die and I wouldn't bat an eye. I've never connected with him the same way I did with other characters, and he's always felt like an outlier in regards to his relationships with everyone else. Even Erica (who's been a controversial character for certain fans) has had more organic interactions with the others, as well as a subtle but effective character arc on her part that's been interesting to watch. Murray doesn't have that, and has pretty much remained the same person he's been since his introduction in S2.

It doesn't help that there are times Murray comes across more as a convenient plot device to make certain events happen. For instance, I've never liked how he acted as matchmaker for Jonathan/Nancy in S2 and Hopper/Joyce in S3. Whenever the show wrote him that way, it always felt like he became the writers mouthpiece for which romantic relationships they were shilling, which is something that annoyed me. Even Murray coincidentally speaking Russian came off as a quick and easy way to bypass the language barrier and all the other plot-related hiccups the other characters would've struggled with during the Russian arc in Seasons 3-4 had he not been present.

So when they announced that one of the stories would focus on Murray, I was genuinely interested because I was hoping we'd get more insight into his character, mindset, and backstory that wasn't just about him getting the other main characters from point A to point B. In some areas, this Issue delivered on that.

The story takes place after the events of season 1 when Murray comes to Hawkins after being hired by Barbara's parents to investigate her disappearance.

From there, it follows Murray integrating himself into the Hawkins community, picking up tips and clues, and spinning his own theories that would eventually lead him to discovering the truth about Eleven, Barb's death, Will's disappearance, Hawkins Lab, and (of course) the Upside Down.

For whatever problems I have with Murray, I do appreciate how the comic depicts what he's doing as authentic "investigative journalism" as opposed to depicting him as a conspiracy theorist who just happened to stumble on the truth and have his claims validated. I knew they likely wouldn't go that route since he's established on the show as working for the Chicago-Sun Times (which gives his character credibility) but considering we're currently living in a climate where peddling unfounded conspiracy theories is a thing (whether it's from right-winged pundits like Tucker Carlson or Alex Jones, groups like QAnon, or even Leftist antisemites spewing blood libel, Holocaust inversion/revisionism, Hilter apologism, and a bunch of other antisemitic garbage designed to hurt the Jewish community), it's refreshing to see Murray putting in the hard work of researching instead of spouting unfounded claims and trying to act like the smartest person in the room. There are certain Tumblr users who could take a leaf out of Murray's book instead of falling into this pattern:

(Credit to @sethshead for posting this quote because this really sums up the problem with Conspiracy Theorists in a nutshell.)

But I digress. My point is this story gives me new respect for Murray over the weeks and months he spent investigating and chasing down leads despite how tough it was:

Additionally, the comic goes out of its way to paint Murray as a crusader for the truth, but it's also heavily implied that the reason he makes work his life is because, deep down, he is lonely. While he claims he's only interested in integrating himself into the Hawkins community (including signing up for an "all ages" Karate class) for the purposes of the investigation, there are hints that he actually wants human connection, and that he's miserable when left by himself:

This is an interesting angle to Murray, and one that recontextualizes his relationship with Joyce, Hopper, and the other main characters. He makes himself off-putting (whether as a defense mechanism, or as part of his job) and may not know how to go about socializing in a way that doesn't make him seem unpleasant, but he clearly does value these friendships and getting to spend time with the others. I still remember Murray having the strongest reaction to Alexei's death in S3 after hanging out with him at the carnival and buying him a corn dog........only to watch Alexei get shot:

I'll admit I never cared much for Alexei, but the fact that any potential friendship between him and Murray got snuffed out in this moment hits hard.

The story doesn't leave a lot of clues about what direction Murray's character will take in season 5, but I'm inclined to believe that Murray will be one of the casualties in the fight against Vecna, especially if the writers plan on upping the stakes by killing off important characters. As far as Murray's arc is concerned, he's fulfilled his role of getting Hawkins Lab shut down, ending the Russian infiltration of Hawkins in S3, and helping Joyce rescue Hopper from Kamchatka in S4. As to where they could go with Murray in the last season, I see two possible scenarios:

1.) The Russians/KGB come back to Hawkins in S5 to take revenge against Hopper, Joyce, and Murray for destroying their operation in Kamchatka, and to possibly get more UD monsters from the now-opened gate in Hawkins. This could lead to Murray having a role in stopping the Russians once and for all. If the writers decide to bring back Enzo/Dmitiri (please make that happen) or even Yuri, they could have Murray form a comradery with either character, which I wouldn't mind seeing.

2.) Murray will play some kind of role in keeping the government (primarily Colonel Sullivan) off El's back as she deals with Vecna's impending invasion.

Either way, I'm predicting things are going to end badly for him.

Part 3: Robin

I'm just gonna say it: This was my least favorite Issue out of all 4 of them.

The story focuses on Robin working on a class project where she's a writer/director for a horror film starring Tammy Thompson. During all of this, Robin is pining after Tammy, expressing her frustration with Tammy's shallow crush on Steve (as well as Steve's douchebag behavior), and struggling internally with being a lesbian in good old 1980s homophobic Hawkins.

Sounds familiar? That's because both Zombie Boys and the Rebel Robin book/podcast already covered these ideas and plot points. Zombie Boys was about Will and his friends making a horror movie that was a metaphor for Will's unresolved trauma/PTSD (similar to how Robin's horror movie is a metaphor for feeling trapped in Hawkins and never breaking free), and Rebel Robin already explored Robin's crush on Tammy, her initial dislike of Steve, her desire to graduate high school and leave Hawkins for good, and her coming to terms with the fact she likes girls and how revealing this would turn her into a social pariah.

Look, I like Robin and I find value in her story, especially as someone like me who identifies as gay and lives in a small conservative town where you keep your mouth shut about certain things. However, this tale isn't breaking new ground here. It's just retreading the same story beats without offering anything we haven't seen before. Rebel Robin already did this, and did it so much better.

If they really wanted to make Robin the centerpiece for this particular Issue, why not cover something different? We could have gotten a story about Robin and Steve working at the Video Rental Store, or Robin telling Steve about "Operation Croissant" and inviting him to come with her to Europe once she saves up enough money and graduates. There were even opportunities to explore her relationship with other characters outside of Steve, the Scoops Troop, and Tammy. They did this with Robin and Nancy in S4 (which was one of my favorite character pairings from that season) and Lucas on the Line even had Robin and Lucas forming a close friendship as Lucas was struggling to figure his life out, so I don't see why they couldn't have done this for other characters that Robin hasn't gotten much screentime with. Hell, since they're already planning to push Robin and Vickie as endgame for S5, why not have a story about Robin first meeting Vickie?

Better yet, since this is an anthology comic that's supposed to focus on various characters, why not go more in depth with others? Jason. Patrick. Chrissy. Fred. Vickie. Scott Clarke. Dr. Owens. There's a plethora of other characters from the show who could be (and deserve to be) expanded on as opposed to a character like Robin who's already had an entire book and podcast dedicated to her. We could even be covering main characters like Jonathan (do a comic showing how he met Argyle and became friends with him), or Steve for that matter. I would rather see a story about Steve, his internal perspective on the events from the show, his relationship with his parents, or something that ISN'T just rehashing this again:

WE. GET. IT. Steve was an asshole at the beginning. This is not news. Please stop exploring Steve's character from this angle, and actually do something original with him.

This isn't the first time I've expressed my frustration about this. My review of The Bully was equally scathing about how they dedicated an entire graphic novel to two loathsome characters while pushing other characters with potentially interesting arcs/perspectives to the side. It frustrates me to see writers/creators retread old ground that the audience has long grown tired of. I like the comics and tie-in materials, and I am more than happy to defend them from fans who consider them a waste of time, but that doesn't mean I'm above calling out the material if it's not contributing anything meaningful.

Part 4: The Pumpkin Patch Rivalry

This one pleasantly surprised me. I wasn't expecting to care about the story, and I wasn't as big of a fan of the artwork (especially in comparison to the first 3 stories which, in spite of their flaws, were colorful and well-drawn). Regardless of that nitpick though, I ended up embracing it. I would even go as far to say that this is my favorite Issue out of the 4 of them.

The story takes place in season 2, and centers on Merrill Wright and Eugene McCorkle, the two Pumpkin Patch owners who briefly appeared at Hopper's precinct to accuse the other of sabotaging their fields, which would later lead Hopper to investigate and discover the Upside Down spreading underneath Hawkins.

The comic expands on Eugene and Merrill's history, revealing there's always been a family rivalry between the Wrights and the McCorkle, starting from harmless pranks that eventually turned hurtful:

Furthermore, the story puts a heavy emphasis on how the rivalry is rooted in the patriarchs of the families as opposed to every individual member from one family hating the the members of the other family.

All of this cultivates with the destruction of their pumpkin patches, the two men confronting each other on a decaying field, a vicious fight breaking out.......and both men getting more than they bargained for:

While the story is simple on the surface, it struck a chord with me given recent world events. I know this particular Issue was written a month before the October 7th Massacre and the Israel-Hamas War, and the fictional rivalry between Eugene and Merrill pales in comparison to the real life horrific onslaught that is occurring in this conflict, but for me, it was hard not to see some parallels between Merrill and Eugene's years of bitterness and anger over their rivalry vs the decades worth of grudges, wars, bloody conflicts, massacres, old wounds, and hatred that has festered between Israelis and Palestinians and exploded in the worst possible way. Eugene and Merrill thankfully stop short of trying to murder one another (or targeting rival family members), but it very easily could have gone in that direction. Hatred is a powerful emotion that leads to tragedy.

And just like with those in Israel and Palestine who desperately want peace and are sick of the decades of fighting and their respective governments falling down the pipeline of extremism while continuing to destroy more lives, the members of both the Wright and McCorkle families want their respective conflict to end.

The difference is that Merrill and Eugene get that opportunity to mend fences, but it takes them being put in a life-threatening situation and almost dying at the hands of demodogs before that happens:

Stories like this give me hope that things can change for the better. That people can put aside grudges and old wounds and be there for one another when it really counts. We need stories like this more than ever, especially with how scary the worlds gotten and how people who put on a mask of being "tolerant" and "progressive" and "looking out for the well-being of others" have revealed themselves to be just as hateful, cruel, hypocritical, patronizing, and vicious as those they claim to oppose.

Eugene and Merrill may have started their rivalry over pettiness, but when the chips were down, they were willing to put that aside and work to fix relationships and create a better future for their families:

Regardless of how they acted, or how they started out, I have more respect for them as opposed to certain people in REAL LIFE who are pushing their own agendas, spreading lies, misinformation, and conspiracy theories, and intentionally creating strife and conflict while pretending to give a shit about peace. Those who follow this blog know exactly who I'm referring to.

While I doubt Eugene and Merrill will appear in season 5, their arc about redemption and overcoming old prejudices might factor into the arc regarding the Hawkins residents in the last season. The show has spent multiple seasons showing the inherent problems in Hawkins, from the rampant bullying, to the bigotry, to the government corruption, to how quickly neighbors will turn on one another out of fear and paranoia. Season 4 emphasized this heavily with the Witch Hunt against the Hellfire Club and the desire to create scapegoats (like Eddie and El) for the town's problems without the townsfolk doing the hard work of self-reflection and changing for the better. If the behind-the-scenes pictures for Season 5 are any indicator, it's about to get worse:

I don't think there's any question about whether Vecna will be defeated (he will). The questions are how much damage he'll cause, how many lives he'll ruin in the process, and how the citizens of Hawkins could enable him to get as far as he does. Vecna may be the cause of the main characters' problems, but even if he wasn't there and had never existed, the reality is Hawkins has a personal nastiness rooted in the community that has made life miserable for a lot of people, especially those who don't fit the town's definition of "normal."

Vecna's greatest weapon isn't just his powers, but his ability to see the ugliness in people, and weaponize fear and all the inherent wrongs of society to isolate people so he can pick them off one-by-one. He reminds me of the Joker from The Dark Knight, who thrived on chaos and was determined to show everything wrong with humanity, and even Sauron from The Silmarillion, who exploited the problems and prejudices the kingdom of Numenor had so he could drive them to destruction. Vecna hates Hawkins and despises humanity. What makes him terrifying isn't his army of monsters, but his ability to bring out the worst in people to the point they become the monsters.

Getting back to the story of Eugene and Merrill, their arc about redemption, forgiveness, and working to unify rather than divide is the antidote needed to combat Vecna. If I predict anything, it's this: The battle against Vecna isn't just going to depend on the actions of the main characters, but the action of the Hawkins residents. Some of them have chosen to flee for their own safety, but others will be caught in this conflict, and they will have to make hard choices to either let go of old biases/prejudices that are causing harm, or continue holding on to them out of stubborn pride and allow Vecna to divide them in doing so.

Final Thoughts:

Overall, while this comic had some good elements, it was disappointing in many areas. Like I said, I'm open to exploring the stories of the townsfolk of Hawkins (and other characters), but the way it was done with some of these stories wasn't impressive.

If you still want to check out the comic for yourself, I recommend Issue 2 (Murray's story) and Issue 4 (The Pumpkin Patch Rivalry). Other than that, you're not missing anything by skipping it.

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lumaxramblings · 1 year ago

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rebel robin and will the wise: surviving the upside down

"do you... do you really think we're gonna make it through this? even with those... demogorgons... coming after us?" will says that last word in a whisper, his wet hair sticking to his forehead, hazel eyes wide.

robin feels her heart break again, and silently curses whatever god was cruel enough to send will byers, sweetest boy alive (and hopefully she can keep him that way), in hell with her. "what we'll do is we'll figure out a way to get out of here. okay? and then you can go back to your drawings, and your dungeons and caverns—"

"dungeons and dragons."

"see? we're gonna be just fine." robin grins widely at him, and will gives a small, sweet smile back.

he'll be fine. he'll live. she'll make sure of it.

rebel robin and will the wise: revival & recovery

will got discharged earlier than robin, as all of robin's cuts and scrapes and bruises have to be treated, and he only has to use an inhaler and come back every now and again for a check-up at this place called hawkins lab which, according to all the adults involved (kind mrs. byers and gruff chief hopper), is the source of all this. robin's not too keen on going there herself, but apparently they have to. yipee.

still, despite being discharged, he comes to visit her almost every day, showing her his drawings.

she's still amazed she's alive. nobody had been searching for her until chief hopper realized she was with will byers, and she'd fully embraced the fact that she'd die at fifteen and a half in hell, protecting a boy who she barely knew.

will doesn't show her a drawing this time. he just grabs her hand and holds it, clenching it tight.

"we made it." will whispers, and he gives the barest ghost of a smile. "both of us. we're alive."

and she can't help but give a weak smile. ain't that a miracle?

she gets discharged a week later.

(robin buckley: surviving the upside down au by @hellsfireclub, give that au some love !!!!)

#robin buckley #will byers #ronance #byler #<- main audiences #stranger things #stranger things 2 #stranger things 3 #stranger things 4 #stranger things au #stranger things ficlet #ficlet #moodboards #robin buckley moodboard #will byers moodboard #stranger things moodboard #au moodboard

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thelaurenshippen · 1 year ago

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Finally listed to Rebel Robin (the Audio show, not the book) and honestly it was not what I was expecting, I guess more in-line with the actual Stranger Things tv show. But of course that wouldn’t make sense.

Anyways, when listening to it I honestly find it really poetic, I don’t know if the subjects it tackles relates to the current climate but I find it now more important than ever.

One question I have is how do you direct Actors (those who act on screen or a visual medium) to perform for audio?

OH HI I CAN FINALLY ANSWER THIS QUESTION I'M SO EXCITED

(the SAG strike is over!! while podcasts were never struck work, bc Surviving Hawkins is a Netflix/Stranger Things show, I was considering anything related to it to be struck, so haven't wanted to post or promote it in any way! but we're finally done!)

I'm really glad you listened to the show and that it surprised you and felt relevant - it was a careful balance of making the show feel like it fits into the ST universe while also understanding that it takes place well before Robin knows anything about the Upside Down, so the story is going to be very different from any other ST story.

in terms of directing screen actors in audio...so many of the principles are the same! most of the actors I work with are TV/film actors not voiceover artists (though of course screen actors do VO and VO actors do screen, there are differences when it comes to those career paths).

(this got so long, putting it under the cut)

the thing that is hardest about screen acting in my opinion is the fact that you have to hold a million details/tasks in your head at once while also acting. stage acting is similar - you have to remember your blocking, make sure to project and be turned out to the audience, etc., but usually when you're acting on stage, you're doing the same show over and over again. for film - and especially TV - actors every day brings new scenes, new blocking, new physical actions. you have to hit your mark exactly, make sure you're in your light, find your eyeline, work with props, and memorize lines that you've sometimes been given that day. and then you have to make sure to give an emotional performance on top of that.

plus, in a show like ST, you're often interacting with things that are not there (every time I watch the demobat fight in the most recent season I'm so curious how they did it/what was providing the tension for them to pull on the bats, hit them, etc.). a lot of the actors I work with come from genre stuff, where a lot of their work is imagining that the green box they're in is actually a spaceship and the green stick they're holding is actually a magical staff or whatever. which adds another layer to the work.

which is all to say--audio is the opposite of that. you don't memorize your lines, you just have to make sure you're speaking into the mic, and that's it. but you also are only using your imagination to conjure up the setting and the actions your character is taking. so a lot of my work as a director is making sure the actors feel free to experiment, make mistakes, and be physical, even if we can't see it. oftentimes, a screen actor will come into a recording feeling like they have to do a particular thing, treat voiceover differently. my job is often just to remind them to treat it like anything else.

pretty much every actor I've ever worked with has commented on just how fun it is to focus on only the acting and nothing else. there's of course so much fun to be had running around and fighting monsters, but I find that voice acting provides a nice bit of variety. with Maya - and with the nature of the SH scripts - it was just about creating an atmosphere that felt conducive to natural conversation. because of ST filming scheduling, we actually didn't get to record her and Sean together at all, which was a bummer, but we still had someone reading the other characters' lines so it would feel like two people having a conversation.

in terms of specific direction, I'm usually focused on finding different shades of emotion from take to take - let's do this one angrier, let's do this one where you're scared and trying not to show it, etc. the only time I ever really have to voice direct is if something is getting mumbled or mispronounced or if I need something physical - the character running, smiling, etc. in those instances, I'll just tell the actor exactly what I need and we'll just pick up that individual line.

I hope this answers your question! especially since I wrote such a massive answer, lol. but the long and short of it is that directing is the same across mediums in many ways: you're focused on story, emotion, and chemistry and the lovely thing about podcasts is that you get to focus on those things and those things alone.

#surviving hawkins #stranger things #maya hawke #rebel robin #directing #acting #lauren answers things

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ao3feed-byler2 · 1 year ago

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A Freaking Rebel

by the_baguette_of_Bag_End

YN 'Dare' Henderson is Dustin's older sister by 4 good years. Her life wasn't simple or easy, especially with the death of her dad. With the disappearance of Will, her life takes a sudden turn as she is thrown into a monster hunt and in charge of keeping her brother (and friends) safe. With having asthma and a hidden past of small petty crime, its a mystery of how she survives the unfortunate events that happen alongside Will’s disappearance.

But during the hours of not babysitting the brother and friends, and monster hunting, she makes a new friend. A normal friend, who has absolutely nothing to do with the upside down, and anything that comes from it. Eddie Munson.

Words: 13440, Chapters: 2/2, Language: English

Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death

Categories: F/M

Characters: Female Reader - Character, henderson reader, Eddie Munson, Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers, Steve Harrington, Mike Wheeler, Barbara "Barb" Holland, Will Byers, Dustin Henderson, Erica Sinclair, Lucas Sinclair, Billy Hargrove, Demogorgon (Stranger Things), Demo-Dogs (Stranger Things), Demo-Bats (Stranger Things), Shadow Monster | Mind Flayer, Bob Newby (Stranger Things), Jim "Chief" Hopper, Joyce Byers, Maxine "Max" Mayfield, Eleven | Jane Hopper, The Party (Stranger Things), Karen Wheeler, Ted Wheeler (Stranger Things), Holly Wheeler, Axel (Stranger Things), Robin Buckley, Murray Bauman, Wayne Munson, D'Artagnan "Dart" (Stranger Things)

Relationships: Eddie Munson/Reader, Eddie Munson/Female Henderson Reader, Steve Harrington/Nancy Wheeler, Jonathan Byers/Nancy Wheeler, Eleven | Jane Hopper/Mike Wheeler, Will Byers/Mike Wheeler, Maxine "Max" Mayfield/Lucas Sinclair, Will Byers & Dustin Henderson & Lucas Sinclair & Mike Wheeler & Reader

Additional Tags: Eddie Munson is a Sweetheart, Gay Will Byers, Siblings Will Byers & Eleven | Jane Hopper, Dustin Henderson is the Best, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington Are Best Friends, Good Babysitter Steve Harrington, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson Friendship, little brother Dustin Henderson, Reader is Called Dare, Dare Henderson Needs Thereapy, Protective Dustin Henderson, Dustin Henderson Needs a Hug, Justice for Barbara "Barb" Holland, Justice for Bob Newby, Justice for Dart the Demo-Dog, Ghosts

from AO3 works tagged 'Will Byers/Mike Wheeler' https://ift.tt/7Zy8rFh

#byler #michael wheeler #will byers

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skrootskroot · 2 years ago

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i saw a post about the "rebel robin: surviving the upside down" au by @hellsfireclub in the ronance tag and i got really curious so i went to the tag and. i've read every post about it in one sitting. i may have a slight (severe) obsession on this au...

#robin buckley #rebel robin: surviving the upside down #will byers #no coherent thoughts inside my mind rn #there's just robin buckley being covered in scars and being adopted by the byers #this is the only thing i'll be thinking of for the next 6-12 business days #i am in love with this au

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chaosangelmp3 · 1 year ago

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"keep going, don't look back."

(drawing inspired by @hellsfireclub's au 'rebel robin: surviving the upside down')

#liv you literally have all the aus that rot my brain #i'm literally hooked #robin buckley #robin buckley fanart #will byers #will byers fanart #stranger things #stranger things fanart #stranger things au #my art #rebel robin: surviving the upside down #rr:stud fanart

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snowangeldotmp3 · 2 years ago

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ronance sharing a room at murray's bc "they're both girls! they have to go in the same room." and nancy staring at robin sleeping beside her like "man i sure hope this doesn't awaken anything in me!"

nancy, lying awake staring at robin in the shitty little bed at murray's: this is normal. this is totally normal friend behavior. counting the freckles on ur friends face and wanting to run ur hands through her hair just to see if it's really that soft (it is) and then also wanting to trace the scar on her face (that she got from the Upside Down last year). just gals being pals.

(nancy does not yet know robin is a sleep cuddler. she is about to find out. Fast.)

#got mail! 📩#solarsleepless #ronance #rebel robin: surviving the upside down #the way murray would clock nancy immediately after that like 👀👀 would you like to share with the class miss wheeler #nancy's beet red like 'NO. thanks :)'#rob and jon are like ? 🧍‍♂️🧍‍♀️#sorry it keeps taking me forever to answer these i keep getting distracted 😔 the adhd is Rough today

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eskawrites · 2 years ago

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if you are up to it..one kind of like imaginary what-if is if robin was in s2 or even just after s4 getting flayed and having that whole thing with the rest of the party

i'm sorry anon idk if this is a prompt or hc or what, but just know that i love it, i'm obsessed with the idea.

also this makes me think of @hellsfireclub's flayed!robin au which lives in my mind rent free (actually her entire rebel robin: surviving the upside down tag gives me life, check it out if you haven't, it's everything)

but also also a post-s4 flaying is super interesting to me. i'm really curious about what vecna's original attack plan was once the gate was open. Nancy mentions seeing an army of monsters in her vision, plus some big creature with a gaping mouth, which describes most of the upside down monsters they've seen tbh but also very much describes the mind flayer in s3. but none of those things are hanging out in upside down hawkins as far as we can tell, and nothing comes out of the rift once it's open at the end of the season.

so, like, what if vecna's army fled during the attack and he has to rebuild before he can attack? what if the fastest way to do some damage is to possess people again? and what if, because he takes some part of his victim's consciousness, he sees a glimpse of robin through nancy's eyes when he taunts her in s4?

just imagine vecna deciding that, before he kills el, he needs to get revenge on nancy. and after being in her mind--and seeing her again in the attic, stepping between him and the others--he knows the best way to hurt her is to take away someone else she loves. but it's not enough to just kill her like with barb. no, he needs something more this time. something worse.

enter flayed Robin, and the group is so busy just trying to rebuild and grieve and survive after s4 that it takes too long for them to notice. she pulls away gradually from the group. steve chalks it up to her spending time with vickie, just trying to feel normal in the wake of all they've been through. nancy wonders if she feels guilty, if that's why she avoids max's hospital room or the wheeler's basement or steve's backyard when they're all hanging out by the pool. it's not until one day, when they run into a demodog on patrol and robin screams as nancy shoots it, that they start to realize what's going on

(and by then, vecna knows so much. how they run patrols, all the preparations they've made, all of it. but mostly, he knows how much robin means to nancy. and he knows how much it hurts her when robin looks at her, eyes dark and empty, and says, 'barb was my friend, too, and you killed her.')

#anyway nancy presses a fire poker into robin's back too #robin and will bond over having matching scars #bc they totally would #anon #asks #flayed!robin #making my own tag bc I like this the more I think about it #scratching that ‘Robin gets vecna’d’ itch ‘cause I miss those stories

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the-lark-ascending69 · 8 months ago

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You mentioned that you love fics where Robin gets Vecna’d (relatable as fuck lol) and holy hell she would have been #1 on Vecna’s list if she hadn’t found Steve’s love and friendship and support in season 3. This of course made me think of an au where Robin does get Vecna’d in season 4 because somehow she and Steve never become friends, and she’s still stuck in that self-loathing, lonely place. Maybe she somehow doesn’t get involved with the Upside Down in season 3, which would be hard to make work with how essential to the plot she was.

Of course there is the terrible, horrible, heartbreaking option of Robin getting involved and everything going the same, except in this terrible horrible universe, Steve dies. Maybe they’re both under Starcourt in the Russian base, and Steve’s beat to hell and tied to Robin’s back and she feels his breathing get slower and slower until it’s just gone. Dustin and Erica save her, but it’s awful because Robin can’t save the closest person she’s had to a friend in so long after all he did to protect her and they’re forced to leave his body there, cold and alone in enemy territory. Or it happens after they get out, after Robin tells him her deepest secret and he still loves her, differently than he did before, but just as much. Robin would be so happy to finally have someone who knows her fully and loves her for it, only to have it ripped away when the Flesh Flayer makes one wrong swipe that catches Steve in just the wrong way, or even after the battle, when they all think they’re safe and it’s finally over until Steve collapses from an internal injury that nobody had caught.

I really can’t decide which possibility would be worse, Robin mourning the boy who somehow became her best friend before he ever truly knew her, thinking that if Steve had known her fully, he would’ve hated her anyways (Robin’s wrong about this of course) or Robin’s devastation over the first person to love and accept her for who she is being ripped away from her so violently and so soon.

Either way she would be a perfect target for Vecna 8 months later, when she’s dealing with not just the same loneliness and self-loathing from before, but also the guilt of not being able to protect her best friend and the feeling that it should’ve been her why couldn’t it have been her instead and of course the trauma of the entire almost-week of fighting Russians and monsters.

Anyways sorry for rambling and dumping this all in your ask box lol 😅

No no don't apologize for the rambling you're so real thank you for dumping this all in my ask box 😭😭 waking up to this is the perfect way to start my day

I LOVE both options, but the first one is especially heart-wrenching because we know Vecna specifically preys on guilt and self-loathing, and maybe I've been a little too obsessed with the Rebel Robin Podcast but hearing little 15yo Robin say the universe is telling her she's not supposed to have friends, that she always needs to "camouflage" to survive, that there's something wrong with her, that she's rotten inside (it sheds a whole new light on "i feel like my life has been one big error") has me thinking about Robin being a bit confused, a bit worried but also a bit excited hearing Steve say he should have been hanging out with her a long time ago, even though he probably means it in a way she doesn't fully like, but also maybe not, and maybe after all of this they could be friends! And maybe she won't be alone anymore. Maybe one day she could even tell him her secret.

But then he's beaten so badly. He receives some really bad blows in the head, and she can tell he's taunting the guards whenever they speak to her, drawing their attention back to him, telling them she doesn't know anything, letting them hurt him so they won't hurt her and maybe they believe him, so when Robin tries to talk and starts rambling and saying a bunch of nonsense, because she's too nervous and scared to say anything coherent, they gag her and now she can do nothing but scream and cry into the gag as they continue to beat him while he's tied up behind her, feeling the impact on her chair and on her back.

He's still concious when they leave. He's speaking to her, saying he wishes he'd known her earlier and all Robin can think is no, no, no you don't. And she tries to speak but it only makes her feel like she's choking on the gag, and then his speech starts slurring, and she freaks out because she read about this. He's having a brain bleed. Next, he'll be paralized in one side of his body, next he's having seizures that shake both chairs and has Robin sobbing as she tries to cry out his name. By the time it stops, he won't respond to her, and his breathing slowly comes to a stop, body sagging in its bindings.

Robin stays tied to his corpse for hours and hours, feeling the warmth leave his body, the horrible smell, not daring to turn around to see him. She almost had a friend and he died to protect her. He died because of her. She killed him. If only she'd said something smarter - if only she hadn't freaked out - if maybe she'd thought or something to make the soldiers leave them alone, if she could tell a good lie, if she could defend him the way he defended her, he'd still be alive.

The soldiers come back to rip the gag out of her mouth, now wet and disgusting, and as she sobs and tries to tell them Steve needs help, they inject her with drugs and leave her alone for them to take effect. And now she's laughing hysterically and talking to Steve as if he were still there. She's sobbing, heaving, giggling all at the same time. She feels like she's losing her sanity. She tells them everything when the guards come back, and keeps laughing when Dustin and Erica save her. She laughs when she tells them Steve is dead. This is probably the most traumatic moment in the kids' life, but Dustin manages to keep a level head and not break down until they're safe, and he decides to leave Steve's body there so they can save Robin (if Robin had died instead they could have saved Steve). She's almost catatonic by the time they leave her in the movie theater, giggling under her breath whenever she remembers Steve. Then she goes to the bathroom to thrown up, and with the drugs mostly out of her system, she completely breaks down. This is all her fault. She really, really just... ruins everything.

She's half there, half gone until the end of the battle of starcourt, uselessly following Dustin around. She barely responds to the paramedics when they talk to her (when they perform drug tests on her in the hospital, they think she's a junkie), but Dustin stays by her side as much as he can, both comforting her and seeking comfort.

They take everyone to the hospital in different ambulances, so Dustin leaves at one point. She's one of the last ones to leave, because the police wants to question her on Steve's death. The official story was that he died from asphyxia during the fire, and she was the last one who saw him alive. It's the best lie she can come up with, and she feels so gross telling it.

When she's about to be taken to the hospital, to her surprise, Nancy Wheeler comes to check on her, with black tears running down her face, but with a strong posture and a clear voice when she tells Robin she heard she was the last one to see Steve. She thanks her. She thanks her, even though Robin was the one to kill him. She wants to know if she's hurt and if she needs anything, and tells her she's there if she needs anything.

Then at the hospital, after her parents come to see her, freaking out and holding her so tight she can barely breathe, Steve's parents visit. They're barely holding back tears when they thank her for not letting their son die alone, and tell her they'll be there for anything she needs, and Robin has never hated herself as much as she did then. She hates that Dustin and his friends come see her. She hates that Dustin's fucking mom thanks her. Everything is fucking thanking her as if she did something good or brave when all she did was let the one person who could have maybe loved her die. She hates that during the course of the next 8 months, Dustin takes her with him on dinners with the Harringtons as if she were Steve's fucking girlfriend. She hates that he shows up to her house after seeing her looking sad at school to ask how she's doing. She hates that Nancy Wheeler does the same, and hates it when her parents invite her for dinner because she's "another one of Steve's friends". She hates that even 11 year old Erica comes check on her during school lunch if she hears she had another panic attack. She hates it all. She hates herself. She hates that they don't hate her. She hates the nightmares and the flashbasks and the fact she can't talk to anyone about what truly happened. She could talk to Nancy, she guesses, but then Nancy will look at her with sympathy instead of disgust and Robin doesn't think she could take that.

She takes up a job at Family Video. She sees these people who suddenly care for her for all the wrong reasons a few times a week, when they come rent their nerdy movies. She has no one but Keith to talk to, and he isn't great company. At one point Dustin and Max show up asking her to lend them phones and help them find some dude with dubious links to some Eddie boy and then she gets inevitably dragged along into their new quest, fully aware that it should be Steve instead of her.

She doesn't tell them when she sees a clock in the woods, and Steve Harrington stands in front of her, half of his body paralized, nose bleeding, asking why she left him there. Telling her she'd been right all along: there was something rotten inside of her.

#whump #major character death #vecna'd robin buckley #platonic stobin #ronance #< intended audience #maybe im biased but i imagine Nancy being the one to save Robin from this one #she protecc #robin is my little baby i need to traumatize her #she definitely develops ptsd after all of that #the true horror is the struggle to forgive oneself #for so many things. for surviving when steve didn't. for not finding a way to save him. for leaving his body behind. for receiving sympathy #for falling in love with the girl who's made it her mission to look out for her #😭😭😭😭#angst #my posts

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