#stranger things season 2 countdown

[slowandsteddie]

So, um.

I know I had y’all vote to help me decide what I was going to write.

But a thing happened.

That this is called “I have been binge watching Law and Order: Special Victims Unit for months and now I’m on season nineteen and I cannot help myself.”

A few weeks ago (a month??), I took a break from SVU to binge watch Stranger Things in like 2-3 days before going back to Olivia Benson. (When will Elliott, my love, return from The War??)

But, um. Doing so made my brain come up with a lot of ideas and this SVU!au (crossover? Idk what to call it, it’s four am and I am SLEPY.) kind of just happened. Without my permission, it took over. Which means I ended up writing this one (that had the least votes, my bad friendos!!) instead.

So, to make my brain happy, I will be posting a sneak peak of “No. No. It can’t be you. I trusted you.”

I’m going to write the winner of my poll, “You’re going to make me fall in love with you.” / “Keep it in your pants.” and I’ll post that before I actually post my AU that is nearly ready.

But, uh. Yeah. Sneak peak time.

Steve and Eddie had been dating since about a month after Nancy had dumped him, after a party where she drank so much, called everything bullshit, and confessed that she was just pretending to love him. He had been in a pretty dark place and happened to know someone who sold weed. It turned to friendship almost instantly. Then one night, when they were both pretty high, one of them had leaned in and the other hadn’t moved again.

It was electric.

It was everything.

It was the eighties and they lived in a small town. So, they were stuck having to pretend that they were just friends. Stuck having to express their love in secret because of all the small minded hicks that they couldn’t wait to get away from.

“We’re going to graduate this year, Eddie. And we’re just going to disappear to somewhere no one knows our names.”

It became a countdown.

Nine months.

Eight months.

Seven months.

Six months.

Five months.

Four months.

Three months.

Two months.

One month.

Three weeks.

Two weeks.

One week.

In between each line of the countdown, there is a little snippet of their lives where they are talking about where they should move to. After the one week, it cuts to ten years later when they find each other again (that’s all I’m going to say. It’s all I can say without giving away the plot).

Because this one is an SVU based idea, I hope it goes without saying that y’all need to read the CW before continuing when I do eventually post it.

Okay. I love you and I’m incredibly sleep deprived so I go night night now.

[augusttalescomics]

Every Stranger Things 5 Tease Released So Far

Stranger Things 5: The Final Countdown The Netflix sensation, Stranger Things, is gearing up for its fifth and final season. Since the dramatic cliffhanger of Stranger Things 4 Volume 2, fans are eagerly anticipating what’s next. This supernatural saga follows Eleven, a girl with remarkable abilities, her geeky pals, and the eerily enigmatic town of Hawkins. The brainchild of the Duffer Brothers…

[effortless23]

The Most Thrilling Seasons Coming Soon

Get ready for an exciting lineup of TV shows, as some of the most anticipated seasons are just around the corner! From legal dramas to suspenseful mysteries, these shows promise to keep you on the edge of your seat.

1. So Help Me Todd - Season 3

One of the most awaited returns is So Help Me Todd Season 3, a perfect blend of drama, humor, and suspense. The show follows the dynamic partnership between a laid-back private investigator, Todd, and his ambitious lawyer mother, Margaret. Fans are eager to see how their relationship evolves while tackling new cases in this quirky legal drama.

2. Stranger Things - Season 5

The supernatural thriller that has captivated millions is gearing up for its final chapter. With Hawkins on the brink of destruction, Season 5 promises intense battles, shocking revelations, and a nostalgic farewell to the beloved characters.

3. The Crown - Season 6

The final season of The Crown is set to explore the late 1990s and early 2000s, delving into pivotal moments in the British monarchy. With its stunning cinematography and gripping storytelling, Season 6 is expected to be a fitting conclusion to the royal saga.

Conclusion

These upcoming seasons are set to deliver drama, suspense, and excitement. Whether you're a fan of legal mysteries, supernatural adventures, or historical drama, there’s something for everyone. Mark your calendars, as the countdown has officially begun!

[fivescocoa]

nothing i love more than handing people fics i love, i hope one of these soothes your being 💞💞 apologies for how excessively long this is

i've got 2 complete series to recommend

nine weddings and no funerals by @gluupor Words: 28,578 Chapters: 10/10 (fake dating andreil going to weddings together and having some of the best banter. this is so fluffy and happy and a super satisfying read)

Summary:

Neil's just been unceremoniously dumped by his longtime boyfriend before a busy wedding season where it seems like everyone he knows is tying the knot. Desperate not to look like a pathetic loser in front of his ex, he goes along with a plan to bring along a fake boyfriend to the weddings. Since neither Neil nor his date Andrew are interested in pursuing a relationship, there's no chance that anyone's feelings will be hurt. Surely nothing about this plan will backfire.

new horizons by mapjogger Words: 34,313 Chapters: 14/14 (a perfectly crafted AU where andrew is tasked with helping neil get back on his feet. the journey from them being strangers to having grown beautifully intertwined is so so warm. also their banter is great)

Summary:

Andrew, despite being a felon and general disappointment, is working as a delivery driver and managing to stay out of trouble. Nicky would be proud, except Andrew's boss is Ichirou Moriyama and his cargo isn't exactly legal-- but hey, it's a living. Not a great living, but a living nonetheless. One day, Ichirou offers Andrew a new job: become the driver and caretaker of his newest "asset", the injured son of a Baltimore associate. It's a nine month contract, with all expenses paid. Andrew could use the steady income, and he's had worse jobs before. He can do anything for nine months. Besides, it's not like he can actually refuse.

and now for a handful of oneshots

right side of rock bottom by @littlespoonevan Words: 20,019 Chapters: 1/1 (an oldie but a goodie. truly this fic shaped and expanded the way i view andreil. i was not the same coming outta thing fic its so healing)

Summary:

Neil thinks it might be the first time he’s taken a breath in days. He hadn’t realised it because he’d been so caught up in packing and saying goodbye to everyone but now that it’s over he remembers his self-imposed countdown was meant to be up by now. It’s the end of the school year and five months ago, he thought he’d be dead by now. Instead he has a team and a future and a home and Andrew. (The last two might be interchangeable.) * A little look into Neil and Andrew's relationship after The King's Men where they learn to touch, to talk and to trust.

staff recommendation by @wilsherejack Words: 3,151 Chapters: 1/1 (everything you can ask for outta a bookshop au. this fic nailed everything i adore abt bookworm!andrew)

Summary:

Andrew works at a bookstore. Neil stumbles in during a bad storm.

home by @cloudysonder Words: 2,995 Chapters: 1/1 (one of the best missing scene kinda fics. adds so much emotional context to the post baltimore vacation. not as heavy as you expect, neils lovey and incredibly grateful to be alive. its so good)

Summary:

Neil had never known family. He knew the definition of it in four different languages and knew the word for it in twice as many. He never understood it, and probably never would. But, looking out to what seemed like a sea of people in one room, looking into the eyes and the faces of people who would fight for him, people who he would fight for, and home, in the form of blonde hair and an uncaring stare that was a cocktail of both, he guessed that perhaps it would feel a little like this. --------------- Set in the cabin vacation after Baltimore; drunk, honest, sorta sappy Neil (it's Neil) realizing that he's come home, and hoping, for the first time in his life, to stay. Also: Drunk Neil is excellent at flirting, Andrew wants nothing, and they both give the Foxes heart attacks.

fireproof by @mostlymaudlin Words: 2,097 Chapters: 1/1 (i love some non-serious sickfic, when the characters arent like detrimentally ill just a lil under the weather. andrew doesn't feel good and gets clingy, but feels so in character about it. its so warm and gooey and good.)

Summary:

Andrew gets his flu shot.

blasted also by mostlymaudlin *Words: 2,357 Chapters: 1/1* (dialogue is so good in this, the cutest fic where andreil are silly little guys living their lives. theyre older and happy. very domestic)

Summary:

It’s the off-season. Andrew and Neil get high.

so kiss me by @rekikiri Words: 4,754 Chapters: 1/1 (throwing a curveball, this is jeaneil being forever partners. it's heavier than most of the others on this list because it takes place in the nest with raven!neil. but i would say this is the Fluffiest end of nest content and wonderfully captures the forever partner dynamic, whether you view it as platonic or romantic)

Summary:

“I wish I knew what it was like. At least, if I don’t make it, I won’t die wondering,” Jean admitted quietly, almost too quietly for Nathaniel to hear. He almost hoped that Nathaniel didn’t hear his confession because he was suddenly so embarrassed by his weakness. “What what is like?” Nathaniel asked. Jean didn’t answer right away, hoping that if he didn’t clarify that Nathaniel would drop it. He doesn’t, instead gently jostling Jean in his arms. “What is it?” “Kissing,” Jean finally said. “I saw Kevin and Thea kiss, and I just wish I could know what it was like.”

if i ask for fave aftg fic recs preferably on the softer side of the spectrum (but im not picky) would yall send some my way

[robin-buck1ey]

Me spawning at my siblings door in 24 hours like:

stranger things? Strange things. Stranger things! STRANGER THINGS

[paceypeternathanslawyer]

8 Weeks!!!!!!!!!!

[share-the-damn-bed]

COUNTDOWN TO ST4 | Top Jancy Moments

5 — Fight in the Forest (S1E5)

"You know, I was just starting to think that you were okay." "Yeah?" "Yeah."

[chirpsythismorning]

Thank you for sharing this!!!

Something I also want to bring up in regards to this whole thing, is that TV static was used a decent amount in s4 promo.

I do think there are several reasons for this.

First, it's the 80s and VHS tapes were extremely popular. The setting in the literal show, Family Video, gives them the excuse to use a line like please be kind rewind, which is an obvious message from the Duffers telling us to rewatch the show if we want to be ready for what's to come (also a nod to them going back in time potentially).

Secondly, TV static on its own is a fairly common editing effect in general, with it being included on even the most basic editing apps. Though I do think what's unique in this case is that they made a major point to use it in s4 more than previous seasons.

We see it literally with the Nina plot-line, and the tapes being used to help El remember the massacre. We even got a promo, titled HNL Control Room.

In this promo, there are 7 TVs, all airing static, though slowly, one by one, they each take turns shifting into a visible frame from the massacre. Only one TV projects at a time, and eventually after all TV's have shown a total of 9 images (besides the middle/right TV, it got left out), the video ends.

This is just the start of their little tour in using a basic editing technique, but in a way that also fits into the narrative that is happening, making it feel more intentional than not.

The static kiss itself comes (allegedly) from the livestream countdown for the season 4 trailer. This countdown lasted 24 hours, leading up to the official release of the trailer on YouTube. Though soon after this livestream finished airing, Stranger Things made the livestream private.

There are only a few sources left for this stream, and I'll link them here, here. If you want to go hunting to try to find a way to piece together the validity of the static kiss, based on the static provided from these few sources, be my guest!

The first one I linked is from the 7 hour remaining mark. What we also have is the primary color theory doing its thing at the top of each hour, with the light on the clock going from yellow, to blue to red. (According to IMDb the Duffers wrote this promo, not sure how true that is, but these tiny details make it very likely they played at least a small role in guidance for how they wanted the promo to fit with their vision, also simply foreshadowing what is still to come.)

The second one I linked is from the moment before the livestream ends and the trailer is being shown. Oddly, they don't go straight to the trailer like any normal instance where they would, instead they continue to have the static accompany the early part of the trailer. It's a stylistic choice, but a weird one...

From what people who watched the live stream have said, it sounds like there was mostly just a live stream of the creel clock with scientists standing around it, interspersed with static at each hour, then transitioning into clips from past scenes, as well as b-roll footage made specifically for this promo.

These (here, here) are the few posts I could find of fans talking about the stream itself. It's interesting, so I would definitely check it out if you're curious about the clips from the show that were shown during the livestream (might be interesting for theory sake).

Another usage of tv static, ironically enough, relates to byler. It's actually known as one of the most ballsy examples of byler promo to date, and it's from one of the Stranger Things Experience locations, pre Vol 2.

Back then a lot of bylers saw this and got excited bc it looked like they were holding hands and that maybe this could mean they would be canon by the end of season 4 (naive children, that's not how slow-burn works). Though we know now this promo was probably meant to allude to Will and Mike sticking together by the end of Vol 2 and how that is predicted to continue into s5 (endgame). Regardless, a very interesting time to use a TV static effect considering...

And yet, the byler tv static effect saga doesn't stop there, according to this post:

This one in particular is so fucking odd to me. Because it almost looks too choppy, like borderline unprofessional? Why are they being so dramatic with the static here, when they could have just went with a simple fade to black to a s4 poster like a normal screening with intermissions in between? Why did they feel the need to haphazardly transition byler shots with choppy TV static? Why?

I do think that if the static kiss is real (i'm like 50/50 rn...), then it would make sense to do this weird shit they're doing with the tv static effect and having it pop up in other random pieces of content they're rolling out to promote the show. The Stranger Things Experience has a lot of really limited stuff, with even the cast themselves being contracted to take the time to act out scenarios as content for it, along with the screenings being something the Duffers really fought for. If byler is endgame and they have the proof of it hidden (static kiss), then these little references to it, poking fun at it basically, would be pretty hilarious.

I also think what makes the static kiss so fascinating, is that it opens up the possibility of unused footage which has already been speculated a lot about, especially in relation to rink o mania. And with what little we get of the lighting from the static kiss, it looks like its dark and almost blue in the setting it's taken in, quite similar to rink o mania. Which is interesting...

With them filming s4 when they had all of it written, means that they also knew while filming they wouldn't be returning to set for another 2 or so years... meaning that they could very well have had the time to look at their s5 outline, and come up with a s5 opening so that they could deal with their characters not looking the exact same as when we last saw them once they returned to film all of s5.

For example, just thinking about the ending scene of s4, if they're going to have us go right back to that scene or shortly after that moment, it might feel too obvious to the audience that these characters have aged, if they plan to have them return right back to that hill 2 years later in our time.

Usually we get time jumps between seasons, so we don't have to deal with this, but in this case we are presumably jumping right back where we left off within the timeline of the show...

And so it would make sense for them to have filmed the iconic opening to the final season, in advance, avoiding dealing with their characters aging, even potentially having this opening scene initiate the time jump, in turn accommodating the aged up cast who is able to film the rest of the season without it being distracting for the audience.

ALSO if a rink o mania-esque vision is in the cards for the opening of s5, it would make sense to have these easter eggs during s4 promo. This is because more often than not, the opening to new seasons is what gets revealed in advance. We saw that with s1, where the first 8 minutes were released before the premiere. And we saw that with s4 where the first 10 minutes were shown before the premiere. They film that opening knowing it's going to make everyone pumped up, and it's also going to be used for a decent amount of trailer footage so they don't have to waste too many later spoilers.

Same with the whole Will harness debacle (Noah debunked it saying he needed a harness for van scenes but i digress). Same with the Lonnie actor being at the s4 table reading. Same with Noah being at the rink-o-mania location in his yellow plaid instead of the blue one he wore for those episodes. Same with birthdaygate being alluded to all season cryptically, but not outright addressed, bc it's going to be addressed right at the start of s5...

Also feel free to call me crazy. All it takes is season 5 coming out to prove me wrong/right. Until then I am speculating and questioning anything and everything.

So like, if you take a video of something, a timeline is created where you can see each individual frame. Same thing for animation, but you’re the one that’s drawing the frames- like I attempted to draw three frames here

And each one of those frames is it’s own picture and set up like a classic film reel (but not sideways) even when done digitally. So what if we’re not looking at static (in the static picture source video/s4 promotion video) but a bunch of frames that are smushed together in a line and degraded just enough that people won’t be able to recognize them?

Like, okay, I zoomed in on one of the strips in the image above and then zeroed in on a random section of it- and it almost looks like there’s breaks in the image that create a pattern similar to that of a timeline (film reel).

What are the chances of all of this just being individual frames, which pieces that made up the static kiss were taken from and smushed into a single image? Which would make sense as to why I was able to pull information of out it (with my brain) and create an animation based off of it. @chirpsythismorning

[canary8152]

I'm not going to lie sometimes I think Netflix is overrated. Sorry

[hopperhargrove]

Season 3 explained in 30 seconds feat : Millie, Finn, Sadie, Caleb, Gaten, Noah, Dacre, Winona, David, Natalia, Charlie and Maya

[etrnlsanshine]

click here for TOMORROW X TOGETHER!SMAU SERIES

click here for ATEEZ!SMAU series

a collection of stray kids!smau series that i have read, am currently reading or want to read (so I don't lose track)!!

feel free to send an ask or a message about any skz social media au's that you have read and enjoyed, doesn't matter which member bc at this point I'll read any and all of them bc I am obsessed... enjoy <3

♡ -> personal favorites!!

ot8

the epic highs and lows of jyp university (completed) ♡

prom committee (completed) ♡

guess who (completed)

waiting for us (on hiatus?)

of all things good and evil (ongoing)

room 404 (ongoing)

school life (ongoing)

about love (ongoing)

bang chan

beautiful liar (completed)

enigma (completed)

plot twists (completed)

all in (completed)

lover of mine (completed) ♡

song for you (completed)

yellow wood (completed)

face the music (completed) ♡

shitty fanfiction (ongoing) ♡

lee know

go higher (on hiatus) ♡

isn’t it delicate? (completed) ♡

the journal (completed)

a better match (completed)

dance with me (completed)

my sunshine (completed) ♡

meant to be (completed)

tongue tied (completed)

try me (completed)

i want you around (ongoing) ♡

don’t hate the player, hate the game (on hiatus)

hwang hyunjin

sun & moon (discontinued..)

clumsy (on hiatus??)

you're my best friend (on hiatus??)

sweet like candy (completed) ♡

only fools fall for you (completed) ♡

all I know is your name (completed)

it's just a mistake (completed)

haven (completed)

crush culture (completed)

I choose you (completed)

past mistakes (completed)

waiting on you (completed)

technical difficulties (completed)

i fell for you by accident (completed)

blue (completed)

take my breath away (ongoing) ♡

maybe it’s not our fault (ongoing) ♡

watercolor (ongoing)

perfect pair (ongoing)

lee felix

falling in love (completed)

best friend vs boyfriend (completed)

crush culture (completed) ♡

knock on wood (completed) ♡

so not worth it (completed)

strangers (discontinued)

happy death day (completed) ♡

kim seungmin

lie to me (completed)

you have a message (completed. season 2??) ♡

truth untold (completed)

definitely twice (completed)

itinerant (ongoing)

han jisung

number neighbor (completed)

sunshine (completed)

love sketched on skin (completed)

best friend vs boyfriend (completed)

waiting on you (completed)

welcome something different (completed) ♡

don’t shoot me (completed) ♡

best friend’s little sister (completed)

set up (discontinued)

intimidating (completed) ♡

drinking sessions (ongoing)

someone’s someone (ongoing)

yang jeongin

it’s not the end of the world (completed) ♡

can the world just end already (completed)

countdown to love (completed)

seo changbin

lost and found (completed)

sugar, spice and everything… else (completed)

push + pull (completed)

tongue tied (completed)

TXT X SKZ X ENYHPEN SERIES

hold your breath (ongoing) ♡

[boombox-fuckboy]

Hi @rec-rewind, I hope you don't mind I make a post for this. I know you like Unwell, you've heard TMA, and you're listening to Archive 81 (if season 2 was more your thing). Here's 30 other horror pods for you:

Alice Isn't Dead: A truck driver travels America, telling stories of her strange encounters while looking for the wife she had thought was dead.

A Voice From Darkness: A radio help line for all your strangest and most disturbing troubles. Host Dr. Ryder takes calls, answers questions, shares strange history, and discusses ongoing supernatural problems around America.

The Blood Crow Stories: Each season is it's own horror story. S1 is tapes from a doomed cruise ship in WW2, S2 is a religious horror western, S3 is a cyberpunk with demons, and S4 is the occult and old-time movie studios.

The Deep Vault: Dead Signals' (Archive 81) other podcast, following survivors of a crumbling world in an underground bunker, complete with robots, ai, cosmic entities, etc.

Dining in the Void: Heads up for initial pacing issues and rough audio, but the issue is resolved, and I enjoy other aspects of the show enough to disregard. A group of strangers are summoned to a space station for a party, and promptly locked in with various horrors and an ominous countdown, until they can work out who the host is.

Dos: After You: A charming young hitman leaves home to travel Europe, hoping to track down, and kill, the god he fell in love with.

Down: A group of scientists and explorers are put in a submarine sent down an apparently bottomless pit in Antarctica. Nobody likes what they find down there.

Duggan Hull: After her friend/ex-girlfriend goes missing, a young woman tries to track her down and ends up in the middle of a strange and disturbing small town mystery. Fantastic piece of cosmic horror. (Not on Spotify)

Hello From The Hallowoods: A powerful entity visits your nightmares bearing stories of the people, in varying states of human and alive, who inhabit the Hallowoods, through horrors and joys, and as their lives begin to meet. Super queer.

Hi Nay: Supernatural horror following a young woman named Mari, who's babaylan (shaman) family background draws her into helping people with various horrific supernatural problems around Toronto. Formatted as phone calls to her mother telling her what's happened.

The Hotel: About a supernatural hotel that kills people, and the weird staff that make it happen.

How I Died: Work recordings of a forensic pathologist who can see ghosts, when he moves to a new town and encounters a strange sequence of murders.

I am in Eskew: Personal accounts from a man living in something that very much wants to be a city, and an investigator who was, in her words, hired to kill a ghost. Creatively horrific stories with a gentle voice and ambient rain. Rougher audio initially but not uncomfortably so.

Janus Descending: A xenopalentologist and a xenoarcheologist investigate the abandoned ruins of an ancient alien civilisation and find more than they bargained for. Listen to the supercut for this one. Really clever use of a strange format: you hear her recordings first to last, and his last to first, and it's all the more heartbreaking for it.

The Lost Cat Podcast: A man befriends strange entities, loses bits of himself and drinks an awful lot of wine while looking for his cat. Unique and fun writing that's stuck with me, yet just the right hint of cliché to make it satisfying in the moment, too. Soft and cosmic horror. (Not on Spotify)

Mabel: Series of voicemails from an elderly woman's caretaker, to her unresponding grandaughter. Horror/mystery with a slow slide into poetic lesbian fae body horror.

Maps of the Lost: An audio guide book to the strange people, places, and happenings of Britan. Lovely soothing voice, more supernatural or new weird but horror enough for this list.

The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity and Mortality: You're led through a museum of strange artifacts by a sweet audio tour guide AI, who will tell you the story behind each one. More new weird but there's plenty horror in there too.

Old Gods of Appalachia: Tales from the 1800s and 1900s of an alternate Appalachia inhabited by witches, old gods, and entities beyond understanding. With the air of being told stories around a campfire, these tales are connected by individuals or places, seperate but not detached. Any character is disposable, but none are treated with less respect than they deserve.

The Petrol Station: Strange and unsettling stories from a young woman working at a 24 hour petrol station in a very remote british town. Only 5 episodes, but I am hoping for more.

Red Valley: British cryogenic conspiracy comedy horror with some truely gorey sfx at times. Not my sense of humor personally, but it is enjoyable regardless and well made.

SAYER: Several sophisticated AI bully you into completing an array of both mundane and horrible tasks.

SCP: Find Us Alive: First, you don't need to know anything about SCP to enjoy this. A research team gets trapped in an underground research facility when the complex collapses and the building is dragged into a pocket dimension. The tear it was designed to study begins creating tiny copies of itself, generating strange entities the team needs to deal with. Oh, and the entire situation physically resets every 30 days. And yet, this is genuinely also an office comedy.

The Sheridan Tapes: In 2018, famous horror writer Anna Sheridan went missing leaving behind a collection of strange tapes. Listen along as a young detective with his own strange past tries to work out what happened to her. Cosmic horror.

The Silt Verses: In a modern world where gods are both commercialised and banned, two followers of an outlawed river god go on a pilgrimage. Great worldbuilding and tasty body horror. Same creators as Eskew (further up this list)

Station Blue: Isolation horror following a maintenance man who sets up an antarctic research base ahead of the main crew. Based on the creator's experiences with her own untreated mental illness but also there's some cosmic fuckery and light body horror.

Video Palace: Guy (and his wife when she has time) hosts a personal investigation into a collection of video tapes generally considered an urban legend, after he finds one and begins sleep talking.

The White Vault: A repair group sent to a research base near Svalbard gets trapped inside as an unending snowstorm rages, decides to take a nosy at the tunnels under the base, and find some disturbing things. Fantastic audio and a fun cast of accents and languages.

VAST Horizon: An agronomist travelling to a new world wakes from cryo to find the ship empty, off-course, and damaged. With the guidence of a malfunctioning AI, she tries to work out what happened and how to stop the situation aboard from getting worse.

WOE.BEGONE: A man's curiousity gets the better of him as he begins to play an alternate reality game of a different kind. The challenges are brutal and disturbing, but for the prize on offer, it might just be worth it. Single most endearing asshole lead I've encountered, very funny, very gay, and the music slaps.

Hopefully at least one appeals.

[chirpsythismorning]

Today is Day 185: What This Line Means for El's Letter to Mike at the Start of Season 4

I know a lot of fans are convinced that the Duffers are careless since they 'forgot' Will's birthday. But I assure you… they’re not.

There's zero doubt in my mind that the writers have a calendar which they refer to religiously, especially when making decisions about the timeline for the story. 

Literally every season starts with a date to establish the setting. Do we think they just settle on a date, without referring to any sort of notes?

There’s a basic responsibility there, at the very least, to be aware of what the characters would be doing at that moment in time, based on what generally happens during that time of year. This would require research beyond just picking a date and slapping it on the first episode of the season. 

Is it Spring, Summer, Fall or Winter? What events are likely to take place during that time of year and how do they plan the expectations of the setting around the characters and the story itself? That's all intentional and well thought out. There’s a reason every season is surrounding some sort of holiday/event at some point, and it’s because time is very very important in the world of Stranger Things.

Think about the various times they’ve had characters literally countdown events?

Mike with El in s2? El with Mike in s4? Suzie when referring to Dustin’s birthday in s4? They wouldn’t throw out lines like that if they didn’t do the math at least once themselves.

The ‘353 days’ line is one perfect example of the Duffer’s proving to us that they have access to calendars, calculators or even simply, google.

Look at that! It appears when Mike used the walkie to call El on Halloween of 1984 (October 31st) in s2, it had indeed been 353 days!

What makes this detail so so so so so fucking important, is that this might hold the answer to the murkiness of the s3 ending going into s4.

Because as of now, we don't really know when s3 ended exactly.

But the similarities of s3's ending to previous seasons, might help us figure out that answer...

Every season ends with a vague timestamp for the literal ending; the epilogue. They only offer up the date at the start of the season, but when it comes to the ending, they never do. It's always months or days if we're lucky.

For s1-2 we got a vague 'one month later', for s3 we got an even more vague 'three months later' and for s4 we surprisingly got something more specific, with 'two days later'.

I think the reasoning for this seems complicated, but it's fairly simple.

While it is quite commonplace to give exact dates at the start of stories, to set the scene and everything, there's this agreed upon understanding in film and even books arguably, that also providing an exact date for the epilogue feels a little cheap? Or maybe a bit too 'handholdy' is a better word? I could see that being something an amateur would do without realizing it looks tacky.

I also think it allows the writers to be more vague in what exactly the date is for the end, according to the audience at least. Because they 100% know what the date is on their end, but that doesn't mean they have to reveal it to us.

We don't know when s3 ends exactly. We know that the battle at Starcourt ended on July 4th-5th (respectively). Though we also know that based on s1's timeline, Mike's countdown considered El's death to be the morning of November 13th, and so we can presume perhaps that s3 technically ended on July 5th.

And so the s3 epilogue being 'three months later' would bring us to October 5th, 1985 right?

Well, not exactly.

You see, when the Duffers give us their vague epilogue scenes, they're not saying that it's exactly one month or three months later, to the exact day. They're being intentionally vague.

Season 1 ending says one month later, but it's actually been 25 days.

Season 2 ending says one month later, but it's actually been 40 days.

Season 3 ending says three months later, but it's actually been... well we don't fucking know!!!

BUT I don't think it really matters, because if the Duffer's made an effort to do the math correctly for their 353 days line in s2, then it's probably safe to assume they'd do math for their 185 days line in s4 as well? And to also give us the answer to that question somewhere in the show already, as opposed to throwing out some random date seasons later?

Otherwise why have countdowns like that at all? It literally makes no sense for them to give us an exact number, like 353 or 185, without checking that the days match up with the exact countdown they're giving us.

I'm just one fan, and it only took me maybe 3 google searches to figure this out in a matter of seconds. They are however literal experts in their profession, and for that reason I do feel comfortable giving them some credit here.

So now, let's try to apply this logic then to s3.

Perhaps it's safe to assume that El's countdown didn't start when the Byers moved to Cali in the s3 epilogue, just like Mike's countdown didn't start at the end of the s1 epilogue either.

It's believed that the Byers, but El specifically, had to go into hiding after the battle at Starcourt. And so, could this mean that El's countdown started on July 5th?

The day that Hopper died? The day she lost her powers? The day she had to go into hiding and probably couldn't properly communicate with Mike for about three months?

Honestly, I think it would make a lot more sense to have their countdown's (Mike's 353 vs. El's 185) parallel in how they started.

And it would be weird to restart that countdown simply because they reunited for one afternoon to move, again because there was obviously so much significance to everything that happened on July 5th, that it does make sense to me that El's countdown would have started there.

Also, I want to be thorough by mentioning that, the main reason we can easily rule out the Byers move date being the start of El's countdown, is that it doesn't add up whatsoever.

El saying it has been 185 days since the Byers moved, would mean she was writing the letter on April 7th, 1986, which is impossible. (Also Mike's birthday, which is hilariously ironic).

Even if we spread out that three month window, we still have to take into account that if it was closer to two months or four months, they would've just said that instead. So either the Byers moved on October 4th, or sometime between September 5th at the earliest and November 5th at the latest.

And so where do we go from here? 

Basically, from what we understand in canon on the show, there isn’t much to go off of besides that. And I think that’s the intention.

Over the seasons, the obscurity of the time jump between the epilogues has allowed for them to say obscure comments between seasons, such as, Yeah for like a month (Jonathan in s2) and It’s been a year, Mike (Will in s4) and so they obviously like this appeal of the audience not knowing for certain. But that doesn’t mean they don’t know for certain.

I would argue they have to know for certain, and have very likely done the math at least once or twice or ten times, especially because as I mentioned, there would be no reason to have characters countdown to the exact day, on multiple occasions, if the creators/writers or literally anyone involved with the show wasn't checking to make sure those numbers added up correctly.

And so, based on all of that, I think that El started counting down from the day they separated, just like the previous season, which would’ve been July 4th-5th (respectfully).

And so 185 days after July 4th-5th, 1985, would be January 5th-6th, 1986. 

Just work with me here. Because while there are several things that could work against this theory, I think those things could have intentionally been there to trick the audience into thinking this letter was written very close to spring break, even though the math for that doesn't add up. And so lets look at some of the details that might be telling us this letter isn't as recent as we're being lead to believe.

The main detail I want to mention, is that major projects like the one El describes in her letter, requiring a visual aid, is more likely to be assigned at the start of the trimester.

If you don’t live in the United States, or are unfamiliar, basically how it tends to work for most high schools is the school year get’s split into 3 trimesters. The 1st trimester goes from September-December, the second goes from January-March, and the third goes from March-June. It varies depending on the city/county/state. Though it may not seem very equal, it goes like this to accommodate the major holidays with extensive breaks. The first trimester has Thanksgiving then a brief return to school, followed by Christmas/New years. The 2nd trimester starts right after New Years, and ends with Spring break. Then once you return afterward Spring break, that’s the start of the 3rd trimester. It evens out to each trimester being about 3 months.

I think El would've mentioned this assignment to Mike closer to when it was assigned and not right before she was turning it in. And the reasoning for this is kind of obvious but understandably overlooked.

While most kids would probably not think about working on a project like this until the last minute, because most of us are expert procrastinators after almost a decade in school, El however is completely new to this experience. And so I imagine the moment she heard about this assignment, she was just like 'best get to it!!'! We even see her still working on it after the project was already graded because the significance of it was clearly important to her. And so if her and Mike were writing somewhat consistently as it appears, then this would have been mentioned a lot sooner than her most recent letter to him.

And when it comes to the rest of the letter, there are several clues that could also support this theory that it wasn't written as close to spring break as we're being lead to assume.

Like the mention of Joyce's new telemarketer job. It wouldn't really make sense for her job to have been like super new, within the last week from March 22nd, especially if it's intended to be this sort of deterrent for Mike getting ahold of Will on the Byers phone presumably since the move.

Also Jonathan's car, is looked like it had been deserted there for a long time, not a matter of days or weeks, but possibly months (since early winter)... And so Argyle driving them to school wasn't something that happened within the last week worth mentioning to Mike right before their reunion in her most recent letter, but most likely another detail she mentioned as an update, since Jonathan's car is being referred to as still broken.

Even separate from the letter, I wondered if there was evidence somewhere else that they could sneakily be trying to hint to us that this is actually being written early in the Winter trimester and not the very end. Then it hit me.

The lyrics in the background...

Although, there are some things that contradict this theory, again I think those details were put there for the sake of tricking us.

Like just think about it, if this was El's most recent letter, wouldn't it make more sense for her to mention both the countdown for when they last saw each other, and how many days until they'd be seeing each other if it was really that close? Unless of course that number of days until their reunion was still too high at the time for her to hype it up, assuming she was writing this letter, perhaps 1-2 months out?...

I also do think that it's likely Mike and El are quite active in their writing back and forth. After all, Will said El had like a book of letters from Mike, so they want us to think that they wrote a decent amount.

I'm guessing the conversation was casual and broad for this letter specifically, because El is still new at writing/reading obviously and because this letter was also being used to update the audience about the characters whereabouts since we last saw them.

This might not seem that groundbreaking, but what this theory boils down to, is that s4 opened with an old letter, not a recent one. It means Mike was reading a letter, possibly from as early as January, 2 months previous to present. This would mean Mike presumably had other, more recent letters available to him to look at, with countdowns like 20 days and 10 days or 5 days, with El gushing even more intensely over the fact that they're closer and closer to finally reuniting.

And yet Mike was fixating on this letter specifically the morning before their reunion, AN OLD LETTER!!

But why?

Let's again look at the vibe of El's letter. If you look really close, it comes off like a response to a questionnaire.

I've always said that although El's lied a lot in her entire letter to Mike, there's a reason they never let us see a letter from Mike to El, and it's because he probably wouldn't have faired much better.

I don't even think it's actually that Mike would've lied necessarily, as much as I think it was mostly a lie of omission situation.

He showed up in Cali as his inauthentic self, and so it wouldn't make sense for him to have given El updates on Hellfire in his letters, which was pretty much all he focused on back in Hawkins from what it looked like.

And so I think the letter he wrote, which El was responding to in that specific letter, was Mike focusing on asking her questions about how she was doing and how the Byers were doing. It's also probably the last time he asked about the others because of one specific detail he got that time, which he's been fixating on ever since... (you know the one...)

Regardless, Mike was reading an old letter, which makes the implications of this (and this)... astounding.

[dailystrangerthings]

Stranger Things season 2 Countdown!

Stranger Things S2 is right around the corner, and to celebrate that, we’re doing a favorite character countdown! This is only possible with your help, though. All we need you to do is vote for your favorite Stranger Things character from season 1 here, and on October 22nd, we’ll start counting down the favorite characters (as voted by you guys) via gifsets (posting 2 gifsets per day) right up until October 27th!

Thank you to everyone who participates, and we hope you all are just as excited as we are for season 2!

[bifuriouswaterbender]

Stranger Things Masterlist

Updated September 24, 2023

Only includes fics published on AO3. I have a few other Tumblr only drabbles you can find under the “my writing” tag.

Current Categories: Steddie, Greatwise, Assorted (Gen/Mixed/Other)

Steddie:

Stevie Doesn’t Know - 34,648  words - 7/7 Chapters completed - Rating E

Modern AU -- Eddie makes music on TikTok & Steve is a massive fan who gets caught in the excitement.

He’s All That -   34,700 words - 8/? chapters - Rated E

Steve and Tommy made a bet. Eddie is that bet.

I’d Meet You Where The Spirit Meets The Bones - 15,062 words - Rated E

A/B/O AU - Steve goes into heat right after the events of Season 4. He just wants Eddie, who is too injured to do anything about it.

Swipe Right - 13,759 words - Rated E

Modern AU - They match on Bumble and fuck about it.

Take Pleasure in the Details -   9,736 words - Rated E

Stripper Eddie / Teacher Steve + Co-parenting Eddie & Chrissy

Time is Luck - 7,985 words - Rated E

Modern A/B/O AU - Eddie catches Steve making stupid choices over text on the subway.

No Reaction Without Action - 7,569 words - Rated E

Steve wasn’t supposed to know what Eddie does with the men who meet him on the street, but Eddie loves that he can hear. 

for pasts that we're never gonna change - 6,968 - Rated E

Pop Star Steve AU - Eddie’s secretly a huge fan

I don't care if it's dirty, the view's so pretty - 5,414 words - Rated E

Steve and Eddie find each other at an open mic night where Eddie’s playing

I Can See You (Up Against The Wall With Me) - 4,459 words - Rated E

Steve and Eddie have been circling each other since the beginning.

In All My Wildest Dreams (They Just End With You And Me) - 2,460 words - Rated E

Mirror sex (that’s it, that’s the fic)

Have Your Cake And Eat It Too - 311 words - Rated M

Steve has a unique birthday cake for Eddie.

Is There a Word for Bad Miracle? - 6,038 - Rated T

Words Soulmate AU -  Eddie said his words to Steve in school, but Steve didn’t say his back until the boathouse

Hold Me Like A Grudge - 4,402 Words- Rated T

Countdown Soulmate AU

Dancing With Him (Thinking of You) - 3,547 words - Rated T

Eddie gets jealous watching Steve dance with other guys

A Collapsing Star With Tunnel Vision - 3,503 words - Rated T

Eddie gets glasses

So Roll the Highlights - 2,405 words - Rated T

Superhero ttrpg

I'm stuck in a lonely loop, my baby -  2,448 words - Rated T

Red strings of fate

I Got A Secret, I Must Admit - 2,320 words - Rated T

Steve & Robin are twins. Eddie’s the gossip swept up in their orbit.

All this effort to make it look effortless - 1,373 words - Rated T

The Grindr hookup that's not actually (intended as) a hookup

I will never ask you for anything (except to dream sweet of me) - 1,195 words - Rated T

Blanket fort!

Your Dreams and Your Hopeless Hair - 3,016 words - Rated T

YDAYHH Part 1

Steve takes care of Eddie’s hair and considered the future

I Want You to Love me for Who I Am - 2,775 words - Rated T

YDAYHH Part 2

Steve has a confrontation with his parents about his future plans

Get The Feeling -  1,496 words - Rated T

Eddie ogling Steve at Scoops Ahoy

Are You From Tennessee? - 828 words - Rated T

Pick-up lines

Pool - 442 & 273 words - Rated T

Two drabbles inspired by the word “pool”

Timeless - 322 words - Rated G

Timeless by Taylor Swift

Greatwise:

You’re on The Other Side of The Storm - 12,669 words - Rated T

Gentle Hands and Observant Eyes Part 1

Will starts sophomore year developing confidence, leaning on new friends for support, and wondering for the first time if what he's always wanted is still what he wants.

Coming In So Strong - 5,111 words - Rated T

Gentle Hands and Observant Eyes Part 2

People find out Will has a boyfriend now.

It Sends You Spinning -  4,325 words - Rated T

Gareth's wanted to try drag for a long time.

When Will Falls in Love -  3,149 words - Rated T

Will’s got a crush (and everyone’s support).

Assorted:

Craving Something Deeper - Chrissy focus, Chrissy & Eddie, Crissy/Jason (temporarily), Robin/Chrissy, Steve/Eddie, Andy/Gareth -  24,158 words - 7/? Chapters - Rated T

Chrissy Lives AU - Chrissy went to Eddie for drugs and a change, not to get any visions out of her head.

Wrapped Up In You - Steve/Eddie, Will/Gareth, Nancy/Robin, Nancy & Eddie - 7,483 words - Most Rated T with 1 E Drabble

A series of unrelated drabbles inspired by songs from my 2022 Spotify Wrapped.

Til We See All The Stars - Stevie & Robin, Steve/Eddie - 6,718 words - 4/4 Chapters - Rated T

Trans Woman Stevie Harrington - Stevie hadn’t been growing her hair out intentionally.

[stranger-from-hawkins]

6 DAYS! THIS IS NOT A DRILL. I REPEAT. 6 DAYS!