#why does feel will byers core though

[just-jessiejames]

do you ever just get that artistic urge to gently grasp someone's face and tilt it just right, so that you get the perfect angle to draw the light against their cheek? is it just me? does anyone else see another human and just go "I wish to coax you gently into the pose my mind desires. I want to turn you into colors. I need to outline every part of you. I want to see how the light shimmers off your skin. stay still." but you know- in the artistic way! hahahahaaaa- (says something very romantic)

[friendsdontlieokay]

Apparently Jonathan's character has degraded in the latest season and "he's become worse than ever", now a lot of ppl are against that, and so am I, Jonathan Byers, bad? Jonathan Byers, worse? These words don't compliment each other even at the least.

But despite being a Jonboy defender and stan, I gotta admit that his personality has in fact degraded, and a lot of ppl say that his character was poorly written and that's why he became the way he did.

I don't think that's the case though, I think it's realistic and it was bound to happen, I mean just imagine having an abusive father, having to take care of your brother (he loves to do that, don't get me wrong), saving your brother from your father, taking care of your whole family, being the "man" of the family ever since you're a literal kid, being the "town freak" with absolutely no friends but your little brother and even he goes missing and you blame yourself for that, you see your mother going absolutely crazy over it and you see your brother being dead, and your mother going crazier and crazier and when you do get some news about your brother, apparently he's in an alternate dimension and even when he gets rescued, nothing is the same ever since! You see your favorite person, your little brother, your kid, fading away and when things finally start to go normally, well let's just say it doesn't last for even a year and soon you have to move out of the life you have been used to since forever, the house, the town, the people and that only person who understood, the person who felt so close to home, the person who is the love of your life, you have to bid farewell to her too, and when you actually did move out and bid farewell you feel like you're not good enough for her? For your girlfriend, for your family or for no one? (He is the best for them in every way just so you know though), so you feel like you need to choose between either your family or the love of your life and meanwhile forget that you have the right to have a choice of your own and that isn't even the worst part, the worst part is that you think you're not good enough for your girlfriend because apparently you, who has taken every step to keep your family and brother safe, have raised your brother just like your own baby, and has made sure that he never feels left out and made sure that he feels loved at all time, are turning like that abusive jerk father of yours that didn't give a shit when your brother went missing and only came by for the money, you think you're turning like him which makes no sense at all but in that little depressed and anxious brain of yours it does, so you feel the need to be addicted and stoned and even when you feel like you're slipping away from everything and everyone, especially your little brother, you can't stop it because that's the only thing that helps you keep your mind off of life.

So yes, season 4 Jonathan isn't the best but that's 100% justified, however no matter how stoned or out of touch he has become, he's still Jonathan Byers at the core and hopefully s5 is gonna prove that too.

[fantasy-land-and-ocean]

I mean, I don’t agree with the  “ Steve  was the brother Max deserved” sentiment mainly it comes from the notion that you can replace people in life if they show any sign of inconvenient response to trauma or mental, like replacing a broken phone....(doesn’t mean that you have to put up with bad behavior, just that human beings are not replaceable neither are our relationships with each other)

That being said, I am getting really really tired of all the Steve hate lately, ironically coming from the Harringrove fandom. I mean, I can understand why Billy would misread the situation in the Byers’ house...but fandom is acting as if Steve was actually a creep that SA ed Max or was planning to do so....even though it is textually clear that it is NOT the case. And, I partly get it for Billy fans: he gets so much hate by the general ST fandom that they feel the need to defend  everything he does that others condemn him for. In the context of his fight with Steve, Billy can be justified to the extend that Steve threw the first punch and understood in the he is in high conflict mode after being hit by his father and Karen being a creep...but the moment Steve loses consciousness and is therefore unable to defend himself...Billy’s continues assault is impossible to justify, sorry!!! Even if Billy had any reason to come to the conclusions he did earlier, Steve was not a threat the moment he was unconscious . So I think that parts of Billy fandom turn Steve into a villain in this case to justify Billy’s assault as a way to defend Billy.

And in the season 4 finale, I think it’s incredibly sort sighted to claim that Steve doesn’t care about the main conflict and what happened to others just because the last scene with him did not involve what was happening with Max or Dustin. Not everything has to be on screen for the audience to understand it and I don’t think that the general audience reached the conclusion that Steve is an uncaring Sociopath out of this. I mean, is Robin an uncaring sociopath as well? At the end of the day, Steve is a secondary character, who although he is part of the main group, he is not part of the core focus in the way El, or the Byers or Max (for this season) were, and neither is Robin..

Can’t wait to be blocked for this :-)

if i see an anti say that steve is "the brother that max deserved" ONE MORE FUCKING TIME I'm going to fucking snap.

do i need to remind you twats that steve made himself out to be a pedo in s2 and was too busy playing matchmaker to care that dustin was a having an emotional breakdown and that max is now brain dead in the hospital

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

Something I think gets glossed over a lot in conversations about the apology, is how much Will did not want to hear it. We act like he's been waiting, sad puppy style, for Mike to apologize, but actually, Mike tried and Will shut him down. Then doubled down on that decision with Lucas. He doesn't want to have those conversations and risk getting hurt again, so he keeps insisting it doesn't matter. We see him shut down Joyce too, when she tries to get him to talk about his feelings. (1/2)

I guess my point is, maybe Will's emotional shutdown is causing his own unhappiness. Maybe the dynamic won't be Oblivious!Mike, so much as Distant!Will. Mike might go to Cali hoping to bridge that gap, only to get frustrated when Will keeps him at arm's length. Then he falls back on spending time with El because at least that feels easy. Or maybe because he's hoping to make Will jealous and reignite the fight, so they can finish it. But Will just withdraws more. Miscommunication, you know?(2/2)

Will does tend to make matters worse to himself by keeping his feelings to himself for too long. He doesn't like to admit when things are bothering him. This likely is a result of Lonnie's, ahem, "parenting." This has come up in more than just his interpersonal relationships. He was also reluctant to bring up what happened to him in the Upside Down because he resented being seen as fragile. Again, most likely Lonnie's influence.

The thing is that Mike and Will did part on good terms. There needs to be some sort of catalyst for why things change. Will isn't going to be distant for no reason. Something is going to trigger it. Something is going to make Will upset that Mike never did apologize.

Yes, Will didn't want to hear Mike's initial apology. At the time, though, Will was still angry. Yeah, Will had been annoyed for some time, and oblivious Mike is oblivious and thought Will was just mad about the campaign. What the apology needed to be for wasn't for all of that, though. What really broke Will, to the point that he felt the need to tear down Castle Byers, was that Mike struck him to his core. That was left hanging despite the fact that Mike specifically set out to apologize for it.

Will probably would be uncomfortable talking about his feelings, and that's a personal issue he does need to work on. Perhaps that will have something to do with his own development this season. It would really be something to see Will and Mike being at odds simply because one is closed-off and the other is oblivious. Once Mike figures it out, though, I think he's going to feel like shit. What remains to be seen is how long it will take him and whether Will allows himself to be vulnerable with Mike again.

[gaysagainststeve]

you don’t have to post this because i know how any post not demonizing billy gets someone a lot of hate.

ok i’m 2 weeks late but the unending billy hate just.. hurts my soul because it’s never a nuanced conversation. people refuse to admit that even though he’s done and said messed up things, he’s still a victim of abuse. i do blame the duffers for that because all they care about is demonizing him. dacre montgomery tried so hard to focus on billy’s abuse and insecurities and how that resulted in his shitty actions and adopted views from his father. he’s so real. not every abuse victim is overly kind and “docile.” he’s an angry person. victims of abuse can be angry and violent because that’s all they’ve been shown, but that doesn’t mean they “maybe deserve to die.” maybe the deserve a chance to change with proper care. ugh the way stranger things has handled billy’s abuse is so damaging to abuse victims. neil faces no consequences. max’s mother makes no mention of it despite witnessing it. a random basketball player’s abuse can be focused on but not billy’s? the way people say billy is worse than brenner & peter creel! it’s absolutely ridiculous. there’s also this misogynistic, hetnormative way in which antis will say that the only people who like billy are woman who think he’s hot. and don’t get me started on that hate dacre receives for trying to humanize his character and how he’s been ostracized by the duffer brothers. i could talk about this forever lol. anyways, he and steve are in love but the duffers saw that they were too powerful bye.

Dude i also have a whole manifesto about billy. I feel you so hard. Also im not afraid of antis saying anything to me bc i always want to be talking about this even on my streamer side blog lol

What i have to add is my opinion on the fact that ppl call him racist and abusive.

Billy does in season 2 say something implicitly racist saying max shouldn’t hang out with ppl like lucas. But the duffers are cowards that refuse to touch on any racism in the 80s. Im p sure its by the request of caleb who plays lucas, but theyve had characters say the f slur, had episodes about misogyny and yet they refuse to acknowledge the racism lucas may have faced even in passing. Im not saying lucas should be hate crimed but i feel like it would explain why he really wanted to be accepted by the basketball team and obsessed with being popular in season 4.

The duffers never follow up on the racist comment billy made and its not talked about at all in season 3. it is not a reoccurring or central trait to billy. Billys racism is as relevant as the byers dog to the duffers. They forget everything they write.

Also, the way he treats Max is a direct product of his abuse from his father. Anything she does wrong, billy gets punished for. Its a common abuse tactic idk why ppl think billy treats her bad just bc he’s evil. Also like… does anyone call intense fighting between siblings abuse in any other context??

The ppl who say hes the evilest person on the show are hard core projecting their own highschool bully onto him. I saw ppl saying jason was not as bad as billy and jason actually shot at lucas with the intent to kill him when billy pushed him up against a wall aggressively (i think the cast and creators even said this). Jason is the personification of rich white christian heterosexual America and the violence that comes from their ignorance. Billy is literally a poor metal head that gets called gay slurs by his father. Jason has the power of the entire town behind him hunting down the party; billy is just some angry punk with no outlet that finds his little sister in a creepy house with a bunch of boys and a high school senior in the middle of the night.

I for sure get not liking billy but idk how it became so extreme and mainstream. It used to be just infighting in the fandom but now its all over tiktok and hating him is The Opinion to have.

I think it might be because the show is so black and white about whether or not a character is good or evil and people can’t handle that billy has any complexity at all.

Also is it a crime for a man to be attractive? Ppl will crucify you if you don’t have a moral reason for liking a character istg. Maybe he’s the only character on that show that has any depth AND has a fat ass??? Ever think of that??

Thanks for sending this ask!!

[enneagramwingmiranda]

Stranger Things: The actual enneagram types of Mike, Lucas, Dustin, Will, Eleven, and Max

The Lover: Mike Wheeler [Type 2]

“El, are you there? El? It’s me, it’s Mike. It’s day 352, 7:40 pm, I am still here. If you’re out there, say something… or give me a sign, I won’t, I won’t even say anything, I just… I want to know if you’re okay.”

Enneagram wing: 2w1|2w3 (Helper along with the reformer and achiever)

Core Desire: To feel loved, needed, and appreciated

Core Fear: Being rejected, unwanted and unneeded

Mike is a loyal to a fault going through great lengths to be there for his friends. He was willing to sacrifice himself off a cliff to protect Dustin. He never gave up pursing justice for Will. He also hid Eleven in his home despite the repercussions he may face with his parents and the evil scientists. The hidden motivation behind his actions are to be needed, loved, and wanted. He is very good at intuiting others needs as we see this in his close friendship with Will in season 2 and in his blossoming relationship with Eleven. He sees the good in others and is very trusting which Lucas, a type 6, doesn’t quite understand. He often asserts himself in situations where he is not needed and we see this become a conflict in his relationship with Eleven in season 3. We see him often go into an 8 in stress where he becomes aggressive, outspoken, dominating, and advocating for justice. I believe he leans on both of his wings equally; he shows to have a strong sense of right and wrong but also a innate desire to succeed, be admired, and respected. 

The Intuitive One: Will Byers [Type 4]

"Sometimes the bad guys are smart too."

Enneagram wing: 4w5 (Individualist along with the investigator)

Core Desire: Being accepted for one’s uniqueness 

Core Fear: Being inherently flawed, inadequate, or mundane

Will is the stand out of the bunch not just because of his strong introversion but also his imaginative mind and artistic hobbies. He has never been interested in what his age group has been interested in therefore he is misunderstood by his peers. He also lacked a strong father figure and this has resulted in deep feelings of inadequacy. He desires to be seen and understood by others and it doesn’t help his case that he “died” and lived to tell the tale. I’m hoping to see Will grow more into himself in the upcoming seasons because he is a valuable and important character. His link to the Upside Down proves that. I think he leans on his wing 5 for his intellectual hobbies. 

The Defender: Eleven [Type 9]

“I’m going to my friends. I’m going home.”

Enneagram wing: 9w8 (Peacemaker along with the challenger)

Core Desire: Inner peace and human connection

Core Fear: Instability and separation

Contrary to the life she’s had and the chaotic situations she constantly finds herself in, Eleven is 100% motivated by having inner peace. She is very much values her friends and adoptive family and leans on her wing 8 to protect them. She is a very complex character and this is clearly from the emotional and physical trauma she suffered in her childhood; she is tough but also extremely empathetic and has has the ability to see things objectively rather than emotionally (a true gift of a 9). This is shown in her choosing to spare one of the scientist’s life from Brenner’s lab despite his contribution to her abuse and Eight (Kali) pressuring her to show no mercy. She empathized with Billy and his abuse despite him being a raging bully. 

The Safeguard: Lucas Sinclair [Type 6]

“We have a lot of rules in our party, but the most important is, 'Friends don't lie.' Never ever. No matter what.”

Enneagram wing: 6w5 | 6w7 (Loyalist along with investigator and enthusiast)

Core Desire: To have security

Core Fear: Being without security

Lucas has demonstrated an innate maturity since season 1. He pushes others to practice self preservation. He likes to have a plan in their action and adventure. Lucas is motivated by his desire to be safe so he calls out others in their stupor, so much so, that his friends are nervous to confess their mistakes to him; this clashes with Mike’s agenda as his need to serve, love, and be there for others. Mike’s potential to be compromised by rose colored glasses, poses as a threat to Lucas’s need for security. Max makes it harder for him in achieving security by constantly raising the bar him in their relationship. Despite this, Max’s challenging nature is what is most attractive to him because it somewhat alludes to security. I think Lucas has balanced wings and draws from his intellectual side as well as his adventurous side. 

The Analyst: Dustin Henderson [Type 5]

“You always say we should never stop being curious, to always open any curiosity door we find. Why are you keeping this curiosity door locked?”

Enneagram wing: 5w6 (Investigator along with loyalist)

Core Desire: To be capable and competent 

Core Fear: Annihilation, depletion, and being viewed as lacking in capability

Dustin is the clear intellect of the Stranger Kids clan. He is always learning and storing information, mentally retrieving it up when necessary. He is essentially the one who makes the needed mental connections in their quest for victory. He is awkwardly confident yet insecure. He cares a lot about what others think of him and is motivated by a need to be seen as competent. Dustin’s friends mean the world to him and valuing that security from this support/community shows that leans on his wing 6. 

The Advocate: Max Mayfield [Type 8]

“It's just, I know I can be a jerk like him sometimes, and I do not want to be like him. Ever.”

Enneagram wing: 8w7 | 8w9 (Challenger along with enthusiast and the peacemaker)

Core Desire: Self protection and protecting my people

Core Fear: Being weak, powerless, and controlled 

Max is the toughest one of the bunch with almost bully-like qualities. She marches to the beat of her own drum and doesn’t care what other people think. Her character flaw is that she can be too careless sometimes at the expense of others. She is self aware of that though and does her best to combat it. She is motivated by a need to protect herself because no one ever protected her against the abuse of her brother and step-father. Despite her tough act, she cares deeply for her friends and will do whatever she can to protect them too; She is willing to be vulnerable to bond with them. She does not show to lean on either wing making me think she has balanced wings. She definitely doesn’t like to commit too quickly to anything and keep her options open (7) but also can try her best to mediate (9) when this is required of her. 

Note: In honor of Stranger Things 4 possibly coming out in 2021. See my typing of the Stranger Things adults here: https://enneagramwingmiranda.tumblr.com/post/639047330136522752/stranger-things-the-actual-enneagram-types-of

[musecharm-writes]

Bad Influence, Pt 3 (Steve Harrington X Reader)

Summary: A couple of days after your first day at Melvald’s, you tell Joyce about something that’s been bothering you; Steve gets help with his crush from a couple of friends.

Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV

Over the days following your first shift, things get much easier. You’ve almost totally forgotten the exchange with Harrington and his friend. You might be able to completely, if it weren’t for their extremely obvious attempts to spy on you.

You think they’re under the impression that they’re being very sneaky, which means they probably don’t know that you’ve already caught on, but it also makes you feel a little sad that this is the best they can do.

You elect to do your best to ignore it; a nosy jerk and his little pal aren’t gonna get to you, not when things are finally starting to go your way.

“You’re cleaning that counter a little forcefully, there,” Joyce observes, carrying a box past you. When she emerges from storage, she asks, “Something on your mind?”

You consider the question. You stop scrubbing the counter like it’s done something to offend you and lean against it, the rag still under your hand. “Nothing. Just thinking about the meeting with Chief Hopper.”

Joyce walks over to a nearby shelf with an inventory checklist on a clipboard. “Uh huh. Okay. So what’s really bothering you?”

You purse your lips. Putting the rag and lemon scented Pledge you were using to clean under the counter, you follow Joyce over to the shelves, shoving your hands in your pockets.

“Steve Harrington’s friend and some kid have been following me,” you confess softly. “Every time I’ve left to go home for the past three days, I’ve caught them trying to spy on me. They’re probably gonna do it again today.”

Joyce looks genuinely concerned. “Steve’s friend? Who, what’s their name?”

You shrug. “Some girl. She was in here with him the other day, I think he called her Bucky?”

Joyce’s eyebrows shoot up toward her hairline. “ Buckley ? Robin Buckley?” She gestures with one hand to indicate a height of about five and a half feet. “This tall? Short brown hair?”

“Yeah, I guess that’s her.”

Joyce has a look of growing suspicion and confusion on her face. She lowers her clipboard to put one hand on her hip. “What did the kid look like?”

You frown as you try to remember. “Uh… a little shorter than that Robin girl, with curly hair, I think. At least, from what I could tell; he was wearing a hat.”

Joyce nods slowly. “...I think I know who we’re dealing with.” She looks you directly in the eye, and says, “Do you want me to tell them to leave you alone?”

You think about saying yes, just for a second. Then, you shake your head. “I’ll tell them to stop if it really starts to bother me. They haven’t realised it yet, but they suck at spying.”

Joyce laughs. “Okay, but if you change your mind, lemme know, and I’ll rough ‘em up for ya.” She smiles playfully, and you can’t help but laugh at the image of Joyce Byers fighting two children for bothering you.

“...Thank you, Joyce,” you say softly.

She gives you an odd look. “For what?”

“For… I dunno. For not being too hard on me, even though you were the one who caught me… doing what I did.”

She sighs, looking around to double check you’re still the only two in the store. “I won’t get into it too much since we’re still working right now, but… I used to be a bit of a wild child myself. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt. Plus,” she gives you a little nudge with her elbow, “Hop likes you. That counts for something in my book.”

You smile at her. “I guess it does.”

--

“You WHAT?”

Dustin and Robin look pleased with themselves, despite the fact that Steve is filled with a murderous rage.

“We’ve been following your crush to make sure the two of you would be compatible,” Dustin repeats. “To be honest, I don’t think you’re cool enough to land this one, but Robin seems to think you have a chance, so I’m gonna go with it.”

Steve points a finger angrily, about to defend himself and his infinite coolness, and then closes his mouth and folds his arms. “I don’t have to signify that with a response.”

Robin chimes in with, “I think you mean ‘dignify,’ genius,” which really doesn’t help their case with the whole ‘Steve-is-incredibly-angry-at-them’ thing.

He throws his hands up, frustrated. “Whatever, who cares! Why have you been following a person who I have zero chance of ever being in a relationship with to find out if we could date? That’s weird! And probably invasive, I think! Which means it’s also creepy!” He stalls out as he realises the possibility that you may have noticed his dunderhead friends creeping on you. “You haven’t been noticed, right?”

Dustin blows a disbelieving raspberry. “Psh! Please, you’re kidding, right? I think if we were able to successfully spy on a bunch of Russian soldiers without getting caught, we can do this, no problem.”

Robin smiles triumphantly. “Yeah, Harrington. Have a little more faith in our abilities.”

Steve shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. He prays that they’re telling the truth; otherwise, he senses some major embarrassment in his future.

Steve sighs, resigned. “Fine. Fine . I’ll let you two keep playing secret agent on my behalf. But if you get caught, lie your asses off about what you were doing, okay?”

They both promise not to put Steve in any more hot water with you than he already is, but it doesn’t fully lay his fears to rest.

“Oh, hey! You should come with us this time! We can fill you in on everything we’ve learned so far, and then you can watch the wild crush in its natural habitat,” Dustin says.

Steve frowns. “I dunno… Sounds like a bad idea.”

“No, I think it’ll be good. That way, if we do get caught, we can say it was all your idea,” Robin jokes. (Or at least, Steve hopes she’s joking.)

Which is how they all end up hiding behind Steve’s car, across the street from Melvald’s, waiting for your shift to end.

When the time finally comes and you’re walking out the door, they have to communicate via hurried whispers in order to coordinate their movements. Steve thanks their lucky stars that you’d walked to work that day.

They follow you down the street away from downtown. In the moments when it seems you’re about to turn around and catch them or you’re waiting to cross the street, they duck into alleys or alcoves, dive behind cars, or hide behind other people. Steve hates to admit it, even only to himself, but he sort of enjoys the exhilaration of sneaking around. He’d forgotten how much he enjoys it.

At the corner of 12th and Oak, after hiding behind a parked car, Dustin hisses, “Shit.”

Steve immediately snaps to attention. “Shit? What do you mean, shit? What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know where--”

“Hey.”

Robin, Steve, and Dustin all yell in surprise, whirling around to find you standing behind them. You have your hands in your pockets, a rucksack over one shoulder, and a bland expression.

“...Hi,” Dustin says awkwardly. He looks around for a moment, apparently noticing for the first time the ramifications of his and Robin’s actions. “Uh, we can explain--”

You hold up a hand. “Don’t bother,” you point at Steve. “You had them,” you point at Robin and Dustin, “follow me, for who knows why and honestly who fucking cares. Please stop. You’re not great at stalking people.”

Ouch. Okay. Well, there’s a hard truth.

“Sorry,” Dustin says, looking genuinely dejected. Steve isn’t sure whether it’s because he upset you or because you said he’s bad at spying.

Your face twitches, like you’re trying to maintain your vaguely stern expression, and then it crumbles, and you sigh. “It’s okay. I’m not really that mad about it since you guys aren’t really bugging me that much, but just…” You run a hand through your hair. “Look, please stop following me around, okay? It’s weird, and a little creepy. I don’t know why you were doing it, nor do I want to know, nor do I really care. I’m just kind of over the weird shit.”

Robin and Dustin share a look before nodding, and Steve says, “Don’t look at me, I got roped into this at the last minute.”

You look confused, but you nod back. “Okay. Cool. Bye, then.”

You go around them and start to walk away, but before you can make it to the crosswalk, Dustin calls out, “WAIT!”

You turn to look back, one eyebrow raised in a silent question.

Dustin says the last thing Steve wanted to hear him say. “Can Steve get your number?”

Steve’s entire face feels like it’s gonna melt off. He’s absolutely going to run away and change his name; this is just too goddamn embarrassing.

Then, you do something that shocks Steve to his core: you laugh. It’s a full, rich laugh, and it makes his heart pound so hard he thinks for a second he might be having a heart attack -- but, like, for real.

And then , you say, “Damn, kid, you have a lot of guts. Sure,” you swing your bag off your shoulder and root around in one of the pockets before emerging with a pen and a small notebook. You scribble your name and number down before ripping the page off and handing it not to Dustin, but to Steve, who feels like he might combust.

“I get home at one o’clock every day for the next two weeks,” you say, with a crooked smile. “Call me any time after that.”

Steve nods, dumbfounded, and you turn on your heel and saunter away.

“Holy shit,” Robin says, laughing, as soon as you’re out of earshot. “I cannot believe that that somehow worked in your favour. You are either the luckiest guy in the world or more pathetic than I originally thought.”

Steve pays her no mind. Instead, he’s desperately trying to remember if there are any rules about when to call once you get the phone number. Do you wait a day, or call that night? Or maybe you wait longer than a day? Or do you wait for them to call you? Wait, shit, he didn’t give you his number. 

Why didn’t he give you his number?

“Steve, I can practically hear you panicking. Calm down, it’ll be fine,” Dustin says.

Steve’s head whips around. He stares at Robin and Dustin, considering his options, and then realising that his only other options are Nancy and Jonathan.

“I need you guys to help me land a date,” Steve says.

--

You spend a couple of hours at home doing nothing in particular. You read a couple pages of a book you pull at random off the shelf, but you can’t concentrate on it, so you turn on the TV and start channel surfing.

All the while, you’re also trying to pretend you aren’t waiting for the phone to ring.

You gave Steve Harrington your number. If you’re being honest, you think you may be  panicking a little, but you don’t really mind the idea of him calling you so much as you mind the fear that this is some kind of joke.

A part of you is very, very afraid that it’s a joke.

You sigh, putting the remote down and stretching out on the couch. You gave him your number; all there is to do now is wait for him to do the rest. No use stressing over it since it’s out of your hands.

At least, that’s what you keep telling yourself. As the hours tick by -- as you make yourself dinner and put some in the fridge for your mom, as you watch a movie with your feet up on the coffee table and a bowl of ice cream in your lap -- you start to lose hope that Harrington ever planned on calling you at all.

Then the phone rings, and you almost drop your ice cream jumping up to get it.

“Hello?” You say casually, proud of the fact that you don’t sound out of breath from running to the phone.

On the other side, Steve Harrington says your name.

“Y-Yeah,” you say, and then clear your throat. “That’s me!”

“Cool, cool,” he says. “So, hey, uh… I was wondering if you wanted to hang out sometime?”

You chuckle. “Wow. That’s a little forward of you, isn’t it?” You’re thankful that he can’t see you blush through the phone.

“Oh. Is--Is that bad?”

You smile, a little charmed despite yourself. “Nah. I’ll give you brownie points for it, if you want.”

“Oh! Sure. I, uh, I love… brownies,” he finishes on a bit of a low note, so you decide to throw him a line.

“You wanted to hang out, Steve?”

“Y...Yeah. Yeah. Uh, if you want. I just… Wanted to give us the chance to get to know each other. Like, under the right circumstances, y’know?”

You hesitate for a moment. You have a feeling that he’s got more in mind than the arcade; after a bit of thought, you admit to yourself that you’re at least curious about where this goes.

“Sure,” you reply. “What did you have in mind?”

“I’ll meet you at your place at… seven on Friday night? If that’s cool with you, obviously. No pressure, y’know.” He sounds a little nervous, and you can’t help but feel for him a little. Poor guy’s clearly out of his depth.

“Yeah, Steve. That sounds great. I’ll see you then.”

It’s not until after you’ve given him your address and hung up that it hits you: you might, potentially, have a date with Steve Harrington.

Steve Harrington, who saw you get arrested.

Great.

[chika-the-terrible]

Scars

Billy after Starcourt hates to leave a part of himself uncovered. Not because he feels vulnerable (which he does) but because he doesn’t want others seeing the scars he got from fighting the Mind Flayer. So he starts wearing long-sleeved clothes and pants, unlike the stuff he used to wear before, trying to cover every inch of his chest at the very least. But since Billy doesn’t have a lot of covering clothes, he needs to get some somehow (he doesn’t wanna spend his getaway money if he doesn’t have to).

Around the same time Steve comes into the picture. He’s been one of the few people who’ve come to see Billy every day while he recovered, along with Max. At first Billy doesn’t see it, but as the weather gets colder, Steve shows that he has plenty of long-sleeved shirts and sweaters. Billy knows that Steve’s rich and his home life isn’t the best. He doesn’t wanna take advantage of Steve but the brunette wouldn’t mind if Billy asked to borrow a few shirts, right?

“Hey, uh,” Billy burrowed deeper into his jean jacket, uncomfortable, “Do you mind if I borrow some of your sweaters?”

“Um, sure?” Steve blinked, “You can borrow anything you want.” And that was that. Steve gave Billy a stack of sweaters and long-sleeves and Billy keeps those at the back of his closet, under the jacket, with the rest of the clothes he’s started wearing after Starcourt. He doesn’t want his dad to see them, just in case, and so Billy makes sure to keep them covered in some way, even when he’s wearing them. But, inevitably, Neil finds out about the new (borrowed) clothes and demands to know where Billy got them and Billy doesn’t tell him and that’s when Neil kicks him out. Billy’s left with Steve’s shirts, the clothes on his back, and the Camaro, and that’s that. Max promises to keep the stuff in his room safe by taking them for herself but Billy has no idea where he could go after this, until he looks down at the sweater he’s wearing and thinks, Steve.

“Billy?” was Steve’s first question when he opened the door to find the blond on his doorstep, “What’re you doing here at this time of night?”

“Hey, Pretty Boy.” Billy gave an uneasy smile, “Mind if I ask you for another favor?” Billy doesn’t explain the situation he’s got, only that he’s been kicked out of his house and needs a place to stay. Steve immediately accepts him and invites him inside and so Billy stays in the too-large too-empty home while he finishes school and Steve goes to work. It’s hard for Billy to adjust to all the space and silence but eventually he gets used to it and his presences makes the house feel more lived in, especially now with two occupants. He has his own room for the little stuff he has and he mostly keeps to himself, trying not to impose on Steve too much, not after all that Steve had done for him, and he doesn’t want the brunette seeing his scars.

Sometimes, when they have dinner together, Steve asks a little about why Billy was kicked out. Billy knows Steve’s curious but he doesn’t wanna talk about his own life and brushes it off whenever it comes up. Steve’s respectful enough to drop the issue, at least. But every now and then it comes up again and Billy has to shoot Steve down again. Things change when Billy wakes in the middle of the night, close to graduation, to hear the front door being knocked on furiously and he finds Max outside and in tears. He doesn’t need an explanation to know what happened and it’s then that he asks Steve to call Hopper while he comforts his little sister. Max tells him that Neil had finally decided to hit her that night when she refused to give him some of Billy’s stuff, which Neil had likely been planning to sell off. It makes Billy’s blood boil but at least, now with her proof, they can finally bring a case against Neil.

While Max stays the night with them, she asks to see his scars and he lets her, knowing she probably wanted to figure out which ones were supernaturally-made and which ones were human-made. She’s the only one Billy lets see the scars, and he tells her about some of the abuse he faced when she wasn’t there, the stuff she didn’t know. They get barged in on by Steve, though, but he only stares a little before he tells them that Hopper’s arrested Neil and that Max was welcome to stay the night, where Susan would pick her up in the morning. He then leaves them alone and Billy lets out a sigh he didn’t know he was holding.

“Do you like him?” Max asks, and Billy doesn’t know for sure. He knew he liked boys, did ever since California, but he’d never let Max know about his preferences. But she was a smart girl, bound to pick up on things. And Steve’s hospitality, whether Billy liked it or not, had made a fuzzy feeling settle in the blond’s chest. He gave her a shrug.

“Maybe, shitbird.” And then he offers to let her sleep with him, knowing she needs comfort. Billy wants Max to stay with him, where he knew she’d be safe, but he knew he couldn’t take her away from her mother. Billy only hoped that he’d be welcome back after all this was over and Neil had gotten punishment. And the next morning he holds back in the hallway as Max goes to Susan and they share a hug. Susan thanks Steve for his hospitality, glances warily at Billy, and then she and Max are leaving for their own home. Billy moves to the living room and Steve follows and he knows that he’s about to be asked questions he can’t avoid and so Billy tugs his jean jacket tighter around himself in a show of comfort. Steve sits beside him on the couch in silence for a short while.

“Is that why you asked for the sweaters?”

“Yeah.” Billy nodded. He shifted uncomfortably under Steve’s gaze.

“And most of it is Starcourt?”

“Most of it.” Billy nodded again. He’s waiting for Steve to tell him how ugly he looks now, with all his scars. Instead Steve puts a hand on his shoulder and says, “Should’ve told me sooner. You’re welcome to all my clothes, y’know.”

“I am?”

“Yeah.” Steve smiled, “I know how comforting they can be. A sweater always makes me feel better after a nightmare, so I keep one by my bed to cuddle in case one hits.” Billy wanted to tease about that, only to realize that he’d done similar things in the past, searching for something comforting.

“So... You won’t kick me out?”

“Of course not. Why would I?”

“Because.” Billy played with a stray fiber hanging from his jacket, “I’m ugly now. Can’t show my skin without getting looks.”

“You’re not ugly.” Steve said, “The scars, they’re a testament to what you did. I know you don’t wanna be called a hero, Billy, but that’s what you were. You saved El, you helped stop the Mind Flayer. Those scars tell me you survived something terrible, even if you can’t say a word. Look at you now.” Steve smiled at him, “You’re amazing, Billy.” And Billy feels like crying because he could tell Steve meant it and never before had he gotten such praise. Yes, people had called him a hero before, in the wake of Starcourt, but there was something about the way Steve said it that made it feel different, that it wasn’t just hollow words. And so Billy hugged Steve, grateful that the brunette didn’t think of him worse.

And after that Billy found his room’s closet stocked with sweaters, all brand new, along with the borrowed ones he’d originally asked for. Billy’s chest swelled at the sight, that all of these things were just for him, and it was at that moment that he knew he loved Steve Harrington. So after he got all his stuff back and converted the room into something that resembled Billy, the blond started planning on how he would reveal himself to Steve. First step was to come out and, if Steve accepted him for that, then hopefully Steve would feel the same way. Billy knew he shouldn’t get his hopes up, but ever since Steve had agreed to share his sweaters, Billy had found himself hoping for things he’d never hoped for before.

But he wasn’t able to come out to Steve, not in the way he wanted to, at least. It was during the summer that Will Byers revealed he was gay to his family and friends, which included Steve, and somehow that turned into a fest where Billy said he himself was gay and he found that Robin was a lesbian and Steve was bisexual, among other things. It had been an interesting night. But it at least confirmed to Billy that he had a chance with Steve and now he just had to make the right call and hope he didn’t get rejected.

So he waited and waited and waited, even as Max told him he needed to make a move because she knew he loved Steve and he was being an idiot. But Billy still waited because at his core he was a scared kid that lashed out in anger and he didn’t wanna put his heart out and have it crushed. He didn’t wanna ruin his new friendship with Steve if he got rejected. He was finally able to make a move at Halloween, 1986, because he and Steve had decided to stay in and give out candy and a stray comment from Robin coming by soon led to him showing his feelings and Steve showing them back. Billy couldn’t be happier to have Steve love him back and so that’s how their relationship began.

But being in a relationship didn’t mean Billy was comfortable showing his scars to Steve. They were a darkened part of him, a rotting part that he didn’t want anyone to see. He knew Steve didn’t care about that, about his scars being terrible reminders of everything, but Billy was self-conscious. It was something that had grown on him in the wake of Starcourt, leading to the sweaters, leading to this, and so maybe he could show Steve after all, but only if the brunette asked. But Steve never did, being the respectful person he was, and so Billy had to ask if Steve wanted to see the scars.

“No, because I know you don’t want me to. Why?”

“Well,” Billy chewed on his lip, “We’re together now, and you have a right to see them.”

“I don’t. It’s your body Billy, you choice on what you want to show me.”

“But if I don’t, we might not get to have sex together, and I wanna show you how much you mean to me one day.” Billy explained, “And if it’s ever gonna get to that point, I should be comfortable with you seeing my scars.” Before Steve could protest, Billy took off the ridiculous sweater Joyce had bought for him for Christmas, black and covered in lights. He lowered his head, afraid to see Steve’s expression, and only looked up when Steve held one of his hands.

“May I?” Steve asked. The blond nodded, and he tried not to flinch away as the brunette’s fingers glided over the wounded and raised flesh. Steve was being gentle with him, careful, trying not to hurt even though Billy was sure there was nothing Steve could physically do to hurt him worse than he’d already had in the past. But then his hands trailed up to cup Billy’s face and they kissed.

Billy almost couldn’t believe that this all started with him asking Steve for sweaters to cover up his scars.

[jonny-byerss]

Why Jancy Is Endgame

So, recently, I’ve seen quite a bit of Jancy hate which I literally don’t understand, because how can you look at Jancy and think “Wow, I hate them”...like, it genuinely baffles me that people don’t ship Jancy, like how? They have SO MUCH CHEMISTRY it’s unreal. In all three seasons, it’s evident that there’s something more between them than just “monster hunting partners”. So, recently, I have been asking multiple people including my irl friends why they think Jancy is endgame and this is what I’ve come up with.

1.) The Duffers Aren’t Dumb

Even though quite a bit of people are disappointed with the way they’ve taken their writing, you have to admit one thing: they aren’t dumb. They’ve been setting Jancy up to be canon since S1, and fans have been rooting for them to get together since S1. It’s not until Steve’s turn-around that people started hating on Jancy.

Jancy is definitely more popular than Stancy for sure. To a majority of fans, even if Jancy isn’t their favorite Stranger Things ship, they still at least ship it. And, with the exception of hardcore Steve stans, most people who like Steve as a character admit that Jonathan and Nancy fit better together than Steve and Nancy ever did. We know the Duffers like to give in to what a majority of fans want, and Jancy seems to be what a majority of fans want.

There’s 3 core ships that the Duffers have been building up since S1. Those are Jopper, Jancy, and Mileven. It’s obvious in S1 that these ships are going to become canon eventually, and they’re also the three core ships of the show that people love. They also tend to focus on these three relationships quite a bit in their writing, with the majority of major relationship moments being with these three ships, especially Mileven. It’s obvious they want us to root for these ships.

The main point I’m trying to make is the Duffers have been setting Jancy up to be canon since S1. They have shown us many moments in all three seasons that show us just how much chemistry Jancy has. From the bed scene in S1, to the hallway scene in S2, they’re obviously trying to show us that Jancy is meant to get together.

Not only that, but Jancy was ACTUALLY supposed to be canon in S1. I don’t know how many people know this, but Steve was supposed to die in S1, and Jancy was supposed to get together. The writers liked Joe Keery so they decided they needed to find a way to keep him on the show. It’s clear to me that the writers themselves are rooting for Jancy, which means that they want us to root for Jancy too.

I’m not here to say how the Duffers should write the next seasons, and I myself don’t know what happens in the future seasons, but I do see the clues that the Duffers have given us since S1 and I also believe that the Duffers know what they’re doing. They know what the majority of fans want and it’s clear to me that they want us to root for Jancy, so obviously they’re gonna keep them together.

2.) THAT Ending Scene In S3

A lot of people that say “Jancy has no chemistry” clearly have not seen their last scene in S3. To me, that scene is a promise. A promise to each other and to us that Jancy is in it for each other.

In this scene, you can see that they are so painfully in love. They don’t want to leave each other. You can tell it breaks both of their hearts that they have to separate for a bit.

I could do a whole analysis of this scene, and I just might do that later, but to me, what they’re saying to each other is “We’ve been through so much together, why can’t we go through a little more?”

Sure, long-distance would be harder in the 80s, but I do believe that their love is strong enough to last. They clearly both love each other very much. And there’s always phone calls and letters and visiting each other on breaks.

When thinking of the LDRs that the Byers move caused, lots of people think of Mileven, but Jancy is actually way more likely to be endgame than Mileven at this point. We don’t know what happens in future seasons or if the Byers eventually move back, but we do know that Jonathan and Nancy are seniors in high school and almost 18. Mike and Eleven are barely starting high school and have more time to be apart than Jancy does. Once Jancy graduates, they can do whatever they want. Sure, one could say that Jonathan might feel an obligation to stay with his family, but we also know that he has an ambition for NYU. We have no idea what Nancy wants. I can honestly see her go to college for journalism or something similar. What’s to stop her from going to NYU or somewhere in NY with Jonathan?

We don’t know what the Duffers have in store for Jancy’s future, but I trust that they can give Jancy the perfect ending they deserve. That scene in S3 has so much underlying meaning to it, like the fact that the song that play in the background during it is called “You’re a Fighter”. I have a whole different thing planned on analyzing that scene, and I’ll post that later, but basically, with that scene, to me, the Duffers are trying to say “They’re in this for each other. They’re so in love that they’re going to make it work”

3) They are the most mature relationship on the show

I’ve seen quite a few people say that the argument they had in S3 is “proof they are incompatible” but that is simply not true. In fact, if anything, it shows how they are exactly the opposite. Here’s why.

So, every couple fights. It’s the ability to work through a fight and come out stronger and more understanding that shows just how committed a couple is to each other. Jonathan and Nancy are a prime example of this.

Jonathan and Nancy come from different backgrounds. This argument of “I’m poor” and “People are being sexist towards me” is a very adult argument. I mean, most teenage couples you see have fights about jealousy-type crap. Jancy’s fight is a fight that adults would have. That’s why I believe they are a very mature couple.

Not only that, but the key thing to remember is that they both admitted that they felt bad for what they said and apologized, reaffirming their commitment to each other. This is a fight that they can grow from as a result. Because they apologized and acknowledged their wrong-doings, they have a better foundation for understanding each other in the future and they can grow as a couple. This can also give them a perspective on life that maybe they didn’t think about before.

Honestly, Jancy has been through a lot crap together so they kind of have to be mature. Plus, Jonathan himself had to grow up faster than most children, which gives him a perspective on life that he most likely passed on to Nancy.

This is why I believe Jancy is the most mature couple. Instead of letting their fight get the best of them, they acknowledged their wrong-doings and became more understanding of each other as a result. It takes real maturity to do something like that.

The reason I compare them to the other couples is because, look at Mileven’s fight in S3. It seems sort of childish compared to Jancy’s. And Lumax has broken up 5 times apparently. And Jopper, gosh, they have a lot of issues to work out. Jancy seems to have effectively worked out their differences and become stronger as a result.

Charlie Heaton (Jonathan) himself said that when he first read the S3 script, he thought that Jancy seemed like a married couple, which I think says a lot about their relationship. They are so mature and comfortable with each other like that. He also said this, which basically sums up what I said, here:

4) They are more than just “shared trauma”

I’ve seen a lot of people criticize Jancy by saying stuff like “Shared trauma isn’t a good foundation for a relationship”, but I’m about to prove why that’s bullcrap, because Jancy is more than their shared trauma.

So, shared trauma seems to be what the writers like to point out about their relationship. In the ending scene in S3, Jonathan tells Nancy “We’ve got shared trauma”. He is referring to what Murray said to them in S2 when he was telling them why they should get together. Just because “shared trauma” is what Murray emphasized, doesn’t mean it’s their only foundation.

I’d quickly like to point out though, that shared trauma is actually a real life relationship trope and there are real-life couples founded on this. But, I’d also like to point out that Jancy’s trauma isn’t just any trauma. They didn’t just fight in Vietnam together or something, like it’s not every day your loved one gets kidnapped by an otherworldly demon.

I think the main emphasis that the show is focusing on when they say “shared trauma” is the scars. I mean, when Jonathan said that line in S3, he was touching Nancy’s scar that he shares with her. They are the only two people with those matching scars. Those scars are something that unites them and reminds them of the past they share.

Their “trauma” isn’t just how they met either. I mean, they obviously knew each other before the events of S1. Their brothers are best friends. I’m not saying they were friends or anything, but they were definitely acquaintances.

Their trauma is how they grew closer. I mean, before their first traumatic experience, they seemed to be getting on each other’s nerves a bit. It’s not until Nancy almost became Demogorgon lunch that they started realizing they could trust each other. After that, they realized they worked well together and they may or may not have fallen in love.

Also, let’s not forget all the flirting they did before their traumatic experience. The darkroom, even the target practice scene.

I think the key thing to remember with their trauma though is that, because they both went through similar experiences, they understand each other in that way. I mean, part of Stancy breaking up was because Steve didn’t realize the trauma she was going through and didn’t understand fully how to help her. Jonathan understood in a way what she was feeling because he went through something similar.

And yeah, shared trauma might not be a good foundation, because obviously there’s other things to consider in a relationship, but if there’s anything S3 showed us it’s that Jancy knows how to communicate and work through their problems, so clearly that’s not an issue for them.

5) The love triangle is done

I’ve seen some online articles that say things like “Now that Jonathan is gone, Nancy will go back with Steve”. I’ve even heard people say “Nancy will go with Robin”. Both of those are bullcrap.

First of all, Stancy’s arc is finished. S2 showed us how incompatible they were by showing how Steve hasn’t been a good support system for Nancy and showing that Nancy no longer loved Steve. Nancy obviously felt something more for Jonathan, who could support her in a better way than Steve could, because Jonathan had similar experiences. After they broke up, they were done. And when Jonathan and Nancy kissed the love triangle was over. It was solved.

I think most of the fans can agree that they are glad the love triangle was solved, that way Nancy’s story can be about more than just boys. It would be stupid for the Duffers to bring it back and it would ruin every ounce of character development that Steve and Nancy have gone through. And I am confident that the Duffers aren’t stupid.

Part of Steve’s S2 arc is getting over Nancy and accepting that she no longer loves him and even finding a friend in Dustin. Part of Nancy’s arc in S2 was realizing she should embrace that girl she was for a week in November 1983. She gets justice for Barb and even embraces her feelings for the school outcast. Nancy and Steve can still be friends, and even Jonathan and Steve, but that’s it. Nothing more. It’s been decided that Nancy doesn’t love Steve, she loves Jonathan. Even if Jonathan is far away, it’s possible to love him from a distance.

And about Robin and Nancy, it’s also highly unlikely. Again, I think most fans are tired of Nancy’s love life and love triangle and are glad it’s over. Adding Robin to the mix would make it even more complicated.

First of all, it’s not canon that Nancy is bisexual. The only canon LGBT character is Robin. It is implied that Will may be as well, but nothing has been confirmed.

I can see Robin and Nancy being good friends, but Robin did call her a priss in S3 and also, it’s like an unspoken rule in best-friendship that you don’t date their exes. Robin and Steve are best friends. This would break that rule.

I do know, based on leaked photos, Nancy and Robin most likely work together (maybe even with Steve) in S4. I believe, however, that the relationship is fully platonic. It would be nice for Nancy to have a friend that’s a girl after her loss of Barb, and Robin is a good person and would be a great friend for Nancy. I also believe, however, that Nancy is 100% dedicated to Jonathan (based on the last scene in S3) and will only be working with Robin (and maybe Steve) because they know something that would be useful.

Basically, what I’m trying to say is: Nancy’s love life arc has ended. It’s been decided that Nancy doesn’t love Steve and he can’t give her what she wants. And I think most Ronance shippers are just trolls, tbh. No one seems really serious about any Nancy and Robin relationship that’s anything more than platonic.

———————

And I think that about sums up why I believe Jancy is endgame. Jonathan and Nancy clearly love and care for each other very much as shown in all three seasons. Plus, there’s the fact that THEIR ACTORS ARE LITERALLY DATING IN REAL LIFE! (Seriously both Jancy and Natarlie are relationship goals).

I am extremely confident that even if Jancy does break up at some point, it won’t be for long and they’ll somehow find their way back to each other because they are soulmates. That is a guarantee. I have full confidence that the Duffers can give their relationship the perfect ending they deserve. I’d like to hear your guys’ feedback (please try to keep negativity away). Do you believe Jancy is endgame?

And here’s proof that Jancy loves each other:

[yurtletheturtlehenderson]

S.T. REWRITE - S2:E8; Chapter Eight, The Mind Flayer - [Pt. 5]

A Will Byers x Reader Series

An unlikely hero steps forward when a deadly development puts the Hawkins Lab on lockdown, trapping Will and several others inside.

A/n: y/n and max bonding time !! ☺ we love and support healthy female friendships in this fic 😚

||3rd Person POV||

The rickety wooden door to the Byers shed is ripped open, and Hopper tugs at the pull chain bathing the shed in a dusty yellow light. To his left stands Mike and Y/n who accompany him, and he shakes his head with a decisive nod.

"Yeah, this'll work."

The young Henderson girl can't help but sigh at the irony of this room being the setting of the interrogation with the monster that took over Will. Given this was the very place he was taken. Y/n had not found out this particular detail until weeks after his full recovery. He had shared this with her on the same day she had shared her powers with him.

How drastically everything had changed since then.

And deep down she knew, things would only continue to change. It was a feeling of absolute certainty deep in her core. She knew it to be true just as sure she was that the sunset in the evening and rose in the morning; Nothing would ever be the same again.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

The shed had been empty in a matter of minutes thanks to Hopper. After the details of the plan began to cement, Y/n lingered behind for the majority of this allotted time to help the man clear the room of all its contents, though she was soon called inside to help Mike and the others prepare.

Nancy and Steve now stood alone in the shed, having been tasked with the job of covering the shed's walls. For several minutes they worked in an amplified silence beside the constant ripping of duct tape and sharp thuds from the staple gun.

Nancy was the first to break this silence.

"Hey," Steve stepped down from the stool to reload his staple gun, and he turns to meet the girl's gentle smile. "What you did, um, helping the kids... that was... really cool."

"Yeah," he mutters, breaking away from her tempting gaze and returning to his work on the stool. "Those little shits are real trouble, you know?"

Nancy nods, fighting a smile as she returns to her roll of duck tape. "Believe me, I know."

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Outside and just around the corner of the yard, Lucas and Dustin finished emptying the contents of the trash and kneeled down to the grass to examine its contents for any useful materials for the walls.

Not unlike Nancy, Dustin decides to take advantage of the brief calm before the storm to reconcile with the boy beside him.

"Hey," Dustin eases. "I'm... I'm sorry about Dart and all. I guess I just thought that he was my friend."

Lucas does not fail to notice Dustin's dry scoff at himself at his own realization.

"I was wrong. I broke the rule of law, so if you want your girlfriend to take over my spot in the party, I understand."

Lucas laughs, shaking his head in disbelief. "She's not my girlfriend."

"I saw you two holding hands in the bus, Lucas."

"She was just scared."

"Maybe," Dustin nods sadly. "but I could feel it."

"Feel what?"

Dustin looks at his friend sincerely, finally understanding what Steve had told him about.

"The electricity."

With that, Dustin balls up his findings of newspaper for the shed and rises to his feet, heading around the house. Lucas sits in careful contemplation at his words, unable to shake the swarm of thoughts they had brought.

He merely sighs, and returns to work, his head and heart buzzing.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Max and Mike sit in silence in the kitchen. Mike with his head in the cupboard as he fishes for supplies and Max beside him on the floor stitching together strips of cardboard with duct tape. She smiles fondly.

"I get it now," She says.

Without turning around, Mike throws back a grumbled response. "Get what?"

She quirks a brow, still a hint of an understanding smile. "You know, why Y/n's your druid? El too, I get why she was your mage."

The sudden and unexpected mention of El is what breaks Mike's attention away from his task, and he looks over his shoulder at Max pointedly.

"What?"

"Well, the whole 'Y/n saving our asses in the junkyard' show was kind of a tip-off," she begins jokingly, but it stops when she notices the warning in his eyes, and she softens. "Lucas. He told me about her. El, I mean."

"Yeah, well, he shouldn't have." Mike spits back.

Max listens unsurprised at his hostile attitude towards her, though it doesn't change her offense at his venom.

"And just because you know the truth, it doesn't mean you're in our party. You do know that, right?"

A rather light thump comes from down the hall, followed by a small string of hushed cursing. It grabs their attention only briefly before they dismiss it altogether, knowing they weren't the only ones rushing around in preparation.

"Y-yeah, I know," Max visibly deflates, returning her attention to the carboard in her hands, and scoffs sadly. "I mean, why would you want a stupid zoomer in your party anyway?"

Mike stifles a glance in her direction but returns to the cupboard in an attempt to move on.

"I'm just saying, El?" Max continues gently. "She sounds like she was really awesome."

"Yeah, she was," Mike concludes, closing the cupboard doors and collecting what he had gathered. "Until that thing took her. Just like it took Bob."

Mike rises to his feet, managing to cast one more cold glance at the girl as he heads for the back door, leaving her all alone.

Max frowns, feeling yet another prick of defeat and anger from the boy's stubborn ways. Bitterly, she rips another strip of tape from the roll, finishing off another tube of cardboard for the leg of the stool meant for Will.

It was tedious work, going to the extreme of disguising a chair but necessary according to Joyce and the others closest to Will. They couldn't risk a single identifiable object that could possibly clue in Will as to where they were. And that included a simple stool that had belonged to the Byers for years.

Max sighed when she heard the shuffling of footsteps behind her, and without looking she casts a sour look over her shoulder towards who she believed to be Mike.

"Forget something, maybe another insult? Well, you haven't told me how annoying I am in the last ten minutes, so naturally, you must be dying inside,"

"Well, I wouldn't say annoying. Persistent, maybe, but that's hardly an insult," chirped a familiar voice that certainly wasn't Mike.

Relieved, Max saw Y/n approach the kitchen table, her arms overflowing with cardboard and newspaper that threatened to spill. Quickly, she dispenses them on the existing pile on the table.

Max cracked a smile that lasted only seconds and returned to her gaze to her work. "Thought you were Mike," she mumbled.

Y/n's gentle and light-hearted demeanor melted into that of empathy for the girl. She sighs, wondering how she could possibly ease the tension in the room and settles on grabbing her own squares of cardboard. She joins Max on the kitchen floor. The two begin to work in silence for a good few moments when Y/n softly speaks up.

"I don't know if you know this, but, I used to be the outsider of the group,"

Max says nothing, but she looks up from her finishing touches on the stool to look at Y/n, her interest piqued. Y/n is still fixed on her own pieces, and she reaches for a patch of tape, her eyes meeting with Max casually and briefly.

"When Dustin and I moved here in the fourth grade, I had a hard time making friends. I had some, back in y/h/t, but moving was kind of hard on me, and over time I lost touch."

Max was now watching Y/n studiously, more or less a bit surprised at how similar it sounded to her own experiences.

"Dustin had more luck socializing here than I did, and... I got pretty lonely." She grabs another strip of cardboard and tape. "Eventually, he started bringing his new friends over. Like, all the time. It only reminded me of how lonely I was, and, even though I knew he wasn't trying to, it felt like Dustin was rubbing it in."

Max frowned softly, unable to imagine the kid would want to do something like that. And she had only known him a week. Nevertheless, she stayed silent, listening closely.

A weak and almost non-audible chuckle escaped the Henderson girl.

"I was always on the outside looking in," her voice quieted sadly, her brows knitted together in a frown. "They had their own inside jokes, games. Their own secret language, everything. Stuff even I didn't have with my old friends. And for a long time, I was just 'Dustin's sister'."

Unable to bite back her curiosity, Max finally spoke, now completely invested in her story. "So what changed?"

A ghost of a smile flickered across Y/n's face, clearly recalling a warm memory she hadn't thought of in a long time.

"Will," Y/n finally looked away from her work and met Max's gaze. "He fought for me. He helped me stand up to them, specifically my brother. The others were way easier to convince, it was Dustin that put up a fight."

Y/n sighs softly, dispelling the weight settling on her heart. She looks at her new friend determinedly, Mike's harsh words to Max she had inadvertently overheard ringing in her ears.

"I know it's easier said than done, believe me," she begins. "But try not to let Mike get to you."

Max halts at her words, gaze now focused on the tile floor, and she glances at Y/n through her peripheral vision.

"He's in a lot of pain since El left," Y/n mumbled, the ever-present weight of guilt on her shoulders from her secret immediately grows ten times heavier, and she can feel it sitting on her lungs. "She meant a lot to him, to all of us really. But Mike took it the hardest... My point is,"

She took a deep breath and looked back at Max until she returned her gaze.

"We all want you in the party. We all really like you. And even though Mike is still working through his feelings, doesn't mean he won't come around. Besides, he doesn't solely determine who's in and who's out, no more than Dustin, or any of us, really."

A mischievous grin curled at her lips as she recalled what the boys had told Max on Halloween. She spoke with a hint of a mocking tone, trying her best to imitate Dustin that day.

"After all, our party's a democracy, and the majority voted that you could stay,"

The girls shared the briefest of seconds with their gaze locked on one another as their smiles grew. The silence was broken almost immediately as the two burst into fits of laughter, and each girl felt a great deal lighter than their current situation had previously allowed them.

Gradually the laughter died down, but their smiles remained, allowing the warmth of each other's company to keep them distracted for as long as they could.

"Thanks, Y/n," Max said, earnestly, almost feeling silly for letting her guard down, but she couldn't help it. Instead, she embraced it. "I appreciate it."

"Anytime, Max. And hey," Max looked back up curiously, her brow arched. "For what it's worth, I do mean it. We all want you in. And after all that's gone down in the past hour alone, well..."

Max felt the warmth in her chest grow at what the girl said next, and between her moment with Lucas on the bus and now, she couldn't recall a single moment since she had moved to Hawkins she had felt at home. Had felt accepted.

"Mike's wrong. You're one of us, now,"

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Jonathan rips another blanket off the clothesline and looks to his mother.

"You sure this is gonna work?"

"He knew who I was," Joyce croaked, heart heavy. "He's still in there."

There's a solid passion in her voice, and Jonathan can tell she's forcing her words over a swollen lump in her throat, but he can't blame her. He's had one himself all night. And it only grows when he hears what his mother has to say next. And by the sound of it, the last bit seems to be her assuring herself.

"It's going to work," she proclaims. "It has to."

He nods solemnly, deciding he has no other choice but to believe in their plan. With a sigh, he reaches up over his head, scissors in hand, and begins to gather every last scrap of string he can harvest.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

With all the supplies now collected, everyone gathers in the Byers shed; disguising the floor and walls in sheets of tarp, cardboard, newspaper, and tinfoil, a budding sense of hope blooming in everyone's hearts. Not a single square inch is uncovered, even the sheds two posts are completely cloaked as are the chairs Max and Y/n had disguised. They sit in the center of the shed, one pushed up against each post, and a set of outdoor lights have been moved inside and hung to face where Will is to sit.

The small wooden shed had now been completely transformed and would have been practically unrecognizable to anyone who hadn't contributed. Exactly as everyone had hoped.

Jonathan was the one to retrieve Will, and as he carried his limp brother in his arms, a very similar thought to Y/n's had crossed his mind. How peaceful Will looked as he slept. It was the same little boy who used to crawl into bed with him when he'd have a nightmare. The same little boy who'd fall asleep against his shoulder as the two of them hid away from the screaming matches that took place when Lonnie was still around.

It was his little brother that he loved so much.

And the fact that that would all change as soon as he woke up, it would be another inescapable dagger to the heart. But it was something he was willing to face if it meant they were one step closer to getting Will back.

Will collapses limply into the chair he is placed in, and Jonathan has to keep one hand on his shoulder to steady him as they bound him to the chair. The clothesline he had cut down was now coiled tightly - but not too tight of course, though Jonathan can not help but worry if it was a wise choice of binding - around Will's ragdoll form and the post he sits against. The back pair of the chair's legs are woven much tighter against the post, ensuring Will is unable to scoot away should he break free.

For an extra measure, the wire stretched even farther than the boy's torso and wound around his wrists and ankles as well. Lucas hooks up the extension cord and connects it with the lamp, and it comes to life. The shed is now fully immersed in a sickening and even blinding, white light that is mounted across the room facing Will. The new source of light adds an even more chilling touch as it now enunciates the sickly color of Will's skin.

The boy is as white as a sheet, his dark brown bangs that dangle over his eyes create a stark contrast against his skin. It is not in the least bit assuring to the state of his condition, but they know it is a necessary measure. It's harsh intensity made it near impossible to see who or what was beyond it.

In this case, it was five figures packed in behind the lamp, each of them gazing at the boy with racing minds and beating hearts: Hopper, Joyce, Jonathan, Mike, and Y/n.

She protested at first. Not because of nerves though she couldn't deny she had them, but worried he would refuse to talk if she were present. It had taken quite a great deal of convincing on Mike's part, but he wouldn't back down.

"He needs to see you, Y/n."

"Mike, our goal is to get him to talk to us. He wouldn't even look at me last time I was here and that was before the Mind Flayer completely took over."

"He's still in there, Y/n. I know it. And I think you know it too."

She sighed and looked away breifly shaking her head.

"I don't know about this, Mike." His pleading look does little to shake her certainty. "I'm telling you, he won't open up if I'm here. The Mind Flayer despises me, I know it."

"But we're not trying to talk to the Mind Flayer, we're trying to talk to Will. And I'm telling you, that Will is nuts about you. He tells you everything. He trusts you. Will trusts you. That's what we need right now."

Her gaze wanders beyond Mike and towards her unconscious friend worriedly. She nibbles on the inside of her cheek as a side effect of her growing worry though she has to remind herself to stop. A sharp exhale breaks through her and she looks back at Mike, uncertainty laced in her voice.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Not a minute later Joyce and Hopper had returned from the house where they had finished preparations with the others. The rest of the party, Nancy, and Steve stayed behind, all of them spread out amongst the kitchen where Hopper left a walkie. The other one grasped tightly in his hand should something go wrong and Joyce had fetched the bottle of ammonia Mike had dug out in during his chat with Max.

Now here they stand with nothing left to do but wake Will. Hopper cuts through the newest silence first as he glances at everyone, his gaze landing on Joyce.

"Alright, you ready?"

Without taking her eyes off her son, Joyce nods firmly.

"Yeah,"

Hopper steps forward, shaking the contents of the ammonia bottle around as he holds it at his side. Even though he towers over the small boy, he can't help but grow anxious and fearful of Will knowing what he is about to awake. Regardless he steps foward, kneeling beside his small sleeping form and unscrews the cap.

Everyone watches intently from across the room, and Y/n timidly shrinks back further beyond the post in hopes of not giving herself away too soon.

His eyes barely leaving Will, Hopper tips the bottle and douses a small handkerchief and he brings it to Will's nose in great apprehension.

At first nothing happens, but that changes in a matter of seconds as his head whips up unnaturally fast. He lets out a chilling gasp and his eyes rip open to reveal his once kind hazel green irises were now a cold, and dark brown that were now filled with hostility.

⊹ ⊹ ⊹

Dustin stands rooted at the kitchen window, his uneasy stare fixed on the closed shed in the yard. His mind is filled with a variety of scenerios as to what his sister and the others could possibly be experiencing. It's almost too much to handle and in this fleeting moment Dustin finds himself experiencing what he realizes to be not even a sliver of what Y/n normally goes through.

He takes a deep breath, attempting to put his mind at ease and leaves the window. He sheds his hat, anxiously running his fingers through his curls as he begins to pace. Nancy watches him pass as she leans against a nearby wall, her attention returning once again to the walkie on the table, ready to answer it should the occasion arrise.

Steve stands in the living room alone, an iron grip on his bat as he gets a few practice swings in. Like Nancy, his growing anxiety has manifested itself into its own unique form, and much like Dustin he finds himself unable to sit still. The same could not be said for Max and Lucas, who now sat up against the hallway walls across from one another.

Max looks up at Lucas, her fingers still mindlessly fiddling with a fray on her jacket sleeve.

"If he finds out where we are..." she begins. "will he send those, dogs, after us?"

"He won't find out." Lucas insists.

Max nibbles at the inside of her cheek before speaking in a timid voice.

"Yeah, but, if he does?"

Lucas meets her eyes with a furrowed brow, and for a moment she senses all hope inside him had flickered out when he spoke. And his very words struck a bolt of fear into her heart, chilling her blood raising every hair at the inevitable danger she had found herself in.

"Judgement day,"

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · What you can do to help the Black Lives Matter movement. Don't ever give up!! Links in the comments below as usual

All white and non-black followers/readers of mine, I implore you to take a designated amount of time out of each day devoted to educating yourselves on this matter and how to be a better ally. Here are some books that can help with that:

So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijeoma Oluo

"For white and non-Black people who feel they don't know how to start having these conversations, Oluo has generously provided a resource about how to be honest and thoughtful in examining not just racism in the world, but also white people's own role in it."

How To Be Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi

"Rather than figuring out how to fix things within our pre-existing systems, Kendi uses the power of memoir to reimagine a society that is not free from racism, but also actively working against racism at all times."

[Link]

And finally, below is a completely free Google doc full of free pdfs written by black activists:

[Link]

+++

Tag List: @dickkwad​ @aimee-lucass​ @iblesstherainsdown-in-africa​  @miscellaneoustoasts​ @happyandlonely-blog​ @missmulti​ @youpi-chan​ @peeperparkour​ @ba-responds​ @bibliophilesquared​ @blogforhoes​ @witch-of-all-things-soft​ @shawkneecaps​ @whothefuckstolemykeds​ @mirdall @fishswimbetterunderwater @daughter-of-the-stars11 @stranger-things4 @heavenlycat567 @nightbu-g @grapesauze​

DM me, or drop by my inbox if you want to be added!

[justasparkwritings]

May: TinyDoubt

Previous: April’s The Wild Lillies 

Pairing: None

Genre: Creative Angst

Rating: PG13 

Word Count: 1.5K

Warnings: Swearing! 

Summary: Creative block is alive and well as you stare at the figurines in  front of you, your only comfort? The voice in your head challenging you to soldier on. 

Notes: I tried to channel my deep deep writers block for this. Do I hate it? Maybe. Do I feel all those things about my writing? Oh absolute. Is that inner voice how I talk to myself? You bet it is. Is the title so good? Yes, yes it is. 

Paintbrush

Sculpting clay

Carving tools

Dry hands

Paint under fingernails

Hair swept back

Slick drying on cheeks

Shoulder’s tense

         Should’ve sprung for the expensive chair, the one that holds my legs back and supports my core.

       It isn’t too late, I could still spring for it after this batch sells… if I sell it.

       I sigh, glancing at the clock, 5 minutes to midnight. How long have I been sitting here? When was the last time I ate or drank anything? Too long. I’ll feel it tomorrow, the ache in my joints, the exhaustion in my body, limbs sore, eyes worn out, all craving nourishment and rest.

       Gently, I place the figurine on the clean expanse of my drying rack. Thin and leucite, it supports the variety of creations I’ve been making, each in a different state of disarray. None have ended up being perfect, none are worthy of completing, except maybe, just maybe, this one.

       Standing perfectly still at 3inches, somehow, in the bright light of my desk lamp, magnifying lens on its second highest setting, I had perfectly sculpted the manicured swoop of hair. Each strand carved delicately, the part off center, the lingering hair nearly over the left eye, all made from modeling clay. It had taken days to perfect the lift, the arching bow from one side. In its naked form, it looks immaculate. But I know I can only succeed if the coloring is perfect, if the glasses I made, labored over, filling with resin in raspberry pink, fit properly over the new ears I carved days ago.

       Ears were always the easy part, a simple structure on the head, never taking more than a pin-head size of clay. Noses too, tiny and dainty drops, always done in the middle of creation.

        Staring at this latest iteration, I can’t help but wonder if this is worth it. Meticulously drawing every line, breaking my back mixing yellows to get the golden shade and all the highlights, not to mention the truly painstaking part of it all, hands. Is it worth it, the weeks spent making this tiny, tiny creation, only to deem it unworthy, and left incomplete?

        Yes.

        Yes, it is.

       It’s always worth it, despite what the odds tell me. There’s always that voice in my head, telling me that not only is my skill appreciated, but worth something. The last set sold for five times the asking price. This set could double, triple that… Maybe if it did well enough, I could transition to this, full time. Though the thought of working on perfecting miniatures for 12 hours a day sounds quite possibly like hell.  

        This isn’t hell, or horrible, you’re too hard on yourself.

        The voice in my head tells me. Laughing, I counter that statement. “I am not, they’re all shit,”

        They are not.

        “I should’ve stuck with wood carving,” I grumble.

        You cut yourself pretty badly the last time-

        “I know I did!” 

       I can’t tell if I’ve fully lost it, or if this conversation is going to lead to a creative breakthrough. Though based on my running internal monologue, which yes is voiced by Nicole Byer, I am due for a serious heart-to-mind pep talk. It’s not that I haven’t scolded myself recently, or lamented about how completely incompetent I am, how horrific my work is, or how I am wasting my youth sitting at a cramped desk with coffee I’ve reheated four times. I haven’t had the full ‘this is meaningless, stop wasting your time perfecting the shades of blonde on this plastic and clay figurine and go figure out the next steps in your career’ in at least three weeks. I suppose, staring at these in complete monstrosities, that a conversation with myself regarding what I’m doing is far more enjoyable than listening to my father droll on about how I am in command of my destiny.

        Because I’m not in control.  If I was, I wouldn’t be sitting here making TinyTan figurines, crying when the paint dries a different color than my swatches or weeping when a miniature dot of adhesive gets stuck on the outside of the clay and chars the entire piece in the oven.

        So I’m not in charge of my fate.

        You make your own luck.

        “Alright, I didnn’t ask you.”

        Who did you ask then? Jimin? Yoongi? Oh wait, they don’t have mouths and they’re made of plastic!

        “See, they don’t have mouths because they fucking suck and I should give up.”

        They’re probably better than you think, you’re just too close to it.  

        “I think that’s actually incorrect and there is nothing wrong with how close I am to these figures,”

        You are though

        “What do you suppose I do? Capture their souls? Summon them with a knock off The Power of Seven Will Set Me Free, while I hold their tiny little plastic hands?” I throw the ball of clay I’ve been rolling onto the table, the small glob sticking to the side of a larger block I had been carving from.  

        Do you always have to be so difficult?

        “You’re inside my brain! You know how creatively frustrated I am! And you know how absolutely fucking bitchy I get when I’m upset!”  

        Why are you frustrated?

        I groan, standing up from my chair and walking to the kitchen sink. The hot water scalds my dry hands, melting the clay and paint off, the extra judicial scrubbing peeling back layers of grime I’d let build in the last 10 hours.

        Why are you so frustrated? Is it because you aren’t good enough? Are you scared it’s going to be your senior year showcase again, where that girls sister didn’t understand you collage and made snarky comments?

        I dry my hands, unwilling to answer the questions my mind was asking.

        If you don’t talk about it you’ll blow up like a volcano…

        “Because! Fuck, because I can’t get any of this right. I just got the hair done, and that’s taken me two weeks. All I’m doing is chipping away, carving away, fucking up and starting again. When I’m not working on it, all I’m doing is thinking about it. They haunt me in my sleep, their little round bellies body rolling to Mic Drop, trying to get me to eat the mini quiches they’ve carved their initials in. My life is consumed by these tiny fucking figures and it’s making me absolutely hate them.”

        Hate them?

        “Whoever decided TinyTan needed to be a thing,”

        Shouldn’t you be mad at whoever told you to create your own versions of them?

        “Oh, so you want me to be mad at myself? Aren’t I already?”

        Okay, point made.

        “I just stare at them, their little body parts, heads on a platter like the Addams Family.. Everything I make is ugly, everything I make isn’t good enough. Every curve, every cut… garbage.”

        Do you want to quit?

        “Give up on my project?”

        Yeah, say fuck it, toss them out, never come back to them.

        “I, should’ve gotten into doll houses,”

       Why?

       “They’re easier, the rules aren’t as rigid, it’s an interpretation and you can do that 1000 different ways,”

       So quit, move to doll houses, sell all your tools. But, answer this, what happens when you get upset or frustrated making doll houses?

       I sigh. “I don’t quit craft projects.”

       … didn’t you just say you wanted to?

       “I don’t quit crafts. Relationships and friendships, that’s another story. But art?”

        Then why are you bitching?

        “I just,” I sigh, slumping into my couch. “If I finish them, and they don’t turn out, what kind of artist will I be? What does that say about my craft? My ‘talent’?”

        What kind of artist do you want to be?

        “This Socratic method is really fucking annoying.”

        I’m your mind, stop doing it if it bugs you so much

        “I just, what does it say about me if they aren’t any good?”

       I’m not sure it says anything about you as a person.

       “Me as an artist?”

       I don’t know if we can answer that.

       “Maybe you’re right,”

        About?

        “Maybe I just, I’m too hard on myself. A set of figurines isn’t going to break my hobby… even if it’s broken my spirit,”

        If it’s broken your spirit, why keep doing it?

        “I love the finished product, but I love the process more,”

        Then keep going.

        The thing about the voice inside my head is that no matter how hard I try to lie to it, it always knows. It always comes back with wisdom and truth, shining a light on exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid.

        “Tonight?”

        No bitch, you need sleep. TinyTan will be there tomorrow.

        “Is this when we sing Zero O’Clock while we brush our teeth?”

        Only if you want to.

        I rise from my couch, slipping my apron off, putting it on my crafting chair and clear my throat.

       “Oo- and you’re gonna be happy,” I sing as I move through my apartment, miniatures drying, waiting for another day of scraping, molding and painting, my broken spirit stitching itself back together as the clock resets. 

Next: June Pride

[stevesnailbat]

fighting feelings | steve harrington x byers!reader

REQUESTS USED:

hi!! could u make a steve x byers!reader and they’ve been like ignoring their feelings towards to each other but then they start to fight against the russians and get all worried about each other idk if that makes sense but pwetty please 🥺

If you have time would you be able write a Steve x reader where the reader was there for the starcourt battle and Steve confesses his feelings for them after it's all over and it leads to steamy things? Only if you have time though!

warnings: mentions of abuse/torture, not really angst but kinda angst, soft!steve, kinda sorta steamy at the end with more implied things

word count: 2.1K

a/n: sorry if some of my description is a little off, I didn’t want it to be extremely long, but here it is finally! enjoy ya’ll :)

Steve Harrington was the kinda guy every guy wanted to be, and every girl wanted to be with. His ego used to be as big as his hair, but that all changed after Jonathan won a fight against him. Y/N was halfway proud of her brother for winning a fight, but it also confused her when she heard it was with Steve. She told herself that it was weird to like someone who dated her brother’s girlfriend before he did, but she couldn’t help it. She never thought she’d have a crush on someone like him, but there she was.

There she was, offering to take Will and Lucas to the mall for the third time that week. Of course, they wouldn’t pass up a free ride to the mall or a chance to get some free food from her, if she felt nice enough. The boys ran to the car when she asked them, fighting for the front seat as she got ready to walk outside.

“I’m going to the mall, Jon! The boys are coming with.” she called to her brother, who was just getting home from his summer job.

“Again?” he asked, his head popping around the corner of the hallway to raise an eyebrow at her curiously.

“Yes, again. I’m hungry, they’re bored, why not?” she asked, shrugging her shoulders.

“Does this have anything to do with a certain boy in a fake sailor suit that works at the mall who you may or may not have a crush on?” he implored, smiling when a blush crept up on her cheeks.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I don’t like anybody!” she said with a tone of fake shock in her voice, shaking her head and waving goodbye at her brother who knew her too well. “I’ll be back!”

“Ahoy there! Back again?” Steve said jokingly as he watched Y/N walk into Scoops. “I’m surprised you don’t have some children with you.”

“I paid for them to get into some movie, so I’m stuck at the mall until that’s over.” she said with a shrug as she walked up to the front counter and leaned over it.

“Well, I guess I can get you your usual order, my treat. Since you’ll be stuck her for a while.” he said with an amused smile on his face when she frowned back at him.

“I have money! I can pay for myself, Harrington.” she protested, digging into her purse for the money.

“No, my treat.” he insisted, starting to make her cone. “As long as you come help me and some friends with a little something.”

She knew she shouldn’t have said yes, but that damn smile on his face drew her in every time. Sure, she was falling for the big-haired dingus, as Robin called him, but she would never admit it to anybody who asked solely because she thought he would never fall for a Byers kid.

Steve knew everything she had been through in the last two years, and that scared her. He treated her like she was made of glass, like she would break if something too hard happened to her. Every little noise would make her jump, he couldn’t imagine getting close to her. She had been through too much, and he knew that it would be hard to make a move on the girl who was already scared and emotionally unavailable. But, there he was, falling for her from afar.

Saying yes to helping him ended up being a little more complicated than she expected. Cracking the Russian’s code was the easiest part of the operation. The next day, she found herself stuck in an underground bunker with Dustin, Robin, Erica and Steve. She had a gut feeling that they were stuck in another Upside Down situation when they plummeted so far down in the elevator that it seemed like they were at the Earth’s core, and she was right.

Their time stuck in the elevator started with her holding onto Steve when it shot down like he was the last thing she would ever touch. After getting out of the elevator, they tried to brush it off like it was nothing, like it was just out of fear.

“Dude, Steve.” Dustin said, his voice barely above a whisper as he pulled Steve to trail behind the three girls.

“What?” he whispered in reply.

“She totally likes you.”

“Who?” Steve said with a furrowed brow as the boy pointed to Y/N. “No, that was just—She was scared! And why is that what you’re worried about right now?”

Steve focused on how she acted towards him after Dustin suggested it, and was utterly confused. She shied away from him and kept her responses short when he talked, presumably because she was resisting the way she really felt about him. Walking towards the base in the long hall seemed like a quick trip to her, her mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts bounced from her attraction to Steve one minute to if Will and Jonathan were safe the next.

The next thing she knew, she was being pushed through the rooms of the base after Steve had knocked out one of the guards. Steve and Robin were holding down a door that Russians were trying to push through, telling her, Dustin and Erica to leave. She stood frozen in front of him for a moment, only shaking her head. She didn’t want to leave them there, she was afraid of what would happen.

“Y/N.” Steve said harshly as he grabbed her hand to get her attention, he could tell she was dazed from the whole situation. “I need you to go with them, okay? We’ll be fine.”

She only nodded in response and he squeezed her hand reassuringly before she was pulled in the other direction by Dustin. Her and the two kids eventually made their way back to Steve and Robin, saving them from the fate she didn’t want to think about. Everything between leaving and saving them was a blur, the only thing she felt was the lingering feeling of Steve’s hand in hers. She helped the kids navigate their way to the drugged teens and helped pull them out of the room.

“I can drive, Dustin.” she insisted when they got to the cart, trying to grab the keys but he pulled away.

“No, I will. We need to go fast and I’ve never been in the car with you when you’ve driven more than ten over the speed limit. Now get in the back!” Dustin snapped back, and she threw her hands up defeatedly before climbing into the caged back of the cart.

“Y/N!” Steve slurred when she got in, a smile growing on his battered face. “Did you stay safe?”

“I was safe, Steve. Obviously you two got into a little bit of trouble, though.” she giggled, eyeing his swollen face and bloodied lips.

“We almost died. I can’t believe I almost died in there with Steve the hair Harrington.” Robin laughed, pushing Steve’s shoulder while giggling.

Before she knew it, Y/N was pulling the two out of the back and into the elevator once again. They were giggling the whole time, playing around while they were thrown around by the speed of the elevator. Dustin and Erica were concerned, questioning whether the pair was high or drunk or God knows what.

After narrowly escaping the Russian guards by hiding out in the movie theater, they found themselves hiding from them behind one of the food court booths at the mall. The two drugged teens sobered up out of fear in that moment. She was gripping onto Steve’a hand for dear life as tears stung her eyes out of fear of getting caught.

It felt like she was almost frozen again when they all got up to see their savior, El, after she threw the car. Steve helped her up and they walked to where the rest of them stood, her arms wrapped around his. She caught the eye of Jonathan and Will when they walked over, both of them giving her the exact same confused look. After noticing their looks, she pulled away from his arm slightly with a blush on her cheeks.

Chaos ensued after that, and it happened fast. It seemed like everything happened in a matter of seconds, when it really did last a long while. Sitting on the back of an ambulance, Y/N stared off as she held Will in her arms and he rambled about their mom being okay. She assured him everything would be okay, partly because she knew it would and partly because she was making herself believe it too. The reunion with Joyce was teary, but the family was just happy to be back together.

She searched for Steve around the parking lot from where they sat with their mom, barely listening as Will and Jonathan talked quietly.

“Hey, Y/N.” Jonathan said, his hand squeezing her shoulder to get her attention. “I think there’s a certain sailor who’s sitting in his car over there. He might want talk to you.”

She shook her head and smiled gratefully at him, earning a confused look from Joyce, who was out of the loop. Jonathan would explain everything to her when she left, so she just gave him a hug before walking towards the BMW parked away from the ambulances in a side lot of the mall. He was alone, staring into the tercies mirror as he tried to clean up what was left to clean of the blood that was dried on his lip. She knocked on the passenger door and he motioned for her to come in, so she meekly opened the door and slid in.

“Hi.” she said with a weak smile after closing the door. “Your face looks a little better.”

“Thanks.” he chuckled, turning to face her instead of the mirror as he studied her for any marks. “Nothing happened to you, right?”

“No, nothing. I might have some bruises or something from being clumsy, but nothing besides that.” she replied, eyes scanning her arms and legs quickly.

“Listen, Y/N. There’s been something I’ve wanted to talk to you about for a while.” Steve started abruptly, knowing that he would chicken out if he waited any longer to tell her.

She nodded, biting her lip as her eyes trained on his. She wasn’t exactly sure what he was talking about, but she seemed to have some idea of what it was.

“I know it might be a little weird and all, since I dated your brother’s girlfriend before he did. And because I got beat up by him, and because I was a complete asshole before—“

“Steve, get to the point.” she giggled, her heart racing at a million beats a minute as she touched his hand to get his attention.

“Right, sorry. I know it all might be weird, but I really like you. You...You’re beautiful and smart and everything I could want. But I know that you’re scared, so I don’t expect you to say anything in return or give me a chance or anything at all. I just wanted to get it off my chest.” he said with a sigh, leaning back against his seat while closing his eyes.

“Steve.”

“Yeah?” he asked, head shooting back up to look over at her.

As he shot up, he felt her hands cup his cheeks and her lips press against his in a passionate kiss. She deepened the kiss once she felt him kiss her back, her fingers carding through his tousled hair. He reached over the console to wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her as close as he could in the awkward position. After a few minutes of heated kisses, she pulled away from his bruised lips with a smile on her face.

“Was that your way of saying you feel the same way? Or was that a ‘I’m just grateful to be alive and need to feel something besides fear’ kiss?” he asked, raising his eyebrow as he brushed some hair behind her ear.

“A little bit of both, but mainly the first one.” she breathed out, her thumb grazing the bruises on his cheek.

“Good, because that means I can do this.” he said as he gently grabbed her hips to pull her into another strong kiss, bringing her to straddle his hips.

Usually, she wouldn’t be so forward with any guy or let them even touch her. With Steve, it was different. She felt safe with Steve, like she was untouchable in his arms. She felt at home with him.

[hawkinsschoolcounselor]

could you make a post talking about byler's ""unhealthy"" relationship?? wanted your opinion on this, people say that byler wouldn’t be a good relationship for will, because of the fight and because of mike’s “joking” from “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls”, in my view, whoever says that is practically saying that mike is toxic, as if he is not healthy, or as if byler's friendship was not good and healthy, so...

The way I see it, there’s two groups of people who would say something like that: people who don’t like Mike and people who want Mike with El. I don’t really see how people can look at Mike and Will and call it unhealthy. I haven’t personally read any well-written arguments from those people, though. If all they have to go on is this one fight Mike and Will had, then they’re grasping at straws. Their relationship is easily the best that we’ve seen on the show, regardless of whether there’s any romantic element to it. There’s a vocal group of people out there who don’t like Mike. It’s sad, especially when you consider how much that boy has been through. Yes, he was already somewhat snarky and stubborn from the beginning, but he was also kind, brave, and selfless. He’s experienced quite a lot of trauma in the past couple of years. If I’m right that he’s also experiencing a sexuality crisis, then he’s also dealing with a lot of inner turmoil. His behavior in season 3 seemed like a lot of work to make himself seem like a cool, normal teenager. He was overcompensating, and it turned him into, well, a jerk. He starts to come down from this behavior after his fight with Will, and we start to see more of the real Mike as the season continues.

Mike is a flawed, but ultimately good, character. He’s a kid going through more than any kid should be expected to. The fact that he isn’t dealing with it well shouldn’t be a reason to condemn him. At his core, Mike is a caring, loyal, brave, determined (read: stubborn), and intelligent nerd. Nobody brings out the best in Mike like Will does, and nobody can get Mike to realize he’s being a d-bag like Will can. Mike and Will’s relationship is defined by trust and love. They’ve talked to each other about things they refused to share with anyone else. They both know the other cares about them too much to betray that trust. They are each other’s safe space.

We know Mike hates apologizing, as he begrudgingly apologized to Lucas in season 1 and waited for El to apologize to him in season 3, but he was ready to apologize to Will moments after their fight. He knew he hurt Will badly right away, and he went to go find him to apologize. This is not typical of Mike. He usually needs time to accept that he was in the wrong.

The only negative I can think of with Mike and Will’s relationship is maybe that Will doesn’t speak up enough. Mike does seem shocked at Will’s outburst, suggesting that it’s not something that’s ever happened before. Then again, the entire fight came across as something that probably hasn’t ever happened before. They both seem surprised at each other’s behavior during it. As sad as it is, the fight is something that probably needed to happen. There was a lot in their relationship that was being taken for granted, and the fight brought it all out into the open. This allowed them to get past it.

I’m still frustrated that we never saw any real apology. I like to think there was one, but it either happened off screen or in a cut scene. It’s hard to believe that Mike would be that determined to apologize to Will and make up with him, only to not even do it once he got to him. Yes, Will dropped the Mind Flayer bomb on him. This may have made Mike more concerned about Will’s well-being over apologizing at that moment.

I suppose it’s possible that after everything that happened Mike may have just forgotten he never apologized. He tried to, he wanted to, but everything shifted into high gear before he had the chance. Will also may have chosen to just not bring it up again. Still, there were three months between the Battle of Starcourt and the Byers leaving Hawkins. I’d love to know what happened in that time. I hope they filmed some scenes to be used as flashbacks. Still, their final scene together makes it seem like a lot was left unsaid between Mike and Will, as if they both were afraid of having the conversation.

When Mike and Will were saying goodbye to each other, Mike’s demeanor and word choice showed that he was afraid of Will moving on from him. He was very nervous, unsure, and cautious. He was very vulnerable. He was giving Will every opportunity to rip his heart out just so he could know if Will would still want to be his friend. Mike knew he screwed up, and he was scared Will would use this opportunity to replace him. Will replies by letting Mike know that he had every intention of returning to him and that he could never replace Mike. I don’t know if this was meant to be the apology, but it did seem to put both their minds and hearts at ease.

Regardless, you don’t act like that with someone without a strong existing relationship. They bring out the best in each other. The idea that their relationship was so strong was supposed to be why their fight in season 3 was so sad. It was meant to seem wrong, jarring, as if they somehow fell out of step with each other. Contrast that with Mike and El (which I only do as a point of comparison), where their relationship is what seemed jarring and off, and their fight and breakup seemed comical. People in good relationships will still fight now and then, but the difference is that both people involved will feel bad about it. People in bad relationships will, instead, argue over who was right or who won. Mike and Will were in the former, not the latter. They have a good relationship.

TLDR: Screw those people. Mike and Will love each other, at least platonically, if not romantically.

[clericbyers]

my last logical braincell: give it up buddy the production team wouldn't put two of the main characters in a gay relationship, be smart and realistic / all my other brain cells, completely unhinged, studied in honk honk university: bylerbylerbyler it's the most valid ending They have to bring this developing relationship to its climax which means Byler

okay me…i flip flop between complete utter confidence in them being the endgame couple and complete utter resignation that it won’t happen. but god I just…watching st1 and momentarily ignoring the fact that other seasons exist has me so hooked on endgame byler bc, god its so obvious Mike loves Will. I rewatched 1x03 yesterday and at the end when Mike yells at El, Lucas says, “Mike, please don’t do this.” and he’s crying and Dustin is too but Mike physically cannot handle being there. He is torn up in a way no one else is, he was shouting, “what is wrong with you” at El, because he can’t handle his own emotions and takes it out on other people (as we see in st1 still when he fights Lucas and shoves Troy and he yells at El) and he can’t handle the utter pain at having his hopes dashed because he was tied to El in order to find Will and in his mind she broke that promise even though he hadn’t broken his promise of keeping her safe.

And Lucas and Dustin probably knew Will was something different for Mike; hell, Dustin called Lucas Mike’s best friend which discounted himself and Will, and while it’s later implied he didn’t include himself because ‘you can’t have more than one best friend’ which Mike cutely called bs on because they are all his best friend, Will wasn’t included in that despite Mike being the most torn up about Will’s disappearance. And Dustin is the most observant about relationships, how he points out that Lucas is mad Mike is putting El over the Party (a theme that carries into ST3 at that), yet he didn’t call Will Mike’s best friend and that’s…that could be said to be because he knows Will and Mike are something different but he can’t say what because what is more than a best friend anyway?? Lucas and Dustin both didn’t go after Mike when he biked away from the lake despite then both protesting his emotional breakdown, much as we see in ST3 when Lucas didn’t go after Mike or Will after Will stormed out.

And just throughout the whole first season, even in the very next episode (1x04), Ted and Karen are watching the news about the body being fished out and Ted says something like, “Should I go down and talk to Michael?” and Karen says, “No, he’ll come to us when he’s ready.” and yes they are talking about Mike dealing with Will’s death, but after 1x02 where Karen talked with Mike about opening up to her about how he’s dealing with Will’s disappearance and how coded that is, the 1x04 conversation has another layer to it. Especially when the very next shot is Mike in the basement longingly looking through his binder of Will’s drawings before he snaps at El for hurting him. It’s not just about Will’s “death”, it’s about Mike’s feelings for Will, too, that become more apparent once Will isn’t in his life anymore.

And that story, that underlying story of Mike struggling to come to terms with Will’s death, his feelings for Will, and consequently projecting them onto someone who is repeatedly mistaken to be a boy (even Will himself), is always gonna be there and dropping it makes no sense at all when it’s a core of the reason why this show even happens. Mike’s love for Will brings him back as much as Joyce and Jonathan’s love (and dedication) for him did. Mike’s love made him disobey Hopper and gather his friends and consequently find El, who does indeed help find Will. That cannot be ignored, it’s in the story, it’s been written and it cannot be erased because this story cannot be told without the integral fact that Mike loves Will. Mike is the most distraught of the kids; we constantly see his reaction to everything unfolding when it comes to Will. He has Will’s drawings on the basement walls and the fact that, when bringing the other seasons into the fold, he still has Will’s drawings on the wall despite having a girlfriend and having Will physically back for the past 8 months and trying to grow out of his childhood interests…that’s very telling.

wow I’m ranting but uhhhhhh…I just, cannot imagine completely derailing from the story of ST so much to discard the obvious path toward Mike and Will coming to terms with their feelings for each other. But despite all the evidence and even what I just talked about here, I hate that I still feel like there’s a chance the side story of this gay romance won’t be resolved by the show’s end. And that’s sad…it’s sad that I have to convince myself this won’t happen despite the contrary evidence because too many times it doesn’t happen but goddamn it’s just, it’s weaved so much into the plot!! Even the fact that ST mirrors the D&D campaigns (esp in ST1) and D&D is the in show analogy for Mike and Will’s relationship proves that their relationship is deeply essential to the show, it cannot be dismissed, and it will be addressed in full.

ST3 does give us minimal byler in comparison to ST2 but I dare to say…ST3 was explicitly showing us Will loves Mike back because ST1 and ST2 already showed us that Mike loves Will. ST3 gave us jealous and pining Will and gave us that argument that reveals Will’s feelings toward Mike. Mike’s trying to get over it by being with El, who he does love and care for but as Lucas said in 1x05, “You’re blind…blind because you like that a girl’s not grossed out by you”. Mike likes the idea of liking El, he likes that El likes him as he’s kept her safe so he pursues her and clings to her, but he’s trying to force something that doesn’t work. Lucas (in 1x05) said “Wake up man! Wake the hell up,” but Mike couldn’t do that. He couldn’t “wake up” and come to terms with the full truth so he merely yelled at Lucas to ‘shut up’ (similar to how in ST3 Mike couldn’t retort against anything Will said until he came at Mike’s relationship with El) and then physically fought him.

In ST3, Mike wouldn’t allow himself to believe in spending the rest of his life with Will; funnily, he was telling Will to wake up in that 3x03 argument as much as Lucas told him to back in ST1, but when Will said, “I guess I did. I really did.” he was, in a way, saying he is already awake. His nightmare was the UD, his nightmare was the MF and the now-memories, but when he woke up from all of that, he was with Mike. He was in the basement playing games with Mike and Mike is still the one who hasn’t woken up, who is still living under some delusion. And that’s when Mike really realizes his feelings were returned and he quite possibly fucked it up. He chases after Will and apologizes but again, the argument was unlike any argument he had with anyone else on the show. Mike yelled at El and Lucas in ST1, he yelled at Hopper in ST2 and ST3, he yelled at Max in ST3, but he never yelled at Will during that argument until he said “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls,” and even then it’s not yelling to the extent he did with others. This was different, this meant something entirely different for him and he wanted to fix it ASAP, asking if Will was okay as he always once he found him at Castle Byers, checking in as he cannot help but do.

And Yeah, Mike spent the rest of the season trying to mend things with El (why not go all out for her then since he feels he ruined what he could have had with Will during that argument, but going all out for her only reveals further his lack of trust in her—sauna scene when he found out she spied, cabin scenes where he argued with Max about her powers, claimed he loved her but couldn’t say it to her face, and then was hesitant to even say yes to her asking him to trust her, supermarket scene where he couldn’t say love to her face) but at the end!! they are still awkward !! He still lied to her by saying he didn’t know what he said in the cabin!! Their friendship is safe but their romance is gone !! but Mike and Will? Using D&D to establish the change in their relationship, to confess and show that Mike has to make a move because Mike has always made the first move with Will, but Will is gonna be receptive because he knows it’s reciprocated now.

oh my god I just….there’s too much evidence I cannot imagine this all gets tossed to the side. I guess I’m in one of my “I have high hopes” moods while answering this ask haha

[thepringlesofblood]

thoughts on stranger things three  (spoilers. so many.)

this is just me yellin into the void as usual, but I like recording my opinions on things even if no one will read them 

good:

- every single scene w/ the robin, steve, erica, dustin gang, especially!!! the coming out scene. scoops?? iconic. steve and dustin’s secret handshake? transcendent. the drugged out back to the future scene? perfect. 

- eleven and max say fuck the patriarchy. love el’s new look 

- more competent women is always a win

- funhouse fight!!! carnival fight!!!FIREWORKS??!??!

- the destruction of the mall (sadly the only anticapitalist symbolism I could find)

- the scene after jonathan and nancy get fired where they’re angry about their separate marginalized identities making this loss worse. I really liked how it went into the ways it will impact both of them, and I especially liked when nancy got home and talked to her mom. 

- joyce going buckwild and getting shit done. 

- the portrayal of hypervigilance as a symptom of PTSD. All of these characters have seen some shit, and all of them pick up on the littlest things the second they present themselves because subconsciously, they’re always on edge, always aware of bad it could break. 

- most of will’s character arc. not all, but most of it. the queer experience of watching all your friends get dates and feeling like you’re missing out on something? trying to regain their interest because you feel lost and left behind? worrying that you’re not “growing up” because you don’t recognize romantic interest in yourself? not realizing you’re falling for your best friend until they get a romantic partner and suddenly you hate the partner even though they haven’t done anything wrong? a poignant, beautiful, very painful portrayal of queer teenhood. I really, really wish there was a moment that the audience realized will was in love with mike though. Like, it’s been building for a very long time. Also, a more thorough confirmation of will’s queerness would’ve been nice. I think they meant mike saying “you don’t understand bc you don’t like girls” to be that confirmation, but I want to hear it from will. Robin’s moment is so so so good though. 

- domestic fuckery 

- getting someone on the inside to help them/alexei as a character. not the symbolism or larger ramifications of his character arc, but how his knowledge and personality interacted. 

- mr clarke!!!!

- el going into someone’s memories again

- how prepared everyone is to fight because they’ve seen this shit before and robin and erica are just like ‘this might as well happen’ 

- keeping with the stranger things pattern of having a bunch of different groups of people all in different genres and then together they all meet up and go ?????

- I know every says billy didn’t get enough of a redemption arc but tbh I did not see his character development as redeeming in any way and I liked that. It didn’t excuse his abusive actions, it just explained them. There was no “oh he was secretly good all along”, no dramatic total character reversal on his death bed, just him deciding that he had enough of being controlled. Max didn’t get full closure with him, he didn’t say some big speech about being wrong or realizing the ramifications of his actions bc he hadn’t reached that point yet. he just said “I’m sorry” and died. that could mean “i’m sorry for how I’ve treated you”, “I’m sorry for how many people I’ve killed”, “I’m sorry for not being able to stop the monster”, anything. we don’t know what it means. we don’t get an explanation. It speaks to how survivors of abuse often don’t get to know why, don’t get closure, don’t get all the answers. 

- steve finally won a fight before getting the shit kicked out of him

- the whole no one knowing anything about each other bc no cell phones and/or wasnt there when It Happened. 

- Erica getting the DND set was poetic cinema 

- when joyce sees will on the firetruck and they run towards each other because finally, for once, will is completely unscathed, will isn’t the one who got hurt/possessed. I was already crying but this is the part where i had to get tissues bc I was sobbing. 

Bad:

- the red scare bullshit and glorification of capitalism. this show started out as “the US govt is doing shady shit” and now the big climatic “everything’s alright” is the army getting there?? what the fuck. There’s being accurate to the time period and then there’s sending a message. they could’ve subverted that trope in so many ways, but they just went for straight up “capitalism is great! fuck russia!” and I hated that. also, talk about one-note villainry. there weren’t even any dramatic monologues to make up for it, it just kinda sucked. 

- Hopper’s character in the beginning of the season. the scene where he gets wasted after getting stood up? shitty. not talking to el about his vaguely sexist overprotective actions? shitty. blowing up at joyce for no reason? shitty. he pulls it together in the end but it was OOC for a bit there. Plus I would kill for more “hopper and el work through their trauma together”, rather than “friend group splinters bc hopper did a yell” 

- I don’t know what to think about hopper’s death. It just hurts, and not in a satisfying, last harry potter book way. 

- why the fuck are the byers and el moving?????? did they ever give a reason???? WHY?????? WILL AND EL’S ENTIRE SUPPORT NETWORK, THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO KNOW WHAT THEY’VE BEEN THROUGH AND CAN HELP THEM, IS IN HAWKINS!!!!!

- the ads. omg the ads. lucas idc about your fucking coke. there’s so much goddamn product placement. christ on a goddamn bicycle. 

- previous seasons have had body horror, but it was all black goo so it was removed from reality and conveyed a psychological, otherworldly horror. and I liked that. WHY WAS THERE SO MUCH FUCJING MEAT IN THIS ONE??? THE MIND FLAYER LOOKED LIKE IT WAS MADE OF BBQ SAUCE AND I HATED IT!!! STOP!!!THE MEATS!!!!!

- can el not be injured......for oNCE?????

- also can people stop standing around staring at shit so much? theyve seen it before. it’s not like it’s a huge shock. people stand around for like 5 minutes before Doing Things and it annoys me. with the New Kids like erica and robin it makes sense but like....whenever theres a monster mike just sits there like :o cOME ON DUDE YOU’VE DONE THIS SO MANY TIMES GET A KNIFE OR SOMETHIN!!!

- WHAT. WAS. THE GREEN STUFF?????????????????? IS IT FUCKING PLUTONIUM OR SOMETHING???? WHAT THE FUCK!!! IF YOU NEED A MACGUFFIN BE LESS OBVIOUS ABOUT IT!!!

- idk about you but murray yelling at them about sex kinda rubbed me the wrong way. 

- speaking of, you caNNOT convince me that murray, 4 locks on the front door lives in a bunker murray, would take a goddamn enemy of the state to a carnival and leave him alone for any period of time. seriously????????

- look.....it was adorable.....i’ll give you that.....but.....the song dustin and suzy sang slapped me with secondhand embarrassment and genre disconnect so hard I found it impossible to enjoy. also...planck’s constant??? you could/......idk........call mr clarke????????? you’ve interrupted the man’s life for less!!!! I was also half expecting it to be joyce who remembered it from all the studying she did on the magnets. I did enjoy the whole “i met a girl at camp” story being unbelievable until it was but like I was expecting the thing she wanted him to say to be like a famous star wars love quote or something not an entire song jesus christ 

- if hopper turns out to be alive I will face god and walk backwards into hell. I suffered through supernatural, I will not be caught in a cycle of fake deaths again. 

- i get the whole “we’re growing up now” thing but aren’t they like 13? theyre still so young??? also like i dont rly care for the vague soap-opera-y vibes the core squad gave off. 

- the only people who got flayed were either a. already pretty shitty or b. completely unknown. like. it just made it less scary????

- hopper just fucking standing by the machine looking at joyce instead of running the 5 seconds up the steps into the room. seriously? was that supposed to be slow motion or was that real time??? 

- the whole thing with cerebro not working at the beginning sucked ass. 

- hey does mrs wheeler have eyes??? like??? there were exactly two (2) scenes she had with mike and nancy and both were Big Conversations like they live there right/????tbh i forgot she was their mom until those scenes bc of the whole billy thing, which i decidedly do not have an opinion on but like....do they eat breakfast there??? 

[paceunknown]

give me that revision 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽

well okay ! and in case you’ve decided to read this yet don’t know what this ask is about i came up w an idea to sort of rectify what i felt was an issue left mostly unresolved in season three of stranger things—the core four’s friendship—and it bothered me so i thought about how i would redo some bits of the season. k? k!

so let me begin w making it painfully obvious i love the show; this isn’t me tearing it a new one for the sake of doing so. i’m critiquing and offering commentary because i want it to be better. and i’m in no way saying my idea is perfect or polished, i’m just someone w a lot of time and a decent propensity for written thought.

my main issue w the resolution of the friendship tribulations between mike, lucas, dustin, and will is that there never really is one. we get that brief moment just before the starcourt battle where they reunite and share a hug but that’s about all, and it doesn’t address will’s concerns w his friends moving on without him—hell, he and mike never talk about their argument again—which was the main source of contention behind the arc. and to some degree, i understand: will said it himself, there were more important matters to attend to, and stopping all the literally life-threatening action to sing kumbaya would not only be dumb in-universe but would be out of place narratively. but it also wasn’t like it was a macguffin or just a one-off, throwaway line we weren’t really supposed to care about past that specific moment (see nancy and johnathan’s argument about classism v misogyny, though i would’ve loved to see that expanded upon further), will feeling left behind by his friends ran deep, so deep that he destroyed castle byers over it. so i said to myself, if i could rearrange the season, maybe add and take away a few things here and there, what would i do? how would i resolve that story line?

so the main thing i latched onto was castle byers. lucas and mike discovered will in the middle of the night, frenzied and having literally taken a bat to the fort he built with his brother. and it’s never talked about again. lucas tries, yes, but will tells him not to worry about it, and that’s it. i dunno about you, but i’d certainly try to find a time to bring that back up, especially if my friend is moving away. so here’s where my rewrite begins !

first, the night of mike and will’s argument, mike doesn’t make that “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” comment (as much as it pains me to cut it) because he doesn’t know why will’s upset, and he doesn’t know why will’s upset because will isn’t saying “can we play d&d now?” every three seconds. i feel like a major issue this season had in its writing was being too transparent about everything—i mean, the audience literally knew russian agents were trying to open another gate the entire time, we were just watching the characters figure it out for themselves. so in this version, i rectify a little of that by having will show us he’s tired of his friends being girl-crazy through his actions, his body language, maybe a snide remark here and there. will is annoyed but he doesn’t wanna rain on everyone’s parade, so he keeps his comments to himself, and neither mike nor lucas pick up on it bc they’re so focused on el and max. so when will finally does blow up, mike genuinely doesn’t know why. this also gives some more breathing room to the arc, allows for more conversations to be had between the boys about their feelings, and also allows for will’s upset to continue to grow.

which brings me to point two: will doesn’t break castle byers that night. instead, they have their fight, will goes home, and when mike and lucas come to his house, he just sits in his room, resolutely not opening the door. only when he gets the goosebumps on his neck does he run after them to tell them what’s going on. this, again, allows for more breathing room, because we know will’s upset, but because there’s now the supernatural threat to focus on, all those pent-up emotions are just gonna continue to fester because neither of his friends actually get it, and he hasn’t had a genuine moment of catharsis yet. so idk how else to restructure the season bc things happen pretty quickly from then on, but within the next episode or two will breaks castle byers. hell, it can be that episode so long as it’s clear in the show that it’s not within the same 24 hours. i just think it’s important to show that the argument did nothing for will, he’s still #going #thru #it, so when we see him take a bat to castle byers it affects both us and him that much more deeply. and most most importantly, no one knows he did it.

we finally come to the finale, where everyone’s helping the byers fam pack (i’m also making the executive decision that it takes at LEAST three days and not just one like johnathan said, it’s unrealistic to pack a whole house in a day). it’s day two of three, and at some point will sneaks away to castle byers because he’s got enough emotional intelligence to know he regrets what he did and he does want a few of the things left in there. he picks through the wreckage and i imagine a really heartbreaking scene; where before he just had an outburst and broke everything, now he actually goes through things with affection, and you can tell it’s really hitting him that he’s moving. then we hear crunching, and the camera focuses on mike’s shocked and concerned face. (and this is where it’s gonna get real fan fic, but it’s the only way i can think to relay my ~vision~) (also none of this would have to be verbatim)

mike: um... [will doesn’t turn around] i know you told us to do what we wanted but there were a few things we didn’t-

will: just ask johnathan.

mike: we did. he said to find you

will, annoyed: i’ll be back in a minute, just, go help el or something

mike: ….did the storm do that?

will: what do you think, mike?

mike, walking closer: why would you do that? when did you do that?

will: just leave it-

mike: you built that. it’s been here forever. it was supposed to be here... after you were gone.

will: well maybe i don’t want any evidence that i was here.

mike, hurt: what?

will: just face it, mike. you’re different, lucas and dustin are different-

mike: that’s not true!

will, getting choked up: -and when i move tomorrow, you guys are probably gonna be going on, like, group dates with el via radio, or-or come up with some grand scheme to visit dustin’s girlfriend in utah! and it won’t matter that i’m not there!

mike: how could you say that? of course it’s going to matter. you’re part of the party, always and forever.

will: well the party didn’t seem to matter much to you this summer. not any of you. not unless it was life-threatening.

mike: will-

will: can you just leave me alone? i need to go through all of this to see what i can save

so mike hovers for a bit, not knowing what to say, before it’s clear will is done with the conversation and he trudges back to the house. we get a brief montage of will crying as he goes through the rubble, more to show the passage of time than anything else, some really sad synth music is probably playing. then we hear crunching in the leaves, and will assumes its mike and tells him to go, but we get a shot of mike kneeling down beside will, and we see in one hand he has a hammer and a box of nails, and a toolbox in the other, and after he holds the hammer and nails out to will, we get a shot of his face and we can tell he’s been crying, too. and will says, “i leave tomorrow”, to which mike simply replies, “it still matters”, and will takes the tools and the two boys get to work. not long after that do dustin and lucas come to the ruins, too, their own faces tear-stained, and without words they fall into rhythm with will and mike. all four boys’ final shared act together is literally and figuratively repairing their friendship.

eventually it starts getting dark and joyce comes out to get them, a teary smile on her own face, and the boys put on their finishing touches before painfully tearing themselves away, arms across each other’s shoulders and waists. will breaks away briefly, proclaiming that he forgot something, and we see him get the “all friends welcome” sign to (barely) stand up, and everyone smiles again before continuing their trek to the house.

now just think about having to watch that, you’re probably already crying, and then getting to the bit where el’s reading hopper’s note. WHEW. but honestly, this not only rectifies an arc that was basically left hanging, but it also provides great character moments, adds context and closure to castle byers, and gives us a fun scene of our main party members being kids one last time.