#and jonathan’s parentification

[pinkeoni]

Random Prediction: Jonathan and Will are going to get into a nasty argument 🔮💆🏼

#jonwill #stranger things 5 prediction #and it’ll most likely be about *that* man #the more two characters get along the more likely it is for unlikely conflict later on #but dont worry its all resolved by the end #it also has to do with will’s wishes to not be coddled #and jonathan’s parentification #which is neither of their faults #but their dad brings this conflict to the forefront

[unfinishedslurs]

Jonathan Byers This Is An Intervention

“You’re not happy here.”

Jonathan looks up, startled. Will stands in the doorway with his arms crossed. They’re alone in the house, El hanging out with Max and their mom on a date with Hopper. They had to practically shove her out the door before she’d leave, rambling a list of phone numbers and where to find them, as well as reminding them where the leftovers were. 

“We know, Mom,” he and Will had chorused, and permitted her to pull them down for one last kiss on the cheek before closing the door on her. Hopper just watched in amusement. 

He and Will had eaten dinner before separating to work on their projects, Will with a dnd campaign idea and Jonathan cleaning his camera out. It has more dust than it should, having been sitting in his closet unused for too long. It makes something in him ache, but he can’t make himself pick it up again. There’s something blocking him. 

“What?” 

“You’re not happy here,” Will repeats. “In Hawkins.”

“It’s Hawkins,” he points out. Being unhappy is a given. He’s always known it sucks here, from the way people treated his mom to the rumors that always flew around when he made his way through the halls. The way they’ve treated Will. He hated this town long before interdimensional monsters factored in. 

Will’s frown gets deeper. “I’m happy,” he points out. “Mom’s happy. El and Hopper are happy. We actually have friends here.”

“I have friends,” Jonathan protests, slightly offended. He and Argyle call multiple times a week. He and Nancy are still good friends, and Steve and Robin are slowly growing on him. In a surprising turn of events, Eddie is the person his age he talks to the least, but it makes sense when he thinks about it. Eddie’s brand of freak has always been loud and dramatic, half relying on shock value. Jonathan prefers the quiet. 

“When was the last time you actually hung out with someone that wasn’t me?”

Is that what this is about? Something in his heart sinks at the idea that Will doesn’t think he’s enough. “I like hanging out with you. You’re the coolest person I know,” he says, shifting over and patting the bed next to him. 

Will sits down with a huff that sounds very fifteen-year-old of him. He’s glad he’s getting to be a kid. “You’re not listening to me,” he complains. 

“Then what are you trying to say?”

Will won’t meet his eye, suddenly nervous. “Everyone your age here is leaving,” he says quietly. “Nancy is going to Emerson soon, Steve and Robin are going to Chicago, and Eddie…uh, I don’t know his plans, exactly, he might be going with them. He’s not staying here, anyway. And Argyle is on the other side of the country. So all the people you’re friends with are leaving.”

“They are,” he agrees, laying what he hopes is a soothing hand on Will’s shoulder, “but you know I’m not leaving you, right? I’m not leaving you and Mom.”

Will squeezes his eyes shut. “Maybe you should.”

It feels like ice water being poured over his head. 

Something in his stomach twists uncomfortably at the idea of calling Hopper his dad. He doesn’t know if he’s ever going to. He doesn’t even know if Hopper would want him to. But “dad” is always a word he’s associated with bruises and yelling, the stink of whiskey and a gun in his small, shaking hands. Jim Hopper, with his gruff, fumbling way affection and sweet smiles at his daughter will never fit his version of the word. 

“You’re not my dad,” Will says. “You’re my older brother, you should be my brother. You should be moving away and going to college and living your life! You shouldn’t be stuck here because of me.” He seems near tears now, and Jonathan flounders. He’s always been pretty good at making Will feel better, but now it’s different. Now it’s him making his little brother upset.

Will takes a deep, stabilizing breath.

“You’re not my dad,” he says again. “You shouldn’t have to be my dad.”

“I wasn’t trying to be,” he says weakly.

“You’re doing a better job than he ever did.”

“Okay, then how should we start?”

“You could tell me why we’re always running out of tylenol.”

He didn’t even realize anyone noticed that. He’s been replacing it before it was even empty.

The words stick in his throat, reluctant to come out. But he promised. He promised he’d tell him, and he hates to break a promise to Will.

“It’s my back,” he admits. “My boss hit me with a chair, and it hurts all the time now. I used to smoke it away, but…”

He smoked a little too much. He was too reliant on it. He was being neglectful. The reasons stay on the tip of his tongue, unable to admit his shortcomings. 

Unfortunately, Will takes it another way. “You stopped because of me.”

“No!” 

“Why didn’t you tell me? Or Mom? We can go to the doctor now, we have insurance.”

“I know.”

“Then why didn’t you go? Why can’t you just take care of yourself?”

“It’s just a little back pain,” he defends, “it’s not a big deal.”

It’s really not. It’s practically nothing compared to what some of their friends ended up with. Will has respiratory problems, Eddie uses a cane now, Max is in a wheelchair and her eyes might never work again. Not to mention Steve’s mix of migraines, glasses, hearing loss, and scars he’s accumulated over the years that put Jonathan’s to shame. His issues pale in comparison.

“It is when you take as many painkillers as you do! You’re going to eat holes in your stomach.”

“If I get an ulcer, it’ll be because I know there’s another world out there full of things that want to kill us,” he says, poking Will in the stomach. He giggles, and then looks mad about it. 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you actually happy. I feel like it’s my fault.”

What does he say to that? It can’t be your fault, because I don’t remember the last time I was happy like that? I felt like this long before you went missing? Anything he says will make him worry more. 

“It’s not your fault,” he finally settles on. 

“But if I hadn’t disappeared—“

“I would still feel like this,” he says, because he has to. He can’t stand the idea of Will thinking it’s his fault when the truth is that something has been wrong with Jonathan for a long, long time. “It’s not because of the Upside-Down, bud. It’s not something you can fix. I’m pretty sure I’m just…like this.”

He’s had moments of happiness, obviously. Sometimes he’ll get days, or even weeks, where he genuinely looks forward to the future. When he was in California with Argyle, he felt even better. But eventually, the heaviness in his chest always comes back. It’s just something he knows how to live with now. 

Will sits up, glaring at him. “That’s bullshit!”

“It’s just how it is.”

He squares his shoulders, a telltale sign that Jonathan isn’t going to like whatever he says next. “Mom and I think you should see a therapist.”

Jonathan really doesn’t like that. “You’ve been talking to Mom about this?”

“She’s worried about you!”

“She shouldn’t be!” He’s almost offended. He’s been taking care of himself for years. He was taking care of her for years. “I’m fine! I know how to live with it!” 

“I haven’t seen you smile for real in two months!”

“I’m fine!” He snaps again, and immediately regrets it. Will’s lower lip trembles. 

“You’re not fine,” he says. “You’re not. Don’t lie to me, Jonathan. You just said you weren’t going to lie to me.”

#Jonathan byers this is an intervention au #stranger things fanfic #jonathan byers #Will Byers #depression boy go brrr #YES I am posting my two favorite characters in the show being tragic back to back. What about it #Jonathan Byers definitely has chronic pain and depression that he is 100% using weed to self medicate with. He told me himself #His parentification and loserboy personality have captivated me #I know we all joke about Steve being the kid’s mom or dad or whatever but he’s not. He is NOT #he’s an older brother figure to Dustin Lucas and maybe Max in my brain but Will??? #Will HAS a big brother and he’s the best big brother in the world and I love him so much he’s literally my wife #Did I mention he’s autistic? He’s autistic #This isn’t meant to bash anyone btw I enjoy a lot of “mom steve” content and shit. It’s just the difference between canon and fanon to me #And I’m not bashing on fanon god knows I indulge in it plenty

[musicalchaos07]

You know what though subconscious me is rude as hell because now I have to think about the universe where Jonathan's character is written well and he does expand into filming and film making in s3.

Like imagine, instead of him being at the paper with Nancy he's interning at the news station. Like yea you maybe don't get the fired fight but it brings a different kind of tension to their relationship. Like Jonathan is thriving at the news station and Nancy is having a not great time at the Post and she's a little jealous of him.

Even better they both notice the rats, don't tell each other and then show up at Mrs Driscoll's and have a Spiderman meme, s1 funeral home, moment. Which still leads to them both getting fired but instead of fighting they talk about Nancy's jealousy and how Jonathan was happy to have something that was just his.

Anyways Jonathan Byers with a video camera you will always be famous to me.

#me @ the duffers: gimme the boy i can write him in s3 better #like imagine how much more devastating an opening shot of the camcorder collecting dust andbhim smoking out the window in s4 would've been #and how much more devastating the I'm not going thing is #because then it's not just about him and Nancy its about how we saw him THRIVE in this career and hes choosing to stay home instead #me: IT'S ABOUT THE CHARACTER WANTS CS THE PARENTIFICATION #anyways #ignore me #stranger things #jonathan byers #jancy

[bylertruther]

also i hope that next season will makes good on his word that he's there for jonathan too and that maybe he can tell him that it's okay for him to go to college elsewhere and live his own life and that he loves him so much and thanks him for everything and that him leaving won't ever be the same as lonnie leaving and that he wants him to go chase his dreams etc etc basically giving jonathan the same pep talks and motivation to be his authentic self that jonathan has always given him <3

#will byers #jonathan byers #i'll cry myself to death obviously . jus drown us all in my ugly snotty tears but it would be worth it #he's GOT to go to nyu bro he HAS to jonathan PLEASE LIVE YOUR LIFE ITS OKAY!!! IT WAS NEVER YOUR FAULT!!! ITS OKAY 😭😭😭 #byers #i jus get Emotional abt the parentification of jonathan and how it weighs on him so much tht he turned to drugs and isolation like. HELLO #jus bc it was used as comic relief doesn't mean it's a small thing... #he's not lonnie he will NEVER be lonnie jonathan u have to spread ur wings n fly!!!!!!!!!!! #sniffling crying weeping sobbing over how much i lob him #and not to get personal but considering those are the characters i relate to on a scary level if they end up alone......... bro.... 🔫 #mine

[slowlydecaying-taylorsversion]

never has anything proved to me how bad peoples media literacy is other than stranger things, like you honestly think jonathan's storyline is about being an annoying, comical stoner who's going to die?? his storyline is literally about him being depressed and anxious because he's left behind everything and everyone he's ever known and is giving up his own dreams and goals to make those he cares about happy and in doing so is lying to them and his only way of coping is drugs

idk about you but that's not comical to me at all it's pretty dark actually

#really thought 2022 would be the yr we began his de-parentification #my emotional attachment to jonathan tho- #idk he gets me yk #jonathan byers #byers family #byers siblings #jancy #someone get him therapy pls #st fandom #jargyle #byers brothers

[kohlirahul]

pov you're jonathan byers

older than i am – lennon stella // welcome to the family – watsky // shoreline – broder daniel // family line – conan gray // older than i am – lennon stella // me and my friends are lonely – matt maeson

#jonathan byers #stranger things #im just a little in my feelings abt the abuse and parentification of jonathan and how #what many love him for (his care and protectiveness towards his little brother) is intrinsically tied to said abuse and parentification #he probably feels like if he complains or feels angry abt it all it would be like a reflection of his feelings toward will #but its not. he can love will AND be angry abt how much responsibility he had to take for will and the family #you can acknowledge that something unjust happened to you without wanting to change it #im going on a whole ass rant idk i just feel like the writers dropped the ball on jonathans character #i wish they explored him more in depth instead of focusing so many of his scenes on nancy

[ghostlynimbus]

Billy being the first person to ever really acknowledge how fucked up it is how much responsibility everyone is always pushing on Jonathan. Every adult in his life is always pushing him to be responsible for Will, for his mom, for El too once she becomes his sister.

Jonathan isn't ready to hear it.

So he lashes out at Billy with biting words and cutting observations.

Billy doesn't rise to the confrontation Jonathan is trying to start though, because he recognizes Jonathan's attack for what it really is, defensiveness, fear. It's a survival instinct he's all too familiar with.

Instead Billy just lets Jonathan sit with his thoughts and leaves.

Billy's simple acknowledgement sticks around in Jonathan's head though, until eventually he can admit at least to himself that it's true, that Billy was right.

It is fucked up.

#jonathan byers #billy hargrove #stranger things #sometimes i think people forget about how much parentification Jonathan deals with #and how thats also abuse #like #i love joyce but also she 100% abused jonathan #intentionally or maliciously or whatever probably not #but that doesnt make the abuse less abusive #i honestly cant think of an adult character jonathan seriously interacts with that doesnt #either push him to be a parent to will or even his mom #except murray? iirc? #but they dont interact a ton in canon #and billy also deals with this kind of abuse #but i feel like billys more in a headspace to know that thats fucked up #idk if jonathans there yet #like i think he knows on some level #but also he doesnt really believe it #idk #rambling in tags #abuse m

[heavencasteel420]

In my hypothetical no-UD AU, Joyce and Bob are seriously dating but Hopper is friends with both of them and there are kind of flirtatious vibes all around. But Will and Jonathan are both just like “whatever, let’s not look at that too closely.”

#bob and Joyce have been dating for about two years #so Jonathan’s basically past the ‘is Bob secretly an awful person beneath his teddy bear facade’ phase #and most of the way through the ‘will Bob devastate Mom and Will by bailing if things get too real?’ phase #and about to enter the ‘why come to me when I am this’ phase #and the ‘I’m going to move to forks because Mom married a baseball player and doesn’t need me anymore’ phase #will is genuinely glad to have an adult man in his life who likes him in a benevolent and genuine and effortless way #but this is the story where lonnie dies and will doesn’t feel much about it #so he feels guilty about the gulf between his affection for bob and the nothing he feels for lonnie #even though it comes from a natural preference for people who are nice and care about him #Bob is well-meaning but he does not understand the depth of dysfunction going on #and he’s like well obviously lonnie wasn’t a good guy but he was their father and i should respect that #and will and jonathan are both like no thank you! we do not want that! #meanwhile Joyce is frustrated because she has actually achieved some stability for the family #and made it so Jonathan and Will can do have a more normal adolescence #but there’s never an actual conversation about this #and it’s really too little too late for Jonathan #so he totally misunderstands what she’s trying to do #and thinks she’s just sweeping his parentification under the rug because she’s embarrassed by it #meanwhile will is like I will be the most normal teen ever #(as long as he doesn’t have to play sports except track ig. he has limits) #this is supposed to be a fairly lighthearted story btw

[strawberriesinmoominvalley]

sometimes i think about the parentification of jonathan byers and then i am sad

#and look. i know joyce byers did NOT want her son to have to be a parent #but she also... let it happen? #i have such conflicting emotions around it because joyce should have been there more for will and jonathan #but i also understand she had to work so much for them to survive #so it makes sense jonathan stepped into a parent role #but i just want jonathan to be okay!!! let me have a scene where joyce calls him her kid #or something!! let him be a child for once!! let him be comforted by his mum!!! #i also wonder how will feels about it #especially cause he's less present in s4 (can't even blame him. poor boy) #how does that feel for will? he's your brother but he has always been more than that #anyway. i love jonathan #i also realise i write an au where he is more of a parent than canon. but let me tell you we acknowledge the parentification!! #jonathan byers #stranger things

[meangirlstobin]

I always laugh when people say people only hate Jonathan bc he's a bit ugly. Like maybe if the Duffers hadn't neglected his character and made him solely Nancy's sidekick with zero development or own plot, maybe people would like Jonathan more or care about him. Right now he has two roles in the fandom, one to free Nancy from Steve and the other one to push byler. He never gets to be his own character he is always used for something.

you have to give it to them though because not many stans will straight up admit their fave is clapped 😭

but yeah, there are very legit reasons why people don’t care for jonathan as a character. there’s just so much wasted potential!! the difference between him in s1 and every season since is night and day. he actually had stuff to do, he was fleshed out and he felt very real. now he’s kinda just there as an accessory. he’s a brotherdad, a boyfriend, and nothing else.

i do think a lot of problems stem from the cast size and the fact the writers are focused on spectacle more than anything else. i don’t have high hopes for s5, considering how bad the previous two seasons have been, but since they’re supposedly going back to s1 dynamics jonathan might get to do something interesting again. i still won’t like him though 💜

#asks #jonathan #the only thing i’d be remotedly interested in is something i dont think the writers would do #(jonathan resentment over his parentification leading to argument w joyce)

[wolfsplosion]

I just know that Joyce Byers cannot cook for her life....except latkes. she burns pasta water but give her some potatoes and onions and a dream and she will change your life permanently

#I can just tell #jonathan has cut his fingers shredding potatoes multiple times so will usually does it #with extreme supervision (love you helicopter mom joyce) #also in general jonathan is the better cook he's really good at it like naturally but also. because he has had a lot of practice.. #but this post aint about jonathan's parentification it's about how joyce knows exactly which fats are best to use #and exactly how many eggs is just right texture wise #it's not a recipe she's following her heart #which is USUALLY how she ends up with inedible slop but her heart KNOWS latkes #can you tell this is very personal to me #joyce byers #stranger things

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Honestly, as the first babysitters, Nancy and Jonathan deserve the parentification jokes just as much as Steve. I love these photos. They look like they're turning their family into a band and taking it on the road. What would their band name be?

#stranger things #nancy wheeler #steve harrington #Jonathan byers #nancy wheeler x steve harrington #nancy wheeler x jonathan byers #stancy #jancy #steve harrington x jonathan byers #stonathan #nancy wheeler x steve harrington x jonathan byers #stoncy #stranger things s1 #stranger things bts s1 #rueleigh's thoughts

[musicalchaos07]

hope you're enjoying the ice cream! i'm thinking about s1 joyce & jonathan this morning (gmt timezone). if i don't get back joyce "how do i tell my kid he's not alone when he's been doing things by himself bc i wasn't there - he literally had to drive cross-country taking care of the kids, what the hell did i do" in s5 what is the point??? i'm going insane

Thank you! I did enjoy my ice cream

If I don't get some resolution to Joyce & Jonathan I will absolutely lose it and possibly write off this entire show as bad.

Because imo she never should have left him in change in the first place like she left him with a whole other kid to go to RUSSIA and then wonders why he feels like it's all on him???? So I need her to talk to him to resolve this storyline not Nancy not Will not Hopper. Joyce .

She's really the only one that can unburden Jonathan and if I don't get that I'm gonna burn it down

#this is agressive but its also 10pm and im tired #especially of like other people not getting the parentification of it all #and like “it was the 80s” she left him WITH MIKE to go to Russia #that's insane #anyways #anon asks #stranger things #jonathan byers #joyce byers #byers family #also like i need the this is not yours to fix alone version of Joyce back asap

[pinkeoni]

I kinda think that in order for the de-parentification of Jonathan Byers to take place, someone else might have to snap him out of it.

I think he’s been in this role for so long that he’s just kind of accepted that this is how things are and this is what he has to do, even though there are other options for him in life and even if the kid he is parenting may not want him to parent him. Jonathan doesn’t seem to be making any effort to get out of this parenting role.

So it might take, say, someone like Will to tell Jonathan that he doesn’t want to be treated like a baby anymore, that he can take care of himself on his own, and that he wants Jonathan to be more of a brother to him and less of a father. Hearing that kind of confrontation from the person he loves most, his little brother, might be enough to make him realize what an unhealthy position he’s in.

#it would also help foster wills coming of age #and this has already been set up in season 2 #but there hasnt been much pay off #god i just need jonathan to be freed so badly #jonathan byers #will byers #byers brothers #jonwill #stranger things #st5 predictions

[emblazons]

—woke up from literal sleep to write down the thoughts that clicked for me after I made this post about the Mike/Hopper hug last night, so. Here's the expansion of all of that lmao.

people always talk about the way Mike looked conflicted when El kisses him in S3, on top of the way he seemed fine with them breaking up until she initiated the relationship again (because of the absence of Hopper). I think this is 100% true, and it’s also the start of Mike’s spiral about protecting her we see through S4.

Mike’s “care” in lieu of "love" for El (and lack of ability to tell her he loves he romantically) is directly correlated to Hopper telling him to BE CAREFUL re: El right before he died. Almost as though Mike didn’t even have space to think of El as a true romantic partner— he was too busy trying to hold up the end of her missing “dad," and why he didn't know what to do when she started talking about how she didn't belong (because he's fourteen and not capable of filling the shoes of her father lmao).

the reason why Mike said “I was worried too much about El” is because he was—he was worried in a way suited for a father, not a boyfriend (thank you @emily-tumbles-on for that tag lol).

It’s also why he was so willing to let El go back to Owens—it’s a trusted (-ish) adult figure who could help El in a way his 14 year old self could not. It’s also why he immediately seems okay with letting her go once she says she wants to + throwing away her letter, right up until he realizes where El went is dangerous again, which meant he has to restart the protector-in-Hop’s place worry (which he doesn’t want, but feels powerless to step away from in his paladin-oath-responsibility mind).

When Mike & Will get into it at Rink O Mania over Will not telling Mike what was going on, Will interprets it as romantic attachment when it’s really giving “worried parent” not boyfriend.

That entire “you should have told me” also DIRECTLY REFLECTS the way Mike sees Will as his actual partner and equal no matter the time or distance (like in S2)—and expects him to help shoulder leadership responsibilities the way romantic/life partners would by helping him look after his charge (El).

The whole painting is confusing af for Mike because he does not see El as his partner or lover, but his responsibility in Hop’s absence—and Will, in his projection, is conflating his romantic love for Mike into the familial one between Mike & El. That's also why Mike feels so insecure about not being responsible enough (!!!) and why he looks dejected the way a parent would when you tell them you want do something they used to think was fun before having a kid when Will says “we could just play DnD and Nintendo for the rest of our lives.”

The van scene takes on a whole new meaning when you think about how the second Will made it about El, it forced Mike into a mental conundrum because he felt loved as himself at first…only to have it thrown back in with this wildly inappropriate parental responsibility he has for El because of Hop’s loss. (I watched the van scene again with this in mind and...lmao. Mike's expressions make absolute sense once you keep this conflation / confusion in mind)!

Yet another reason Mike and Jonathan need to have another conversation is because both of them have been suffering from a severe parentification—Jonathan for Will, and Mike for Eleven.

Hopper returning leaves space for both of them to move back into age-appropriate selfishness/relationships (aka think about their own wants and needs with Nancy and Will for a change) because Joyce doesn’t need Jonathan to fill the “man of the house” space, Will is going to “come of age” and have Mike, and El is gonna have her dad.

....all that to say these (and probably a million more things) become WAY clearer when you realize Mike is carrying the burden of Hopper's absence not as a boyfriend, but as 14 year old boy filling a parent space...which makes me really glad Hop didn't really die in S3 all of a sudden lmao. And also...Duffers. FREE MIKE WHEELER 2025

#anti mlvn #byler #jim hopper #mike wheeler #will byers #jonathan byers #LET HOPPER BE HOP INSTEAD OF MIKE 2025 #and also for jonathan! #free the byler duos to love as they please instead of being over responsible! lmao #my st commentary #stranger things #parentified mike

[gayboysteve]

Genuinely why do people think Steve can't be a fully actualized person and a love interest at the same time? Do you guys just passively consume media without, like, paying attention? Steve has been his own fully developed person since season two. We don't need to know ever detail of his life to know who he is as a person. We know the moral fiber of his character and the strength of his will. We know he loves passionately and will do anything to help. We know he's a catty bitch that doesn't get along with his dad.

Not... everything has to be shown to us for Steve to be a real fleshed out character. There are definitely places where things fall flat (letting him even feel pain after his many beatings or torture of being eaten) but being a love interest is not one of the things where the Duffers have fucked up on him. Besides Nancy, he has the most character development out of the teens and he has an actual character arc that's been percolating since season one.

You don't need to ship Stancy or like it. That's not necessary. I personally wasn't a shipper until recently (though I never hated it like some people, I've just always focused more on the Steve and the kids or Steve and Robin) and I have to say it makes a lot of sense in the scheme of things for the love triangle to be reignited. Steve and Jonathan are not just contenders for Nancy's love, they both represent something for her journey and her picking one of them will be indicative of the path she's taking. Steve's speech about learning to crawl forward wasn't just about him, that was a display of what Steve's character can offer to Nancy's character as a romantic partner. The ability to learn to MOVE ON. TO CRAWL FORWARD.

Nancy as we know is still trapped in her grief from Barb and while Jonathan has helped her get justice from that tragedy he never helped her move PAST the pain of it. One represents moving forward, and Jonathan sadly this last season, represented regression.

Personally, I think it's Jonathan more than anyone that needs to not be in a relationship. It hasn't ever seemed to make him happy. I don't think Jonathan will ever be happy until he's allowed to get away from his family a little bit. The parentification Joyce did to him really fucked that boy up and he needs, in my opinion, to focus on himself more than anyone.

Nancy has expressly stated before that she doesn't want to be alone! Steve has expressly stated he wants love and romance and a family! They're still young they can work out their future later, why can't they find some happiness in coming back together stronger and more fully self actualized? More mature and developed? I think it actually makes for a very fitting end from a narrative standpoint which is, honestly, what convinced me to switch over to the ship in the first place.

Neither Steve nor Nancy have ever been reduced to just love interests. Even in season one when Steve is explicitly introduced as only a love interest, he actually has his own character arc going on. All following seasons Steve and Nancy (whether dating, broken up, or flirting) have all had plots not related to their romance. No one is being reduced to just a romantic interest. Unfortunately, poor Jonathan is the one that got that treatment. He's the one that needs to have something devoted to just him; something that isn't just being a brother or a boyfriend. Giving him a friend was a step in the right direction. Let's give him a dream now and not just something that we hear from Joyce. A real dream from Jonathan's mouth. Because all we've heard from him are the things he DOESN'T want for the future.

Also Stoncy supremacy anyway. Let all three fuck nasty.

(Let's not bring up the whole six nuggets things. I highly doubt Steve is actually going to expect six children from his future partner. It was a reference to the party. It was him lightening the mood and trying to bring some levity to a serious, and frankly, terrifying, situation. It was him trying to make Nancy laugh while laying his heart on the line. He's not expect six literal children.)

#steve harrington #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #stancy #stoncy #stranger things