#okay well STEVE is still in the upside down who cares about nancy being possessed or whatever!!

[luhrmannatural]

i’ve been attached to steve harrington for a while but i don’t think i realized how much until it hit me how strong of a possibility there is of him dying. i feel like throwing up

#i know i said i was gonna step away but this is so incomprehensible anyway idk i’ll figure out a balance #and i really want to talk about stranger things rn and none of my friends have finished yet 😔 #nancy’s having her little crisis and i’m watching like #okay well STEVE is still in the upside down who cares about nancy being possessed or whatever!! #stranger things #stranger things spoilers #emeto tw #a.txt

[thatharringrovehoe]

Some more Mob AU stuff cuZ I love it.

- Nancy and Steve never dated, but they have had sex. Once. Nancy wanted her first time to be with someone she trusted and Steve is her BEST FRIEND. She trusts Steve more than anyone. And it's. Not great. Because look. Steve and Nancy have alot in common. To much. They each like to be in control. They're both 100% Tops with a capital T. So when they have sex, even though Nancy is nervous, it ends up being almost a fight. Constantly trying to flip the other over, lots of biting and teeth and frustration because neither of them will submit. Afterwards they put on mud masks and get high and agree that while they love each other there is no way they're ever going to be like that.

- Steve notices the way Jonathan goes all glassy eyed when Nancy walks into the room. How his breath hitches whenever she gets mean. Cuz she is. She's not a bad person, but she's definitely a spoiled brat in a different way than Steve. Because while Steve is starved of love and affection, Nancy has been drowning in it since birth. She's haughty and petulant and will not stop for anything to get what she wants. And Steve is worried at first. Jonathan is a good spymaster and an even better friend so he's reluctant to feed him to the lioness that is Nancy Wheeler.

- He doesn't worry later when he watches Nancy go absolutely gooey with affection the first time Jonathan kisses her in the hallway. How she leads him around like a lost puppy by his camera strap to do what Steve suspects is fucking filthy things to him in the photo development room. Because he knows what Nancy likes. Knows that while Steve kills with kindness Nancy Wheeler is all bite and no bark. Likes to make the pleasure sting. And judging by the way Jonathan practically drools when she rakes her manicured nails down his chest over his shirt while they make out leaning against Jonathan's car after school, he 100% is down to be destroyed by Nancy *the princess* Wheeler.

- Jonathan is still a creep. The only difference here is that he's NEVER crossed Steve. Because when the Harrington kid came up to him in 8th grade and asked if he'd heard any interesting rumors Jonathan thought it was a joke. Just another shot at that weird Byers kid. Had half a mind to tell him to go fuck himself. But right as Tommy curled the beginnings of a mean smirk, Steve shut him down without even looking at him. Just held up his hand. Down boy. And Jonathan thought "You know what? Fuck it." Because if he was lying then he was just like everyone else anyway. But if he was telling the truth. Well. He wasn't above bribery. Told Steve everything he knew. Earned himself a seat in King Steve's court. Used the shadows that always used to swallow him up as a cloak. Held himself with a little more confidence because the monarch of Hawkins may have everyone's secrets. But Jonathan spun the web.

- Billy and Jonathan actually get along really well. They get high and talk about music whenever they're not otherwise occupied getting fucking wrecked by their spoiled rich kid Tops. Billy is low key concerned for Jonathan because damn. Wheeler is fucking savage. Like they'll be passing the joint back and forth and Jonathan will start getting almost to detailed the longer they smoke. Billy did not need to know Nancy Wheeler pegs her boyfriend with a dildo that big okay?

- Carole and Tommy are actually married. Like legally. As soon as Carole turned sixteen Tommy BEGGED Steve to pull some strings. To forge some documents. Cuz Tommy LOVED Carole. She was it. And Tommy could be one nasty piece of work but he would die for this girl no hesitation. And Steve is a sucker for that romantic shit. Set them up with a trip to Italy where a lot of Steve's mother's family lives. Because his grandfather respects a man who's ready to commit to his woman like that. And Steve is his grandmother's favorite. They have a ceremony in a little Church at the heart of the village. Tommy did not fucking cry when he saw Carole in her dress okay? It was just dusty in that old church, shut up.

- Nancy and Carole HATE each other. But in a very wasp-ish kinda way. Will hang out and have 'spa days, just us girls' but would choke each other out given the slightest opportunity. Tommy thinks it's hot. He will never tell Carole this.

- Dustin is obsessed with the fact that Nancy and Steve are kind of mirrored? Just two dominant rich kids that fell in love with emotionally stunted boys that were abused by their fathers? They both have dark brunet hair and big brown eyes? Their boyfriends are blonde? Steve are you listening? Steve!

- Steve gets really bad nightmares. Like wake up mid panic attack bad. And he's usually really good at hiding it from Billy. Is careful not to sleep to deeply around him. But one night after some fucking incredible sex Steve just passes the fuck out cuddling. The next thing he knows he's being shaken awake by a terrified Billy Hargrove. Because Steve had been screamin and shakin and cryin out and Billy was ready to burn down this hick town looking for whoever hurt Steve like this. Was gunna bury them in the Hawkins woods and piss on their grave. And that's when Steve tells him everything about the upside down. Introduces him to El to prove it.

- Speaking of, El doesn't spend a year all alone in a fucking cabin. Because Steve knows everyone's secrets and he likes having people in his pocket. And as much as Hopper dislikes Steve Harrington he can't say no when the king of Hawkins offers Jim perfectly forged paperwork for his 'daughter' El. So El goes to school and spends time learning how to be an actual child while Steve Harrington yanks on the leash of the chief of police whenever he wants.

- Billy is SOFT okay? He's just never been allowed to show it. Had been painted with bruises for just existing so God forbid his father let him show a human emotion. But after a year in Hawkins with Steve he lets his shoulders drop just a little. Will twine his fingers with his boyfriend's during movie night at the Byers. Brings Steve breakfast in bed. The first time he weaves a daisy crown for him Steve almost fucking weeps he's so touched.

- Steve is fucking possessive. Like. Intensely jealous. And at first this was a problem because Billy could not understand why all the girls in Hawkins treated him with kid gloves? They didn't just disregard any playful flirting, they full on didn't acknowledge it. He didn't really get longing stares as he walked through the halls anymore. No more tittering teenage girls blushing over him when he had gym outside. And he's not interested in women but it's nice to be noticed okay? Especially when he puts in so much effort. It starts to make him self conscious. Like, is he just unattractive? Second guesses himself to the point that he stops wearing his shirts unbuttoned and starts to get a little obsessive over working out. It's when Billy starts skipping meals that Steve notices. Sees Billy's lip wobble a little when he asks Steve if he's actually attracted to him or if he's just being nice. And Steve has to explain that he just... Doesn't share well. At all. That when Andrew Brady showed up to school last month with a fat lip and a limp it was because Steve had heard him talking with his buddies behind the general store about how he wanted to bend Billy over his Camaro and make him scream.

- And Billy is just. Shook. Gets all warm and fuzzy because no one hase ever loved him this much. Never wanted Billy this much. Wanted Billy to stay. Can feel tears willing up behind his lashes because the most amazing boy he's ever met is so over the moon for Billy that he's willing to draw blood on his behalf. Kisses Steve so hard they both forget to breath. Feels safe and loved, because he belongs to Steve Harrington. However he still flirts with people on the daily though cuz he's a little shit. And hey if it means his jealous boyfriend rails him so good he forgets his own goddamn name then that's just a bonus.

#I'm falling in love so deep with this AU you guys have no idea #mob au #billy hargrove #harringrove #steve harrington #stranger things #billy hargrove/steve harrington #billy/steve #Tommy H #Carole Perkins #Dustin Henderson #Jonathan Byers #Nancy Wheeler #RIP Jonathan cuz Nancy fucking destroys that boi on the daily and he is INTO IT

[panharmonium]

stranger things 3, a visual summary:

more coherent thoughts under the cut, because wow.

......okay.  that was a Trainwreck.  an absolute mess.

i remember when my coworkers were watching S3 (and still urging me to start season 1) and they were saying how amazing the latest season was, and honestly i think there must just be a difference in people who watch tv just to be entertained and people who watch tv and automatically evaluate the story (aka fandom veterans and English majors, lol - cue Me twice), because WHO could watch this critically and praise it that way?

it's honestly hard to know where to even begin; i've been sending frustrated notes to @brambleberrycottage ever since episode three and now that i'm done with episode 8 there's just......so much more to say

first, good things:

erica is a great character.  she's what max should have been (aka, uh.......interesting!)  i liked the realization moment where dustin was like "you're a NERD!"

that entire sequence where will is so upset with lucas and mike for not being engaged with the dnd game was very well done, especially the conversation he has with mike out in the rain.  i loved that moment where mike asked him "did you think we were just going to hang out in my basement playing games forever?" and will said, "yeah.  yeah, i guess i did."  i really felt that.  [edit, now that i've finished: this was never resolved.  will giving away his dnd books at the end was not an actual resolution to this conflict.]

steve is still a good dude, and robin was pretty cool.  i'm down for them being super friends.  but i'm still mourning the steve+nancy+jonathan trio that was a thing for like 5 seconds and then never returned.

i loved how genuinely excited steve was to see dustin when dustin came back from camp.  that was adorable.  "HENDERSON!!!!"  "how many children are you friends with?"

and uh. yeah.  i had more problems with this season than praise-bestowing moments, so.  here goes that bit.

OVERARCHING PROBLEMS:

1. keep it simple, stupid

remember in the office when dwight quoted the above advice to ryan as michael's rule for making a sale?  the same advice applies to storytelling.

season 1 of stranger things is so simple.  there is One Monster.  that is the danger.  and somehow, that single monster manages to be a thousand times more terrifying than all of these new "bigger, scarier, more epic" threats crammed into the second two seasons.

how goofy is the stranger things season 3 plot, seriously?  russians are blackmailing a small-town mayor so they can buy up land to steal power from the town while operating a secret lab under the mall to open a gate to the Upside Down (WHY?), while simultaneously a remnant of the malevolent force that was "defeated" last season has reanimated itself and is making people scarf chemicals (WHY?), and then it possesses one of them and uses that person to possess a bunch of other people in order to build itself a body made out of melted people, in order to kill el, whose only story this season is breaking up with her boyfriend, and we have to infiltrate this russian base in order to close the gate (same endgame as last season - BIG NO-NO) to kill the goo monster, except last time the "mindflayer” survived the gate being closed, so why would this even WORK, and -

the fact that there are so many "round-up/info dump" scenes where characters summarize what's going on and make implausibly accurate connections/guesses about what it all must mean is a red flag.  the characters shouldn’t have to tell your story to the audience.  if it's too complicated for us to keep straight on our own, it's too complicated.  

the amount of energy that goes into trying to lash together a Chaos Plot with too many shaky legs leaves nothing left over for nuanced character development or mood establishment.  you're constantly running to catch up to your own flimsy story before it collapses on top of itself.

2. the horror!

S1 of stranger things was the scariest thing i'd ever seen.

granted, i don't watch a lot of horror, because i don't like it.  i get scared too easily and then i legitimately can't sleep.  i watched a horror movie five years ago that i still think about every time the lights are off in my house.  but still, ST1 was something i had never experienced before.

it wasn't creature horror, and it wasn't just suspense.  it was the UNSETTLINGNESS of it all.  it wasn't really about the monster.  it was about the Upside Down.

the reason ST1 is so successful is because of how much we don’t know.  it's the horror of not understanding what is happening, and the terror of knowing that nobody thinks it’s real.  feeling like you're going crazy and being cut off from all assistance.  the conspiracy and the cover-up.  and the sheer unsettlingness of the whole parallel worlds things just tipped me over the edge - the idea that you can take one wrong step and then be suddenly and without warning completely off the map, simultaneously right next to the people you want to get to and also utterly beyond their reach.  that was fucking scary!!!!  

and they do it all with so little.  i have literally never been more scared in my life than when i would see those christmas lights start flickering.  and they're just LIGHTS!  yes, we see the monster later, but it's the uncertainty that's most frightening.  we don't understand how it arrives in our world, and we don’t know where it will show up next.  it could be right next to you - on the other side.  you could be standing on top of it.  you just don't know.  it’s like what jonathan says to nancy in her bedroom - “it can’t get us in here.”  and she says, “we don’t know that.”

the later seasons of stranger things, by comparison, did not scare me at all.  season two was like a zombie movie - hordes of weak enemies that you can just shoot with a gun.  and season 3 was even less frightening - upping the ante and making things gorier, more explosive, and bigger just isn't the vibe they set in S1.  i'm not scared of that giant goop monster.  it's like godzilla.  it's not horror; it's just a lot of noise.

the unsettling, "creep" factor that made season 1 so effective was gone.  it just turned into a regular old monster movie, and i didn't find that particularly interesting.

3. illogical, captain

a while ago there was a wave of pushback against people complaining about plot holes, but you know what?  there is, in fact, an appropriate place for us to talk about plausibility, as well as the point at which our suspension of disbelief collapses.

ST3 is a bona fide plausibility disaster.  i did not believe half of the story, because it was not unfolding in a believable way.

half of the plot points in this season would not have happened if the characters had been behaving with any kind of sense.  it is absolutely impossible for me to believe that none of these children IMMEDIATELY went to joyce or hopper the minute they knew something weird was going on.  it makes no sense.  after the shit they've seen?  it makes sense in season 1, because the kids are still so young that they have that kind of magical thinking that makes all of this seem kind of like an adventure.  but they're teenagers now, and developmentally, they’re past that stage.  they know the evil creature is back and they're pretty sure it's possessing billy?  for some unfathomable reason, they don't go to an adult, but try to trap billy in the sauna and just see what happens.  the other group has actual proof that russian soldiers are up to something shady in the mall?  they don't tell an adult; they send a TEN YEAR-OLD in through the AIR DUCTS to investigate the secret room guarded by MEN WITH GUNS.

this is ridiculous.  none of this should have happened.  none of this WOULD have happened.  it breaks the boundaries of disbelief.  it completely sabotages the audience’s engagement with the story - joyce and hopper's whole detour with alexei and murray is so dull, because its entire purpose is to bring hop and joyce up to speed on something that we, the audience, already know.  the other characters already found out this stuff, but did not communicate it - the gate is being opened again in a russian lab underground.  there's no suspense for us.  nothing new is revealed.  we're just waiting for them to hurry up and finish finding out so we can move on to the next thing.

moreover: there are so many other problems besides just "these characters would have talked to each other."  why on earth would murray, whose sole characteristic is extreme paranoia, take alexei wandering around the festival for hot dogs and carnival games.  why would hopper be so virulently against the possibility that weird shit might be happening again?  does he remember the past year or what?  how on earth would the kids be able to fight off that massive monster with an ax and a hunting rifle?  it's made out of dead guts and bones; why does it care if they shoot it?!  how in the WORLD is this russian facility so penetrable?  i'm sorry, it's just - beyond believable.  it doesn't have cameras?  the russians guards really can't tell that murray isn't a native speaker?  they don't check his id when they don't recognize him?  joyce and hopper really just got that lucky, to be asked a question and have “smile and nod” be the right answer?  nobody ever got shot?  it's silly.  it's just silly.  so many things - erica uses the "Open" button to open the elevator door in order to let steve and robin and dustin inside, but once the elevator is at the bottom of the shaft, robin explains the door's inexplicable non-opening because......you apparently need a keycard to use the buttons????  THAT MAKES NO SENSE; ERICA JUST USED THE BUTTONS A SECOND AGO.

even the entire endgame of this season is a contradiction!  if the mind-flayer survived el closing the gate last time, it doesn't make sense that closing the gate this time would kill it.  literally the entire plot of last season was "we need to get this thing out of will, because the creature will die once the gate is closed, and we want to make sure will doesn't die with it."  but apparently the creature didn't die upon closing the gate; it just got trapped in our dimension.  but now apparently it WILL die upon closing the gate.  for whatever fucking reason.

i'm sorry, but that’s a mess.  that’s a bona fide mess.

4. watch your tone

i honestly think the tonal change is the thing that made me the most frustrated about this season.  it's possible to have a terrible plot and still stay relatively true to your characters - you'll still have a bad season, but at least you didn't bastardize your characters in the process.

i had issues with S2 and i definitely was not as impressed with it as i was with S1, but at least in S2 joyce and hopper were recognizable.  in S3, i felt like i was watching strangers.  the tonal shift was bizarre and off-putting, more so with hopper than joyce, but it affected both of them.  

even as early as the very beginning of this season, i was feeling weird about how often hopper was being used for comedy.  and as the season progressed, this trend only became more pronounced.  almost every scene we had of him felt silly - and not like there was just something funny in the scene for me to laugh at, but like the audience was almost being asked to laugh AT him.  like he was constantly the butt of the joke.  

this really bothered me.  from that incredibly sincere and heart-wrenching portrayal of him in season 1, when they kept him rooted in the trauma of losing his daughter and the breakdown of his marriage, and then how that same trauma made him so driven to save will and protect the kids - what a change.  even in season 2 i was frustrated how the throughline of his daughter wasn’t touched again until the very last episode, and now in season 3 we’ve left that part of him so far behind that he's just there for us to laugh at.  we're supposed to laugh at scenes of him being drunk and a mess.  every scene he's in is either him arguing with joyce for comedic relief or being way over the top with alexei or the mayor.  he was like a caricature of himself, and i didn't recognize him.  

joyce suffered from the same thing, just by virtue of proximity.  she spent almost all of her time in this season with hopper, and virtually all of that time was taken up with silly shenanigans or comically overblown arguing.  what a departure from the desperate mother of season 1, who was maligned by everyone in town and only taken seriously by the audience.  now it’s the audience who are supposed to be chuckling at her.  

i dunno.  the tone shift was very dramatic, very obvious, and it impacted the entire season.  are we supposed to be taking this seriously or is it supposed to be a joke?  a little bit of humor to break tension can be a good thing, but when it's constant, it confuses the mood.  

and i personally don't think it was appropriate or respectful to either of these characters, in this case.

SMALLER THINGS THAT BOTHERED ME:

this show has 100% hit maximum character saturation.  by the end of this season there were 13 core characters onscreen at the same time, in the same scene!  it’s too many people!  they cannot reasonably develop that many people in the space allotted.

i still am not interested in max.  i don't feel anything for her.  she doesn't feel real.  i don't hate her, but she's just an empty vessel, and i really do think she's superfluous to this show.  i think you could remove her with very little reworking and the show would be stronger for it.  (they TRIED to do something interesting with billy, and i might have cared if we had been given literally any reason to care about him previously, but there was no investment earned there.  they didn't do the front-end work to make him somebody we were interested in.)

weird relationship sunderings from previous seasons.  i felt very strange about jonathan barely even seeing will this entire season.  i felt very strange about steve having almost zero contact with nancy.  i felt very strange about joyce hardly ever interacting with her kids.  all of these were core relationships - the characters were BUILT on those relationships, and they don't feel real outside of them.  not seeing these characters devote time to these relationships makes it feel like i'm watching a slightly different show.

the VIOLENCE.  apparently this is a beat-em-up now???  i really felt like every other scene somebody was getting beaten to a bloody pulp.  there was SO much smashing and bashing and throwing people into walls and fistfights and head trauma like - first of all, i find that stuff pretty boring, and second of all, all of these people should be in the hospital.  

the GORE.  other people’s mileage may vary, obviously; i just didn't like that.  i looked away at the scene with the rat, and all this...goopy dissolving human shit, and the stabbings, and just...general grossness level - season 1 managed to be bloodcurdlingly terrifying without any of this stuff.

i know this borders on nitpicky, but yet more medical malfeasance - another example of someone receiving an injection via the mysterious 90 degree angle neck route, plus - was anyone else losing it at the fact that steve and robin “puked up” a drug they received……..via injection??????  IT’S NOT IN THEIR STOMACHS, FOLKS!  THEY CAN’T PUKE IT UP!  IT DOESN’T WORK LIKE THAT!

the complete lack of follow-up to last season.  the whole S3 plotline (such as it is) feels like a weird side quest.  last season seemed to be furthering the mythos and setting us up for "there are other children like el/brenner is alive" - but this season, that fact appears to have been forgotten by everyone (even el!!!) and has nothing to do with the story that we're given, which is a goofy and redundant story about russians opening a secret lab under the mall which requires us to solve the exact same problem as last season (closing the gate).

this show's inability to keep certain throughlines in its headlights/keep things visible on the periphery instead of dropping them completely and then bringing them back whenever they feel like they need it again.   i already talked about hopper’s daughter as an example of this (done well in S1 and poorly in S2 and S3).  another example is that scene with nancy and her mom - it’s such a good scene, and yet it misses out on so much resonance, because they completely dropped the plotline of karen feeling locked out of her kids’ lives and desperately wanting to connect with them.  if they had continued to reference that throughout season 2, then this scene would have been so much more powerful.   as a third example, season 3 starts with a clear context/premise, and it’s INTERESTING - the town landscape changing because of the mall, business slow to non-existent, small town discontent over big corporations moving in, hopper pressured to break up the protest against mayor kline when he should have let it proceed - and then the show just drops that entire context.  you expect season 3 to stay rooted in the "our small town is being strangled by this mall" and then to eventually deal with the revitalization of hawkins, but nah.  it's never mentioned again.

LASTLY:

i'm not really gonna get into hopper "dying," because he's, like...clearly not dead.  but the whole situation was stupid and contrived (i was so sick of that arnold schwarzenegger lookalike by the last episode, god that whole thing was so dumb) and it's even cheaper knowing that he'll obviously be back.

what i AM gonna say is that i was livid that they brought back that peter gabriel cover of "heroes" to end this season.  their use of that song in S1 blew my mind - it had me stunned with how GORGEOUS it was and just, the way it worked in that particular scene - absolutely incredible.  floored me.  gave me chills.  to recycle it at the end of such a poorly constructed season made me so mad.  yOU CAN'T MAKE ME FEEL THINGS JUST BY REUSING THIS SONG.  I REFUSE TO HAVE EMOTIONS JUST BECAUSE YOU PULL OUT THIS BEAUTIFUL TRACK THAT YOU ONCE USED TO GREAT EFFECT; YOUR STORY WAS STILL TERRIBLE THIS TIME AROUND; DO NOT TRY TO TRICK FEELINGS OUT OF US THAT HAVEN’T BEEN EARNED.  

and that's it.  i’m sure later i’ll think of other things i neglected to mention here, but...yeah.  i was not impressed.  

#i finished yesterday #holy moly #interdimensional babysitters club

[unfortunate-stranger-losers]

Right-Side Up AU, Part Three: It’s the End of the World {AO3} {tumblr} {Part One} {Part Two}

Chapter Twelve → The Scoops Troop Braincell belongs to Erica and she’s in Chicago

Nancy finally stirred early in the morning. Her head felt very, very fuzzy- and it really hurt. It was like a hangover… shit, she hadn’t forgotten Mike in the treehouse again, had she? No… no, Mike lived with the- with the Byers- was she in the Byers’ house? 

“She’s awake!” that was Mike. Mike was there? 

She tried to sit up, and just then, felt her stomach churn. She let out a cry, and suddenly she felt a hand on her back, and Joyce saying, “Okay, okay, stay calm. Jonathan, do you- thank you.” 

“I-” Nancy began. 

Someone shoved a bowl under her, and she blinked- had the Byers’ house always been this bright? “She’s gonna throw up?” that sounded like El. 

“Is that normal?” Lucas? 

Nancy opened her mouth, and then leaned over and puked into the bowl. When she was done, Joyce’s hands pressed her back onto the couch, saying, “Lay down. Lay down.” 

Nancy blinked and finally focused her vision, realizing she was looking over at Joyce and Jonathan. Jonathan was kneeling by her, holding out some pills and a glass of water. “Here, Hopper says these’ll help.” 

What was that? Some kinda hangover cure? Nancy took the pills, still feeling a bit stuffy and crowded and confused… when had she gotten drunk? She’d been trying to avoid alcohol since the job- 

“Shit, we’re gonna be late…” she muttered. 

“Fuck the newspaper.” Jonathan said. “We almost died again.” 

We almost… Shit! She felt another splitting headache as everything came rushing back to her- the lab, the assassin… 

“Yeah, we got more important shit to worry about.” came El’s voice. Nancy finally managed to sit up a little and observe her surroundings; she was in the Byers’ living room, but there were blankets and pillows piled around. Max was pulling herself up out of a sleeping bag, rubbing her eyes, her hair a mess. El was sitting on the edge of the table, with Lucas beside her, glancing back at Max every now and again. Mike was kneeling by the edge of the couch, watching her with wide eyes, and Hopper was coming back from the kitchen, saying something to El that made her nod, before he went to Max, quietly explaining something to her. 

“Wha… what’s going on?” Nancy muttered, glancing around. 

“Um… lots.” Lucas said. “So much stuff is going on.” 

“Where do we start?” El said. 

“Can we start with the guy who tried to kill us and work around from there?” Jonathan said. 

Nancy flinched a little, the light still hurting her eyes a little. “The guy? We… he… Jonathan, how did…?” 

“Don’t freak out.” Jonathan said carefully, reaching out to help her sit up a little more. “I got you back here, and- well, everyone kinda crowded around. Except Steve, Dustin and Will, they went back to the mall. Something about Christmas gifts.” 

“It’s July.” El said confusedly. 

“Nancy,” Joyce reached over, putting a comforting hand on Nancy’s shoulder, “What’s the last thing you remember?” 

“Some… thug?” Nancy said, glancing as Hopper and Max made their way over, Max still yawning slightly. “Attacked me. I… I was yelling about the- the Upside Down and he didn’t like that. Said to stay away- shit-” 

She started to get up, and Joyce pushed her back; Jonathan sat beside her and put an arm around her. “No, no. You need to rest.” 

“There’s some fuck out there trying to… kill us?” Nancy groaned. “He’s gotta know about the Upside Down… and the monsters…” 

“Uh, yeah. We’re dealing with the monsters today, don’t worry.” El said. 

“Yeah, don’t be scared!” Mike said quickly, leaping onto the couch, bouncing a bit on the cushions before smiling over at her. “We’re taking care of it!” 

Nancy stared at him for a very long time. “Taking care of what now?” 

“Shit.” El said. 

“Did you guys-” Max paused to yawn, leaning on Hopper’s arm, “-not tell her yet?” 

“Um.” El clasped her hands together. “How do we-” 

“Mind Flayer’s back,” Lucas said, “And we’re gonna set Billy on fire.” 

Nancy shut her eyes and groaned. “Of course. Of course this is what’s happening.” 

“Okay, listen.” Joyce held up her hands. “Listen, one thing at a time.” 

“Upside Down’s back.” Nancy said. “And I got knocked out by some bitchass-” 

“Nancy,” Hopper moved over towards her, as Max went to sit by Lucas and El, “Do you remember what this guy looked like?” 

“Didn’t get a great look.” Nancy said. “Jonathan?” 

“Very in shadow, but he was big.” Jonathan said carefully. “And he had some kind of accent-” 

“Russian.” Nancy sighed. 

“What?” Jonathan jumped. 

“Russian accent, I think. Unless my mind’s all jumbled.” Nancy sighed. 

Mike leaned over, putting his hands on her knee and waiting until she glanced over at him. “Do you want me to find him for you?” 

“No.” Nancy sighed. “You don’t have a picture.” 

“And,” El said cautiously, “You’ve been finding a lot of people recently. Don’t want to exhaust yourself.” 

“I’ll hurt him.” Mike said sternly. “For hurting Nancy.” 

“Okay, not necessary at the moment.” Nancy said. “I’ll shoot him if he shows up again.” 

“Hopefully he doesn’t.” Max said. 

“Hopefully he does so I can shoot him.” Nancy retorted. 

“Russian does not sound good.” Hopper sighed. “Which means our theory of ‘maybe it was just another lab guy’ is out.” 

“Yeah, the Lab did not like the Russians.” Lucas nodded. “Kept telling us they were evil and trying to take over the world.” 

“Pretty sure America is also trying to do that.” Max said. 

“Can we not do this first thing in the morning?” El sighed. 

“Is there anything you got?” Hopper said. 

Nancy paused. “I don’t…” 

“I mean, I got a bit of his license plate.” Jonathan said. He shut his eyes, trying to remember. “Couldn’t get a good picture, but it started with an 87… uh…” 

“Wait, back up.” Joyce said. “What do you mean license plate? You didn’t mention that.” 

“Was a bit preoccupied.” Jonathan said defensively. “First by Nancy being knocked out and then by ‘Mind Flayer’s back and possessing people.’” 

“And what?” Nancy asked. 

“Back to the license plate.” Hopper sighed. “If you only know a bit of it, the state agency isn’t gonna be any help. It’ll take weeks before they find a match-” 

“Weeks?” Joyce asked. 

“And what are the odds that this guy registers a car under his own name?” 

“It wasn’t a car.” Jonathan said. 

Hopper paused, as if something lit in his mind. “What do you mean it wasn’t a car?” 

“It was a motorcycle. Or motorbike or something.” 

Hopper narrowed his eyes, and then said, “Big guy, motorcycle…” he sighed and put his head in his hands. 

“Whazzup, Dad? You know this guy?” El asked. 

He turned to her. “You remember when I had to go to the Mayor’s to talk about the protests around the Mall?” 

“Yeah, and you got that dumbass hawaiian shirt.” Max said. 

“What?” Joyce asked, a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth. 

“There was this guy there…” Hopper paused. “Joyce, I think we’re gonna have to interrogate the mayor.” 

Joyce sighed. “Okay, I’ll get my coat.” 

“Uh, we’re gonna have to set up the sauna.” El said. 

“The what?” Nancy said. 

“We’re gonna burn Billy in the sauna until we find out if he’s possessed or not.” El said. 

“Okay, someone really needs to catch me up.” Nancy said. 

“You think this is bad,” Jonathan said, “Wait til Steve brings the boys back. We’re gonna have to dump all of this again.” 

“Why aren’t they back now?” 

“They wanted to go to the mall.” 

“This seems important.” 

“Yeah, so give them a break until we figure out what’s going on.” El said. 

“Are you gonna be okay?” Mike asked, putting a hand on Nancy’s shoulder. 

“Yeah.” Nancy nodded. Already her head was clearing up, and that determination was setting in. “Yeah, and I’m gonna go with Hopper to find this guy.” 

“I don’t think I can allow that.” Hopper said. 

“I don’t think you can stop me.” Nancy said. “Besides, looks like we’re skipping work today anyway.” 

“Okay, so we’ll go set up the Sauna, and meet up here when we’ve got our results.” El said. 

Joyce paused. “Uh, no. No, you kids aren’t doing that on your own-” 

Max sighed. “Okay, so, first off, are we really doing the sauna thing?” 

“Yes.” El nodded. 

“Alright.” she said. “First, we’re gonna have to do this on our own. Nancy’s going with Hopper, and Jonathan’s going to go with her to make sure she doesn’t do anything too stupid.” 

“That’s fair.” Nancy sighed.

“And Ms Byers, you already said you’re going with Hop,” Max said, “And even if you weren’t, now your son’s going. So you all have to go, and if we don’t test for possession as soon as possible, it could be too late. We need to be certain now, or we’re fucked.” she looked over at El. “I get all off that?” 

“Think so.” El said. 

“Besides.” Lucas assured Joyce, smiling over at her, “I have shields and shards and Mike can throw things with his mind.” 

“We’ll be okay.” Mike paused, then looked over at Nancy. “Unless you need me with you?” 

“I think I’ll be fine once someone tells me what’s happening.” Nancy said. 

“I don’t like you kids facing a monster on your own.” Hopper said. 

“Potential monster.” Max corrected quickly. 

“We set the tunnels on fire last year.” Lucas reminded him. “And survived.” 

“And besides,” Mike said, before running a hand over the bracelet he wore to cover his wrist, “We’ve survived worse.” 

“Alright, so,” Robin sat on the table in the break room, spreading out the blueprints, “It is fascinating what twenty bucks will get you at the county recorder’s office.” 

“Holy shit, Rob.” Steve glanced over at her, shocked, “What the hell?” 

“Hey, we’re taking down secret agents.” Robin shrugged. “We’re gonna go all out.” 

“I like it.” Dustin said, leaning forwards. “What is it?” 

“Blueprints of the entire mall.” Robin explained. 

Will leaned over, tracing lines, his artist’s mind working overtime. He’d really only just woken up; he’d passed out as soon as they got back to Steve’s place and he flopped on a mattress, and only barely woke up enough for Dustin to drag him to the bathroom to freshen up before heading back. But now that his mind was working, excitement was starting to bubble inside him. “If that’s the entrance… we’re here.” 

“That’s right, Will!” Robin nodded. She pointed to a square, quite a ways away from them. “And this is where we wanna get.” 

“I don’t really see a way in.” Steve said. 

“There’s not,” Robin reached down and pulled back the paper on top, revealing a second on the bottom. “If we’re talking about doors.” 

Dustin leaned down to inspect, and then he guessed, “Air ducts?” 

“Exactly!” Robin raced over to the corner of the breakroom, grabbing a marker from under her whiteboard. “Turns out? This secret room needs air just like any other room. And these air ducts,” she returned, and drew a line from their room to the secret room, “Lead all the way here.”

Steve looked it over. ‘That’s mostly a straight line, looks like.” 

“Little squiggly at the end.” Will pointed out. “But not hard directions to memorize.” 

It took only a little while for Steve to find a ladder and screwdriver in a nearby supply closet, and he climbed up, unscrewing the ventilation cover from the air duct. “He handed the lid to Dustin and said, “Flashlight?” Will held out a flashlight, which Steve swapped for the screwdriver. “Thank you.” 

He shone the light in, and his face fell a little. “Yeah, kids, I don’t know if either of you could fit in here. It’s super tight.” 

“I could try. I’m stretchy.” Dustin volunteered. 

Will narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Not that stretchy. Think you’d get stuck pretty fast, the entrance is a bit less wide than you.” Dustin and Steve gave him a confused glance, and he shrugged. “I’m good with measuring by sight.” 

“We went through the air ducts fine in the-” Dustin stopped, shooting a glance at Robin. “When we were kids.” 

“Well,” Will sighed, “We’re not kids anymore, are we?” 

“Could you fit?” Dustin asked. “You were pretty good at squeezing through sewers a few months back.” 

“What was that?” Robin asked, glaring pointedly at Steve. 

“Okay, honestly,” Steve said, “I don’t know what they’re on about either.” 

“We were finding garden gnomes,” Will waved his hand, “But I don’t think I can make it. I’ve grown a bit since then.” 

“A lot.” Dustin said. “You shot up, like, a foot. You’re taller than your Mom now.” 

“Everyone’s taller than Ms Byers.” Steve shrugged. 

“You’re Ms Byers’s kid?” Robin asked. 

“The point is,” Will said, “I don’t think either of us could fit.” He sighed. “I wish Wilder was here. She totally would’ve been able to fit.” 

“I’m sorry, who’s Wilder?” Robin asked. 

“Oh, Erica.” Will shrugged. “She was in my gang in Chicago.” 

“In your what?” 

“Well, unless one of us can shrink or find a tiny person,” Steve shrugged, stepping off the ladder, “This is a dead end.” 

They heard the service bell ring, and Steve turned, glancing out the breakroom window. “It’s Ms Wheeler and Holly, I can get it-” 

“Holly?” Dustin said, eyes widening. 

“Yeah, you know, Nancy’s little-” Steve froze, realizing what Dustin was saying. “No.” 

“Yes.” Dustin nodded. “She’s small.” 

“She’s four.” 

“I was already doing tests when I was four, she just has to crawl through a maze.” Will shrugged. 

“Doing what?” Robin said, before shaking her head. “Listen, I’m with Steve, a four year old seems a bit risky.” 

“Hold on a moment, let me get them ice cream.” Steve sighed. “We will discuss this later.” 

He walked out of the break room, smiling. “Ahoy! Sorry that took so long.” 

Karen Wheeler smiled over at him. “It’s no trouble, we don’t have to be home for a while.” 

“Chocolate, please, Mr Stevie.” Holly said brightly. 

Steve smiled at her. “Anything for you, Ms Wheeler?” 

“No, thank you.” 

“How’s Nancy?” 

“Uh,” Karen paused a moment, thinking. “Oh, she called me earlier, said she was going to work late. So I guess that means she’s doing okay.” she sighed. “It’s a bit of an issue, though, I was hoping she could watch Holly tonight.” 

Steve shut his eyes a moment, taking a breath. “Oh? Are you going somewhere?” 

“Mama and Daddy are goin on a date.” Holly informed him. 

“Well, we were,” Karen sighed, “But we’re going to need a sitter for Holly if Nancy’s working late.” 

Steve stole a glance though the window to the breakroom. He saw Will and Dustin, shooting him looks. 

He sighed and said, “I mean. Well… how would Holly like to see the backroom of Scoops Ahoy?” 

God, this is the worst idea ever.

#stranger things #stranger things au #stranger things 3 #rsu3 #rightside up au #st fanfic #mine #my fanfic

[padfootagain]

Heroes (I)

Part 1 : Real Dreams

I'm sorry. But I'm too obsessed with this show. I can't help it. So here we go, I'm writing for Steve Harrington too from now on. Feel free to send me requests for this character and to ask to be added to his tag list.

This is a little AU, but if you've read a few of my writings you might have noticed that I don't really care about being AU as long as I'm not out of character… I hope you all like it anyway.

As it's my first time at writing for Steve Harrington, I hope it's going to be good. Tell me what you think about it and don't hesitate to tell me if you think that I should change some things about his characterization.

I hope you all like this. This should be a two-parts series, unless you want me to make it longer… I'll post the two parts in a row.

Gif not mine.

Word Count : 3635

You walked out of Hawkins Laboratory. Again. The meetings occured more and more often, as your crisis were more frequent as well these days.

You kicked a stone in frustration, struggling not to shout your lungs out.

No one in this bloody lab believed you.

Since you had managed to escape from the Upside Down a year ago with the help of Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper, you didn't feel fully like yourself. You felt like a part of you was still trapped there…

Just like Will, you had been dragged in this other world that existed next to yours, but unlike Barbara, you had managed to survive. Running blindly through the forest to escape this monster that had captured you, you had fallen upon Will as he hid in his house, and the two of you had tried to survive together from then.

What had happened in the real world while you were trying to survive in this parallel universe had been told to you after you were rescued. The search for Will. The search for you. Nancy and Steve breaking up quickly as he spent all his energy looking for you, and she tried to figure out where Barbara was. Joyce Byers and Jim Hopper walking in the Upside Down to get you and Will back. You felt grateful for such efforts to rescue you, but all you had left from this part of your life was fear and trauma.

And actually… you were certain that it was more than trauma. It felt tangible. When you had these crisis of yours, the world around you suddenly switched from bright and full of life to dark and filled with death. Suddenly, you were not at Hawkins anymore, you were back in this world you tried to run away from. It happened without real reasons. Suddenly you were not there anymore. Suddenly you were back in that giant tomb. And you didn't know how to get out of it.

Dr Owens and his team thought that you were just suffering of a severe form of post-traumatic stress that caused hallucinations that were so vivid that you got confused and took them for reality. But you knew it was more than that. No matter what this bunch of scientists kept on saying, you knew that there was something more to it. The clues were there, obvious, relevant, but somehow, they all chose to ignore those signs.

Will had the same type of crisis, sometimes at the same time as you. And when it happened simultaneously for the two of you, you could see him in the Upside Down. You could talk to him, touch him, he was there, tangible. And he felt the exact same as you. There were all the feelings you felt as well during these crisis. They were strong, real. You could touch things, you could grab things… Your nights were also punctuated by terrifying nightmares, but they felt different. They were vivid, yes, violent for most of them, but they were more… blur as well. Some bits were missing, they were not completely coherent, some pieces didn't fit. But your crisis were flawless. Every one of your actions led to a logical reaction, there was no hole in the events that occurred then. And you couldn't imagine that some things like hallucinations could be so logical.

But no one believed you. Except for Joyce Byers, who was too much worried about her son to ignore the worst theories. And your boyfriend, who trusted you enough to believe whatever you said.

You walked towards the large gate of the lab, the sun warm on your skin despite the cold air, but you couldn't feel the warmth. You were too worried to focus on anything. You didn't even see the road your feet were striding upon, you just let yourself being carried out of the lab out of habits.

You finally were dragged out of your thoughts as you arrived before the metallic gate, and waited for the security guard to open it for you. Down the road, Steve was waiting for you in his car. He waved at you, a warm smile on his lips. You smiled back at him, feeling a bit less desperate at the sight of him.

The two of you had been best friends for years, but your disappearance a year before had shaken something into him. He had changed as a person, growing out of adolescence and leaving his kind of stupid behaviour behind to turn into a more responsible person. But that was not the only change caused by your vanishing. He had suddenly realized that you were more than a friend to him.

Perhaps it was because you had always been here, because it was just that his mind had never dared to imagine such a terrifying thing, but he had never thought that he could ever lose you during all these years of friendship. To him, you were a safe place he knew he could always go to. But then you disappeared, you almost died, and he realized that nothing lasted forever. He woke up from what he now called 'his shithead time' and suddenly realized that he never wanted to lose you again.

If your disappearance woke up his feelings for you, he was careful not to hurry, and you were grateful for the kind gesture. He waited a few more months before confessing his true feelings, waiting for your life to find back a more normal rhythm, waiting for the trauma to partially subside and for your smiles to shine more brightly again. He reckoned that you had enough troubles to deal with before that, you didn't need your best friend to suddenly confess his love for you on top of all that you had been through.

But Steve being by your side had helped you a lot to deal with the trauma. After all, he had fought the Demogorgon, he knew what had really happened to you. It felt so good to be with someone who understood what you had been through, for a part at least.

You climbed inside his car, sitting down on the passenger seat, and you let out a heavy sigh.

"That terrible?" Steve asked with an amused smile and a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah… useless, as usual."

He nodded slowly, starting the car, and slowly driving towards the town.

"They don't believe you, huh?" he asked, looking at you for a few seconds, before focusing on the road again.

You shook your head.

"They say it's post-traumatic stress. And that… as it's been almost a year, the anniversary coming closer and closer enhances my symptoms. But I know that there's more to it."

He nodded, before reaching for your hand.

"Is there anything I can do?" he asked softly.

You could feel your heart swollen with gratefulness. You knew he meant it. He wanted to help. But you also knew that he couldn't.

"I don't think so," you gave him a sad smile. "But you're here, and that's enough to help me feeling better."

He smiled, one of his hand tightly wrapped around your fingers while the other rested loosely onto the wheel.

"What about the kid?" he asked.

"He wasn't there today."

"It's strange that you both have the same… visions."

"I'm pretty sure that we've never been really brought back here. That we're still… connected to that place somehow."

He let out a heavy breath, clearly thinking hard. But there was nothing he could do, he could see no solution to help you escape this damned place.

"Next time you have one of those crisis of yours, if I'm around, you call for me, okay? Because… perhaps I can help you snap out of it, you know?"

You slowly nodded.

"Okay, I will."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"Do you feel like going to school today? Or we could… not go there," he proposed.

You rolled your eyes.

"Don’t use me as an alibi to miss class."

"Hey! I just want to help here!"

"I can go to school. On the contrary. It'll keep my head busy."

"Sure?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay."

"I'll probably get out of basketball late tonight," he said. "Will you be okay?"

"I'll wait for you," you nodded. "Is Hargrove still giving you a hard time?"

Steve shrugged, but you knew better.

"You don't like that guy," you added.

"He has his eyes on you. So no, I don't like him."

You smiled as Steve parked the car before the school. It was almost time for your first class to begin, but you didn't mind arriving a bit late. You wanted to stay with Steve for a bit longer.

You lifted your hand to his cheek, and he turned to you again, as the sound of the engines died out.

"I'm not interested. I already have a boyfriend."

He smiled.

"And a very good one!"

You laughed.

"Now… don't get ahead of yourself, Harrington!"

He chuckled.

"Should I feel worried then?" he joked.

But you shook your head, unfastening your seatbelt so you could lean towards him.

"I love you, you idiot."

He smiled.

"I love you too, you reckless arse."

But instead of kissing you, he frowned slightly, staring right at you. And his voice sounded like he was making a promise he intended never to break.

"I won't let anything take you away from me again, Y/N."

You leaned further and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips.

"I know. I'm counting on it," you smiled. "And I intend to keep you all for myself too."

You both chuckled.

"I knew you were possessive," he joked, making you giggle.

He brushed a lock of your hair away from your face, his gaze gentle as it rested on your eyes again.

"Just… don't leave me again. Deal, Y/L/N?"

"Deal, Harrington."

This time, he was the one to capture your lips in a loving kiss.

And you both definitely arrived late to your first class…

 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 It was strange to walk through a deserted High School. It was late already, and classes were all over. Only a few boys were left, playing basketball in the gymnasium. Steve was one of them. You had waited for him, watching the game, and raging against Hargrove again. Now though, you were left alone, pacing up and down the corridor next to the gymnasium, waiting for Steve to get a shower and take you home.

You hummed softly to yourself, the sound of your voice echoing in the empty corridor. Your footsteps sounded louder than usual as well, the only movements disturbing the silence. You heaved a sigh, hoping that Steve would soon be here.

Above your head the neon lights faltered for a second.

You looked down at your watch.

But you didn't read the time.

Your eyes grew round as the lights above you went out altogether, leaving you in a dark world filled with cotton like particles that got caught in your hair like snowflakes. You recognized this oppressive feeling over your chest, as if it was suddenly harder for you to breathe. The air burnt your lungs, you recognized the poisoned atmosphere.

And when you looked up again, everything was covered with grey and shadows, dark plants covering the walls.

You were back in Hell…

You took a few deep breaths, trying to slow down your heart that was now rushing with fear.

You gathered enough air in your lungs to shout as loudly as you could.

"STEVE!"

You fell silent, listening closely to the sounds around you. But the world was silent.

"STEVE!"

Again you were met by nothing but the echoes of your own voice and a heavy silence.

"STEVE!"

Nothing.

You closed your eyes tightly until your eyelids turned white. Perhaps if you shut your eyes tightly enough, it would all disappear, as if you woke up from a nightmare.

But when you lifted your eyelids once more, it was to see the long plants growing on the walls of your school.

And Steve was not here.

You felt tears stinging your eyes and blurring your sight. Your heart was pounding but you couldn't slow it down. You were too scared for that.

You were trapped once more, and you didn't know how to escape…

 ------------------------------------------------------------

 Steve ran out of the shower. He ignored the two other boys who laughed at him for hurrying to his girlfriend as he charged through the changing room, grabbing his shirt and struggling to put his trousers on despite his hurry. You shouted his name a second time, and he pushed the door open, hurrying in the corridor.

"Y/N!" he called, running to you.

He stopped right before you, still wet from the shower, traces of shampoo lingering in his messy hair, his shirt still in his hand for now.

Tommy and Hargrove walked out of the changing room too, still laughing. They were both shirtless as well, and were drying their hair with white towels.

"What's with your girlfriend, Steve? Getting mental again?" Tommy laughed.

But the look Steve threw at him made his laugh die in his throat.

"Don't you dare, Tommy," Steve warned him.

He turned to you again, as you shouted his name again. You seemed completely panicked.

"Y/N! I'm right here!" he said.

He waved his hand before your eyes, but you didn't follow his movement, staring through him as if… as if you couldn't see him…

"Oh fuck…" he breathed.

Finally, their coach walked into the corridor.

"What's going on here?" he asked.

"You have to call for Hopper!" Steve urged his teacher.

"What?!"

"Y/N is not well, she needs help. Call for Hopper. Ask specifically for Hopper. Tell him that she's having a crisis, he'll understand."

"I'm sure a bit of fresh air will be enough and we do not need to call the chief of the police dep…"

"DO IT!" Steve roared.

He was shaking from head to toe by now. He knew you were stuck in this world all over again, and he didn't know how to help you.

"Just do it! She's been like this before. Trust me, it's serious!" he told his teacher, who mumbled something under his breath, but walked to reach the phone anyway.

"No need to linger here, boys," he told Hargrove and Tommy before disappearing in search of the phone, but the two adolescents didn't move an inch.

Steve turned to you once more. He saw you closing tightly your eyes, and when you opened them again, they were filled with tears.

"Y/N… babe, come on… Can you hear me?" he asked.

He raised his hand to touch your arm, but was interrupted as Will Byers stormed into the corridor, calling for you.

You turned towards the child, frowning hard.

"Will!" you breathed, bending to hold him in your arms.

"It's happening again!" the boy breathed, his voice shaking with panic and fear filling his eyes.

"What the hell is happening?" Billy Hargrove asked, an amused smile on his lips before the show.

"I know, buddy," you tried to reassure him, stroking soothingly his hair and holding him close to you. "I know. But it's gonna be okay. I'm here."

"Hey! Y/N!" Steve raised his voice, trying to get you out of your trance.

The sound of children's voices reached the little group, and Steve was not surprised to find Lucas, Dustin and Mike hurrying towards them. He heaved a sigh, rubbing the edge of his nose. As if he didn't have enough on his plate already…

"Steve!?" Dustin called, struggling to catch his breath, as his friends and him had clearly been running to the gymnasium, following Will. "Why are you… not wearing a shirt?"

"I was taking a shower," Steve explained.

"Why do you have shampoo in your hair?" Lucas asked as well.

"Weren't you listening? I was taking a shower."

"Yeah but…"

"I was taking a shower, but Y/N called for me. So I didn't finish to wash my hair and tried to help her instead!"

He looked at you and Will again.

"They're having a crisis again, right?" Mike asked softly, looking up at Steve with worry painted all over his features.

Steve nodded.

"Yeah, looks like it. I've asked a teacher to call for Hopper. Hopefully, he'll know what to do."

"But if it's some kind of… hallucination… can't we just… wake them up? Like… from a nightmare?" Lucas asked.

"What do you think I've been trying to do since she called, smartass?" Steve asked back.

"Have you tried to shake them?" Dustin asked.

He didn't wait for an answer and grabbed you with one hand and Will with the other, and tried to shake the two of you. But somehow, he couldn't move any of you at all.

"What the hell?!" he cursed, letting go.

"Y/N keeps on saying that it's not just post-traumatic stress," Steve breathed. "That she's still… there."

Steve and the three children exchanged worried glances. Behind them, Tommy and Hargrove were starting to get annoyed.

"I don't know what kind of scene you all are trying to make, but it's boring, King Steve," Hargrove yawned, walking away, closely followed by Tommy.

Steve exhaled loudly, but didn't reply. You needed him now, he would deal with Billy Hargrove later. For now, he finally put his shirt on, before resting his hand on your shoulder.

"Babe, can you hear me? You have to come back now," he said soflty, shaking you gently, like he would do to wake you up when you overslept and needed to go to school.

But you didn't answer him, you shook your head instead, answering to Will.

"Yeah well… Out of the question. This place sucks. I'm not setting a foot there ever again."

The little boy in your arms smiled at the joke.

"It's gonna be okay," you reassured him.

"The party was with me," Will said. "Do you think they followed me?"

"Not here," you shook your head again.

"Do you think that they will find something to bring us back?"

You nodded.

"I was with Steve. He's… they're all going to find out something. Like the first time."

Steve felt tears wetting his eyes, and he shook you a bit more violently, becoming frantic with all this frustration that made his blood boil.

"Y/N! I'm right here! Wake up! BABY!"

You frowned slightly, and seemed to turn towards him. You narrowed your eyes, as if your eyes searched for his.

"Y/N, can you hear me?" he asked again.

You narrowed your eyes even more, but didn't seem to distinguish anything…

But then he felt you tensing under his touch. In your arms, Will turned around, horror covering his face, his eyes wide with fear.

And when your gaze followed Will's, Steve read the same horror in your gaze…

 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

 "It's happening again!"

"I know, buddy. I know. But it's gonna be okay. I'm here."

You held the boy tightly in your arms. You tried to make your voice sound reassuring, but you were shaking with fear from head to toe. Steve had not answered your call, and it was just one more proof that you were right. You had been right all along.

This was real.

It wasn't simply a dream, and yet, you knew somehow that you were still connected to Hawkins. Perhaps it was not completely reality either. Perhaps it was something in the middle…

… like a real dream…

"What do we do, Y/N?" Will asked, trembling in your arms.

"I… I'm thinking," you cleared your throat to fight the lump that was starting to form there. "I'm thinking of a plan, buddy. Give me a minute."

"Dr… Dr Owens says it's in our heads."

But you shook your head.

"No, Will. I don't think it's just an illusion."

"Bob… said that it was just like a nightmare. And we had to force it to go away."

"I don't think it's that easy. I think there's something more."

"Like… As if it wanted us back?"

You nodded slowly.

"Yeah well… Out of the question. This place sucks. I'm not setting a foot there ever again."

Will gave you a weak smile.

"It's gonna be okay," you reassured him.

"The party was with me. Do you think they followed me?"

"Not here," you shook your head again.

"Do you think that they will find something to bring us back?"

This time, you nodded.

"I was with Steve. He's… they're all going to find out something. Like the first time."

But then, a hushed sound reached your ear. It wasn't something frightening though, more… like a whisper. Or more precisely, as if someone far away was shouting, and all you could catch was a whisper. It wasn't loud enough for you to understand the words that were spoken, but you were not afraid of it. It was reassuring, on the contrary. You turned towards the source of the noise, but could only see a wall. You tried to narrow your eyes, but there was nothing.

The whisper came back, but again, you couldn't understand, you tried to narrow your eyes even more, focusing hard.

But another sound echoed through the corridor, and this one made your freeze. You felt every single one of your muscles tensing, a shiver running down your spine.

You looked down the corridor, knowing Will was looking in that direction as well.

You saw the monster slowly walking through the empty space. It didn't seem to have noticed you yet. It looked like the Demogorgon, but instead of standing like a man, it was walking on all fourth like a dog. You could recognize the same faceless head though, the large mouth opening in four pieces and ready to swallow anything.

And then, the beast turned towards you…

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Tag list : @ponycake27 @mxrihollxnd @horsesreign

#steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington imagine #stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfic #steve harrington fanfic #fanfiction #fanfic #imagine #writing

[bitchinlyras]

same old home, brand new day

el’s just closed the gate. she’s exhausted. so is hopper. it's time to go home. both of them. but mike isn't ready to leave her side quite yet. read on ao3

El’s fallen asleep by the time Hopper drives back to the Byers’ house.

He can only imagine how exhausted she is after closing that gate, and he doubts that she’s had any proper sleep in the last couple of days either.

Mike, kneeling by a half-asleep Will, hears the sound of an engine and stops dead in the middle of his sentence, rushing out of the house to Hopper’s truck, pulling the passenger seat door open before it had stopped.

“Whoa, kid,” Hopper mutters, as he pulls the keys out of the ignition and the truck stops with a jolt.

Mike ignores him. “Is she okay?!” He reaches out for her hands. “El? El! Can you hear me?!”

“She’s just asleep, kid, she’s exhausted.” Hopper tells him, not feeling too awake himself.

“Does that mean she did it?” A voice comes from behind Mike, and he turns to see Jonathan speaking, accompanied by the others.

Hopper nods. “She did it. She closed the gate.”

There’s a cheer, and the kids whoop and embrace, and Joyce lets out a shaky laugh.

“Is she gonna be okay?” Mike asks Hopper, looking up at him.

“She’ll be fine, she just needs to sleep.” He says to Mike softly, and Mike nods, looking less anxious.

Hopper gets out of the car and walks round to El’s door, pushing Mike gently aside to pick up the sleeping girl.

They all head back inside, Mike hovering at Hopper’s side as he carries El.

Hopper places her on the couch, before looking around, his eyes falling on Will. “You feeling better, kid?” He asks him.

Will nods. “Yeah, a bit dazed but me.”

Hopper smiles and ruffles his hair. “Well, that’s good.”

He looks at Joyce, and walks over to her. “How are you doing?” He murmurs softly.

Joyce just shakes her head. “I can’t… not now. I’m just happy Will is back.”

Jonathan makes everybody hot cocoa, and they all sit in the Byers’ living room, Mike sitting on the end of the couch with El, as Hopper tells them about her closing the gate, which leads to the boys and Max talking over the top of each other to tell them about Billy, the tunnels, and the demodogs.

“Wait, so where did Billy go?” Nancy asks.

The boys look at Max for an answer who shrugs. “I don’t know, he must’ve woken up and left before we could get back.”

“Oh and Mrs. Byers?” Dustin pipes up.

“Yeah?”

“There might be a demodog in your fridge…”

Joyce looks speechless and Jonathan chokes on his cocoa.

“What?! It’s a scientific discovery!” Dustin protests.

“That we are not telling anyone about!” Hopper says in his booming voice, and everyone turns to look at him.

“It’s a scientific discovery!” Dustin repeats dramatically.

“I don’t care!” Hopper booms. “If any of the authorities got wind of the demodogs or the Upside Down or whatever it would put her—“ he points at El “—in danger, okay? And I’m so close to actually being able to give her a normal life, okay?”

Dustin nods, defeated.

“The Lab is going to be shut down soon anyway,” Nancy interjects, and now everybody is staring at her, waiting for an explanation.

Nancy and Jonathan share a glance, before she gives everybody the edited version of what they’d been doing for the past few days.

“That’s an even better reason to get rid of the demodog.” Hopper says once Nancy has finished speaking. “It interferes with their story, and it’s a good story, and we should all stick to it.”

With the help of Steve and Hopper, Dustin buries the demodog.

“What if somebody finds the bones in the future?” He asks as they head back to the house.

“Well, hopefully we’ll all be dead by then and somebody else can handle it.” Steve replies.

Everybody has scattered when they go back into the house. Joyce is putting Will to bed, Nancy and Jonathan are washing up everybody’s mugs in the kitchen, Lucas and Max are sitting on the couch, half asleep, and Mike is perched on the end of the other couch with a still sleeping El.

Hopper picks her up. “We best be going,” he says to no one in particular. “I’ll see all you lot soon, and remember, not a word to anybody.”

Mike stands up, and his hands curl into fists. “I’m going with you.” He says defiantly.

Hopper sighs. “Kid, I don’t have the time for—”

“I’m going with you!” Mike repeats, louder this time, cracks in his voice.

Hopper doesn’t respond, trying to figure what to do.

Mike steps closer to him. “You can’t hide her now that I know,” there are tears in his eyes now, “you can’t.”

Hopper sighs, defeated. “You’re right.”

“What?” Mike says in surprise, having full expected a full on argument. “I mean, yeah, I am.”

“She’d want you to come,” Hopper says, and Mike smiles, scrunching up his sleeve and wiping his tears away. “Nancy?” Hopper calls out to the kitchen. “Is that okay if I take Mike for the night? I’ll have him back first thing in the morning.

Nancy hesitates, but she knows how important it is to Mike. “Yeah, yeah of course.”

“Okay, come on,” Hopper says to Mike as he walks out of the house, “but don’t expect to be sleeping over every other night, okay?”

Mike nods eagerly, following him out.

The ride to Hopper’s is mostly silent, with Mike and El both in the passenger seat, her sleeping head resting on his shoulder, and Mike absentmindedly stroking her fingers.

He stares out of the car window, determined to stay angry at Hopper.

“I know you’re still angry at me, kid,” Hopper says quietly.

Mike doesn’t respond.

“And I get it, I do, and maybe…” he sighs, “maybe I should’ve done things differently.”

Mike looks over at him.

“I don’t know, I mean… I know she’s safe, so I did that part right, I guess… but other parts I’m gonna do differently now, I promise, kid.”

Mike still doesn’t respond, just a gulp and a nod of the head.

“She missed you,” Hopper adds.

“I missed her, too,” Mike murmurs softly into the dark car.

At the cabin, Mike watches Hopper lay El gently in her bed. He watches him take off her shoes and wipe the blood and make up off her face. He does all of this with a care and precision Mike had never imagined Chief Jim Hopper to possess.

Mike carries the couch cushions into El’s room and lies them next to her bed.

“What are you doing?” Hopper asks him.

“Making a bed.” Mike replies promptly without looking up at him.

“Why can’t you just sleep on the couch?”

“I’ve already moved the cushions.”

“I—” Hopper sighs and stops talking, too tired to argue over something so pointless with a kid who pretty much hates him. “Fine, I’ll go get you a blanket.”

Mike is already asleep by the time Hopper finds him a spare blanket and pillow.

Hopper smiles to himself and sighs exasperatedly as he lays the blanket over Mike and props his head up onto the pillow.

“Goodnight, El,” he whispers, kissing her forehead. “Goodnight, Mike,” he whispers, turning off their light and shutting the door.

El wakes in a daze the next morning. Light is peeking through the curtains, and she sits up, her head throbbing. She frowns, unable to remember how she ended up back in her bedroom in the cabin, and then last night comes flooding back to her. Mike, Hopper, the others, closing the gate.

She lies back down in her bed, letting the memories of yesterday wash over her. After everything she really is glad to be home, and she knows she’ll be able to see Mike and the others now.

She can hear movement in the kitchen, and goes to get out of bed before gasping at the sight of Mike lying asleep on her bedroom floor.

“Mike?” She whispers down at the sleeping boy. He looks so peaceful, so pretty, and she smiles down at him for a moment before climbing out of the other side of bed.

“Mike’s in my room,” El says to Hopper as she walks into the kitchen.

Hopper turns around, smiling at the sight of her. “Yeah, he didn’t want to leave your side last night.”

El slides into her seat at the table. “So you let him come here?”

Hopper sits down opposite her. “He wouldn’t take no for answer.”

El smiles slightly. “Does this mean… I’ll be able to see Mike and my other friends sometimes?”

“Would that make you happy?” Hopper asks her, and El nods so vigorously that he almost laughs. “Then yes,” he tells her and her eyes light up, “I’m sure we can come to some sort of arrangement.”

The Eggos in the toaster pop up and Hopper walks over to get them, grabbing the whip cream and candy on the way too.

“Extravaganza!” El beams as he sits back.

“Extravaganza is right,” he replies as he watches her pile on the whip cream and candy on top of the four Eggos. “Do you remember much of last night?” He asks her.

“I remember shutting the gate,” she replies.

“And you feel okay now?”

She nods. “Head hurts though.”

“Yeah, I can imagine, you had blood coming out of everywhere yesterday, even your eyes… it was terrifying.”

El looks up and sees an emotion in Hopper’s eyes that she can’t quite determine, something like fear and sadness mixed together, and then it’s gone and he smiles. “You closed it though.”

She smiles back. “I closed it.”

He reaches over to ruffle her hair. “I’m proud of you, kid.”

She smiles as she takes another bite of the Eggo Extravaganza.

“El! El!” Comes Mike’s panicked voice from her room.

“Mike!” El calls out, abandoning her Eggo and running to the room. “Mike, I’m here,” she says softly, standing in the doorway, and he melts at the sight of her.

“El,” he breathes, walking over to her, “sorry, I woke up and you…”

“It’s okay, Mike,” she reaches for one of his hands and squeezes gently; he smiles. “Come, we’re having an Eggo Extravaganza.” She leads him by the hand to the table; Hopper has already retrieved an extra chair.

“Wow,” Mike says sitting down and looking at the Eggos in front of him, “those are extravagant.”

El nods, sitting down herself. “You know I can spell extravagant?”

Mike smiles and raises his eyebrows. “Yeah?”

She nods, obviously proud of herself. “E-X-T-R-A-V-A-G-A-N-T.”

Mike grins at her. “That’s pretty good, El.”

El smiles back at him, taking a bite of the Eggos.

Hopper watches the kids affectionately. “Hey Mike,” he says eventually, and both kids look over at him, Mike’s jaw stiffening, “I was wondering if you’re free Wednesday afternoons.”

“Um, yeah, I am.” Mike replies, slightly confused.

“Would you like to come here after school? Hang out with El for a few hours? Keep her company?”

The light in Mike’s eyes is indescribable, and he’s unable to stop smiling. “Yes,” he nods enthusiastically, “I would love that.” And Hopper knows he’s forgiven.

“And,” Hopper adds, and Mike and El exchange a look of disbelief as if to say ‘There’s more?!’, “I’m going to talk to Joyce about El going over to hers on the weekends maybe, so your whole gang can hang out.”

“I can leave the cabin?” El asks in awe.

“If it’s okay with Joyce, then yeah,” Hopper says, and El gets out of her chair and hugs him tightly. “Hey, no need to thank me too much,” Hopper says, “I’m just being a half decent person.”

Mike and El spend the rest of their time eating the Eggo Extravaganza talking about all the things they’ll do in their time together, and Hopper listens, smiling, knowing he’s made the right decision this time.

#stranger things #stranger things 2 #stranger things fanfiction #stranger things fic #mileven fanfic #mike x eleven #mileven #eleven x hopper #eleven #mike wheeler #jane hopper #otp: promise #el hopper #jim hopper #mileven fluff #mywriting #brotp: you did good kid

[rhoeysama]

The “lack of romantic vibes” between Jonathan and Nancy in early S2: why it makes sense

I often see the complaint about Nancy and Jonathan in Season 2 and "not displaying affection/romantic vibes" prior to the big scene, and that their romance was badly written because that kiss seemed “forced” and “out of nowhere” or “rushed”. I understand this complaint, and I’ve agreed with it up until now, and I’ve actually changed my mind, so I thought I'd like to address it and share my thoughts on why I disagree. This is going to be a long one, so I’m placing it under a ‘read more’, and because, well, spoilers. 

So, for starters. I agree that their relationship up until episode 6 was very tell and not show. But the hints were there constantly, even if most of their interaction was very business-like as they acquired the tape recorder, called Barb’s mother, and went on their road trip.

Season 1 set the tone for their relationship, and showed us clearly that they had a strong bond, a connection, that would eventually lead to something more. Even though Season 1 ended with Nancy and Steve together again, it was not a definite happily-ever-after for either Nancy or Jonathan. 

In season 2, the very first interaction the two share is basically Nancy punching Jonathan in the gut with a party invitation flyer and telling him (not asking!) that he's coming to the party, period. When he says he’s not interested in “getting sheet faced”, she says “Just come!” She wants him there; he doesn’t have to get “sheet faced”, just show up is all that matters. Not just for her sake, but because he should allow himself to be more social and meet people, after everything he’s been going through as well. So, he reluctantly attends the party. 

(Just as a parenthesis: imagine how much differently that evening would have played out if Jonathan would've showed up sooner, before Nancy had a chance to go on a binger and get wasted.)

There weren't any palpable romantic vibes or sexual tension between the two up until episode 6, it’s true. But it should be no surprise or wonder, considering that Nancy was not in the romantic kind of headspace AT ALL; she was on a quest to avenge her dead best friend, whose death she had been mourning and blaming herself for - and Steve, to some extent ("we killed Barb"). Jonathan at least got his brother back. But Nancy lost her dearest and closest friend (who was probably the closest thing she had to a sister), and carried the guilt of not only having been responsible for it, but also having to look Barb's parents in the eyes each week, eating their food, in their house (where she no doubt had plenty of memories growing up), pretty much lying straight to their faces about their daughter and feeding into their false hopes of finding her, while everyone else had just forgotten about Barb altogether, like she never even existed. 

The pain and burden of all of that was eating away at Nancy day by day, to the point that she could no longer function normally; it was haunting her and it was all she could ever think of, but had to pretend that everything was okay. Jonathan was the only one who knew what she was going through (having himself felt the guilt of not being there for Will and blaming himself for his brother's disappearance), and the only one whom she could trust, who was also willing to cooperate and help her set things right, at least for her own and Barb's parents' sake. She couldn’t do everything, but she had to do something, and Jonathan had her back, despite her telling him that he shouldn’t feel obligated to help her out.

The only thing on her mind was to carry out a dangerous plan that could potentially get them both killed or detained indefinitely without trial, as Steve had said: "These people can do whatever they want". After all, they DID fake Will’s death, what would stop them from making Nancy and Jonathan disappear?

So, my point is: it's not exactly the right time or situation for a love confession.

They had forced their romantic feelings aside, because what took priority was the humongous task at hand, which they could not afford to blow!

It was at that motel room, as things were winding down for the night, after a long day of traveling and plotting, that Nancy was brought out of her preoccupation and reminded of Jonathan's presence, their past experiences, and her unspoken feelings for him. That was the first time in probably a long time that she allowed herself to touch the subject and bring it up with him.

"Don't you think it's weird how we only seem to hang out when the world's about to end?"

"It's not going to end."

"Feels like it..." she says with a sigh.

Because that's how she feels about her own life, her own world. She was talking about herself. Because this is said before they know about Will being possessed, before they know about the sheer scale of the Upside Down’s spread in their world, and the failure of Hawkins Lab to contain it. 

For a little while, comparing their scars where they’d deliberately cut their hands, she's reminded of the history that they share, and her feelings for him. She wonders what happened to the two of them, why they suddenly stopped being "us” after everything they went through together, and reveals that she waited for him to make a move; to tell her that it wasn’t just her who felt the way she did. But he never made the move, ultimately causing her to seek comfort in Steve's arms instead. Sure, she cared for Steve deeply, and he was good to her, and she liked him well enough. But she didn't really love him, their whole relationship didn’t really feel right, but she probably pushed that feeling out of her mind as well, only delaying the inevitable. That conversation in the motel room didn’t amount to much, because on top of everything on Nancy’s mind already, Jonathan (quite obtusely) complains that she “only waited a month”, rubbing more salt in her wound, and making her think that it was over and done with, that he had moved on, that he probably didn’t share her feelings.

Enter Murray. He is the one who eventually gets them to confront not just the corrupt government and expose its lies and cover-ups, but also their feelings for each other, and their own lies and cover-ups, their bullshitting of each other as well as themselves.

Having taken a serious step towards accomplishing their goal, both of them let their guard down and allowed for a celebration with drinks. And with everything they had told Murray, and from what he could tell from their body language (the shared glances, finishing each other’s sentences, constant physical closeness, etc), he put the pieces together, and told them what he saw, taking them both by surprise and getting under their skin.

“We’re just friends”. 

“You’re young, attractive, you have chemistry, history, plus, the real shit: shared trauma.” 

In other words: what’s holding you back?

It forced them to start thinking about their feelings for each other again, and what all of it really means for them. Nancy started realizing that maybe Jonathan just wasn’t brave enough to make the first move, and Jonathan probably also understood that Nancy was in a similar position. What Murray had said got them thinking that maybe this whole time, what they thought had been extinguished between them was still there, but simply hindered by their own fears. 

The weight of everything comes crashing down onto them like poorly assembled IKEA furniture, until they can no longer just ignore it and hold back anymore.

Nancy has always been someone who focuses on a goal and sees it through till the end, be it with her grades, her plans, or just like the first time she shot a gun; she focused, aimed, pulled the trigger and hit the can. This is why she shoots right out of bed, bolts straight for the door, only to be shocked to find Jonathan standing there, who had the same idea as her: maybe Murray is just drunk and full of it, but in the off chance that there’s truth to what he said, if he doesn’t take his chances now and find out, he probably never will. 

This is why their “business-like”, focused, serious demeanor and lack of flirting/affection prior to the big kiss makes a lot of sense. But I’m of course curious to hear your thoughts if you disagree or agree or whatever.

#jancy #jonathan x nancy #jancyedit #jonathan byers #nancy wheeler #jonancy #stranger things #stranger things spoilers #spoilers #stranger things 2 #murray bauman #barbara holland

[whathappenedinroswell]

i’ve been reblogging so many st2 posts i just gotta get out my thoughts:

the complexity of every single character is magnificent. hell, even billy wasn’t completely one-sided, but he was still a straight up asshole racist. it was really interesting to see the dynamic between him and his father, how his father is a total dick but also makes some good points.

noah schnapps acting was incredible. he honestly got kinda cheated in the first season (i know he was presumed to be dead), and i’m so glad his acting skills really shone in this season

that being said, ALL the kids’ acting was mind-blowing. elevens crying and the flashbacks of emotion she feels when channeling her powers makes me cry every single time. and mike’s breakdown with hopper was absolutely heart-wrending.

HOPPER! i loved him in the first season and this season he’s even more amazing... he really treats eleven like the daughter he lost and that’s why he’s so protective of her. and their argument was so well done because i really felt for both of them. again shows the complexity of the characters. eleven was reckless and stupid but she’s also a kid who’s being torn apart by her desires to live a normal life and learn about her past.

man dustin really fucked everyone over with dart, but ughhh i can’t be mad at him bc he’s such a sweetie and he just wants to be wanted... i can feel the jealousy he feels over lucas and max being together and how he winds up alone at the snowball and NANCY DANCING WITH HIM THAT WAS SO SWEET

okay BOB!!! BOB BOB BOB BOB! he’s the next barb. he literally just stumbled in on all this shit and rolled with it, even risking his life to help the cause after not entirely understanding what’s going on. he did this all because of the love for joyce and her kids. he’s a true hero.

drunk nancy’s acting sucked lmao but that argument between her and steve... when he asked “...you don’t love me?” it really showed how even though he was essentially a dumb jock in the beginning he truly cared for nancy and loved her

STEVE BEING A BIG BROTHER TO DUSTIN

dustin calling mr clark My Lord

mike never leaving wills side

joyce finally accepting that the boy in front of her was not her son, but a possession of the shadow monster, and her relentlessness to exorcise it from her boy.

small thing but HOW DUSTIN IS THE COMIC RELIEF CHARACTER WHEN USUALLY POCS FILL THAT ROLE BUT LUCAS IS ENTIRELY SERIOUS

man, mike was a total dick to max, and it’s obvious that he thinks everyone else considers her a “replacement eleven” but still, more complexity to characters. again, they’re kids, they’re not perfect and this is one of those things.

eleven being named jane hopper!!!! also i’m not sure where she stands on her name? does she want to be called Jane or El?

both eleven and will calling for mike in the Upside Down

i didn’t really like elevens “bitchin” look but to each his own

how Kali and Eleven’s pain manifested differently. it’s really like magneto vs. professor X (but their powers are switched). Kali feels utter vengeance and rage at the people who made her this way, while Eleven loathes those people but doesn’t want to bring them the same fate? when she sees the two girls and knows they’d have the same lives as her and kali

THE X-MEN PARALLELS!!! The train scene and when El closes the gate!!! all i could think of was “rage and serenity”

in the end when they’re all talking to will and telling him about fond memories IM CRY

i might add more later

#st2 spoilers #stranger things #stranger things 2 #st2 #tv