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howlsofbloodhounds · 4 days

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Thinking about how, while in ST1, Killer has to worry about how he could and would legitimately hurt even the people he cares about in other Stages simply because he was designed to be a danger.

Having to worry about people with “savior/hero” complexes getting hurt because they think they’ll somehow be an exception, or that it isn’t actually as bad as ST1 says it can and will be. Thinking about how he’ll have to constantly warn people that bother getting close to him, and constantly reminding people that, no, kindness isn’t enough to fix him.

For most parts of himself, kindness and mercy doesn’t even exist in their worlds. He won’t understand or care for your kindness if something triggered him into ST3.

ST3 only knows fear, aggression, and survival. ST4 seemingly only knows to kill and fulfill its duties; your kindness means nothing to those won’t be “tricked” by it or simply just writes you off as being weak for having mercy at all.

And he will be left with the overwhelming guilt and shame after. And he will have to deal with the rest of the Multiverse deeming him even more of a monster.

Or how the Multiverse demands him to react to things in a way they feel makes sense or the way they feel he should, trying to shove his jagged pieces into too small boxes they created for him in their minds. They demand guilt and remorse for Killer’s actions, not knowing that ST2 Killer simply isn’t capable of it, nor would he see the logic in feeling remorseful.

Papyrus was an obstacle. Why should he feel remorse for clearing the path and crossing off an objective? That makes no sense.

Why would ST3 guilty for surviving when Papyrus was weak enough to refuse to even fight? If you don’t understand what it takes survive, then why should your opinions matter? Make it your monster. If it means surviving, it’ll gladly prove you right.

Why would ST4 care about lines of codes, why would it feel bad for making Chara happy with its obedience, why would it feel bad for completing the mission and its tasks, why would it feel bad for being good? Its duty is to Chara, who is its everything, not Chara’s enemies.

They don’t know him. Why would they mourn who they don’t know?

It must be extremely exhausting and terrifying having to bare your soul and explain yourself to every person who enters your life, because they deserve to make informed choices and you don’t want to risk their lives for existing near you and you don’t want to get attached to those who’ll leave once they realize they were out of their depth.

And you can’t even muster the energy to be angry or hurt because you understand and you’re just glad you can’t ruin another life, even if it means you’re alone again and no one will understand what you are.

It’s as inevitable as death is. You’ll have to learn to accept it.

I bet he often yearns to just rewind time to when the thought of ever turning the blade on Chara was never even a whisper. Things made sense with them and they understood him because they made him and they were untouchable and could never die, despite how that knowledge used to plague him during those times. The world was what Chara made it, and they often made it a scary place, but it made sense.

Killer!Sans doesn’t have anywhere to go after Chara besides Nightmare and those who offer more don’t often truly understand how to help him or why he functions like he does.

Sometimes they accidentally make things worse in their confused but well meaning intentions and he’s often left as scared and angry as he always is, just wanting the world to leave him alone. He doesn’t want to live his life in fear but that seems to be the only option most days when even existing hurts him.

He’s often too much, too complicated, too confusing, too violent in his fear and anger, too broken to shove back together again. If he isn’t a bad person or a tool or an experiment, then he’s someone’s charity case or pet project.

Must’ve been reliving to have met someone as strong as Color, someone willing to bravely face the twisted mess that he is and still be kind enough to try and help, not because Color wants to boost his ego by “fixing” him or “taming” Nightmare’s pet murderer—but because it’s the right thing to do and he cares about Killer. And he doesn’t turn away whenever he finds something about Killer he doesn’t really understand or grasp completely.

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redshoes-blues · 1 year

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Let's Talk About Clocks, Baby

Something is off with the timeline, emotions alter time, Mike is in danger, and it'll be up to Will Byers to fix this whole mess.

I'll be taking a look at some of the most prominent clocks and time references in Stranger Things to see if we can learn anything from them. At the heart of this analysis is the idea that Will is the antidote to the time fuckery. Oh, and also emotions have the power to alter the movement of time. Aka emotionsgate?! And gay love will save the day. This is a long one, so I hope you enjoy your read! :)

"We are all time travellers, if you think about it."

We've all been talking about the time shenanigans going on in Stranger Things, lately, so in my current rewatch of ST3, I've been looking out for any possible hints that could have been foreshadowing for ST4. I've found a couple.

First, let's bring in the Starcourt Mall clock.

This is the clock used in the Russian code. You know, the part that goes "when blue meets yellow in the west"? Yeah, that clue is inside a CLOCK

We all know about colour theory, how the Russian code has a possible ST4/byler meaning and how certain characters are coded with colours (blue = Mike, yellow = Will), so that bit is obvious. And yeah, colour theory is a bit overdone, but hear me out!

The fact that clocks are Vecna’s symbol and that’s the thing the blue and yellow part of the code has been applied to?! Wild.

The obvious main clock symbol is the grandfather clock at the Creel house that appears in the visions of Vecna’s victims. In the visions, the same clock rings four times (meaning four gates). It's even this very clock that orchestrates the fall of Hawkins. But clocks also appear behind Max before we learn that she’s the next target. This is massive foreshadowing!

So all of this got me thinking of clocks and time, and all of the theories floating around that show how important time is going to be in ST5. The whole plot of the final season is going to be about defeating Vecna, who is associated with clocks, and dealing with Upside-Down-Hawkins. This last bit is extra interesting since we know the Upside Down is set in the past.

And for a long time my main theory has been that Will is the key to finally defeating Vecna. Which I still think will be true, but I also think it’ll have more to do with the time shenanigans than I originally suspected.

I mean, Dustin isn't far off when he says this in ST4:

Will's connection with Vecna is special. From the parallels between him and Henry to Will the Wise and the numerous hints that he has untapped powers. And especially the fact that he's the one who realizes the Mind Flayer and Vecna are still alive (in ST3/ST4, respectively).

So, because Vecna is associated with clocks, I've been looking out for other clocks during my rewatch. Which brings me back to this:

The Starcourt Mall clock is specifically mentioned in the text. In fact, it's part of the Russian code. It isn't just a prop, but a piece of the plot. That's what made me do a triple-take while watching, this time around. It isn't just a random clock.

So, if Will is yellow and the key to defeating Vecna (more on that shortly), then what does the clock say about all this?

If I allow myself to get extra meta with the visual analysis, the fact that the clock’s hands play into colour theory could be a clue. It's the hands that are yellow and blue: the active parts of the clocks which have the ability to move through time. The hands of a clock show time moving. As we know, time in the Upside Down has stopped for some reason. It's stuck in a loop related to Will's disappearance.

Entering the UD is a bit like time travelling. And as El said at the start of ST4, we're all time travellers.

In fact, we know that Henry’s powers have some effect on time. Or at least on the Creel clock. Because when Henry first taps into his powers, the grandfather clock's hands start to move backwards. It’s implied that Henry is making this happen.

The same thing happens later in the season, when Vecna is showing Nancy the vision of Hawkins’ future. It includes this clip of the Creel clock with its hands turning backwards:

So, in a way, Vecna is altering time. We aren’t sure how or why yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it has something to do with emotions or trauma (which I'll get into soon). Especially because Vecna's attacks have to do with trauma, and the antidote so far has been positive emotions and memories that are brought to the surface through music.

Clock Magic?

Another thing to take into consideration is how the Creel clock is connected to Henry's powers, and also seems to possess power of its own. We see this when Max "dies" and the fourth gate is created. The Creel clock chimes four times, and then the Upside Down begins to leak into Hawkins. We can see this in the two GIFs below (shit quality, sorry about that!):

The clock chimes four times and then there is a "frenzied ticking" which builds throughout the scene as Hawkins falls to Vecna. The scene implies that the clock itself has something to do with this.

What does this mean for the timeline in ST5?

We know the Upside Down is in the past. Specifically, the day Will vanishes (November 6, 1983). It seems likely that it works as a time loop, with the same day on repeat until the cycle is broken. Or maybe there are several days which repeat themselves until it resets at the point Will enters the UD. We really don't know for sure. But we do know that it's definitely the past.

What does this mean for Hawkins? Is Hawkins becoming stuck in time as well? Will it be cut off from the outside world because of this? Is the clock slowing down time, ensuring Hawkins remains stuck in its current state because emotions (we'll get there, don't worry)? I definitely don't have the answers yet, but please let me know if you have any ideas how this could be working. It's all so fascinating!

But however it works, there's definitely some time fuckery going on. Whether it's related to the Creel clock itself or Vecna's powers, or whatever Will has done that made the UD shape to himself — well, again, who knows! Not me, but I wanted to point it out because it's clearly going to be a massive part of ST5.

Will is the Antidote

Season 5 is going to be about defeating Vecna (obviously).

But first: in order to stop a villain, you need an antidote to their powers. Right now, El and Vecna share most of the same powers. She hasn't been able to defeat him yet, even though her powers are the strongest they have ever been. There's a missing piece there.

We see this illustrated in the D&D game at the start of ST4, which serves as foreshadowing for the events that happen in the season. An 11 is rolled, but it's a miss. It isn't until Erica (an unlikely hero and outsider in the game) rolls a 20 that Vecna is defeated. And then that exact thing plays out in Hawkins when El isn't able to defeat Vecna.

We have yet to see what the IRL 20 will be, because Vecna "wins" at the end of ST4. He gets what he wanted when the four gates are created and Hawkins falls. But my guess is that it'll have to do with Will. Everything began with Will, and it will end with him too.

Which brings me back to Will and the clock. Because Will serves as a foil for Vecna as a character. They are both sensitive and different (read: gay) and have an abusive parent who tries to make them fit into societal expectations — to no avail. They both draw. They both have close connections with the UD and Mind Flayer. But here we're getting a bit of a Star Wars light side / dark side of the force parallel, where Will has chosen to be good and Vecna has become the villain.

One character is trying their best to work through their trauma, and the other is lashing out in anger.

All of this is to say that I think the Starcourt Mall clock could be a bit of foreshadowing for ST4 and the role Will plays moving forward into ST5. Just as Henry is able to stop time in the UD, Will will be able to move it forward again.

This could happen in any number of ways, and I'm still not sure how the weird time shenanigans will play out, but what I am certain of is that Will is the key to solving everything. And it will likely come down to emotions and healing his traumatic past.

Time and Emotions

At the very start of ST4, El quotes something Joyce tells her about time. She says that emotions slow time down, but they also speed it back up. She then directly mentions time travel in relation to our emotions.

"Joyce says time is funny like that. Emotions can make it speed up or slow down. We are all time travellers, if you think about it."

Given this line about time travel being related to emotions, I think that emotions/feelings/love are going to be the thing that allows Will to fix the UD and defeat Vecna.

This bit about emotions is huge. Because we see that the UD is shaped by Henry, and is later shaped around Will’s vanishing. Emotional and traumatic memories for the both of them. In Will’s case, did time in the UD dimension slow down because he left an emotional imprint on the landscape, via his trauma?

And if this really is the case, then it only seems natural that the process of saving Hawkins will be wrapped up with Will healing his trauma. Just like how Vecna's victims can be saved through music and positive memories/emotions.

Like the cleric he plays in D&D, Will is going to save Hawkins, healing his own trauma and dealing with his emotions in order to move forward.

How?

Realizing the power within himself in both a literal and metaphorical sense. Harnessing the powers he has and his connection to the MF/Vecna, yes, but also by learning that he is a valuable person who doesn't have to make himself smaller for the benefit of other people's happiness.

Confronting his trauma relating to the Upside Down, maybe by helping to close it off once and for all; or by restoring it to its pre-Vecna state. Healing that dimension so the leakage of Henry Creel's trauma doesn't seep into Hawkins any longer. And in doing so, healing the trauma within himself.

Accepting his own queerness and learning that being different doesn't make him a mistake. Realizing that he is loved and deserves to feel this love. Part of this will be related to coming out, and I think another piece will be related to requited love.

All of these have to do with his emotions, and they will be the way he’s able to save Hawkins.

Because when we look at Vecna and his victims, what he represents as a metaphor in the show, we're dealing in the area of emotions and trauma. For Max, she is dealing with complicated feelings after Billy's death. But she also represses those feelings and doesn't open up to her friends until it's almost too late.

If we look at Patrick, Lucas suspected he was dealing with abuse at home, but Patrick never talked about it with anyone. Same with Fred's guilt about the hit-and-run. He's terrified of the idea that he'll be found out. In the case of Chrissy, her own boyfriend has no idea about what she's going through.

So not only are Vecna's victims dealing with trauma, mental health issues, and complex emotions, but they are also actively repressing these emotions.

Not to get too psychoanalytic here, but healing from trauma and dealing with your emotions properly requires you to be open, rather than repressing what you feel. I think this is one reason why music is used as the antidote to getting Vecna'd. Because music allows us to deal with our emotions in a more positive way. It also connects us to positive memories, like Running Up That Hill does for Max, or Should I Stay Or Should I Go does for Will.

In Will's case, a large piece in his character arc is learning to accept that he's gay and has feelings for Mike. Really, this has been most of his arc for ST3 and ST4. This isn't resolved yet, so he'll be continuing to deal with this self-acceptance (and eventual coming out process) in ST5.

To bring it back to that Starcourt Mall clock: Will is the yellow hand on the clock, but it isn't just him that's implicated in all of this. This is yellow meeting blue that we're talking about!

The blue hand. What is Mike's role in all of this?

So if clocks = Vecna, and Will is going to be the antidote to healing Hawkins, then Mike has his own important role to play as the other hand on the clock (and also as the boy Will is in love with, and a main character who is repressing a lot of his own issues).

If Vecna has another target, it's going to be Mike.

[GIF doesn't belong to me! You can find it here]

I feel so strongly about this. For SO many reasons.

Here's a bulleted list of some of them:

Mike has displayed feelings of self-loathing over the course of the show (cliff scene, I'm looking you right in the eye)

He represses his emotions, both to his loved ones and the audience — and potentially with himself

The above GIF is a very ominous parallel between Mike and Max which suggests Mike may be about to get a Vecna vision. HOWEVER, the scene is from Will's POV, so we don't see what Mike sees

Which is its own point: we haven't seen what Mike sees in all of ST4 (except briefly in the couch scene, which I analyzed here), as well as most of ST3. His inner world is deliberately hidden

If Mike is gay and/or in love with Will like I believe he is, there will be a lot of unresolved feelings to deal with there. The kind of micro-trauma queer folks deal with, especially during the 1980s

The tense relationship between Mike and both of his parents, but especially Ted. This point doubles when you contextualize it with Ted being a Reagan supporter (aka a rampant homophobe whose disgusting treatment of queer men in the 80s led to thousands of deaths)...who knows what kind of shit he's said to Mike that we haven't been shown

The whole trauma of having his best friend "die" and then turn up alive, as well as the similar trauma of believing El was still out there even though everyone assumed she died

Probably other shit I'm forgetting. But mostly how weird he's been acting, and especially how terrified he looks on that couch

I know lots of people assume Will is Vecna's #1 target, but I actually don't think he's a target at all. Will is more akin to a Luke Skywalker type figure who Vecna wants to team up with, turning him to the "dark side" because he sees Will as similar to him. There's a reason Vecna didn't have Will killed like everyone else.

As we’ve learned: emotions can speed up time or slow it down. I’m thinking there’s probably a metaphorical thing with positive vs. negative feelings as well. Like: not dealing with our trauma and repressing our negative feelings leads to a person being stuck in the past. In a literal way with the Upside Down, but also a metaphorical way. Positive emotions work in the opposite way, allowing us to let go of the past and move into the future.

Emotions can turn back the clock. They can slow down time. Emotions = time travel

The above scene is from the end of ST3, when Hopper's letter is being read out as the Byers move away. Hopper is describing how he was afraid of change (the future, El growing up, things changing), so he tried to stop that change. He tried to TURN BACK THE CLOCK. And look at who the camera pans to when he says this...

In a scene which directly mirrors the hug between Karen and Mike when Mike runs home believing Will is dead.

Both scenes have Heroes playing in the background, by the way. A song which summarizes all of the queer themes in the show, which I did an analysis of here.

Mike is a character who we don’t know anything about the internal world of. Which I think is a massive red (green?) flag for his chances of getting the Vecna treatment, given that he’s really the only main character who we don’t hear from in this way. The only time it even appears like we might be hearing from him, he’s just parroting what Will tells him to say to El.

So, for me, the blue hand (Mike) in the clock (Vecna) is foreshadowing for the fact that he may be targeted by Vecna in ST5. Maybe he's already been targeted and we just haven't seen it from his POV, yet. I actually think this will be the reason Will stops repressing his powers and learns how to use them (whatever they are). Or learns to use his connection to the UD in order to save the love of his life.

Because if all of this time stuff comes down to emotion, Will needs to accept that his feelings for Mike don’t make him a mistake. He needs to learn to accept himself. And is there any better catalyst to enact that change than Mike being in danger? We saw how a life or death scenario made Max open up a bit more to her friends, and I feel the same will happen with Mike and Will.

So, to recap:

Clocks represent Vecna and also play into the weird time shenanigans that ST5 will definitely deal with

The Starcourt Mall clock has yellow (Will) and blue (Mike) hands to indicate that those two will play a key role in defeating Vecna

Will: is the antidote/positive opposite to Vecna; who Henry could have been if he healed from his trauma -> this means Will is the only one who can stop Vecna for good

Mike: prime target for a Vecna'ing in ST5 due to his whole aura, and this will probably be the catalyst for Will kicking into gear and solving shit

There's some funky stuff going on with the timeline/possible time travel stuff that is way too detailed for this analysis, and it's definitely an essential part of ST5 that we'll be dealing with

Emotions alter time and may even play into how time travel and the speeding up / slowing down of time works in the show

Healing trauma, dealing with emotions, and accepting yourself are all going to be major themes in ST5, and this will be the way that Vecna is defeated: the power of love?! I love to see it

Also: the Creel house clock might have some power of its own?

Author's Note

Well, that's it! The power of gay love saves the day. Truly iconic, if you ask me.

This analysis has been so fun to put together over the last week, and I hope you all have fun reading it as well! Originally it was meant to be a breakdown of the Starcourt Mall clock, but then I remembered the quote about emotions and time travel and it kind of had me gnawing at my screen because hyperfixations, so there's that.

As always, I love to hear people's thoughts on these analysis posts, so if you have any ideas that go along with this, feel free to add onto it. Or you can send me an ask if you have any questions! I'd love to hear what you think! :)

—Em

#this is like 3000 words lmao #and I think I still have more to say about it - especially the emotions/time stuff #anyways clocks are fun let’s talk about clocks. and emotions. and trauma. and gay love #oh and time travel!#st5 theory #mike you’re in danger! run!#byler #will byers is a hero and henry creel deserved a better childhood #what the FUCK is going on with that creek clock btw - I can’t figure that but out #byler analysis #byler meta #stranger things analysis #st5 theories #stranger things theory #stranger things meta #vecna #the upside down

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henrysglock · 3 months

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🔥 + El 💖

I actually love what they've done with her story so far, especially irt her powers (Do I wish we'd seen more of NINA/her backstory with Henry? Yeah, but that's beside the point). I know there have been some takes irt her getting her powers back "too fast", and "deus 'el' machina", and I disagree with most of them. (I'm sure there's a take or two out there I can agree with, but I have yet to meet that take)

She got back to where she was before, sure. But that's square one! (square 001, if you will. I crack myself up) It was never meant to be enough to round out her journey, and we can see the progression in her storyline up to this point that indicated her powers and "hand up+screaming" thing wasn't going to be enough. It never actually stopped/fixed anything, it just delayed the inevitable, which negates the deus ex machina claims.

She's still very much a fallible girl who can't solve everything, and a big part of her overall journey is her learning that a) she can't fix everything, and b) she shouldn't be expected or expect herself to fix everything. We can clearly see in ST3 she was struggling to keep up with the UD just in face-on combat, even with help from the UD (whether you believe those slip-ups to be espionage or not). Her getting her powers back was never meant to be the end point of the NINA arc, and even Brenner says as much. She just had her Luke Skywalker moment and overestimated herself in her panic over her friends.

The point has always been that she has to grow beyond the square one she returned to, that she has to grow beyond this mindset of trying to fix everything herself, and the smackdown in 4.09 was that necessary turning point.

She didn't reach her end point too fast, she reached her starting point for ST5 right where she should: the end of ST4.

send me a 🔥 + topic and i’ll give my unpopular opinion

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total-serene560 · 4 months

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Making this to pin to my blog for general fic info:

Current List of Completed Fics:

> The Truth Runs Wild Inside Of Me: Stranger Things, One-shot, Platonic Elmike and pre-relationship Byler, Post-ST4. Description:

Because, in a moment, El will reach out and invade his mind. She will see everything, all his memories and insecurities and all the lies he told and filed away in a box full of all his regrets and guilt. She’ll see how much of a freak he is, how much is wrong with him- a hand reaches out then, El’s fingertips pressing just barely into the top of his knee. A message. Breathe. Fuck, he's holding his breath.

> I Dare You: Stranger Things, Two-shot, Byler, Post-ST2 Divergence. Description:

"That's high praise coming from someone who's never had to kiss me,” Will meant it as a joke, but the moment it left his mouth, he wished he could just swallow his own tongue and fall through the couch, “I-I mean-“ Mike just stared at him, eyes searching his face while his hand continued to rest on that spot between his neck and shoulder. His voice was so low and quiet that Will almost didn't hear him, “Is that a dare, Byers?” Shit.

Tumblr Ficlets:

The Byers leave Hawkins, Mike doesn't know how to deal with it

The first time he figures it out, he's 13

Normal Isn't Worth It: A Wheeler Siblings Ficlet

Currently Being Posted WIPs:

> Below The Fold: Fallout 4, Canon Divergent, Piper Wright x F!Sole Survivor, Currently being posted;

A half-dead vaultdweller shows up at the gates of Diamond City, saving Piper from being trapped outside by a spiteful mayor. This both greatly simplifies and complicates Piper's life as she chases after the story of how and why and who this woman even is. And, along the way, Piper finds that, in order to truly know someone, she has to be willing to be known herself.

> What’s On Your Mind (Pure Energy): Stranger Things, Byler, ST2 divergence, 1988-89;

A movie night, a DnD campaign, a Halloween party, an unhappy compromise, a rejection, and a letter. Mike and Will spend senior year trying to navigate the past, the future, and a growing tension between them that threatens to upend their friendship. (A Post-ST2 AU)

Planned WIPs:

> A Strange Education: Stranger Things, ST3 AU/Divergence, Byler, No Vecna, No Russians, ST4 didn't happen, Begins in 1986. Most active current draft/currently in the writing stage. 3-part series:

Part 1: A Paper Cut For Two (Summer 1986) - After a difficult freshman year, Mike learns that the Byers will be returning to Hawkins for the summer so that Joyce can fix a legal issue with El’s inheritance from Hopper. With his parents fighting more than ever, Nancy navigating her upcoming move to college, and his friend group full of tension, Mike dreads the return of the two people that he has probably let down the most since last year.

Part 2: All The Dead Leaves (Winter 1986-87) - After burning every remaining bridge in his life, Mike suddenly finds himself face to face with a threat he can’t handle alone. Thrust back together by extenuating circumstances, Mike navigates his tricky relationships with his former friends as they battle against a force that threatens to completely destroy Hawkins without the help of El’s long-gone powers.

Part 3: Why Our Bodies Even Lay Here - Mike wakes up alone on a highway in the middle of nowhere after narrowly escaping death. Disoriented and afraid, Mike calls the last person he thought he’d ever reach out to again.

> Go West, Young Man: Stranger Things, 1890s Old West AU, Byler, Elumax, Jancy, Jopper, currently in the worldbuilding/outlining stage, (Still in the worldbuilding process for this one, don't have a blurb yet)

> Unison: Fallout 4, Extremely canon-divergent, Piper Wright x F!Sole Survivor, currently in the outlining stage; Nora wakes up in the Institute 200 years after the world ended, but finds that her son is not who she thought, and the world above far more complicated than she had been led to believe. Leaving the Institute, Nora returns to her home and tries to bury the past, but a chance encounter with a passing Minuteman changes the course of her life- and greatly complicates it.

> Cyclebreaker: Stranger Things, Hopper POV, Post-series, partially written at the moment; Hopper adjusts to being a father figure for Will and Jonathan, despite his hang ups from his own childhood, but finds himself in over his head when he accidentally finds out something about Will that he wasn’t supposed to know.

> The Way: Stranger Things, Byler, currently in the outlining stage; Mike reconnects with Will 20 years after defeating Vecna, but the scars left behind run deep. As they navigate reconnecting, they must choose to face the past and what drove them away from each other and from their hometown in order to come back together.

> Violent Angles: Stranger Things, ST2 divergence, 1988, Vaguely inspired by The Edge of Seventeen (1998), currently early in the writing stage; Mike gets a summer job, learns more about himself than he ever planned to, and has to deal with the consequences of the truth on everyone around him.

#my posts #my writing

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aloneinthehellfire · 2 years

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Snippet: When Blue Meets Yellow

Masterlist

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Here's a sneak peek of a ST3 story I am currently working on. I really wanted to write a Steve x Reader story so let me know if it's something you'd want :) And I promise the story is much more interesting than just two idiots in love

Word count: 807 words

Warnings: none?, just swearing

Snippet: When Blue Meets Yellow

“Oh my god, just ask her out and get it over with.”

Robin’s groans were frequent lately, having to deal with Steve’s insufferable crush he had on the new co-worker.

“Robin, I don’t think you understand. There are steps to something like this.” Steve replied, leaning on the counter. He was meant to be working but since Scoops Ahoy didn’t get much foot traffic in the morning, he took an impromptu break to discuss his current dilemma with Robin.

“It’s not a fucking 5 step program, dingus.” Robin rolled her eyes, swinging her legs wildly as she sat on the counter. She had only met this boy a few months ago and he was already the bane of her existence. He was a good distraction from work, though.

“You don’t get it.” Steve finalised with the shake of his head, turning around to mess with the sailor’s cap they were forced to wear with the uniform.

“Speak of the devil.” Robin grinned and Steve almost dropped the cap, quickly turning to look out at the Starcourt Mall.

Sure enough, there you were, walking across the glossy floor and heading towards your recently new place of work while fiddling with your uniform.

You had gotten the job a few days into the summer after suddenly needing extra cash to merely survive. You figured making ice-creams in a sailor’s costume was much better than being broke and homeless. After all, you were only here since your father had sent you to Hawkins for the summer. He hadn’t given a second thought on where you were going to stay.

As you weaved through the tables and to the counter, you hastily threw your cap onto the surface with a groan.

“Good morning to you, too.” Robin smiled and you silently flipped her off, making her laugh.

“Rough night?” Steve asked, stumbling slightly as he tried to lean onto a non-existent wall but catching himself before you raised your head at him.

Robin was almost in tears at this point, excusing herself to go through the employee door so she could be removed from the comical awkwardness of it all.

“My room-mate thought throwing a party on a Tuesday night was a good idea.” You yawned, resting your head on the counter and pretending to snore.

Steve chuckled, gently tapping you on the head until you straightened and met his eyes, “As awful as I feel to interrupt your nap… we have customers.”

“It’s like 10am, who the hell wants ice-cream at this time of day?” You whined, grabbing your cap and shoving it on your head with little enthusiasm.

Steve stared at the cap for a second before laughing.

“What?” You smiled, involuntarily reaching to your cap.

“It’s… hold on.” He stepped towards you, shifting your hand away and fixing the cap so it was actually sat on your head the right way around.

“Thanks.” You giggle. For a moment, neither of you moved, barely a breath apart from eachother.

When you had started this job, you never imagined you’d be working with two people you got along with so well. Your previous jobs always stuck you with older, groggy co-workers who barely uttered two words to you; and if they ever did, they were very unpleasant words.

You and Robin quickly became friends, sharing the same energy as eachother. You had never had a best-friend before but you were pleasantly surprised when you discovered Robin was a movie buff just like you. And Steve… he was unexpected. You both teased eachother playfully, making jokes and occasionally having a serious conversation. The more time you spent with eachother, you more you started to question… did you feel something more than friendship?

Steve didn’t really think that getting a job at Scoops Ahoy was going to bring him any joy. After his parents refused to pay for college, he was stuck scooping ice-creams in the new mall and he had dreaded coming into work everyday. When Robin arrived, he was happy to have someone his age around, even if she irritated him more than anything. But he wouldn’t change that for the world. And when you appeared… he didn’t expect to grow so close to you. Only a few months and his heart felt sick from the constant fluttering. He had a crush. He wasn’t afraid to admit that to anyone. Other than you, of course.

The obnoxious ‘ding’ from the counter snapped you both out of your trance, alerting the presence of a female trio impatiently waiting to order.

You mutter a quick apology to the girls before you realised they weren’t paying attention to you. All eyes were on Steve Harrington.

You rolled your eyes with a sigh and left Steve to his job, walking through the employee door and joining Robin where she sat in the back room.

#steve x y/n #stranger things x reader #stranger things reader insert #stranger things #fanfic #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve x reader #steve harrington series #steve harrington x you #steve harrington imagine #scoops ahoy #st3 #stranger things 3 #starcourt mall

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paladinsbrainrot · 2 years

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AWHSTRANGERTHINGS FIC MASTERLIST

this is just a masterlist for all my fics so you can see them in full :)

ONESHOTS

all the things you don’t want to let go (4.3k words) - byler, non-specific pov, s3

Mike had been distant lately; ever since getting a girlfriend, spending time with her had been all he ever wanted to do. When she breaks up with him, and Starcourt goes up in flames, he's still M.I.A.. Will, still clinging onto their seemingly everlasting friendship, tries to fix their broken bonds, and what blossoms, is something both boys will treasure forever.

Or, Mike and Will, prior to the ST3 ending.

are ‘friends’ electric? (3.6k words) - byler, will pov, s4 speculation

Everything seemed normal, for a while. No monster. No Upside Down. Just him and Mike, on Will's birthday. But he supposes it isn't that easy, when your best friend's in love with your sister. After confronting Mike about everything he's learned these past three years, he comes out in a desperate attempt to save what was lost of their friendship.

Or, season four Byler.

a dream full circle (6.7k words) - gnf pov, pre-dsmp

George wasn't always the slumberous king we've know of him to be. It's hard to believe there was a time when he wasn't sleeping through wars, or plucking pretty tulips from the luscious bushes of the forest during Doomsday, or even being completely oblivious to the fact that his plan to take over the entire server was just a dream. No, there was a time when George Davidson was in fact, found, before being cursed with everlasting slumber and complete and utter stupidity.

Or, George's origins.

this town has dragged you down (10.3k words) - lumax, max pov, pre-s4

Her brother is dead. She's failing all her classes. She just broke up with her boyfriend. How much harder can her life get? Just a few months ago she was jamming out to Madonna with El— what has her life became: an endless abyss of darkness with nothing and nobody at the end of the tunnel. When all her friends drift apart, El in California, her boyfriend in basketball, Mike and Dustin with their minds in the gutter, how was she going to survive four more years in the pit of Hawkins High School?

Or, Max Mayfield as she navigates her grief before the events of season four.

SERIES

she knows so much about these things (8.4k words as of now) - robin & mike, mike pov, non-completed

when will you accept yourself? (8.4k words) - pre-s4, official playlist !

There was only one thing he and Robin Buckley had in common; they both were undeniable nerds. So he's a little confused when he walks into the Video Store, and Robin offers advice of all things. After many visits and conversations about life, relationships, who he is as a person— Mike realises why he's been so drawn to converse with Robin, and that there were two things they had in common after all.

Over the course of a month, we see Mike Wheeler in a state of vulnerability that we've never seen him in before as he comes to terms with himself, his sexuality, and his feelings for a certain friend in California with the help of Robin.

Or, Mike Wheeler and his blossoming friendship with Robin Buckley.

#byler #stranger things fanfictions #gnf fanfiction

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vampiremansionpoolboy-moved · 2 years

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ST season finale has left me devastated, Eddie deserved so much better 😭 Got any good Steddie fic recs to ease the pain?

oh u bet i do !!!!!

is this the real life? is this just fantasy? - this one is still updating but its sooooo good and also my new favorite fic but its st3 but if eddie also worked at scoops

you got me running like a hurricane - this is a rlly cool concept for a death fix it for eddie and this fic literally haunts me it so good

blame it on the satellite that beams me home - st4 but what if steve and eddie knew each other from before that also still updating but rlly good

also u might have no interest in this bc its not stddie but its so good that i need to tell u abt it but persephone - its what if chrissy got involved in st3 and shes besties with eddie

also also not to self promote but definitely self promoting ive got three st fics of my own posted on my ao3 and the only steddie stuff rn is just them flirting i haven’t finished any of my fully fleshed out steddie fics yet but i will and will post them at some point

anyways hope u like these !!!!

#toad talks #we just got a letter #i wonder who it’s from #anon my beloved

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jancys-blue-bayou · 2 years

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I was so disappointed in how crap ST3 that I fell out of fic writing. But then somehow the even bigger disappointment of ST4 kicked me back into it lol for it fix it fics and then some. Inspiration is weird.

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clericbyers · 2 years

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also wow guys thanks for 2K followers!! what in the heck that's boggling

anyway much in the same vein of me making this blog and writing a bunch of byler bc st3 disappointed me, well im sure as hell far more disappointed and angry now so uh , fix it fic time baby

#yams speaks

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argylemikewheeler · 4 years

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nosebleed

|| based off this post all bc the wonderful @willthecleric tagged they wanted to see it with byeler (and i couldn’t ignore it) || ao3

Will didn’t remember thinking about anything other than catching fire-- about maybe catching fire. About not throwing a lit firework fast enough and blowing himself up, rather than the massive thing trying to kill his friends. He didn’t remember thinking about the monster as the Mind Flayer... not really. Only when he was screaming and throwing his bundled firecracker over the balcony, near throwing himself with it.

Only when he could practically feel the rippling pulse of hundreds-- probably thousands-- of melted heartbeats all possessed and part of the Mind Flyer. Only when he remembered this monster was just a cloud of smoke before. Only when Will wanted to kill it for all the puncture holes it’d left in his peace of mind, claws still bloody with his innocence.

When the Mind Flayer collapsed, suddenly surging to a screaming and bloody halt, Will felt winded. He was surprised-- relieved-- and grabbed the balcony railing, standing beside Lucas to stare down at the structural carnage. Will tried to avoid looking at the human kind as well. He didn’t want to see any blood. It still made his skin crawl, made it feel cold and stiff. Like it could harden and he’d be okay with never moving again.

“Is everyone okay down there?” Steve yelled, pointing the rest of them toward the stairs at the other end of the second floor. Will only heard sobbing in reply, loud wailing and hurried coos of reassurance. “Hey! I need an answer! What are we looking at down there?” Steve started running, his legs wobbling slightly. Robin caught his back, pushing him up as she followed. Will began following Jonathan, when he passed by with Nancy-- Lucas having already taken off with Steve.

The moment he released the banister, Will felt his own legs buckle. He braced himself again, his back hitting the railing and his lungs sighing with a muffled oof. Will covered his mouth, hoping no one heard his discomfort, and felt something hot start to slide under his fingers. He didn’t think he cried so much that his nose ran.

Pulling his hand away, Will felt all his muscles tighten, like they were trying to retract and keep him away from the danger-- the blood smeared over his hand. The blood that was dripping from his nose and down his chin.

“Will? What’s wrong?” Jonathan called across the mall, having almost reached the stairs. “You coming?”

Will wiped his upper lip with his shirt collar and followed after everyone with a silent nod. He didn’t let go of the railing, gripping the stair banister all the way down to the open atrium of the mall-- or what was left of it.

He counted his three friends, moving and alive. And mostly crying. Max was inconsolable, despite both Robin and El-- and now Lucas-- trying to soothe her heaving cries. Nancy hurried to grab clothes from nearby shattered display cases to place over Billy’s-- to place over Billy. Will turned away and kept walking past them toward Scoops Ahoy, where Steve had hoisted Mike onto the counter before hurrying to the back.

“A-Are you okay?” Will tried to look at Mike, but couldn’t help but fixate on the streak of blood across his cheek. The cut on the left side of his nose didn’t look deep-- didn’t look like it was still bleeding-- but it was long. Will gripped the counter beside Mike as he stumbled to a stop. “Mike, are you okay?” Seeing Mike answer and shrug nonchalantly made Will feel lightheaded. Why did Will having such strong feelings for such a colossal and cool idiot.

“Yeah, Steve’s just being...” Mike crossed his ankles and adjusted his weight on the countertop. “He’s being extra careful. But I’m fine. Are you?”

“Yeah. Perfectly fine.” Will nodded and sniffled, hoping there wasn’t any blood trying to stream down his upper lip again. Will rested his back against the counter and faced the same way as Mike, just in case he wasn’t fast enough to cover up his lie. “Crazy, right?”

The manifestation of the worst days of Will’s life was dead in front of them. He could feel the reach still, the attempt to connect and sense what was there, but Will also felt cavernous. Something had left. Had left him alone finally. He’d be free after not knowing he’d been with company for almost a year.

“Not the crazy I had in mind last year, I’ll tell you that much.” Mike muttered, clapping Will’s shoulder. The contact broke Will’s focus, startling him-- and his knees again. Will scrambled to brace his weight on the edge of the display glass. Mike’s hand grabbed Will’s sleeve, hoisting him up. “Whoa, are you sure you’re fine-- Steve, help Will up here.” Mike moved over on the counter, shoving the tip jar and straw holder onto the ground in one motion.

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” Will insisted. There was far more blood around him. Some was on his best friend... and some was black and oozing out of his other friend’s sibling. There wasn’t any visible on him. He was fine.

Steve ignored Will and grabbed him under the arms, lifting him to sit beside Mike. The counter was barely big enough for them both, their legs pressing together. Will wasn’t going to complain, not really. It was nice to have someone touch him-- to feel like he wasn’t alone anymore. To know that even if his mind was wandering and his fear was taking over, his body could remind him he had support.

Will had been severed from Mike’s company during the scariest parts of the evening. He knew being with him wasn’t the most important thing in the bigger picture-- they were all trying to survive-- but to think something would happen to Mike when Will wasn’t there to at least try to help terrified him. Even if he would’ve just been the pair of eyes Mike found in his most wounded and worried moment was reason enough to be near him. And now Will was back with him, back with his best friend and smiling the best he could when staring at Mike’s cut.

“What’s wrong?” Steve had a flimsy and pathetic first aid kid tucked into his uniform waistband. “What can I do?”

“Really, Steve--” Will tried to wave him away, but was stopped-- his hands grabbed and pushed down to his lap-- by Mike.

“Will looks really pale a-and his hands are cold and clammy.” Mike spoke over Will.

“What’s wrong with him?” Jonathan overheard. Will shook his hands free from Mike’s. “Will, are you okay? What happened?”

“We killed a monster, that’s what happened.” Will said, hoping his voice didn’t wobble. “I’m just tired-- just scared.”

“Is that blood?” Jonathan grabbed Will’s collar, trying to get it to come off on his fingers. “A-Are you bleeding?”

“No, it’s blood from, uh, when we were cleaning El’s leg earlier. I had some on my shirt. I just wiped it. I’m fine. I don’t need the focus right now. I’m fine.” Will looked past his brother to Nancy, who’d taken over holding Max. She was smoothing her hair down, trying to slowly inch them away from Billy. The grief must’ve been unbearable for Max. Will didn’t want to try and speak over it with his queasiness and low, rumbling headache. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Someone should call 911.” Steve didn’t turn around, but he addressed the loss behind him.

“I don’t think the phones are working, Steve.”

“They aren’t.” Will was certain. They looked at him with slow-growing curiosity. Only Mike looked worried. “I can feel--” He could feel it. He couldn’t feel the hum of static or sense the jolting electricity that came from the hot wires. “I just know. The, uh, the lines are down in the parking lot. I saw them when we came in.”

“Hm, maybe the Todd Father’s got a car phone.” Steve said snapping. “Byers, let’s go.” Mike grabbed Will’s sleeve in case he misunderstood which Byers Steve was summoning.

“How did you know that?” Mike asked quietly. “The phones. How did you know that?”

“I saw it in the parking lot. The Mind Flayer must’ve caught in on reentry.” Will tried to make light of the destruction, coughing up a laugh. And maybe a little blood.

It was slick on his tongue, bitter and metallic. Will clamped his jaw tight and tried to keep from smiling with his teeth. He tried to keep smiling. Mike had his eyes all over Will, doubting his casual attitude and believing his tense body language far easier.

“That blood isn’t from El. Hers was dark, black almost. That’s red. That’s red blood.”

“I’m wearing a dark colored shirt. How can you tell it’s red.”

“It’s still wet. It’s still drying, Will. That’s not her blood. Is it yours, Will? Is it your blood?” Mike was suddenly too close to Will. He was asking questions and making it too easy for Will to let Mike-- make Mike-- care about him and his mysterious injury (not that Will would call it that. It was nothing).

“Mike, we should really help El and Max.” Will pushed off from the counter and onto his feet--

Will didn’t remember doing anything else. He didn’t remember landing or even walking away from Mike. He didn’t remember Mike’s retort or even if he’d said anything at all-- other than what Will heard coming to, splayed out on the mall floor, head pounding and limbs aching in waves.

“Will! Will, can you hear me? Will! Will, wake up. I need you to wake up, okay? Will?” Mike was hovering over him, his hair hanging and framing his face. Will felt his head jostle and realized it was resting in Mike’s hands. He was speaking too loudly and the mall lights were way too bright, but he didn’t want to complain. He didn’t want to worry anyone.

“‘m okay.” Will swatted at Mike, but his hand never left his side.

“Holy shit thank God-- Will, you are not okay. Y-You’re bleeding and you fell and-- what’s going on, I need you to tell me. Tell us.” Mike looked up, down past Will’s legs briefly, making him aware of the other eyes staring at him. Some he knew from feeling-- Jonathan, Nancy, Lucas-- and others he could guess from the crowd of sneakers in his peripherals.

“I’m bleeding?” Will knew he could play stupid to Mike.

“There’s blood on your teeth-- in your mouth. I can see it. A-And I think there’s some on my hand s-so I don’t know if you hit your head and--” Will hadn’t thought there’d be any coming out of his ears too. “I need you to tell me what’s wrong. This isn’t a joke to me, I’m serious.”

Will tried to sit up but found the cradle of Mike’s hands far more comforting. He pushed his head down, trying to get Mike to lean over him further; lower his voice and block out the neon, fluorescent lighting. The hum of static was back; there was a working wire, working telephone nearby. Someone-- or something-- had entered Will’s senses.

“It’s really dead.” Will whispered. Mike nodded quickly, smiling with uncertain happiness.

“It is. It’s dead.”

“And I’m not.”

“Will--”

"I was part of the army, but I didn’t die. I’m still alive.” Will reached for Mike’s arm, fumbling to find it, to find the comforting reminder he wasn’t alone again. “Mike, I’m alive but--”

Above them, the front doors to Starcourt slammed open. Thin beams of light from a crowd of flashlights flcikered over their heads, across the loft. They called for survivors-- how comforting-- asking how many there were. If anyone was hurt. The group turned away from Will’s hushed confession to begin answering the aid.

Mike didn’t turn away. Didn’t even blink. “But what?”

“I was having a nosebleed.” Will’s fingers dung into Mike’s forearm, trying to explain-- or just apologize. “My nose started bleeding.”

Mike shifted under Will’s head, bringing his legs to one side. “Don’t say this to anyone. If anyone asks... Don’t say anything. Don’t let them know. We’ll talk to El later and we’ll... don’t tell anyone.”

“O-Okay.” Will nodded. Mike twisted his arm to grab Will’s in return.

“How long did you know you could-- can-- do... whatever it is you did?” Mike pulled on the hem of his own shirt, wiping the blood from his hands-- and finding it on Will’s cheek by his ears. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Not us, not them. Why didn’t Will tell Mike. He didn’t sound betrayed, but almost like he wanted to be.

People dressed in all black-- military reinforcements, Will guessed by their guns and protective gear-- began streaming down the stairs and flooding the perimeter around them. Mike moved to cage Will’s head with his arms, still keeping their conversation private.

“I-I didn’t know. I didn’t. Not until it was dead-- and I was alone with... with whatever this is. I didn’t know, Mike. I didn’t.”

Mike lifted his head to look at the men trying to wave them out and away from the Mind Flayer. Will couldn’t focus on their words, couldn’t get his mind to adjust to the fizzing static of their radios or their bright flashlights now scanning over Will, seeing if he was alive; if Mike was cradling the last words of some other teenager. Will lifted a hand to cover his eyes-- and get the panic to die down for a moment, a breath of relief.

“Come on, we have to get you out of here-- can you stand?”

“Yeah, yeah. Nothing’s broken.”

“That wasn’t what I was asking.”

“I’m fine.” Will pushed himself up, nearly headbutting Mike in the process. “I’m fine, let’s go.”

Mike scrambled to his feet, holding his hands out to Will. He let Will grab onto him tightly, using his weight to ground his unsteady balance. Will was still light headed and his body still felt like it was echoing and radiating loss. The bright lights on the ceiling flared and spotted Will’s vision-- and Will wanted nothing more than to lay back down again. Mike grabbed his arm and put it over his shoulders, stringing him up.

“Tell me next time.” Mike hushed, walking them toward the stairs. “You aren’t in this alone, remember? Crazy together.”

“Mike--”

“You tell. me. next time, okay?”

“Okay.” Will nodded, wiping his nose again. “I will.”

“We’ll figure this out, alone. No one will test you, alright? Just stay close and we’ll figure it out. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.”

Will didn’t remember when he’d realized they had survived. When it really hit him that they’d all made it out-- well, almost all-- and we going to be okay. At least for one more day. Will didn’t remember what made it clear, considering everything in him felt drained and exhausted. He wasn’t sure if it was the soothing paramedics, or if it was seeing his mother again. It might’ve been. Or it might’ve been sitting on the curb of the mall, feeling the fresh air on his face and Mike’s hand on his own. It was the reminder he wasn’t alone, he wasn’t unsupported. He had someone going with him-- going down with him, if it all went bad-- no matter what.

Crazy together wasn’t just a promise, it was an oath.

#byeler #byler #will byers x mike wheeler #stranger things writing #st3 fix it #i mean not rEALLY but yeah #prompts

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