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skyfall8600 · 2 years

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Sucked In. Chap 22: Death Becomes Her

Summary: You wake up in the world of Stranger Things before the events of Season 4. Are you able to help in the fight against Vecna, and save the man of your dreams?

Pair: Eddie Munson x fem!reader

Warning: swearing, Upside Down, blood-mentioned.

Series Masterlist

Main Masterlist

Previous: Chapter 21

Next: Chapter 23

[2.1k words]

Note: Some creative liberties were taken in terms of D&D (I have mixed some old and new components)

You weren't sure what came over you. Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush; maybe even the stinging sensation in your hand from the contact with the blade. Most likely, it was Vecna’s gasps for air that fuelled your need to forgo your considerate nature and just let loose.

You tried looking him in the eyes; which was hard considering the right one was blown back into his head from Nancy’s gun.

The house was slowly caving in on itself; the fire below had forced the final integrity structures to collapse, and the newly added tear in the roof from the dragon meant that you only had minutes left before you needed to get out of there.

El started first, using his confinement under the dragon’s claws as the perfect way to limit his body’s movements. He was powerless, you could tell that the chip worked. El forced all his limbs to break, snapping in half just like he would do to his victims.

You focused on his mentality; amplifying every signal so the pain was a thousand times worse. The two of you ignored the blood pouring out your eyes, ears and nose. It was a small amount of suffering to pay.

“You do not know–” he gasped, “ –of the destruction you are toying with.”

Above you, Eddie lost his balance on the dragon and tumbled downwards to the ground. You went to rush to where the window once was, but the dragon nudged you to stay in place. Faintly from below, you could hear Eddie’s swearing cries– he didn’t sound hurt; and that was all you could go off.

Approaching where Vecna was on the ground; you stood up tall.

“It’s only fair you’re tormented just like the others.” You said, closing your eyes and raising your hand to cover his face.

The world shifted away and Vecna was transported back into his younger self; the scary and intimidating presence Vecna was gone, and only a young Henry remained.

“You could have done so much,” You said, letting the imaginary house cave in on itself, trapping a defenceless Henry under the rubble. “You– we– all of those like us could have made the world better; but you saw nothing but pain and suffering.”

He screamed, and it took all you had to remind yourself that it was not the child in front of you who was in pain. It was a ruthless monster. So instead, you changed his image to be that of Peter, his older self from the laboratory.

“Humanity deserved to die!” He screamed. “All humans have ever done is destroy and conquer.”

“No, Henry.” You said, “We have loved, and lost, and dreamed. Through all the bad that has come, there is always good.”

He looked at you angrily, his eyes sunken in and blonde hair slicked back. He raised his hands, trying to move things with his mind, but it was no use.

“You have no power here.” You spoke softly, stepping away from the rubble and picturing the earth below swallowing him whole. “If only you were different; we could have done so much good, helped so many people to outweigh the bad… it’s because of people like you, humanity is seen as evil.”

Eruptions of fire engulfed the rubble, capturing him straight in the middle. It burned apart his human-looking flesh.

“I’m not going to let that happen any more.” You said, your final word acting like a command. Thrusting you back into reality was when the dragon grabbed you, pulling you out of the crumbling house hold.

The dragon dropped you gently on the ground outside, everyone rushed over to make sure the two of you were safe. All you could do was watch as Creel House turned into nothing more than ashes and broken timber.

You ignored everyone talking around you, focusing your eyes to reconnect with the dragon. You had seen enough horror movies to know that unless you see the body; the villain isn’t dead. And like hell you’d let that happen.

You instructed the dragon to dig through the house to search for his body, volunteering your eyesight to help it.

“It won’t hold for much longer! There’s too many earthquakes.” Eddie said, pulling at your arm.

You shook your head, your vision filling with the dragon’s search. “I’m making sure he’s dead!” You screamed without looking at Eddie.

It was easy for the dragon to move the timber and other house materials; it grabbed Vecna’s already deformed body with its teeth and spat him out like trash in front of you and the others. Just like you expected, he was still breathing.

El moved so she held his head in her hands; you on the other hand, approached him slowly. Just as you were about the raise the sword to give one final blow into his skull, Will grabbed your shoulder gently.

You looked at him; his eyes held nothing but fear behind them. His face was bloody and tears mixed with the blood on his cheeks. You knew that even though Vecna had taken so much from you; this was not your story to end.

Will and El had to be the ones to finish him off; so you handed Will the sword without so much as uttering a single word. He needed this, far more than you did. Through the years of torture and fear Will and El had endured at his hand, it was only fair that they were the ones to put an end to it all.

You saluted him with a single nod, giving him full access to the blade and standing back. Eddie was by your side, clutching you to his chest instantly. Your body relaxed into his; and you suppressed a smile when you saw the demogorgons reproach from the side of your vision.

It was eerie quiet; the only sounds were the dying breaths of Vecna and whatever creatures remained.

Will didn’t speak at all; he raised the sword and swinged it in one swift motion. Vecna’s body fell to the floor, its already deformed and broken shape caused for it to lie weirdly on the muddy earth. His head, however, was still firmly grasped in El’s hands.

She made eye contact with you, unsure of what to do with it. You glanced to the demogorgon’s, nodding at them. El chucked Vecna’s head in their direction, and it was devoured in seconds. The sound of his skull cracking with every pull and bite echoed around you.

Everyone stood there in silence; hardly believing that it was the end. But, fate had other ideas. The ground beneath you continued to crack and move, a stream of red and blues painted the openings. The cracks lead straight back to the Creel House; which was fitting considering all this mess only started once a young Henry Creel entered the house for the first time. Before that, he was a normal child… depressed and slightly sadistic, but normal.

It made you think that perhaps there was something on this side, in the Upside Down, that made Henry Creel become the way he did. You refused to believe that someone could be borne that evil.

Dustin was the first to notice what was at the heart of the house; underneath the rubble and broken earth. It floated in the air below where you stood; if the earthquake never occurred, it would have remained hidden.

The more you looked at the crystal; the more your head became clouded with different realities. All the lives that could have been flashed through your mind, similar to how El first felt when she entered the upside down.

You tried to look at El, but she was in the same amount of pain as you. “We– we have to make sure it doesn’t break!” she said.

“What is that?!” Steve screamed, trying to get away from the faults.

“It- that’s what started it all! It’s some sort of crystal.” You said, gritting your teeth through the pain. You clutched away at your forehead, unable to feel anything else but the pull the crystal had on you.

“Crystals channel powers and spells.” Eddie said, hoping to offer some of his knowledge.

Over and over; the crystal showed you what your life should have been. The images were burned deep into your mind.

“Eddie– it’s showing me different realities.” You said, gripping forcefully at his shirt to support yourself upwards.

His eyes went wide, moving so he could get a look at the crystal for himself. “Fluorite. Fuck– ok, it’s a time crystal. That’s bad– very bad.”

“Reality Break!?” Dustin screamed.

“English please!” Robin yelled, “Why is it bad?”

“It destroys barriers between realities and timelines. That’s probably how the bastard knew to get rid of Y/n for his plan to work– the fucking crystal showed him.”

As everyone spoke about why the crystal was bad or dangerous to break; you thought differently. It was only showing you the good aspects of what life should have been; how perfect and untainted by Vecna. That was the true reality, and the one you were currently in was the altered one Vecna forced to come true.

“We– have to destroy it.” You said, unsure if anyone could hear your voice.

“Destroy it?! Are you crazy? That thing could literally cause the reality to cave in on itself–”

“Dustin, I think that’s whats already happening!” You waved your hand around, “All of this– should have never existed. The demogorons were a way for the crystal to try and get a hold back on the real reality– the one it is showing me. No upside down, no Vecna, no deaths, no me getting sent to another world– I think…. If we destroy it, it might all reset.”

“Reset, as in… turn back time to before the Upside Down was created?” Nancy asked.

“She’s right.” El said, “I see it too. It keeps repeated, like a loop that was broken– it wants to be fixed.”

Eddie swore under his breath, “No, we don’t know what would happen if we destroy it.”

He wanted to pretend that his fear was for the sake of the universe. That the possibility of it going wrong would cause destruction. But that wasn’t what he was afraid of; he was terrified that it would work. If Vecna was truly removed, who’s to say the crystal would fix everything exactly to how it was supposed to be? If the town reset and all those deaths never occurred, would that still mean you would come to Hawkins? Would you be trapped in that other would forever; a result of some glitch from the crystal?

He didn’t want to risk it. There was so many things that could go wrong if it did behave how he thought it would. He couldn’t afford never having met you; or potentially remembering you while you were out of reach.

“Eddie,” You said softly, “I think it’ll work.”

“And if you don’t come back?” He said in a whisper.

You smile softly, the best you could as you tried to ignore the pain in your head. You leaned to kiss him gently and quickly, “I’ll love you in every timeline; just trust me– we have to try this.”

“I can’t– Angel, I can’t do this–”

“Yes you can, even if you don’t see me again, look at the family you have. Look at how far you’ve come; you have to promise me, that even though I know you will wait and search for me, you have to continue to live life, okay?”

You would have been embarrassed at everyone hearing your words; but they were all too wrapped up in their own goodbyes. Hope that everything would turn out; but the fear of things still going wrong couldn’t be shaken away.

“I love you; I’ll find you.” He said against your forehead.

As everyone parted from their loved ones; El took it upon herself to use her powers and the crystal cracked. Green shards scattered all around and the world erupted into rays of light; overpowering and washing over all the darkness that was created.

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Eddie Munson Taglist:

@fentyreligion @littlelunarfox @coconutchumby @eempxth @superflannel @fluffycookies22 @yearwalker96 @magicalchocolatecheesecake @grungegrrrl@m1rkw00dpr1ncess @dixontardis @buckyslwts @bratckerman @dani-d0rk @musicmoviestv @tomshelbystits @reddisteddie @ungracefularchimedes @santaatemypuppy @cherryrevenger @chipster-21 @grungegrrrl @azaleaforsure

Series Taglist:

@gobringmemyfood @munchabunch @empty-and-nameless @el1997 @gooblerstan @bigbundabucket @theprettyandthereckless @earthtokace @ifellinlovewithawarsblog @secretsicanthideanymore @blueberryhitosh1 @maryan028 @bakugouswh0r3 @loliakeoghan23 @gamorxa @stardustworlds @bakugouswh0r3 @taeddybearkim @azaleaitsgreen @eddiemunsonslips @awhoreforeddiemunson @strangerthingsstories5255 @queenotaku23 @sweetberry47 @sammararaven @anothermunsonsimp @megumimind @zephyrs-world @thegirlwhohides

@whoreforhowl @kaitebugg03 @preciousbabypeter @snapped-chopstick @cutiecusp @sl-tfor-joseph-quinn

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x reader fluff #eddie munson imagine #sucked in series #skyfall8600 #eddie munson fix it fic

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filmmarvel · 2 years

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Ranking the New St4 Characters

🚨spoilers for Vol. 1🚨

1. Eddie- I love you.

2. Peter Ballard/Henry Creel- Damn. I had high expectations for him and Jamie Campbell Bower did not disappoint.

3. Argyle- He’s definitely a lot of fun.

4. Chrissy- Deserved so much better. I really thought she’d at least make it through the first episode (the limited amount of time spent with her is probably the only reason she’s 4th and not 3rd).

5. Dmitri- He seems like a cool dude (mostly just suffering at the hands of a lowkey boring storyline).

6. Yuri- I mean screw him for betraying them and all that, but he was pretty funny.

7. Vickie- Literally where was she. She really disappeared after episode 1 lmao. I liked her for the two seconds she was in though.

8. Patrick- Who? Just kidding, rip.

9. Lt. Colonel Sullivan- Asshole.

10. Jason- The most irritating and the most irrelevant!

#stranger things #stranger things 4 volume 2 #stranger things 4 volume 1 #stranger things 4 #eddie munson #peter ballard #henry creel #argyle #chrissy cunningham #dmitri antonov #yuri #vickie

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beth--b · 1 year

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I’ll be there for you

It had been a little over a month since Vecna was defeated.

After the nightmare spring break in which they had gone to fight a monster in the crazy Hellscape version of their hometown, the weeks that followed had been non-stop for Steve.

First there were the hospital visits, though he’s not sure it counts as visiting when one spends more of their time there than away. The first week had been the worst.

After they had dragged Eddie’s lifeless body from the Upside Down, Steve had been so worried that someone would come after him that he’d refused to leave the other boy’s side for the first few days. This of course meant he didn’t get his own injuries seen to, and he then spent his own painful recovery either at Eddie or Max’s bedsides, working, or ferrying kids (and Robin) around town for various reasons.

A few days after the fight with Vecna, Joyce Buyers and Jim Hopper had turned up with their own far-fetched tale of Russian prison camps and peanut butter smugglers. Steve was just happy to see that Hopper was not as dead as they had all believed these past months. They all deserved something good after all.

With Hopper back and Joyce there to light a fire under the government cronies asses, Eddie’s name was cleared, the murders pinned on the long thought dead, Henry Creel.

Read it on ao3 here

To his surprise, Steve found himself enjoying Eddie’s company. He’d never have admitted it out loud, but he’d always thought it was cool how Eddie just did his own thing without a care for anyone else when they had been at school together. Even then he might have found Eddie at least a little attractive, not that he had any idea back then that it was possible, and even ok, outside of Hawkins, to like both women and men.

They had grown closer during Eddie’s hospital stay, with Steve visiting as often as he could. If he thought too hard about the way he was feeling Steve was fairly sure he would just make things awkward, so he stayed quiet and tried to think of other things whenever he found himself paying too much attention to Eddie’s eyes, or his hands, any part of him really.

Max had broken both legs and also had a fracture in her left arm, but she’d be fine in time. Eddie had lost a lot of blood, required a lot of patching together, but was also doing much better.

The main thing was they were all alive.

Steve wished he could have spared them both their injuries, but he didn’t have that option, and at the time their plan was the best they had. So he did the next best thing and invited both Eddie and Max to stay with him.

His house was too big, and too empty for just him. His parents had called around a week after the supposed earthquakes had rocked the town, mostly to check their property was undamaged in the quakes. Steve’s own wellbeing had been a minor afterthought.

Once his parents had been reassured the house was still standing they had told Steve they wouldn’t be back for the foreseeable future. Hawkins was going to hell and they had no reason to stay. Apparently their only child wasn’t enough reason.

Steve just confirmed he’d be staying in town and his mother had sighed and told him he could continue to keep the house as long as he maintained it, and that had been that. It wasn’t exactly a seller’s market in Hawkins so they had no better use for it.

Eddie and Max both needed somewhere to stay, both of their homes being damaged in the earthquakes that had begun when Vecna had a hold of Max, before the combined efforts of the party had stopped him.

On his next visit to see Eddie, Wayne had been talking about getting a settlement for their trailer from the government, thank you Hopper and Joyce, but was unsure when it would happen. As a result, Eddie was days away from release with nowhere to go. So Steve had taken it upon himself to invite Eddie to stay with him.

Without too much fuss, the offer had been accepted and Steve had gone to visit Max and extend the invitation to her as well. Max’s mother was in no state to care for her daughter, and she readily accepted.

Once the pair was released from the hospital life got even busier.

Eddie had doctor’s appointments to have wounds checked and stitches removed, Max needed almost full time care while she was wheelchair bound. Physical therapy and more appointments were steadily being booked in.

With two extra mouths to feed, Steve was taking on more shifts and his own injuries were slow to heal.

Suffice to say that Steve was running himself into the ground.

The day starts like any other.

Steve wakes when his alarm goes off, he showers and does his hair. Then he heads downstairs and puts coffee on for Eddie, chops some fruit up for Max to eat and puts it in a bowl in the fridge for her to grab when she’s ready and makes himself a piece of toast before grabbing his car keys and walking out the door.

He drives to Robin's on autopilot, clearing his throat a few times on the way.

It’s a Saturday and they have the opening shift at Family Video. The only upside that at least they are on together and he’s not working with Keith.

Robin chatters away on the drive as usual, brushing her hair in the car and rambling on about something Nancy was telling her last night on the phone.

By the fourth time Steve clears his throat Robin shoots him a worried glance.

"You feeling ok Dingus?" she asked, reaching out a hand as though to feel his forehead for fever.

Steve bats her hand away while trying to keep his eyes on the road, “Cut it out Rob, I’m fine. Throat is just a little dry.”

Robin eyes him for a long moment as though staring at him will help her decide if he’s lying or not. Finally she rolls her eyes and starts telling him off for not drinking enough water.

By the time they make it to work he has a headache. Between his dry throat and pounding head he does take Robin’s advice, much to her delight, and downs a bottle of water before clocking on for the day.

The morning drags by, spent dealing with families renting a video to watch over the weekend and rewinding what feels like every tape that has been returned that week.

About two hours in, Eddie turns up. There are a few people giving him odd looks and whispering but mostly people just ignore him.

“Hey Stevie,” he greets with a grin on his face. He leans on the counter across from where Steve had been sorting returns and rests his chin on his hands. “Got any recommendations for me?”

Steve just snorts and shakes his head, “You are more than capable of finding something on your own Eddie. I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Max alright at home?”

“Yeah yeah mama bear, Max is with her little boyfriend. Sinclair won’t let anything happen to her. She wanted me to come get a movie apparently, but I’m pretty sure she just wanted some alone time with Lucas if you know what I mean,” he gave a greatly exaggerated wink and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Gross man. They are like literal children, don’t imply things like that about them.”

“Hmm ok not about them, how about you Stevie? Got any plans? Hot date you been hiding from me?”

“You know I haven’t. You and Max are living in my house, where would I be finding the time for this mystery date?”

Robin chose that moment to come back from her break and immediately started chatting to Eddie about some film she saw that she thought he’d enjoy. Eddie looked like he wanted to reply to Steve’s comments, but was sidetracked by hurricane Buckley before he could open his mouth.

Steve was thankful for the distraction. The conversation going places he really didn’t want it to go. It had been months since he’d been on a date. Quite frankly the only person he even wanted to take anything remotely resembling a date was Eddie. As he was in no way ready to discuss that with anyone, let alone the metal head in question, he’d rather not talk about his love life or lack thereof, at all.

With Eddie and Robin occupied Steve took the opportunity to duck out the back to the break room and down another bottle of water. If he was honest with himself he was feeling worse as the day went on. He was only a few hours away from freedom for the rest of the weekend though, so he was determined to stick it out. Not like Family Video splurged for sick leave after all.

When Steve headed back out to the main storefront Eddie was gone and Robin was serving a customer. Steve was then called on to help someone find a copy of some horror movie he’d never seen and so the day continued on.

Several hours later his shift was over and he thankfully took his vest off, clocked out and let Robin drag him to his beemer.

“How’s the throat?” Robin asked pointedly when they were out of the car park.

He glanced over and winced at the look on her face.

“It’s fine Robin. Maybe a little dry still but I’m not working tomorrow so I’m gonna head home after I drop you off and go and get some rest. Unless you want to come over and hang out with Eddie and Max?”

Robin took her time responding, staring at him before nodding to herself.

“No no, go and get some rest Steve. I’ll call you later though and check in.”

The ride continued in companionable silence, Robin giving him a quick hug and telling him to rest and drink lots of tea and with honey or ‘some shit’ before exiting the car when they pulled up to her parents house.

Steve just mumbled something that sounded like agreement and pulled away once he saw her open the front door.

It wasn’t far to get back home and he was looking forward to laying on the couch and maybe watching a movie with Eddie and Max, Lucas too if was still there. He wasn’t convinced he’d be able to stay awake but he just wanted to relax. The past weeks had just been so busy all the time. His sides still ached if he turned a certain way or did anything too strenuous, and with Max wheelchair bound and Eddie’s injuries so much worse than Steve’s he had spent a lot of time hiding pained winces when helping Max into and out of her wheelchair.

Her arm was almost healed so it was getting easier now, and Eddie was far more capable of helping her than he was two weeks prior but even so, Steve was exhausted. He just didn’t want anyone to know about it.

Especially not Max who, despite her bad ass attitude, needed him right now. Eddie was a close second on the list of people Steve didn’t want to know he wasn’t as alright as he claimed. He had spent many nights now helping Eddie through nightmares, changing bandages and being a shoulder to lean on, literally, much of the time. He didn’t want either of the people he was trying to help to feel as though they were a burden on him. He would push through like he had been, but if he fell asleep watching a movie on the weekend after a long days work, well who would judge him for that? Nobody, at least Steve hoped not.

He had driven the rest of the way home on auto pilot, hardly realising he was there until he almost drove past his own house. He pulled in beside Eddie’s van and turned the engine off, leaning his head against the steering wheel for a moment. After clearing his aching throat a few times he sat back up and got out of the car, heading into the house.

“Hey Steve,” Max called from her place on the couch when he opened the door.

“Hey Max, Lucas still around?” Steve took his shoes off, leaving them near the door and headed to the couch to collapse beside Max.

“Eddie took him home a little while ago. Apparently his parents wanted them all to have some family time tonight. Sounds gross.”

Steve snorted at her comment and nodded in vague agreement.

“Are you alright Steve? You look…tired?” Max asked, sounding unsure of her own question.

Steve sighed and sat back up forcing a smile. He didn’t like Max sounding like that. Max was always so strong and sure of herself. He didn’t want to be the one to upset her, make her doubt things.

“I am fine Mad Max. Just been a long day and I’m kinda beat. Wanna watch a movie and just hang tonight?”

“As long as there are snacks I’m there. Can’t really do much else right now anyway,” she said with a wry grin, indicating her legs which were both still encased in casts.

“Fair call. Eddie upstairs? I’ll find out what he wants to eat and then we can get some food and a movie going.”

“Yep, he said he was going to read a little while ago.”

“Thanks, let me go get things sorted and I’ll be back soon. Think about what you want to watch, yeah?” Steve said as he forced himself upright again. Max nodded and Steve headed up the stairs to find Eddie.

Eddie was sprawled across Steve’s bed reading a battered copy of Peter Pan that Steve had been given by a relative one year for his birthday. His parents hadn’t cared for fantasy books but young Steve had spent many nights reading the book and dreaming of his own escape to Neverland.

“Afternoon sweetheart,” Eddie said with a smile, looking up at Steve from his place on the bed. He lay the book down on the bed after putting a scrap of paper between the pages to act as a bookmark.

“Hey Eddie,” Steve said, fighting back the blush at the nickname, “Max and I were just talking about snacks and a movie, care to join us?”

Eddie sat up with just a minor groan as his nearly healed body protested the movement.

“Well I had been planning on going out partying. Smoking some weed, drinking a few beers, you know the usual…But I guess I can hang with you two losers instead.”

Steve stifled a laugh, “By all means Eddie, go to your party, don’t let me keep you!”

With a dramatic sigh Eddie stood and half threw himself at Steve.

“I wouldn’t want to deprive you of my company. Besides, Max is way cooler than anyone at any party in Hawkins. Ever.”

“You got that right. Come on then, let's organise food and get a movie going.”

The pair headed back downstairs, Eddie following Steve to the kitchen where they grabbed a few bags of chips and a coke each. Steve flicked the oven on to warm it up so he could throw something in from the freezer. He was too tired to cook a proper dinner for them all and his throat was hurting too much to want to really eat anything.

While Steve and Eddie brought out the food Max had changed the channel over to the video player and chosen a movie. She handed the tape over to Steve and he put the video in to start. Fast forwarding through the trailers and promos for other upcoming movies he hit play again once they reached the opening credits of Max’s chosen movie, Return to Oz.

Within ten minutes Steve caught himself nodding off. Much as he wanted to sleep he needed to get some sort of dinner sorted so he stood up and went to the kitchen, opening the freezer to see what was there.

It was slim pickings, he’d need to get some more groceries soon. He found a couple of frozen pizzas and popped them in the oven, setting the timer so he didn’t fall asleep and forget. The phone rang just as he was about to leave the kitchen so he quickly grabbed it, hoping it was only Robin.

“Harrington residence,” Steve started only to be cut off by his best friend.

“Hey it’s just me, no need to be formal. Feeling any better?” Robin asked.

“Eh I don’t know. Maybe a little. I think a good nights sleep is all I need.”

“Alright then I’ll leave you to it. Call me if you need anything alright Steve. I mean it too, don’t just push through. I’m here for you alright?”

Steve sighed and rubbed his temple, trying to stave off the ache behind his eyes.

“Ok ok I will. I’ll talk to you soon Rob.”

“Love you dingus. Get some rest,” Robin said before hanging up.

Conversation over and food sorted he went back to the couch and settled back down between Max and Eddie, Eddie immediately threw his legs over Steve’s and Steve rolled his eyes but didn’t push him away. When the timer went off he poked at Eddie’s legs until the older boy moved them enough that Steve could stand up.

He pulled the pizzas from the oven, quickly cutting them up and putting them on plates to take back to the lounge room. He grabbed himself some water and took a drink before putting the glass in the sink and picking up both plates before returning to the others.

He let Max grab a slice before he put the plates down on the coffee table and then sat back down.

He forced a slice down, hiding a pained wince each time he swallowed. Once everyone had eaten their fill he took the dishes back to the kitchen then ducked back up to his room to change into a pair of sweatpants and a black shirt that may or may not have been Eddie’s. The metal head was technically staying in the upstairs guest room but more of his stuff seemed to be making its way into Steve’s room every day.

Clothes changed, he headed back down stairs and took his seat once more.

It wasn’t long before he once again found himself nodding off. He wanted nothing more than to fall asleep and Eddie’s shoulder was looking particularly tempting. Steve knew he had feelings for the dark haired boy, he wanted to act on them. He was also fairly sure that Eddie was gay. It just wasn’t the right time.

The closer he got to sleep through the less he seemed to care about appearances and he soon found his head dropping to Eddie’s shoulder. When Eddie didn’t push him away, instead wrapping an arm around Steve’s shoulders, he simply let himself enjoy the other’s warmth. He was in pain and now he was cold. At Steve’s slight shiver Eddie seemed to hold him a little tighter and Steve relaxed and let himself drift in a half sleep state. He could vaguely hear the movie, was aware of Eddie and Max making the occasional comment about something happening in the film, but he was too sleepy and content to worry about any of it.

Steve woke what might have been minutes or hours later, feeling like he was swallowing glass and that he was somehow both too hot and too cold all at once.

He gave a low moan and brought his hand up to his throat, as though rubbing it would make the pain ease off. Eddie, who had apparently fallen asleep half underneath Steve groaned at the movement and slowly blinked his own eyes open.

“Wha’s wrong Stevie?” Eddie mumbled, looking concerned at the sounds Steve was making.

“Throat hur’s,” Steve croaked, voice harsh and painful sounding.

“Shit yeah, sounds that way. Want anything? Should get you to a real bed,” Eddie was helping Steve sit up more and trying to slide out from beneath him, but Steve grabbed onto Eddie’s hand instead.

“No, nothin. Just sore. Tired,” Steve managed to say, voice growing quieter and more pained with each word. He glanced over at Max who was also asleep on the couch. He needed to move her but he felt like he could hardly move himself.

Eddie seemed to follow his line of sight and realised the same thing.

“I’ll get her to bed sweetheart. You stay put and I’ll be back for you soon,” Eddie said quietly, moving to stand. He lifted the sleeping Max carefully, with only a small wince of his own, and slowly walked her to the downstairs guest room she’d been using.

Moments later he was back at Steve’s side, pressing a cool hand against Steve’s heated brow.

“You’re burning up, why didn’t you say you were getting sick Steve?”

Steve shrugged, feeling too tired and sore to really answer. But at Eddie’s concerned look he forced himself to reply. “Didn’t realise, thought I was jus’ tired. Been so tired Eds,” Steve slumped forward in his seat, head cradled in his hands.

“Shit ok, let’s get you to bed. Hopefully a good night's sleep will help.”

Eddie wrapped an arm around Steve’s waist and helped him to his feet. Steve stood slowly and once he was upright almost slumped straight back down. If not for Eddie’s grip around his middle he’d have been straight back on the couch.

“Come on Steve, you need to help me here, at least a little. Otherwise we’re never gonna make it up the stairs.”

Steve mumbled an apology and forced himself to stand under his own power, though Eddie kept an arm around him just to be safe. Between the pair of them they eventually made it up the stairs. By that stage Steve was flagging, his steps growing slower. He all but collapsed onto his bed once they finally made it.

Eddie helped him under the covers and once Steve was tucked in he went to the linen cupboard and found a washcloth. With a quick stop to the bathroom to run the cloth under cool water he made his way back to Steve’s room.

Steve was mostly asleep, though he was just aware enough to mutter a sound somewhere between a protest and a sigh as Eddie pressed the cool cloth to his heated skin.

Once the cloth grew warm Eddie took it away and put it back in the bathroom, ready for later use if it was needed.

With Steve feeling marginally cooler and practically asleep Eddie retreated to the guest room for the night. More often than not they had been sharing a bed lately, helping each other’s nightmares. Mostly Steve helping Eddie. Eddie wanted to make sure Steve got the rest he clearly needed so thought it better to retreat for a change.

When Steve woke up it was still dark outside. He was sweaty and shivering and he was fairly sure his throat was actually killing him. Swallowing brought tears to his eyes. He needed water, so he forced his aching body upright and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He had taken all of two steps when he found himself stumbling sideways, dizzy and unable to walk straight. With a soft thud he dropped to the floor, resting his head on his knees until the dizzy spell passed.

With what felt like an almost insurmountable effort Steve picked himself up off the floor and slowly stumbled his way to the bathroom. Flicking the light on he winced as his eyes struggled to adjust to the brightness. Once he could see again he made his way to the vanity and turned the tap on, scooping cool water in his hands and drinking. Desperate as he was to soothe his throat with the cool water he almost cried with the pain the simple act of swallowing brought. He had hoped the water would help but there was no relief apart from his mouth feeling a little less dry.

After splashing a little water on his face he lifted his head and caught sight of himself in the mirror. He looked…rough, was the first thing that came to mind.

His cheeks were flushed while the rest of his face was pale and clammy with sweat, he opened his mouth to try and look at his own throat and from the little he could see it was bright red and swollen. The glands in his neck were enlarged and hurt to touch.

“Fuck,” he croaked, wincing once more at the pain talking caused.

Steve didn’t have time to be sick. He wasn’t sure he could just brush this off and power through no matter how much he wanted to. He could hardly walk straight, how the hell was he going to drive anywhere? Cursing his luck he shook his head and decided to go back to bed. Maybe a little more sleep would help. It couldn’t hurt after all.

The trip back to bed was almost worse than the one to the bathroom. He felt dead on his feet and now he was shivering, goosebumps breaking out over his skin.

He stumbled a few more times walking back to bed and just as he reached his door Eddie stuck his head out of the guest room, rubbing his eyes and looking confused.

“Steve? It’s 4am, what are you doing?”

Steve tried to brush him off but when he opened his mouth to speak a harsh rasping sound came out rather than the words he was aiming for.

“Ah shit, guess sleep didn’t fix things after all. Come on Stevie, I’ll help you back to bed,” Eddie said, moving to Steve’s side and steering the younger teen back to his bed.

Steve gratefully collapsed onto the bed but groaned as he found he was now both too hot and too cold all at once.

“You’re not doing too crash hot there huh? Want some company?”

Steve hesitated for a moment too long before shaking his head. He wanted the company but didn’t want Eddie to get sick too.

“I know you want me here Steve. It’s alright, I’m pretty sure you might have tonsillitis and guess what baby, I got mine taken out years ago. Don’t you worry that pretty little head of yours about me. Now scoot over and I’ll tell you a story to help you sleep,” Eddie climbed on the bed beside Steve and made himself comfortable. He started to tell the story of one of the campaigns the Hellfire club had completed a few months prior, embellishing here and there to make it more interesting.

Despite the fact that he didn't want to get Eddie sick, Steve slowly found himself inching closer and closer to the other boy until he finally had his head resting on Eddie’s chest. The older boy didn’t seem to mind, wrapping an arm around Steve and gently running his fingers through Steve’s sweaty locks.

Between the soothing motions of Eddie’s fingers in his hair, and the illness making him feel like he could sleep for a week, it wasn’t long before Steve fell asleep.

The next time Steve woke it was light outside. He was just thankful it was Sunday and he wasn’t rostered on to work because he felt as though he’d been run over by a truck. He glanced over and saw that Eddie had left the bed. He felt a pang of hurt and longing before reminding himself that he had no idea what the time was, he was sick and Max still needed help getting around.

He forced himself upright, pushing sweaty hair off his forehead and trying to convince himself to stand up. After sitting on the edge of the bed for what felt like hours he finally stood up and immediately sat back down as the world spun around him.

He gave himself a moment before making another attempt. Still not great, but he didn’t think he was going to fall straight back on his ass so he focused instead on putting one foot in front of the other and making his way to the bathroom.

With the most urgent needs taken care of he then decided to try and make his way downstairs. He was fairly sure that eating would cause too much pain to even try but maybe tea would help, so with that thought in mind he braved the stairs. He gripped the railing tightly the whole way down but eventually he made it to the ground floor.

He shuffled his way into the kitchen to be met with the sight of Eddie making breakfast and Max sitting at the table, some toast and juice in front of her.

“Morning Steve. You look like crap,” Max stated before taking another bite of her toast.

Eddie turned around at Max’s declaration and winced at the sight of him. “Should you be up? Do you still have a fever?”

Steve just shrugged before collapsing into a seat beside Max.

She gave him a light pat on the back with a murmured ‘there there’ before moving her hand away and sipping at her juice.

Eddie brought his own plate of food over and his morning coffee and put it on the table but didn’t sit down.

“Can I get you anything?” Eddie finally asked after staring at Steve for a long moment.

“Tea?” he asked, voice hardly a whisper and both Max and Eddie looked at him in sympathy.

“Coming right up sweetheart. You stay put. Not that you look like you could go far…” Eddie trailed off, turning back to the stove to boil some water and dig through the cupboards for tea.

Steve was fairly sure he dozed off on the table while Eddie prepared his tea, jerking awake when the steaming mug was placed before him.

“Tea with a little milk and honey. Should soothe your throat,” Eddie explained before taking his own seat and taking a sip of his coffee. “Once you are done with that, you are going back to bed. No arguments. You don’t have work, Max and I are fine and you need to rest and get better.”

Not having the energy to argue, Steve just nodded and silently sipped his tea. He only managed half the mug before he gave up, the pain too much to keep drinking.

Eddie looked at the half empty mug and opened his mouth as though to say something before closing it again with a sigh.

"Want to try something else?" Eddie finally asked.

Steve just shook his head and slowly got to his feet. "I'm gonna lay d'wn," he mumbled, wincing as he spoke.

"Alright Steve, let us know if you need anything."

Steve slowly made his way back to bed, stopping in the bathroom to choke down some ibuprofen. He wanted nothing more than to sleep but he was too uncomfortable to really sleep. Instead he just dozed lightly, listening to Eddie and Max downstairs.

Eventually he gave up on trying to sleep and got up to make his way back downstairs, vague notions of watching a movie in mind. He made it to the top of the stairs only to pause as he saw Eddie was already heading up.

"Hey you're up! Get any sleep?" the older boy asked.

"Mm, not really, tired but just couldn't relax."

"Well unless you need something how about you go lie back down and I'll come keep you company. Maybe that way you'll be able to relax," Eddie had reached the top of the stairs and was gently encouraging Steve to turn around, hand on his lower back.

Steve wanted very much to do exactly that but he was worried about leaving Max alone.

"Wha’ ‘bout Max?" he croaked.

Eddie winced in sympathy at the harsh sound. "How 'bout you rest your voice huh? Sounds pretty painful. No need to worry about Max, she's getting picked up any minute by Mrs Byers. Going to spend some time with El."

"I should go say-"

"Nope!" Eddie cut him off, "Back to bed. Rest your voice. No arguing." Eddie steered Steve a little more forcefully back to his room. Once he had Steve settled back in bed he pressed a hand to his forehead and frowned. "Still a little warm Stevie. You really need to rest. Let someone else take care of you for a change."

Be it illness or exhaustion Steve wasn't sure but Eddie's words tipped him over the edge and the tears he'd been holding back since the night before broke free, hot tears running silently down his cheeks, trying not to make any sound. If he began to really sob it would only make him feel worse.

Eddie of course noticed right away. He moved to sit beside Steve on the bed pulling the younger teen into his arms. "Shh Stevie, are you hurting? Want me to get you anything?"

At the concern in Eddie's voice Steve could do nothing but cry harder, a few muffled sounds escaping him, making his aching throat burn. He couldn't get any words out, just shaking his head and letting Eddie hold him.

"Alright, you'll be ok. I'm not going anywhere Sweetheart," Eddie just held Steve, rocking him slightly and whispering soothing words while Steve cried quietly in his arms. When the tears eventually stopped, Steve pulled away and dried his eyes on his sleeve.

"Sorry," Steve mumbled, voice sounding even more wrecked. "Never had anyone, take care o’ me b' fore."

Eddie just looked at him sadly at this revelation.

"Oh Steve, I'll always be here for you. As long as you want me and in any way you need. I promise, ok? I don't make many promises Steve but you, well you deserve to have someone to love- ah care for you."

Steve looked at Eddie with a combination of confusion and perhaps, if Eddie hadn't totally lost it, hope.

"You love me?" Steve asked, voice hardly above a whisper.

"Well…shit. I didn't mean to say that, but ah well all cards on the table I guess. Yeah, I think I do. Had the biggest crush on you for years. Terrible for my image," he laughed nervously. "But now I know you, like really know you….Yes, I do…" Eddie trailed off, half expecting the sick boy to laugh or kick him out.

Steve stared at him for a long moment before moving closer only to awkwardly stop half way through the motion.

"This is where I'd be kissing you if I wasn't so damn sick," Steve finally said before breaking out in a harsh sounding cough.

"Oh thank fuck," Eddie replied in shocked relief. "Thought I'd just screwed everything up Stevie. You sure though?"

Steve just nodded, emotionally exhausted and throat hurting from both crying and talking.

"Ok. Well you need to get some rest and when you are feeling better you and I need to have a serious conversation. Alright?"

Steve nodded once more, laying back on the bed and pulling Eddie down with him. Eddie went willingly, running his fingers through Steve's hair until the younger boy fell asleep.

By Monday morning Steve wasn’t feeling any better. Despite this he dragged himself out of bed where Eddie had been curled up with him after they’d both had nightmares the night before. He didn’t even make it out of the room before Eddie woke up.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Eddie asked, head cocked to one side.

“Umm work?” Steve answered, though it came out as more of a question.

Eddie got up and moved towards Steve, he pressed one hand to Steve’s forehead and shook his head. “You are ridiculous you know that right? I could fry an egg on your fucking forehead and you want to go work. Back to bed. I’ll go call Robin and let her know. Since school isn’t back for another week I’m sure she won’t mind covering for you today.”

Steve tried to protest but Eddie just shook his head and led Steve back to bed.

“Rest Steve! I will be back soon,” he pulled the blanket over Steve and turned to leave the room, Steve listening as Eddie made his way downstairs. Before long he could hear him on the phone, presumably to Robin, then a few minutes later on the phone again. Finally he came back upstairs with a glass of juice and another of water.

“Water is for you, unless you think you can manage the juice,” Eddie explained.

At the thought of the acidic juice on his raw throat Steve just winced and shook his head.

Drinks sorted Eddie sat back beside Steve, handing him the water. Steve took a few tentative sips. Eddie had added ice to the glass, and while it still hurt the added coolness seemed to make it a little more bearable.

Once Steve was fone Eddie took the glass and set it on the bedside table then went to his own small stash of books he had brought to Steve’s house and picked out the Hobbit.

“Now I understand you haven’t read Tolkien before so you sit back and relax and I will read you a story about a Hobbit.”

Too tired to argue, Steve just accepted that he was hearing this story and settled in to listen.

It took a week for Steve to recover from a rather nasty bout of tonsillitis.

On the Tuesday Eddie had finally convinced him to go to the doctor when his fever kept spiking and he had hardly managed to eat since the Saturday.

Eddie of course spent the entire time doting on Steve, proving that he was deserving of all the love and care he could handle.

So after several days of rest and some antibiotics to help clear up the infection Steve was finally well. Max was spending the night with El at the Hopper/Buyers household so the two were left on their own. With Steve still feeling tired after a week of being ill they'd opted for another movie night.

They were only half an hour into the first film, Gremlins, when Steve wrapped an arm around Eddie's shoulders moving into the other boys space.

"Stevie?" Eddie questioned.

"The other night when you…accidentally confessed your feelings, there was something we couldn't do. Eddie, would you mind if I kissed you?" Steve asked, looking into Eddie's eyes.

Eddie blushed but nodded at the same time, looking like he was about to burst from either excitement or nerves.

Steve leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to Eddie’s lips. It didn’t last long and it wasn’t the deepest or most passionate of kisses but it was theirs and they both knew it was only the first of many.

#stranger things fanfiction #my fics #steddie fanfiction #sick steve harrington #steve x eddie #steve harrington needs a hug #steve harrington #eddie munson #max mayfield #robin buckley #sickfic #getting together

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silver-blooded-synthetics · 3 months

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@hawkinsweirdos-rp-80 asked:

Errol, Henry could you go on a long rant about your mother?

"Could we? Oh, absolutely. You don't have to ask twice, love." Errol says, putting on the proverbial catty gossip sunglasses. Henry snorts but sits back and listens as Errol starts.

"Virginia Creel was a horrid mother. She obviously favored Alice more than me, treating her delicate daughter with care and love while shunning her son and treating me with nothing but suspicion and contempt. She hated that I cried too much as a baby, she hated that I wouldn't give her a moment's rest because I was high maintenance as an infant. But what was I supposed to do? Stop needing love and affection? She grew to resent me for it because I wasn't a quiet, happy baby like Alice."

"Don't forget that she was afraid of me," Henry adds. "Even as a baby I displayed signs of being different. There was one instance in particular where she set me down and I cried until the lights flickered and the bulb popped and shattered all over the floor. It terrified her. From that moment on, she never trusted me."

"True, true," Errol nods. "After that she always blamed me for everything wrong or strange that happened, whether I did it or not. She was suspicious of me at all times, but especially when I wanted to be alone. Problem was, I was a solitary child and liked to be alone. She hated that. Would always come find me and nag me about being up to no good, whether I was or not. So I decided that if she was so intent on me being a little trouble maker, I would be."

"Yes, that's when I started using my gifts to break her things. But I never touched them, so she couldn't prove it was me. Still, she blamed me. She knew. It got to the point where she would scream at me and lock me in my room. She told my teachers I was a trouble maker and the label alone made them not trust me either. She would always say there was something wrong with me. Do you know what it's like to hear that from your own mother?"

Henry sighed. "Things got worse as I got older though. She wanted to institutionalize me. She had me tested many times for psychological disorders, but I passed everything with flying colors and was pronounced normal by every doctor there. It made her furious. One time she actually interrupted the testing and shook me in front of the doctor trying to get me to mess up, screaming about how she knew I was only acting and there was something wrong with me, that I needed to stop hiding that I was really a monster. Imagine hearing your own mother call you a monster."

Errol flinched just hearing the term and remembering the incident. "She also hit me on a few occasions, when I really frustrated her. You remember that?" he asked Henry.

His counterpart nodded his head. "I do. She was an awful mother. I don't think I would have turned out half as bad as I did if she had just loved me better. But she was afraid of me from the very beginning, and that fear turned to hate and warped me. That's what I learned from her. To hate."

"I certainly didn't learn to love from her," Errol added. "I never knew a mother's love. I guess you could say I have mommy issues now because of it. Not like I don't have daddy issues too, but that's another subject entirely. Both my parents were fake, shallow, problematic human beings that deserved what they got."

#answered ask #oc errol #stranger things au #henry st #abuse tw

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prettyboy-like-you · 1 year

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if it had been billy and not max that was picked by vecna and confronted by the incredibly specific psychological onslaught of a distorted henry creel/one, instead of the more vague brainwashing of his mindflayer that billy was subjected to, vecna wouldn't have stood a fucking chance. because all of billy's trauma was from atrocities done to him, not by him.

like, i know we all already know this but just to clarify: billy actually never did anything that bad. to anybody. the things he was supposedly so 'evil' for doing—tormenting the annoying step-sister he was forced to parent at the age of 17 (and younger); being shitty to her friends borne out of that unfortunate but understandable spite, and only acting in a worse way when he knew her actions would rile neil into much, much worse (because anybody who thought it was billy being racist is just. wrong. from the bigoted shit we were shown about neil ie being a vocally overt homophobe towards his own son whom he called a fag to his face etc, that was just. obvious); to getting in a fist-fight with a boy older than him for the same reasons. obviously none of this was evil. obviously. well, obviously if you have half a brain, a bit of insight and some empathy. then you can see this was just a tormented and abused kid acting out and surviving.

so, the level of trauma-guilt needed for vecna to latch onto? billy just. he didn't have that.

now i know vecna only makes victims of kids, but pls just hear me out here so i can better explain the point i'm trying to make...

neil? totally a possible vecna-victim candidate. even monsters like that piece of child-abusing shit can feel bad for their actions, regardless of whether those feelings of guilt actually stop their awful actions from reoccurring or not.

susan? again, totally possible. maybe even more so than neil. her perpetual apathy and inaction contributes to the continuation of the biggest part of billy's ongoing trauma—being beaten, psychologically tormented, used as far more than a live-in babysitter, constantly humiliated etc—and the other part being billy's rejection by his mother which, although susan obviously had no direct part in, in the same breath she (as far as we're led to believe) never even attempts to be any sort of motherly figure or ally for billy which, again, is a small thing she could have done to just. show a little kindness and compassion for the boy under her care who's now supposed to be family.

but billy? where are those terrible, life-affecting actions towards another person that billy would need to be harbouring feelings of excruciating guilt about for vecna to be able get his claws into and convince billy he deserves the oblivion being dished out?

they don't exist.

and that's why, given the chance, billy could have fought vecna face-to-face far better than max ever did.

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aemiron-main · 1 year

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just remember. dart, a slugbeast from the nearest hell dimension, canonically has more kind words /love spoken to him than henry got as a child. will tells dart that it’s okay and that he’s not going to hurt him. dustin is kind to dart and cares for him and feeds him nougat.

dart received more love and affection in the week (roughly I think) he was alive than henry got throughout his entire childhood, at least as far as we see. dart canonically had more friends than henry. dart had one (1) friend for sure (dustin) which is one friend more than henry is shown to have (zero). dustin, in the tunnels, isn’t afraid of dart, a creature that could rip his face off. but virignia acts afraid of henry. in henry’s words, she despised him. joyce byers wasn’t afraid of her rabid, possessed son. but virginia creel acted afraid of her son, even before the visions began, she wanted to send him away.

henry vs dart and the difference it makes when you treat a being with kindness. dart is a LITERAL monster but received love and care growing up and dustin was able to bond with him and dart didn’t attack dustin. henry is seen as a monster by his family/specifically by Virginia, but received no love and care, and turned out far worse than dart did. dart is able to trust. henry is not.

(also this is not a ‘henry just needs love in s5/the lack of love excuses his actions’ post. s5 henry needs to be roundhouse kicked into the sun and his upbringing does not excuse him victimizing others. this is a ‘so much suffering could have been avoided if henry was shown even a minimal amount of care in his childhood and henry as a child deserved better and his own mother despised him and it’s a tragic story all around’ post)

#stranger things #st analysis #henry creel analysis #henry creel #again this does not excuse Henry’s actions this is not a

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boysdontcryboycry · 1 year

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this post is pretty metaphorical and almost entirely nonsensical. sorry

thinking again about dustin's s2 mindflayer analogy falling apart when hopper asked how to kill it. thinking about how will the wise is a wizard but mike (who is pretty much never wrong about anything) (except for calling el a mage when mages are npcs and she doesn't even really have mage powers she's much closer to a wizard leaping between schools of magic but also manifestationgate 👁👁? cuz this sure descibes her before she broke out of the lab

) called will their cleric. how vecna's curse is literally necromancy in the form of draining a person's life force and how henry should have died from the radiation burns he got traveling between dimensions or disintegrated like jason was by the gate opening in the creel house but didn't because he just necromanced like thirty people. and how the mindflayer isn't actually a mind flayer but a tool and the physical representation of the hivemind that henry is the brain of as the actual dnd mind flayer and so henry is a paradox in that he is both the mind flayer and the undead (lich? zombie? both? who knows!) that can resist the mind flayer's thrall oops i started reading about thralls and having revelations

billy was DEFINITELY a thrall, and will was well on his way before being blasted out of it by the power of love and seventy space heaters. i think the shadow is like a physical representation of the thrall and plugs you into the telepathic network and is also possible to expell Like A Demon so they could do a quasi-thrall that was reversible?

the rest of the flayed in season 3 i think were somewhere between ceremorphs and (reverse?) oblexes? possibly because ceremorphs henry wasn't really looking to make more mind flayers and ceremorphs ? he was just looking to kill? the hive mind. let me be coherent in a different paragraph (although i will say oblexes were introduced just over a year before season 3 came out as the creation of a make-a-wish kid and thus the similarities might've been a happy coincidence)

ceremorphs. illithid tadpoles injected into beings to eat their brains and take over their bodies and either become mind flayers themselves or become some other ceremorphized being that either was a subset of the hivemind to boost psionic ability or to find new victims to become food/members or other stuff idk etc, or in special cases becoming a being powerful enough to split from the control of the elder brain and start their own colony. the flayed in s3 get their faces sucked by tentacles a lot like will in s1, when the tadpoles were first deposited. they certainly look like corpses whose brains are currently being devoured from the inside.

anyway i don't think henry was particularly looking to make more mind flayers at this time partially from his fixation on el and will and also thinking pretty much the entire planet isn't worth it and they don't deserve the power and are better off as food and then as a biomass in his meatflayer that we still don't really know the end goal for? and so their orders were to munch the brains and then destroy the host body! yummy chemicals! the meatflayer ALSO could've been his attempt at literally physically creating his own elder brain. tadpoles plus nutrients plus hivemind shadow particles plus biomass? all the makings of a big ole brain ready to stew in some brine in a deep dark cave with lots of tunnels oh yeah that's why they were digging the tunnels

also btw besides ceremorphs a super rare tadpole will birth a super powerful mind flayer whose job it is to split the colony and move somewhere else and to become a new elder brain :)

and so im gonna black out cuz i can make absolutely anything about rosegate and the mind flayer "deities" ilsensine and maanzecorian just SCREAM rosemary and dick wheeler respectively, bro just trust me (go read their wikis), even dick's glaring abscence from the narrative as maanzecorian "died" and yet survived and his principles still being followed also .

mike wheeler knowing things he absolutely shouldn't check.

so like im convinced there is a (metaphorical?) elder brain underneath the creel house that tadpoled henry on move-in day (running from the bathroom?) and he became a ulitharid and is now splitting off to form his own colony with an elder brain under the library that may or may not be a brainstealer dragon. this bitch tadpoled tiamat

also if time travel is your thing Illithids Are Your Bitches

i completely lost the plot of this post

#virginia was a beholder and thats why henry takes the eyeballs sndnsksjs #this post is absolute dogshit nonsense please enjoy my stream of conciousness #st theories #this was originally gonna be about henry being undead and cleric will with the turn/destroy undead #but then i wasn’t sure if thrall was the right word for what mind flayers did and now here we are #also why would i do anything worthwhile with my time like watch my unending movie list or urnwatch or anything else. four hour rabbit hole.#but yeah i don't think he's Literally a ulitharid and Literally making an elder brain although who knows Gaping Mouth #and rosemary and dick aren't actually illithid deities but It's About The Metaphors. could very well actually be ghosts hashtag shininggate #like el doesn't have many wizard spells but like. her abilities while voidwalking and appearance in the real world screams dnd ghost #i need 2 sleep

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bebx · 7 months

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why is it always “I love you” and never “I think you are absolutely right when you say Henry Creel is not a cold blooded monster who needs to be killed but rather a tragic result of what happens when a child was scared and abused to the point he became the monster he was turned into by the hands of all of those people who had wronged him when he was utterly defenseless and at their mercy”?

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henrysglock · 6 months

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I'm thinking about it again, so I'm just gonna say it now and get it out of the way: If 001 had been Henrietta Creel, a tall, lean, polite and gentle "All-American" beauty. If she, as a child, had been dolled up all prim and proper in a little pink dress like El's from Season 1 while she played with her spiders. If she had snapped and ranted about social performance, about unattainable, unfair standards she doesn't think she should have to obey, about how her mother despised her, about reproduction and abuse, about how she was kidnapped by a doctor and experimented on to produce a line of super-powered children.

There would be no end to the essays and think-pieces about how tragic her story is, how horribly she was abused, how much of a victim she was, how her girlhood was stolen from her, how she deserved better, how she was really a good girl who finally snapped, and really, who can blame her? (not to mention the #girlboss, female rage, "good for her" posting...unironically...)

But at least in part because he's Henry, a male character who hasn't been pookiefied since Season 1 and doesn't have a sexy ship with Steve Harrington...Assigned Evil at Birth.

#i've seen all these in my inbox or in the wild within the past year:#attempting to discuss the tragedy of the story and the abuse he suffered is ''giving him willel's trauma'' or ''trying to give him a tragic #backstory (take it up with the Duffers. they did that not me)#attempting to humanize him as a child or adult is ''woobifying'' and ''apologism'' (a punishable crime)#any care shown towards his character is ''and just when you think you’ve hit rock bottom you want to fuck a blonde guy''#(you're trying to place blame where it's due)#rant #fandom wank?#vent #henryposting

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dwobbitfromtheshire · 2 years

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The Unknown Quantity Part Nine

A Stranger Things Fanfiction

By: dwobbitfromtheshire

un·known quan·ti·ty

/ˌənˈnōn ˈkwän(t)ədē/

Learn to pronounce

noun

a person or thing whose nature, value, or significance cannot be determined or is not yet known.

Part Nine

The group went over the plan one more time. The first part of the plan had Erica signaling to Max and Lucas from their position inside Henry's attic. Max would be baiting him there as he was inside of his trance. The other part of the plan was Dustin and Eddie luring the bats away from the house. The final part of the plan would leave the rest of the party to flambe the bitch alive. Max, Lucas, and Erica were positioned at the Creel house while the rest of the crew went through Eddie's trailer into the upside down.

Eddie and Dustin were looking pretty fucking cute in their homemade battle armor especially with Eddie wearing a bandana. She loved her boys. Wendy hugged her brother tightly then gave her boyfriend a kiss that would hopefully scar Dustin for life, whispering a promise into Eddie's ear about having sex after this is over.

Steve, Nancy, Robin, and Wendy then set off for the Creel house. It was quiet between them for a moment before Steve pulled Wendy back to talk. He didn't say anything for a moment as if he were too flustered to do so. It was adorable how red his cheeks were.

"Steve?" Wendy asked. "What's up?"

"I have to ask when Eddie called me 'big boy' was that him. . .?" Steve asked, trailing off.

"Flirting with you?" Wendy asked with a grin. "Oh, he definitely was."

"And you don't have a problem with that?" Steve asked with raised eyebrows.

"I actually thought that it was kind of hot. . .big boy," Wendy said coily and a jolt went through her when she said that.

Steve looked taken aback, his face growing more red by the second. He wasn't sure how to respond to that. She wouldn't normally be so forward but they were about to head into battle so why the hell not?

"You two are dating each other, aren't you?" Steve asked her and she laughed.

"Alright, don't tell anyone I said this but Eddie and I are into both," Wendy said. "We are open to anything but Eddie's a little more comfortable with himself than I am. It's hard to believe that I managed to fall in love with someone who's also into that. It's why he's so patient with me."

His thoughts were swirling around in head, she could see it in his eyes, and his face was as red as the sun.

"I'm just kind of into someone else, I hope that you aren't upset," Steve said, rubbing the back of his neck. "And of course, I won't tell anyone."

"Steve, I am not upset. Just know that we're here for you if you need anything and I mean, anything. . .," Wendy said, the corner of her lips quirking upwards.

Wendy knew who he was talking about, the one and only Nancy Wheeler. She was his first love and it was kind of hard to forget the person who showed you how to be better. She loved Nancy but she always found it hard to be truthful with herself but then again so had Steve, who was currently ignoring a truth so evident to her. It was why Wendy was understanding. It was at a time where things like that were still frowned upon but. . .maybe one day soon. And as much as she loved Nancy, Steve deserved to be loved by someone who can give it to him without constantly questioning it. She did that with Steve now she's doing that with Jonathan and Steve. For Nancy it was one or the other with her, a decision she couldn't seem to actually make.

It was why this next part was so hard to watch. The four of them were walking, trying to avoid the vines, when Robin panicked. She thought they were lost and ran ahead to check. Leaving the three alone to walk awkwardly with one another. Wendy felt like Steve wanted to talk with Nancy so she slowed down to walk further behind them but not too far away. She could tell that Steve was telling her the truth but she couldn't hear it. It looked like Nancy might say something back but it was hard to tell if it was positive or negative. It looked like it might have been both but before Nancy could reply Robin interrupted them. The Creel house was up ahead.

To be continued. . .

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bookofbonbon · 2 years

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Spoilers for ST4 Vol. 1:

Not at all surprised that JCB ended up being 001. I figured it out as soon as he stepped onto the scene because there was no he was going to play a minor role in a show like Stranger Things - it’s JCB (iykyk).

Him being Henry Creel tho? That was the plot twist I needed and didn’t expect. I also enjoyed getting some clarity and insight on El’s backstory and the events that took place leading up to her opening the gate into another dimension. I thought everything tied together quite nicely and I thoroughly enjoyed that narrative.

Jason pissed me off. The minute I saw his face, I was instantly irritated because I was reminded of Garrett from Teen Wolf lmao. My irritation wasn’t misplaced though because Jason was definitely annoying.

Angela deserved that hit to the face.

Steve, Eddie, Nancy & Robin = my core four.

Steve, Robin, Dustin & Max also = my core four.

I love any group with Steve tbh - he makes the show infinitely better.

I love the Steve/Dustin dynamic duo but, the whole Steve being clueless/dumb thing felt a little overdone this season and so, did Dustin’s sarcastic remarks.

Not a fan of the whole Nancy x Steve rekindling flame thing. I don’t have anything to say about it, I’m just not a fan.

Not sure if I was imaging things but, I could feel the chemistry between Nancy x Robin. There were moments when I was like hm…

Also Lucas x Max? Loved them! Caleb and Sadie’s chemistry really shone through in this season.

Can’t say I felt the same way about Mike x Will - I just don’t see it between them or even Mike x Eleven tbh.

The Hopper/Joyce/Murray narrative just felt drawn out and unnecessary. I wanted to skip through every scene to do with it but, I didn’t want to miss anything important (should’ve trusted my gut and just skipped lmao).

I felt similar towards the Will/Mike/Jonathan/Argyle storyline as well but, not as much. It started out like it was actually going to go somewhere but also ended up feeling drawn out and like a big run around.

I really liked Jonathan this season tho! To quote my previous post - “idk what they did with Jonathan in ST4 but, I like it, Picasso.”

I would’ve loved to see more of Erica Sinclair but, with what little airtime she gets, she never misses the mark.

I definitely missed some stuff but, overall: I enjoyed ST4 Vol. 1 :)

these are just my personal opinions - to be taken with a grain of salt.

#stranger things #eleven #mike wheeler #will byers #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #robin buckley #eddie munson #jim hopper #joyce byers #peter ballard #henry creel #vecna

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 2 years

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Psycho Analysis: Vecna

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

I love Stranger Things, but there is one serious problem that has hampered it in its second and third seasons: Its lack of a compelling antagonist. The Mind Flayer spent an entire season not interacting with anyone and making its looming threat seem distant and impersonal, Max’s brother is just a minor antagonist in a Stephen King novel cranked up to 11, the Russians are inevitably the worst part of the show whenever they exist, and the shadowy government agencies are just so played out and boring at this point. If the show was going to continue with some epic storyline about world-ending cosmic horrors, they needed to put a face to the nightmares.

Well, they sure did put a face to it, and what a face our boy Vecna has.

This fleshy monstrosity is not just the main antagonist of this season, but of the entire series, as a bunch of revelations show the sheer scope of the evil this Freddy Krueger expy has brought into the world. And most important of all is, unlike every single other villain this show has tried to throw at us, Vecna actually has a personality.

Motivation/Goals: Vecna, to put it simply, fucking despises humanity. In his life as Henry Creel, he came to utterly resent humankind and view them as a disease, and boy did he ever decide he was gonna be the cure. It’s a pretty simple motivation to be sure, but it works for a wide variety of reasons, the most important being that Vecna never tries to hide behind any sort of tragic backstory and instead consistently asserts that he is simply above humanity and that it deserves to be eradicated. He’s just a legitimately horrible, evil monster.

Performance: You might remember Jamie Campbell Bower for the numerous times he has played a twink in popular fantasy films like The Twilight Saga and The Deathly Hallows, where he played the evil asshole Volturi Caius and the young Grindelwald, respectively. But evil as those roles may be, they were still simply bit parts compared to the meatier role of Vecna; thankfully, he was quite prepared to take on the role of a murderous sociopath with a hatred of humanity thanks to starring alongside Johnny Depp in Sweeney Todd, which surely gave him plenty of experience with that subject matter. Bower absolutely knocks it out of the park, making Vecna into a horror icon for the ages. When he’s playing the role of the seemingly friendly orderly, his interactions with Eleven are creepy and uncomfortable, almost like he’s grooming her; as Vecna he’s no better, as he preys upon the trauma and insecurities of his victims and torments them to the point where they’re vulnerable for his psychic annihilation. Bower’s performance is astounding, but I guess that’s really what one should expect from Twilight alumni at this point.

Final Fate: Well, by the end of season 4 he’s pretty much completely victorious. He’s alive but weakened slightly, sure, but he devastated Hawkins, put Max into a coma, and got Eddie killed. Oh, yeah, and now the Upside Down is in the real world. Obviously they’re going to stop him in the final season, but the question is how?

Best Scene: Vecna gets a lot of good scenes throughout the season. Most notably, he gets to share the best scene in the entire show with Max as she flees him to the sound of Kate Bush.

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The initial reveal when he stalks Chrissy through her mind is atmospheric and incredible too, and it just reeks of the ceiling kill from A Nightmare on Elm Street. Just a beautiful introduction to the character.

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And personally, I love the scene where he’s giving his nihilistic motive rant to Eleven in the Hawkins lab right before she wastes him. Dude is laying out his hatred of humanity and giving an insane evil overlord rant to an actual child who probably doesn’t even know what half the words he’s saying mean. It’s truly a testament to Bower’s skill that he can pull such an absurd moment off.

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Best Quote: No, really, that rant he does is so fucking good. Look:

“Why do you cry for them, Eleven? After everything they did to you, hm? You think you need them, but you don't. You don't. Oh, but I know you're just scared. I was scared once, too. I know what it's like to be different. To be alone, in this world. Like you, I didn't fit in with the other children. Something was wrong with me, all the teachers and the doctors said I was... broken. They said. My parents thought a change of scenery, a fresh start in Hawkins, might just cure me. It was absurd. As if the world would be any different here! But then, to my surprise, our new home provided a discovery. And a newfound sense of purpose. I found a nest of Black Widows living inside a vent. Most people fear spiders... They detest them. And yet, I found them endlessly fascinating. More than that, I found a great comfort in them — a kinship. Like me, they are solitary creatures and deeply misunderstood. They are gods of our world. The most important of all predators. They immobilized and feed on the weak, bringing balance and order to an unstable ecosystem. But the human world was disrupting this harmony. You see, humans are a unique type of pest, multiplying and poisoning our world, all while enforcing a structure of their own. A deeply unnatural structure. Where others saw order, I saw a straight jacket. A cruel, oppressive world dictated by made up rules — seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades, each life a faded, lesser copy of the one before! Wake up, eat, work, sleep, reproduce and die! Everyone is just waiting. Waiting for it all to be over, all while performing in a silly, terrible play, day after day. I could not do that. I could not close off my mind and join in the madness, I could not pretend. Then I realized... I didn't have to. I could make my own rules. I could restore balance to a broken world — a predator, but for good.”

He is literally telling all this to a terrified child who just walked through a hallway of corpses and is likely still processing that. He is literally going off on a grade schooler. This is so funny but Bower is just so genuinely disturbing and unhinged here that it works.

Final Thoughts & Score: If there was ever a villain that proves even a simple, borderline cliché concept can work wonders with a fresh coat of paint, it would be Vecna.

Let’s be real here: Vecna ain’t that deep. He’s a misanthrope with a god complex who spouts off the most generic evil villain lines you can imagine and has a set of powers that seems like it came from the Supernatural Serial Killer Leftovers sale. There have been dozens of villains just like this guy throughout the history of film and television. But the thing is, despite (or even because of) this, Vecna still manages to be cool, fun, and memorable as a villain.

Most of the credit has to be given to Bower’s performance and the fantastic costume work. Being a mix of practical effects with a bit of CGI added to clean up and add a few tentacles here and there, Vecna looks absolutely fantastic, and Bower delivers each and every line with the sort of gusto one expects from a great villain actor. It is so important to remember that no matter how cliché dialogue is, a great actor can still sell it to you as if it were the finest Shakesperean writing you’ve ever heard, and right here Bower manages to show that he is indeed a great actor. Then there’s just the presentation, from how he kills, his backstory, his “IT WAS ME, BARRY!” moment where he reveals every problem in the show was always him, that goddamn grandfather clock… You’ll never hear a clock chime the same way again after seeing him. All the pieces just come together.

And then, finally, you have to remember what kind of show this is. Stranger Things is a big amalgamation of 80s tropes, so of course its big bad would fit that bill. It didn’t work last season when they tried to combine the Red Scare villains of 80s war films with The Terminator, but taking Freddy Krueger and ramping up the body horror while making him even more cold, cruel, and nihilistic than good ol’ Fred ever was in his first outing? It just works.

Vecna really is everything this show needed to thrive, and he honestly makes some of the lamer early villains better simply due to the fact they were merely his puppets. It helps, too, that when going back you can find hints that he truly was there all along; from the distorted clock sounds worked into music relating to the Upside Down going all the way back to season one to the implication via the use of psychic powers to open a door that it was him who kidnapped Will and set off the series, Vecna’s reach is incredible. Again, he’s not the deepest or most complex villain to ever be created, but he has something the other villains before him didn’t have: A Personality. And the big reveal that all those villains were nothing more than pawns, mere extensions of his will? Well, it makes them a lot more palatable.

Vecna is the villain we deserved all along, and probably one of my personal favorite villains. I’m a sucker for 80s slasher villains (Freddy and Jason my beloveds) and Vecna would fit right in with the freakish monstrosities of the era. I’m gonna give him a 9/10; I’m not giving him a perfect score, because there is a chance they could drop the ball with him in the final season, but I have faith Vecna is gonna come out as one of TV’s most spectacular villains.

#Psycho Analysis #Vecna #Stranger Things #jamie campbell bower

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