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selarina · 11 months

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I love you so (I'll eat you whole)

→ Kuroo Tetsurou x Fem!Reader

Summary: Two individuals caught in a repetitive cycle of phone calls and conversations, each blaming the other for their constant and inescapable interaction.

Or as Tom Wambsgans once said, "I love you but you kill me, and I kill you.

Content Warning: Toxic Relationship, Rough Sex, Heavy Angst, Dubious Consent, Swearing, Emotional Hurt, Allusions to Substance Abuse, Jealousy, Smut, Mentions of Cheating, Power Dynamics, Spit Kink, Cunnilingus, Blow Jobs, Hand Jobs, Post-Break Up, Dom Kuroo Tetsurou, Switch Kuroo Tetsurou, Switch Reader, Crying, Dacryphilia, Unresolved Emotional Turmoil, MINORS DNI

Word Count: 3.3k words

Author's Note: This is possibly the most toxic, and filthy thing I have written. And will likely be the last. Enjoy.

Read on AO3

"If anything this is your fucking fault."

"What the fuck? You're the one who called me," you say, and it irritates him how you can be this nonchalant. How he's the one up and carding his hand through his hair and you're just sitting, your hands and mind focused on a fucking cigarette.

"You fucking picked up. Yo—You could have just not."

You turn, your brows cinched, your eyes seething and it almost makes him happy, and that thought alone is enough to make him feel a bit sick.

"You are the one who called me," you say, accentuating every single word of that sentence.

"You always pick up. You could just not," he's repeating what he said and he thinks he could repeat it a thousand times and you still wouldn't understand.

"You're the one who's always calling. I do — Just stop."

Maybe he should, he thinks but it’s a fleeting thought. "I can't, and you know it," he says, his voice soft and a bit hoarse.

He sits down on the bed now, too tired to keep standing through this. His hand runs through his hair, he thinks anymore of this and he'll go bald — by stress or through pure frustration.

"You know it," he says, his voice comes out softer this time and you can tell he's tired.

He looks up to you, and he can tell you're tired. Tired of him trying to fix this, whatever you two would call it, but not tired enough to end it on your own. He supposes that in a way he's nothing but a hypocrite — how can he expect this from you when he won't do it himself?

Your hands come up, the cigarette finally abandoned and your fingers run through his hair, and it reminds him of the last summer before college started. Your hands would card through his, just like this. You were gentler back then, treating him like a delicate doll, now you card through his hair like he's yours, still a doll but fervently yours through time.

"I know," you say, your voice comes off hushed. "I know, baby."

And just like that he sinks. Into your shoulder, and into your life. Once again. All over again.

He smiles as his hands loop around your naked waist. You flinch ever so slightly at his cold hand, and just for a moment he thinks that maybe he should take his hands off, find his discarded shirt, and his car keys, and never return.

But then he thinks of how it feels to sink into you like this, like he could fit all of himself right next to you. You're the missing piece of his puzzle. Or maybe he is yours, he can't tell anymore.

Your hands keep moving against his hair, back and forth, and back and forth. Sometimes it moves sideways, but it's been long enough for him to figure out a pattern so he nips at your neck, slowly but harshly, his teeth sink in as he pulls against your skin.

You groan deeply, he feels it against the hand that sits on your waist. His hands tighten, he already knows that you won't pull away, but he can't help but pull you into him every single time because he knows this is fleeting, and he's grasping onto you while you're a dimly lit lantern that's waiting— no, palpitationing and aching to be set free.

Your hands are still gentle, even as he's pulling against your skin, you don't tighten into his hair. You never have, and so he kisses over the now visible bruise, and he's happy he can leave at least this on you. It makes him think that maybe all of this is not as fleeting as he thought. You carry the bruises for at least a week he realizes — all the love bites and the handprints.

He pulls back, his eyes narrow and you notice they're tinged with red, as though he cried but you know he didn't, you would've felt it. You look into your shoulders and still see no residual of tears.

His eyes stare back into yours when you look back up. They're muddled with a mix of frustration and just desire.

And for the first time today, your eyes show emotion. Other than pure fucking horniness, you feel love, it's a distant love, it's a love that doesn't exist but you feel it in this moment.

You draw yourself closer to him, and in one swift move, your lips are on his. You want to take this slow, like back in high school, when you treated each other with care and a brewing hint of fear, because you didn't want to break him and he didn't want to break you.

You can't help but internally laugh at how you both have failed, so miserably at that.

You want to take it slow, but you fear Kuroo may have different plans. He starts nipping at your lips, and tries and tries to swallow you whole. You fight against it, but eventually, as always you give in, almost feeling blissful as you give in.

His arms bruise against your hip as he pulls you onto his lap, your thighs lodging themselves onto his thigh.

You pull back, "Are you in love with her?"

This time he really laughs, "Like you'd ever let me."

"I'm not stopping you," you say. Almost offended, but mostly relieved. You're really not stopping him.

He doesn't say anything. He doesn't know what to say, you aren't stopping him. In fact, the last time he called you, freshly broken up with his girlfriend, all because she knew — she knew you were the only one for his fucked up self, and she left. You told him to go back, to apologize, to make things right and he begged to stay, to sink into your arms, and you let him because you could try to hide it all you want but his eyes could convince you to do anything for him if you didn't look away, and that night he held your face in place, and there was nowhere else to look.

"I could never. I would never not love you. Fuck, I'm so in love with you it's driving me insane," he groans, and he means it.

You softly whimper at his confession and slowly melt in his arms, arms going around his shoulders as you hug him flush. He kisses the crevice of your neck, as his hands trace down back to your waist.

He puts a soft pressure that's enough to encourage you to do more. You move against him, softly but with each grind, he puts more force into it, and it has you whimpering into his neck.

"I hated that you started seeing her. I hated that she thinks she has the right to touch you" You moan.

"Yeah, baby? How much?" He groans too, because your moving knee is moving against his crotch.

"So much," you moan, the jealous fury consumes you, and consequently consumes him. You remember how she hung onto him in their latest Instagram picture and you pull your hands in tighter around his shoulders.

You find solace in the fact that it's deleted. Gone. And the thought of that makes you sick. Somewhere down there, you know you're a terrible person. But also, somewhere down there, you feel like a teenage girl. Like the same teenage girl that met and fell for Tetsurou and all his odd charm, the same teenage girl that just won't let go, and you've long since known what happens to teenage girls in an adult world.

And then you pull back, and his eyes look up, a bit frantic, as his hands soften. He looks into your eyes, seeing if you want to back away, maybe this is the one time the two of you back away from each other.

But you've been here, and you've thought this one too many times to believe it, so you smile and push him back against the bed, with no force at all, but he knows as much to comply.

You don't waste much time, you pull his pants down, along with his underwear as your hands start moving up and down his cock.

He groans, "Baby, please. Can you—" He's cut off by another groan as his hand comes to hide his face with his forearms.

You stop all at once, and he wants to die. You lean down, one hand still stroking his cock, and the other coming up. You take his hand covering his face and pull it above him, and he looks at your face, and you think you'll never see devotion like this, not from any man, not from any disciple to their God.

You don't hide your smile, it's anything but triumphant, it's sad really. Because you'll never find this anywhere else, not even with him, no matter how much you try and try again. He's not the same as you once were.

You move your hand away, cruelty on your part, as you fiddle with your bra instead as he lies in front of you, helpless as he watches and pleads with his eyes. It almost makes you want to never give in like you should get up instead, take your carefully folded clothes against the chair, and put your clothes on as you tell him to leave before you come back from your cigarette run.

But you don't, instead your bra snaps apart and you give in completely, no turning back after this.

But you didn't look down at him through all this, and somewhere in between your contemplation and fiddling. Kuroo Tetsurou decided that he's had enough of this. He wants—no, he needs more. He's strung up and he's never been more close to bursting through the streams.

And so he reaches for your waist as soon as your bra snaps apart. Your breasts barely get a second to breathe before he's coming up and lifting you off the bed and off of him, depositing you knees-first onto the cold tile of your room.

You look up, ready to snap at him but you look up and he's standing. His cock hovering right above your face. Hard.

He gives you no warning before he smacks the meat of your cheek with his cock. A few heavy smacks hit your lips. The message is clear now as you part your lips, finally fully completely, and ardently giving into him.

As your mouth encloses his cock, trying and trying to reach the hilt of his pubes. He realizes he has missed this the most out of all things. He has missed a show of devotion from you, something stronger than a mere Instagram caption. Something as vile as this — you choking on his cock while still looking at him starry-eyed, and for a second he could fool himself into believing it's all okay. Like you love him as you always have, and the worst part is, you think you do, you think it is he who has changed.

He doesn't get to dwell on this, not when you're like this. You may be on the floor, but with you, like this, he feels so much beneath you in the basest way describable.

You pull away, your eyes teary and your lips swollen. "Come for me," you say, your voice hoarse but still commanding, and who was he to deny your command? So, like a mere disciple, he comes.

He's catching his breath as he looks down, holding his heavy cock in one hand.

His hands come to your lips, knowing you have swallowed. You never do, not until you show him. Your mouth opens up, and he bends and spits into your mouth.

His hands come to the side of your cheeks as he slaps twice consecutively. And then you swallow.

Seconds pass and the two remain as you are, trying to regain your breath. His hands come to wipe your tears, as his palm comes to caress your cheek and for the first time in 5 years, you softly lean into it.

Tetsurou thinks he could cry, so he comes down to you, sits face to face, and says, "I love you. So much."

There are tears, they haven't flown yet but you see it in his eyes and you hate it. You look away, but his hands come to bring your eyes back to him, he starts leaning in for a kiss, slowly this time like you wanted.

He softly nips against your lower lip, with no force this time. Taking his time as he moves his hand across your waist, and through your hair.

Your hair, though, is tangled and stops his hands in your hair and when he pulls, it pulls your head down with his hand.

"Fucking — Ouch!" You hit his hand away, as your hand comes to soothe your scalp.

"I'm so sorry, baby." He says, sincerely but then he starts chuckling.

You frown, but can't help but smile when you see the soft dents in his cheeks. You think they're less defined now, back in high school, they were like craters of the moon, hollow enough to hold water, you would tease. Now you think it would spill right out, holding perhaps two drops at most.

"Are you still seeing him?" He says, but he's sheepish and he looks away. He asked you this last time, actually — he threatened you to keep seeing him, as he kept fucking you that night — he told you to see him, that he would never compare.

Only Tetsurou knows they were empty words, from an empty man.

"Yeah," you say. But it barely matters to you, or the "him" Tetsurou is so worried about. "He" is your friend before he's your... well, more than friends, less than lovers, whatever you may call that.

"Didn't take you for one to cheat," Kuroo says before he could stop himself.

"I would never," you say, a sudden surge of anger emerging, fighting against your weariness. "You know I would not," you say.

He does. You think you would break up with the person and go ahead and fuck them far before you would cheat on them. Kuroo thinks you're lovely and cruel like that, but mostly lovely.

You know you would only do that because you hated the burden of one's pain, the guilt of causing that pain. You've seen how it tore your family apart, no matter how much they tried. You groan internally, no point in picking at closed wounds.

"He's not my boyfriend, Kuroo," you say.

"You told me he was," he says, his brows cinching.

"I never did," you say. He pauses and laughs cynically. Well, you're always careful with what you say and show, aren't you?

"You never told me he wasn't either," he says.

"Makes no difference," you say.

"Yeah," he agrees. He came here, thinking you had a boyfriend. You let him in, knowing he had broken up with his girlfriend a while ago. You must be a better person, right?

Looking into your eyes, he can't help but feel the need to disagree. You're kind and you're cruel, all at the same time somehow. But he's no less, so he forgoes the guilt in almost a swift minute, as he pulls you by your legs as lays you down on the cold floor.

You hiss as your back hits the floor. Kuroo's hand sweeps both of yours as he pulls it up above your head.

"Don't see him," he says. "I don't—" he pauses before he sighs. "Don't see him," he can't help but just repeat what he said.

"I'll consider it," you say.

You won't, you decide at that moment. You'll leave Kuroo and you'll continue fucking your friend, and this will all be over because one day you'll wake up as a brand new person, and you'll find that you have the ability to love someone other than Kuroo Tetsurou.

You think he sees right through all of this as he starts removing your underwear, which soon after, joins his pile of clothes lying idle on the floor.

His hands cup your cunt, and his middle finger toying with your sore clit. You hiss, and he notices. He hasn't fucked you since he last saw you 2 months ago, so he knows. He knows. He thinks back to the clothes of men he saw, the ones you were folding away as you had just finished drying them when he arrived. You insisted that you will finish folding and placing them first. Not wanting to delay fucking you any further, he complied. Maybe he was too lost in his desire to get you like this, eyes half-lidded with tiredness and desire, but he missed the slew of clothing items that seemed like they belonged to a man.

The shift in his eyes with the newfound presence of iciness in his eyes starts getting to you, as you shrivel in, and start moving as his continued pressure builds.

You try to go quiet, without the support of your hands, as you notice you're the only one making noise. He's just looking at you, not a single word coming from his mouth.

His fingers slip in, and he pumps in and out as you struggle more and more to keep quiet, and somewhere in between you give up. Moaning loud enough to know you might get a frustrating call from your neighbor.

He doesn't let you come though, and you don't know if this is comeuppance for not making him come before, or if this is frustration with your friend who's been getting the privilege to fuck you into your mattress all the while Tetsurou continued to drown himself in alcohol.

He stops his ministrations, moving back, facing your open legs on his knees. He pulls your leg apart, lining his cock with your hole, Kuroo let out a breath as he slowly pushes himself in.

It's not a tough fit, what with you already dripping all over yourself for him.

Those first few seconds always felt so fucking good, blowing his mind each time, and before you could even take the warning, he dragged his cock almost fully out of you and then pushed back in, quickly and harshly.

After a few quick and intense thrusts, he picked up a brutal pace, forcing her to take him as deep as possible each time, and each time he moved out and back in, you moaned louder, tears dripping out of your eyes as he watched you in your basest form. He thinks he's never loved you more, knowing he couldn't be more wrong.

“Was he as good as me, baby?” Kuroo growls, to cover up the fact that it's a plea. He needs to know. It would kill him if he doesn't hear it from you, he thinks.

He continues fucking into you so harshly that you kept scooting further up the floor. “Tell me, baby. Please."

You look into his eyes, and worry when you see your watery eyes, match his own.

"No one," you moan. "No one is as good as you."

He thinks he can finally breathe now. "Good girl," he says, a soft smile on his face, his pace slows down as he bends down to kiss your forehead.

You can't help but smile, just a little.

He comes back up and picks up his pace. He thinks that he could do anything to you right now, and you would accept it like the good girl you were.

His girl, he can't help but think wistfully.

He bends down again and starts kissing you, softly and harshly all at once, before he comes into you.

You don't let him go, even when he's done, and lying next to you on the cold floor. His eyes flit to the discarded clothes. He doesn't want to, but he thinks he should reach for them. See how you would react, and think of what happens from there but as he moves he finds his hand held softly in your grip. He could get out of it, and you know that.

He grips your hand. He understands.

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alices-halcyon · 2 years

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As we are watching Stranger Things 4, let us not forget our sweetest Russian. Dmitri “Enzo” Antonov is pretty great, but Alexei will always hold a special place in my heart. RIP baby slurpee boi.

#dmitri antonov #stranger things 4 #stranger things #alec utgoff #stranger things alexei #baby boi #he’s so cute #I would die for this man #rip #forever in our hearts #dmitri enzo antonov #slurpee #stranger things Smirnoff

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nunystuff · 2 years

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The most underrated characters: the antiheroes! Change my mind.

#stranger things #stranger things enzo #dmitri antonov #yuri ismaylov #Alexei #Stranger things yuri #stranger things alexei #dr alexei

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thegayhimbo · 9 months

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Stranger Things Kamchatka Review (and my thoughts on the Russian arc as a whole)

Warning: The following review contains MAJOR SPOILERS from the comic, as well as season 4 of Stranger Things!

If you haven't yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews:

Stranger Things Six

Stranger Things Halloween Special

Stranger Things The Other Side

Stranger Things Zombie Boys

Stranger Things The Bully

Stranger Things Winter Special

Stranger Things Tomb of Ybwen

Stranger Things Into The Fire

Stranger Things Science Camp

Stranger Things "The Game Master" and "Erica's Quest"

Stranger Things and Dungeons and Dragons

Synopsis: In dark wintry Russia, Soviet scientists and military personnel oversee a new weapon they hope to use in their Cold War against the United States: A Demogorgon. To this end, they have enlisted the help of Dr. Boris Orlov to give them a device that will allow the monster to maintain its full strength. However, when Orlov refuses them and hides the device, he is taken prisoner to Kamchatka where the Demogorgon is being held. Now, with the help of an ex-KGB agent named Mr. Frost, it's up to Orlov's children, Anna and Lenoid, to save their father and prevent the device from falling into the Kremlin's hands......

Observations:

This is going to be a different review from what I usually do. The first part of this will discuss the comic itself and its merits/flaws, whereas the second will give more details about my thoughts concerning the Russian arc from seasons 3-4 and its placement on the show.

Part 1: The Comic

There are two ways I judge this comic: As an individual story, and how it ties into the Stranger Things universe.

In regards to the former, the comic works well as a thrilling Cold War spy narrative. It's fast-paced, the fight and chase scenes are intense, and it manages to capture the paranoia of living in the Soviet Union during a time when your words and actions were monitored and there was the constant threat of the KGB coming to arrest you for being a traitor to the motherland.

The artwork is impressive. From the white and grey hues depicting the bleak endless winters of Russia, to the ominous red and orange lighting of the prison, this comic does a great job with its dark colors and use of shadows to creepy effect:

On top of that, this is arguably one of the most violent comics in the series, which is saying something given the show it's based on. They do not shy away from depicting graphic scenes here:

The way the Demogorgon attacks its prey reminds me of the viciousness the Xenomorphs from the Alien series displayed towards their victims. Given how 80s movies like Aliens served as inspiration for Stranger Things and for the design of the Demogorgon in the first place, this was likely a subtle nod to that. The comic writers and artists know how to utilize the Demogorgon for all its scariness and brutality. Considering the same people for this comic have written another story (The Voyage) featuring the Demogorgon stalking and killing the crew of a freighter ship (which sounds similar to the plot of the first Alien movie), they're planning on milking the monster for all it's worth.

There are two main antagonists besides the Demogorgon: The first is Ivan Kolochev, who comes across like Darth Vader if he was a Russian KGB agent. He's the one who hunts the kids in order to get their father's device, and it's revealed he was the former protégé of Mr. Frost during the time they both served the Kremlin. Ivan later turned on Frost for becoming soft in his eyes, which forced Frost to go into hiding and abandon his wife and daughter for their own safety:

The second antagonist is Dr. Karine. She's the one overseeing the Demogorgon at Kamchatka, and was revealed to have worked under Alexei and General Stepanov when they first tried (and failed) to open the gate to the Upside Down on June 28th, 1984. She was one of the survivors from the blast, and later discovered a pollywog that she nursed into adulthood:

Best way I know how to describe her is she's similar to Dr. Irina Spalko from Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in their ruthlessness, their desire to advance the Soviet Union's cause, and their fascination with abnormal branches of science. They even look physically similar in some respects:

In terms of the main characters, Mr. Frost was the interesting one. A man who ran from the KGB for 15 years and was skilled enough to survive and help two kids who were out of their depth. The story behind him abandoning his family for their safety was sad, and his reunion with daughter later on is heartwearming:

My only criticism of Frost is I wish they'd gone more in depth about his mindset. He tells the kids at the beginning of the comic he's disillusioned with what his country has become, and flashbacks show him becoming lenient in his interrogations, which gets him in trouble with the Kremlin. However, they never elaborated on how he got to that point. They never clarify if he began developing empathy for the Americans who were being tortured by the KGB, if he became tired from years of interrogating prisoners, if he began to fear he was turning Ivan into a monster by taking him in as a pupil, or if something else happened that made him re-evaluate his beliefs.

There's also his relationship/rivalry with Ivan. From the way Frost tells it, he raised Ivan like a son when he found him on the streets and took him in, only to later be betrayed by Ivan because he would "take the Americans side" whenever Ivan tortured prisoners. At the end of the comic though, Ivan accuses Frost of caring more about the rules and the state than about him, suggesting he felt Frost personally betrayed him.

Maybe it was intentionally written to be vague and let the audience decide who was more at fault for Ivan's descent into sadism, but considering we don't get many scenes showing what Ivan and Frost's relationship was like before they fell out with one another, it comes off like an aspect of the story (and Frost's character) that wasn't properly fleshed-out.

As for the kids and Dr. Orlov, they're pretty flat as characters. Anna and Lenoid have scenes showing they care for one another, but they don't really have personalities beyond them trying to find their father. Same for Dr. Orlov: Aside from one moment where he briefly delays Dr. Karine's plans by screwing over another scientist, he's basically a Damsel in Distress (or in this case, a Dude in Distress) waiting to be rescued. There isn't a lot to these characters that's engaging.

And this brings me to the crux of the problem I have with this comic: Setting it in the Stranger Things universe.

If this was just an individual Cold War thriller taking place in Russia, that would be one thing. In fact, I argue this comic works better if it isn't tied to Stranger Things. Just tweak a few plot details, change the Demogorgon to a different monster, and you have an original and unique story. By trying to shove it into the Stranger Things narrative, it creates a whole host of issues.

For one thing, it's highly unlikely Dr. Orlov or Anna and Lenoid are going to make a canonical appearance on the show. Because of that, it's hard to get invested in them or their story, and it doesn't help that the two characters who were interesting (Frost and Ivan) die at the end of the comic. There's maybe the possibility of Dr. Karine showing up in season 5, but since she made no appearance in season 4 during the Kamchatka arc, I seriously doubt that.

I've said this before, but I'm tired of them focusing on characters who either aren't important to the main plot, or aren't canonically part of the show. I'm not opposed to them doing a comic set in Russia, but it should help enhance the ongoing story and characters from the show instead of being a pointless side detour with Easter Eggs sprinkled in.

Take Hopper for instance: He spent 8 months imprisoned at Kamchatka prior to season 4. Why not write a story that focuses on his time there and how he learned to survive the harsh conditions of the prison and his torture by the Russians? Why not give more details about how he met Enzo/Dmitri, how they came to trust each other, and how they formed their initial plan for Hopper to escape?

For that matter, why not have a comic focused on Enzo/Dmitri? They could go more into detail about his life as a prison guard at Kamchatka, his relationship with his son, and so on.

Same with Yuri. I don't particularly like his character, but he at least was relevant to the show, and has a backstory as the "Peanut Butter Smuggler" that's ripe with potential.

They did this with Will and Bob in Tomb of Ybwen, and they did this with Dustin and Suzie in Science Camp, so I don't see why they couldn't have done that for either Hopper, Enzo, or Yuri.

Then there's the plot involving the McGuffin: A device created by Dr. Orlov that amplifies telekinetic abilities which Dr. Karine wants to keep the Demogorgon alive. Long story short: The Demogorgon is slowly dying because it can't live in our world and needs to be connected to its source (the hive mind) which the device allows it to do.

Now maybe I'm remember this wrong from the show (and feel free to correct me in the comment section if that's the case), but my understanding was that Demogorgons, Demodogs, and anything infected by the Mind Flayer (which was revealed to be controlled by Vecna) would cease living if the gate closed. There was a whole deal made in season 2 about getting the Mind Flayer particles out of Will before El shut the gate at Hawkins Lab because he would die otherwise.

However, when it comes to the Soviet's Demogorgon, I was under the impression it wasn't infected by the Mind Flayer, which is why it was still alive once the Russian Gate closed in season 3.

Same thing for the Demodog on the operating table that was being vivisected: My impression was it didn't have the Mind Flayer particles in it either, which is why it was active before Hopper shot it.

All of this makes the telekinetic device used to keep the Demogorgon alive look like a major plot-hole. The Soviet Demogorgon is never seen wearing the device once on the show, even though the comic puts a major emphasis on needing to wear it to survive.

It seems like an unnecessary element to the mythology given the show didn't bother to include it, and it's one I don't care for.

(Side Note: This is a question that's bothered me for a while now, but was the Hive Mind already a part of the Upside Down before Vecna arrived there, and he simply hijacked it when he used the black particles to create the Mind Flayer? Or did Vecna create the Hive Mind by forming the Mind Flayer and using that to infect almost every living being in the Upside Down and link their minds to his?)

Overall, my feelings about this comic are mixed. Some aspects like the artwork, the tone, and the Cold War setting work well, but the characters aren't memorable and the attempts to link the story to the Stranger Things Universe is handled in a clumsy way.

Part 2: The Russian Arc

When it comes to the Russian Arc in seasons 3-4. I know the general consensus has been fans questioning the point of it, with feelings ranging from indifference to outright negativity. In many ways, I get it. Out of all the directions they could have gone with the main story, this is not one I expected them to go either, and I'm still wondering whether there's a future payoff coming that will make it all worth it.

That being said, I don't hate this arc like some people do, and I even know a few people who like it. My dad for instance, who grew up in the 50s and 60s during the height of Cold War paranoia and the fear of Russians infiltrating the United States, thought the show did a good job recapturing those feelings and memories. He also liked how the show emphasized how the danger of the Upside Down wasn't just limited to Hawkins, and that it was important to show Vecna as a threat worldwide. I can see his perspective, and it has made me reevalute some aspects of the arc again, but my feelings still remain mixed at best.

I know when Season 3 came out in 2019, there was a podcast with the Duffer Brothers and producer Shawn Levy giving details about their reasoning for introducing the Russians:

Shawn Levy: “We’ve seen the Americans and now the Soviets trying to harness the power that seems to reside in the Upside Down through that gate. We’ve seen both sides of the Cold War now try to tap into it and control it in order to weaponize it so it felt like a really compelling way to take a real-world fear, an actual authentic historical paranoia, and to mix it with a very specific sci-fi genre plot that is unique to Stranger Things.”

Matt Duffer: “We always struggled a little bit with the U.S. government as the bad guys because there’s only so many times you can punch and/or kill U.S. government or military personal before you get locked away in America. So in a sense, they [The Russians] were an easier human villain because we could do a lot more with them.”

On paper, the writers wanting to explore themes relating to the Cold War and delve more into the paranoia surrounding the Red Scare wasn't a bad idea on its own. The way it was executed on the show, however, left a lot to be desired.

I'm not a fan of how the Russians were depicted in season 3. Not only did they come off as cartoonish buffoons and stereotypes, but they weren't threatening as antagonists. I never got the sense of menace or the intimidating presence I felt when Dr. Brenner or Colonel Sullivan's men showed up looking for El and anyone associated with her. And compared to villains like Dr. Brenner and Vecna, who evoked feelings of fear and revulsion, I felt no similar emotions for the Russians because I had a hard time taking them seriously. My suspension of disbelief breaks whenever I think too hard about how they were able to build their underground base at Starcourt Mall in less than a year. They were portrayed in such a bumbling manner that I didn't buy it.

Even Alexei is a character I'm not a fan of. There was always something irksome to me about the show portraying him in a childlike, naive manner in spite of the fact he knowingly opened a portal to a different dimension to capture monsters to use as weapons, which ended up getting a bunch of people killed in the process. The ONLY thing I liked about this arc was the formation of the Scoops Troop and the interactions between Steve, Dustin, Erica, and Robin.

Season 4 is different: Part of this may be due to a different perspective considering this season came out 3 months after the real life Russian Invasion of Ukraine, but the Russians were creepy compared to the previous season. There was a sadistic, cruel inhumanity to the way they acted that made them menacing. The vicious torture of Hopper. The pit where prisoners were fed to the Demogorgon and the whole thing being treated for sport by the guards. The lack of any basic human rights for the prisoners at Kamchatka. Even the vivisection of the still-alive demodog was horrifying. There was a brutality from the Russians that was chilling to watch, and it made them more insidious than before.

I liked the Russian arc in season 4 better than season 3. I enjoyed Enzo/Dmitri's character and loved the friendship that developed between him and Hopper. I liked seeing Hopper's character development where he became more level-headed and introspective compared to how impulsive and hot-headed he was in season 3. I enjoyed the break-in to the prison and how reminiscent it was of video games like the Resident Evil and Outlast series in tone, setting, and sense of danger. I also loved both fights between Hopper and the Demogorgon, despite how corny some people claim they were.

Just because something has flaws doesn't mean it can't have good elements to it as well. Compared to controversial arcs from other TV shows, this one had enjoyable moments, and it's not one I mind rewatching again.

I acknowledge that all of this is my personal opinion, and I don't speak for everyone in regards to how they feel about the Russian arc.

I also recognize there are still questions that need to be answered for season 5. Like how the Russians found out about the Upside Down in the first place: Was there a mole at Hawkins Lab that Dr. Brenner was unaware of, or did they discover it through other means? How did they get that piece of the Mind Flayer into the glass case without getting infected by it? Is Kamchatka the only facility that houses monsters from the Upside Down, or are there others? Do the Russians know about Vecna? What happened to Enzo and Yuri, and are they coming back? Will the Russians return to Hawkins to exact revenge for the destruction of their facility at Kamchatka, or to try and capture more monsters from the Upside Down?

In spite of these questions, I am willing to give the Duffer Brothers the benefit of the doubt in believing they will tie this together. As I've said before, I'm still looking forward to season 5! :)

#stranger things #stranger things kamchatka #stranger things comics #jim hopper #dmitri antonov #enzo #yuri ismaylov #demogorgon #demodogs #vecna #the mind flayer #tgh opinions #tgh reviews #the duffer brothers #stranger things season 3 #stranger things season 4 #dr. karine #alexei #alexei stranger things

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stillabookworm-ifonlyinspirit · 2 years

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The evil soviets trope might have been kinda dull if it wasn't for the fact that our beloved main characters consistently decide to defy the premise of it by making friends with every russian guy they meet

#also it's appropriate for a full eighties revival i suppose #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things 3 #alexei stranger things #antonov stranger things #enzo stranger things #hopper #jim hopper #murray stranger things #joyce byers #stranger things season 4

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noahmars · 2 years

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Hopper: Time for plan G. Joyce: Don’t you mean plan B? Hopper: No, we tried plan B a long time ago. I had to skip over plan C due to technical difficulties. Murray: What about plan D? Hopper: Plan D was that desperate disguise attempt half an hour ago. Y/N: What about plan E? Hopper: I’m hoping not to use it. Yuri dies in plan E. Dimitri: I like plan E.

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fictionalwhxre · 2 years

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Stranger Things Preferences

Their Pet names for you

(Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Billy Hargrove, Jonathan Byers, Dmitri Antonov, Jim Hopper, Alexei, Murray Bauman, Robin Buckley, Argyle, Henry)

A/N: My first preference! There will be quite a few of these so if you'd like to be tagged in them please let me know in the comments :) Also any Russian is taken straight from google translate so pre-apologies if I have butchered it!

Steve Harrington

Steve keeps his pet names quite generic, baby, babe, sweetheart. It’s not so much the names he uses but how he says them. Most of the time he’s most comfortable using the shortened version of your name, but the amount of affection he would put into it would still make you melt. If he’s being especially flirtatious you’d even occasionally get doll, he doesn’t miss the effect it has on you when he calls you that.

Eddie Munson

Eddie is as theatrical with his pet names as he is with anything else in life. He loves to call you princess, especially during Hellfire meetings when he can incorporate you into his campaign. I think Eddie would switch between a few pet names to try to keep it interesting, baby, sunshine, sweetheart. It doesn’t matter what he calls you it never fails to give you butterflies. Let’s not pretend that if you two are hanging out in his trailer while you joke around and play air guitar together that he doesn’t call you his little Rockstar.

Billy Hargrove

Billy’s pet names for you depend on two things; his mood, and who you are around. In public you're only getting the less heartfelt pet names, he refers to you as his girl a lot in front of other people. Not only does he love the small smile it brings to your face but it also feeds into his possessive side, knowing that everyone knows you are his. When you're alone and have been together for a while, Billy finally shows a softer side of himself. He will compliment you a lot and attach all soft of pet names to those compliments, baby, sugar, sweet thing, still loving to resort to calling you his girl. You're mad at him and he’s trying to make it up to you? Get ready for him to bargain his was back into your arms, wrapping his arms around you as he whispers in your ear, “Come on sweetheart, you know you can’t stay mad at me.”

Jonathan Byers

This soft, shy, adorable baby will probably be hesitant to use pet names for a long time. I honestly doubt you would hear them until you two begin to get intimate and he’s too lost in the moment to think about what he’s saying. He’s pussy drunk and rambling into your neck, pet names would all be soft and sweet while he’s chasing his high, beautiful and sweetheart would be at the top of this list. Getting high in his room? This sweet man would tell you how you're his sunshine, rambling on in his delirium about how you light up his life.

Dmitri Antonov

While this man’s English is very good, he still prefers to use pet names in Russian. There’s something about the way he looks at you with his intense gaze as he slips back into his native tongue that just turns you into an absolute puddle. His favourites include котенок (kitten) and моя любовь (my love). The thought of this man holding you while you curl up in bed for the night, arms wrapped around you while he whispers endearing words in Russian into your ear is enough to bring butterflies to your stomach.

Jim Hopper

Let’s not pretend like for a goooooood while this man affectionately refers to you as kid even if you are barely a few years younger than him. He’s a tough shell of a man that will refuse to open up or show his feelings for a long time, but when he does you realise its worth the wait. He doesn’t throw around pet names and words of endearment a lot as he prefers to save them for moments when he feels it’s right. When it’s just the two of you and you’re sharing a soft moment, sometimes referring to you as darling in his softer moments. Occasionally you might even get a cheeky baby.

Alexei

Another Russian baby, this adorable man will always call you pet names in Russian, it doesn’t matter if his English does eventually get better. It just means more to him coming from his native tongue. His regular go to include голубь (Dove) and Милый (Darling). Although, Murray taught him how Americans also use Pumpkin as a term of endearment as a way to screw with you both and now it’s one of Alexei’s favourite things to call you. Jokes on Murray because seeing Alexei’s face light up as he reaches for you and calls you pumpkin is enough to fall even more in love with him.

Murray Bauman

I feel like Murray cannot find it in himself to call you soft names to start off with. He’s still confused by the fact that you even want to be with him, he’s not going to possibly embarrass himself further using some pet name that might cross some invisible line he’s set up for himself. He refers to you as lady a lot, or another unique name that fits your looks or personality. Once this man is comfortable and more secure in your relationship I think the names would still stay light and not too sensitive. You would definitely get honey a lot, I don’t think Murray would be able to resist yelling through the house when he got home, “Honey, I’m home!”

Robin Buckley

Robin would also keep her pet names generic just like her bestie Steve, but less out of originality and more just to play it safe. Robin would have some insecurities going into a relationship after all the careful steps she took just to get to where you two are now. She is hesitant at first to say the wrong thing so she sticks to a lot of sweetheart and babe. One day you were spending time together and she slipped up and called you buttercup. She panicked for a second worrying what you would think of the nickname, but seeing your smile wiped all of those worries away and it became one of her favourite pet names so far.

Argyle

Okay so we all know this cutie is not gonna call you any conventional pet names unless he’s sober which is almost never. You’re going to get a lot of my dude and bro but he does really mean it affectionately with you. Other than that you’re definitely going to get a lot of made up names that mean absolutely nothing but to him they mean a lot wicked lady, cream puff, anything. He would totally refer to you as “my queen” when he lets you into the van which he refers to as your chariot. Your favourite pet name would be the time he said “My pretty girl is gonna get all the pizza she wants” he couldn’t understand your reaction as you couldn’t thing of what to say next after hearing Argyle call you his pretty girl.

Henry Creel / 001

I whole heartedly believe this man would refer to you as pet. He does mean it endearingly but he also can't resist how you scrunch your nose up at hearing the teasing term. He also uses a lot of “My little...” whether it be bird, bunny, dove. He constantly feels the need to protect you and he shows that in his terms of endearment by referring to you as small and innocent. I know this man would call you his good girl, and you will have to pry that thought out of my cold dead hands.

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