#Sue mayfield
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ED Book Review #1–Drowning Anna
IRL most people only know me for reading a helluva lot so I thought I should bring that into this blog. IDK how many ED-related books I’ve read but it’s definitely a lot lol so here we go. The first ED-related book I can remember reading is Drowning Anna by Sue Mayfield, which I read when I was eleven.
SUMMARY: in the first day following Anna Goldsmith’s suicide attempt, her mother and best friend piece together what led to it in flashbacks and through her diary entries.
REVIEW: this was probably the first mental illness related book I ever read in general. I was EXTREMELY suicidal when I was eleven and this book was sooooo precious to me because it made me feel seen in a way I’d NEVER felt seen before. I reread it recently and it didn’t fully live up to what I remembered it as but it’s still so important to me. Solid 4/5 but I’m a bit biased cuz nostalgia.
BTW the ED isn’t discussed much. I completely forgot about it until I reread the book.
Favorite quote: “I was too small and the pain was too big”-page 233
#ana and mia#ana trigger#ed bllog#ed not ed sheeran#ed relapse#ed di3t#ed disorder#ed vent#ed media#ed books#drowning anna#Sue mayfield
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After getting adopted by the Sinclairs:
Steve to Max: What are your intentions with my brother?
Max: I intend to teach him how to skateboard and laugh when he falls.
Steve: Okay, I was just making sure. I expected nothing less.
Lucas: Seriously?
Max: And what are your intentions as a big brother?
Steve: I intend to play basketball with Lucas and gossip with Erica about Tina.
Max: I expected nothing less.
Erica: I expect a little bit more. You're also going to let me do your hair and makeup without whining about it.
Steve: . . . Fine.
#stranger things#steve harrington#joe keery#lucas sinclair#caleb mclaughlin#erica sinclair#priah ferguson#sue and charles sinclair#steve gets adopted by the sinclairs#max mayfield#sadie sink#lumax
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max + the sinclairs is actually So .
thinking of max knowing and loving lucas but being so afraid of the latter, being so deathly terrified of being known because being known causes rejection but he holds every part of her—the meanness and the sadness and the hurt and the rough edges—and holds it up to the light unflinchingly. about how he holds every part of her so gently, like he could never dream of hurting her heart despite how many cracks are already in it and she begins to heal and she's still scared because wounds can be torn open all over again.
thinking of max appreciating erica's sass but not being able to help worry about her, because one day that witty tongue is going to lead her to bad places, places that could leave bruises on wrists and a bitter feeling in the back of her throat. despite her snarky exterior she's as sweet and kindhearted as her brother and max knows she can handle herself but worries all the same because she's seen so little of the world and max knows how naivety gets chewed up in the real world.
thinking of max loving mrs. sinclair but being unable to handle the affection she handles out so freely in the world, unable to compute when she puts an affectionate hand on her cheek. she asks for help with baking and max barely remembers baking with her own mom and it makes her sad and sue'll rescind the offer. no matter how many times she tells max "call me sue, honey" max can't just because sue is too close to susan and she feels, if she thinks of mrs. sinclair in any motherly way, like she's betraying her own mom, who works hard (she thinks so, anyways) for her, and if she thinks too hard for how mrs. sinclair makes her feel happier and warmer than her mom's ever made her feel she'll break down.
lastly, thinking of max and mr. sinclair and the hesitance. max knows of fathers—of waiting at bus stations for hours and watching the cars go by and knowing dad was trying his best but it wasn't enough because he never came at the right time. max knows of fathers—of men with hard blue eyes as cold as a rippling sea, of oceans filled with dangerous creatures and currents that can drag you away no matter how much you dig your heels into the sand, whose knuckles are bruised from punching his son on the nose and being terrified he'll come after her next. mr. sinclair, and neil and billy are nothing alike, not in appearance, nor in demeanour, but there's something in her, some subconscious part she's developed over the years, that just screams danger. he never shouts, he never gestures, he never grabs lucas or erica's shoulders too tight and he'll laugh and chuckle at their banter. the worst it gets is when erica and lucas's petty arguments goes too far and he'll tell them to knock it off. he's so sweet and kind and lucas says he's the best dad in the world and max is happy for him, she is, but she's unsure of what to think. of her own dad, of her stepdad, and of the dad that she feels bad for flinching around.
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Stranger Things Lucas on the Line Review
If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out my other Stranger Things Reviews. Like, Reblog, and let me know what your thoughts are regarding the show or the upcoming season! :)
Stranger Things Comics/Graphic Novels:
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
Stranger Things Kamchatka
Stranger Things Erica The Great
Stranger Things “Creature Feature” and “Summer Special”
Stranger Things Tie-In Books:
Stranger Things Suspicious Minds
Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 1 of 3)
Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 2 of 3)
Stranger Things Runaway Max (Part 3 of 3)
Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 1 of 3)
Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 2 of 3)
Stranger Things Darkness On The Edge Of Town (Part 3 of 3)
Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 1 of 2)
Stranger Things Rebel Robin Book and Podcast (Part 2 of 2)
Stranger Things Hawkins Horrors Review
Stranger Things Flight Of Icarus
Stranger Things Episode Reviews:
The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 1 of 2)
The Vanishing of Will Byers (Part 2 of 2)
Synopsis: Set between the events of seasons 3 and 4, the book follows Lucas during his freshman year of high school as he attempts to chart a different course for his life, taking up basketball as a means of trying new things and getting out of his comfort zone. However, Lucas soon realizes this won't be as easy as he initially thinks: His attempts to blend in with the popular crowd put him at odds with Mike and Dustin, his relationship with Max is deteriorating, and Lucas is forced to face hard truths about how insidiously racism is woven into Hawkins and what it means to be one of the few black kids in a mostly white town......
Observations:
Lucas on the Line acts as a conclusion to what I call "The Outcasts Trilogy," which began with Rebel Robin, followed by Flight of Icarus, and ending with this book. All these Tie-In novels center around three characters (Robin, Eddie, Lucas) who are considered outcasts in Hawkins: Robin is secretly a lesbian in a homophobic culture, Eddie is the town freak due to his interest in D&D, guitar, his low socioeconomic status, and his family's reputation because of his dad's criminal past, and Lucas is a black kid in a society where racism and prejudice are still prevalent. All 3 characters deal with feeling inadequate and unwanted, and attempt to cope with their situations by either blending into the crowd, or else attempting to escape Hawkins. All 3 of them eventually face hard truths and learn to stop denying the aspects of themselves that make them unique.
In Lucas's case, now that he's older and in high school, not only is he beginning to realize the implications of what it means to be black in a neighborhood where racism still lurks, but he's also beginning to understand his family's history, as well as coming to terms with an uncomfortable truth: As much as his friends care about him, they will never truly understand the bigotry and micro-aggressions Lucas is forced to endure as a person of color.
The show has touched on themes of bigotry and racism before, both in Lucas's interracial relationship with Max (which makes him a target for Billy) and the type of bullying he experienced from Troy and James. However, this book expands on those themes by going more into Lucas's fears and insecurities at being discriminated against for being a nerd AND being black, as well as finding someone who understands what he's going through. It also, IMO, deconstructs the "token minority" trope by showing what it's like to be considered that in a group of white friends from the perspective of said minority character, and how dehumanizing it feels.
This book left a lot to ponder. It's not perfect, and there are some flaws in its structure (mostly relating to continuity errors and missed opportunities), but it does inspire discussion, and gives a solid point-of-view to Lucas's character.
Part 1: Lucas's Journey
For as much as this fandom talks about Steve's character development (not that the discussion is unwarranted), Lucas is also another character (next to his sister Erica) who's had subtle but notable growth over the course of the show.
Season 1 had Lucas start out as a loyal member of the Party who was invested in finding Will, but also at odds with Mike and Dustin over El due to his distrust of her (something which got him a lot of flak from fans at the time). All of this came to a head in the junkyard when Lucas realized El was deliberately misleading them so they wouldn't find the Gate, leading to an ugly fight within the group. However, once things settled down, and Lucas realized El's misdirection was her attempting to keep them safe and not an act of maliciousness, he apologized for how he acted (with El also apologizing for lying) and welcomed her into the group, formally accepting her as a friend and member of the Party. Notably, in spite of his misgivings, he never betrayed El to the authorities, demonstrating that his heart was in the right place.
Season 2 continued on with this development. Contrast Lucas's acceptance of Max into the Party and his willingness to reach out to her vs how he initially acted with El in S1. It's notable since, at the time, Mike was hostile towards the idea of Max becoming part of the group. While Lucas had a crush on Max (which is normal for a boy his age), what separated him from the others was his willingness to listen to Max, who had always felt unheard in her house. That conversation on the bus rooftop in S2, where she opens up to Lucas about her home life and how she fears she's becoming like Billy, was meaningful to both of them, not just in Lucas reassuring Max she was a good person, but also Lucas really seeing Max for who she was and loving her for it. And in spite of the threat Billy posed, Lucas refused to be scared off by him (even kneeing Billy in the groin when he pinned him to the wall), and that willingness for Lucas to fight for Max was one of the many reasons Max finally stood up to Billy and made it clear to him that she was done with his abuse.
Season 3 showed Lucas was still navigating his relationship with Max (after getting dumped 5 times), as well as doing his best to advise Mike about his relationship with El. He also got some cool moments, from saving El from the Meat Flayer by chopping off its tendril, to gathering the fireworks to use against the Meat Flayer at the Battle of Starcourt. In spite of this, I remember at the time some fans (including me) wished Lucas had a bigger role in the story. The Duffer Brothers must have heard those criticisms because Lucas ended up getting his own arc in the next season.
There were a lot of great moments in season 4, but Lucas's story was a favorite for me because of how relatable it was. He was in high school trying for a fresh start. He still participated in D&D (Hellfire Club) but also joining basketball because he wanted to break out from being the nerd who was picked on all the time, and because he enjoyed the sport and wanted to give it a shot. He was discovering his identity, which is a big part of the high school experience. Adding onto this, a part of him wanted to achieve popularity as a way of being recognized instead of constantly looked down upon. He got what he wanted when he won the basketball championship............and then experienced firsthand the darker side of popularity, which forced Lucas to ask himself if this is what he really wanted.
Lucas on the Line expands more on the S4 arc by showing the events that led to Lucas doing basketball, and how that put him at odds with Mike and Dustin for a while. We also get to see the circumstances behind his breakup with Max, as well as her spiral into depression following Billy's death.
Something I appreciate is the book doesn't shy away from the trauma and PTSD Lucas is dealing with. The show usually gives that focus to characters like El, Max, Will, Joyce, Hopper, and Nancy, so it's refreshing to see how Lucas has processed everything since Will's disappearance in 1983. The answer is not well. It's even gotten worse since the Battle of Starcourt:
Similar to the way Robin in her novel talks about Hawkins High as a metaphorical monster, there are multiple instances where Lucas makes comparisons between his living situation in Hawkins and the Upside Down:
Granted, this is a metaphor that anyone who's watched the show enough times can pick up on: For as much as Hawkins presents itself as an idyllic neighborhood, there is rot within it, and NOT just from the Upside Down. The town has deeply rooted bigotry entrenched in its structure that takes on many forms (racism, homophobia, bullying, fear-mongering, forced conformity, etc) which the characters are forced to endure on a daily basis. From a symbolic standpoint, the Upside Down is all the nastiness within Hawkins that's covered up with a pretty surface. It may be a town that presents itself as perfect, but the moment you actually take a closer look at your surroundings, you realize that "perfectness" isn't genuine, and that people who present themselves as friendly can reveal just how awful they are in the right circumstances.
I live in a neighborhood like this, and I've been forced to learn time and again that some people in my town (though not all of them) have deeply rooted prejudices and will normalize being cruel because they can get away with it, all the while justifying their behavior as normal. Becoming cynical and cautious is how I've survived it. It reminds me of how Max thinks about her abusive situation with Billy: If you keep the monsters close to you, you're never caught by surprise.
Getting back to Lucas, he's painfully aware of this. Part of his PTSD and trauma isn't just from encountering the horrors of the Upside Down, but also from all the years he was bullied in school:
Lucas explains this to Mike and Dustin on the show, but part of his reasons for joining the basketball team is because he thinks it'll get him in with the popular crowd, and people will stop harassing him. What he doesn't understand (and what Mike and Dustin pick up on pretty quickly) is that even if Lucas changed everything about himself to fit in, he will always be walking on eggshells with that group. If he does everything right, he'll be tenuously accepted, but if he gets one thing wrong, or makes the team look bad in any way (even unintentionally), they will rip him to shreds. I even question what would've happened if Lucas failed to make the winning shot at the championship game: Would the team and the crowd have been as accepting of Lucas for that, or would he have been ostracized on the spot?
I know there are people in this fandom who vilify Mike and Dustin for going to Hellfire Club over Lucas's basketball games. As time has passed, I maintain they made the right call. Not only were they bullied by the basketball jocks way before they joined Hellfire Club (with Jason doing nothing to stop it), but they could see Lucas was deluding himself, and that these were not the kind of people they wanted to be friends with. At least with Eddie, they were accepted for who they were without having to make major changes to their identities to fit in. Even with Lucas, Eddie still welcomed him into the Hellfire Club despite his initial reluctance and the fact Lucas was on the basketball team. He didn't care that Lucas was black (which was a problem for several white basketball jocks like Lee Garroway) or that Lucas had extracurricular activities outside of Hellfire. He just cared that Lucas wanted to be there and was willing to invest in their D&D Campaign.
(SIDE NOTE: This is a big reason I roll my eyes hard at Billy stans who whine about Eddie being a similar replacement for Billy. The major differences between Eddie and Billy is a.) Eddie wasn't a bully, b.) Eddie didn't care about becoming Kings of Hawkins High like Billy did, and c.) Eddie could afford to be in the same room with Lucas for more than 30 seconds without being racist towards him or wanting to attack him. Enough said.)
And it should be noted that while Mike and Dustin are skeptical about Lucas doing basketball, they eventually accept it and even show up to one of his basketball practices (along with Erica) where Lucas does his best and still gets shit from his teammates for how he played.
Both Mike and Dustin saw how Lucas was being treated, as well as the fact Lucas was benched up until the championship, and they rightfully concluded that even if Lucas became popular, a.) It wouldn't change how THEY were being treated (no matter what Lucas told them), and b.) Lucas would forever be trying to live up to expectations from others until he became a shell of his former self. It's a lot like what Chrissy Cunningham went through where she maintained the perfect popular image as the Queen Bee of Hawkins High at the cost of her mental health and well being.
To Lucas's credit, he eventually realizes this at the end. As angry as he was at Dustin and Mike for skipping the Championship, he came to understand why they made that decision. When the time came between choosing Jason and the basketball team vs his friends, he chose his friends:
Caleb McLaughlin even noted this in an interview post S4: Lucas wanted to find acceptance, but the problem is you can't force other people to accept you. Mike and Dustin, in spite of their flaws, accepted Lucas for who he was. Jason and the other basketball players (with the exception of Jay) only accepted Lucas when he either made the team look good, or when they wanted something from him.
This doesn't necessarily mean the book (or even the show) paints Lucas wanting to do basketball as a wrong thing. It was a choice like everything else. Lucas's reasons for wanting to do basketball went beyond just wanting to be popular: He wanted to try something new. He wanted something he was passionate about. Not only did he find that, but he also got to share it with another teammate who understood him: Jermaine "Jay" Demario.
Part 2: Lucas's Relationships with other characters
Jay is a new character from the book who's not only one of the few black kids in Hawkins, but also one of the only basketball players who treats Lucas decently and takes him under his wing. He's the one who encourages Lucas to step out of his comfort zone and try out basketball. He's also one of the few jocks (though he doesn't consider himself a jock in the traditional sense) who's a decent person, and Lucas looks up to him as a mentor the same way Dustin does with Steve. Jay gives Lucas useful advice about balancing his extracurricular activities with other aspects of his life, and he's the one who trains Lucas to do well at basketball, from practicing after school with him, to having Lucas check out videos of NBA playoffs and finals to improve his skills. He also accepts Lucas wanting to do Hellfire Club, and tells him there's nothing wrong with being both a jock and a nerd.
Speaking as someone who made Varsity for cross-country and track & field AND took AP classes during high school, I can relate to that last bit! 🙂
Jay was a cool character, and I'm sad he wasn't in the show. It's nice Lucas was able to have a friend, however briefly, whom he could confide in, and who understood the issues Lucas dealt with because of who he was and where he lived (more on that in a minute).
Erica's relationship with Lucas also gets a bit more time here. She's still snarky towards Lucas, but there are moments demonstrating she cares for him. For instance, despite initially criticizing how Lucas played during a practice, she is pissed when Lee and some other basketball players call Lucas a racist slur:
Later on, after Lucas becomes the target of a bomb threat, there's a quiet scene where Erica comes in to hang out with Lucas. Even though she doesn't verbally say it, it's clear from her demeanor she's genuinely worried for Lucas's safety:
She may exchange barbs with him, but she knows where to draw the line. The fact she also showed up for all of Lucas's basketball games on her own accord (minus the championship) despite Lucas being benched conveys she supports her brother in her own way. I liked the evolution of Lucas and Erica's relationship in S4, and I'm hoping that continues into S5. If the final scenes of S4 are any indication of foreshadowing, they'll likely be working together, so we'll probably get to see more of their sibling dynamic.
Max's relationship with Lucas also gets focus. For the most part, they are not in a good place. Ever since Billy's death at Starcourt Mall, Max has fallen into a deep depression and become withdrawn from everyone, including Lucas. A good chunk of the story is Lucas trying to reach out to Max and make it clear to Max that he's there for her. The problem is he doesn't know how since Max keeps rejecting any attempts to hang out with him, or for him to help her. The dynamic is sadly realistic for anyone who's had friends or family who suffer from chronic depression and feel frustrated or helpless when they try to help that person recover. Lucas does everything he can for Max in the book, from giving her the space she needs, to offering to listen to her. We also get to see Lucas's perspective on why he cares so much for Max (just like Max's novel showed us why she was attracted to Lucas):
What's sad is Max does understand what Lucas is trying to do. She knows he cares about her. At the same time though, she can't pretend things are normal anymore, or that she doesn't feel immense guilt over how she wished something horrible would happen to Billy and got her wish granted (as she admits to Vecna in the S4 finale), or that her life hasn't changed for the worse:
BTW, the breakup between Max and Lucas that's alluded to in S4 happens in the book. It's during Thanksgiving when Lucas sneaks out of his house to give Max some Thanksgiving dinner while she's at the skating park. It's also the first time Lucas hears Max play "Running Up That Hill" by Kate Bush and truly understands the meaning of that song........and what it means for their relationship:
What's admirable about Lucas is that, in spite of what's going on with Max and her attempts to distance herself from him, he still keeps fighting for her any way he can, right up to the end of the book when Vecna tries to kill Max the first time in the graveyard. And it pays off. Those memories she has of her time with Lucas, combined with the moments she shared with her friends, allow her to break free from Vecna, to remember she has something to live for, that she has people who care about her, and that she doesn't have to be consumed by guilt over what happened to Billy.
Speaking of Billy, the few times Lucas brings him up, he does NOT talk about Billy in a positive light. If there was any doubt about whether Lucas hated Billy, this book puts that to rest. One passage in particular stuck out:
I know Lucas is projecting his anger towards Billy in this moment (not that I blame him), but the idea that Vecna/The Mind Flayer was drawn to Billy because of the darkness in his heart is an interesting idea. We know Vecna initially spared El at Hawkins Lab while killing the other kids because he saw a lot of himself in El (both with her struggles developing her powers, and her treatment under Brenner and her "brothers/sisters") and believed El would be grateful to him for "saving her." It's also implied on the show (and by Vecna's actor, Jamie Campbell Bower) that Vecna feels the same way about Will, which is why he has a creepy interest in him. Billy in many ways resembles Vecna in his rage and sadistic desire to hurt everything and everyone around him, and that aspect may have attracted Vecna to Billy. Granted, it's hard to know if that's the case since Billy was initially driving that night to hook up with Karen before crashing by the warehouse where that piece of the Mind Flayer was nesting, but it's also possible Vecna could have sensed Billy before then, and thought he'd make a great candidate to put his plan into motion.
Then there's Lucas's relationship with Jason: Lucas picks up pretty quickly that something's off about Jason, particularly when he's preparing for the prep-rally speech by slamming his hands in the lockers hard enough to leave dents. Lucas also isn't impressed with Jason's speech, and rightfully notes that Jason invokes the Starcourt tragedy for "cheap audience reactions" (which is why Max looks hurt in the scene when Jason brings up Billy). There's also a scene after Jason's confrontation with Eddie in the cafeteria where he and Andy make disparaging remarks about people who live in trailer parks. When Lucas speaks out against that (because Max was forced to move into a trailer park after Neil left Susan), Jason loses his shit:
By the time of Chrissy's death when Jason's organized the basketball team into hunting down Eddie and tortures Gareth for information, Lucas finally understands just how unhinged Jason is, and even compares Jason to Billy:
I know some people defend Jason on the grounds that Chrissy's death impacted him in a negative way, and that Patrick's later death made things worse because it happened under circumstances that couldn't be explained, which is why Jason jumped on the "Hellfire Club is a Satanic cult" bandwagon. While there is some truth to this, it ignores how Jason already had negative qualities brewing underneath, and that Chrissy's death didn't create these issues, but instead brought them to the surface in the worst way possible. Jason already had inherent prejudices against D&D and anyone he deemed as a "freak" (as depicted in the Flight of Icarus book) and the show established that he had a very self-absorbed, hot-headed, entitled attitude even before things got bad. Maybe he was initially able to keep these negative qualities under control, but they didn't magically manifest out of thin air just because Chrissy died.
Regardless of whether we chose to admit it, we all have a dark side. We all have aspects of our personality we're not proud of. Jason is no different in that regard. The problem is the lack of self-awareness on his part about those flaws, combined with his self-righteous belief that he was doing the right thing even though his actions put innocent people in danger.
I could sympathize with Jason over the deaths of Chrissy and Patrick, but my sympathy ended when he organized a Witch Hunt against the Hellfire Club (who had NOTHING to do with Chrissy and Patrick's deaths) and not-so-subtly threatened Nancy at the gun store and made it clear he intended to go after Mike. At that point, I was done with him. Judging by the final conversation between Lucas and Jason, where Jason refuses to hear Lucas's explanations about what's going on because it doesn't fit with his preconceived notions, Lucas was done with him as well:
Jason: "I never should have let you in the door."
Lucas (coldly): "And I never should have knocked. I thought I wanted to be like you. Popular. Normal. But it turns out normal's just a raging psychopath."
Truer words have never been spoken.
Part 3: Lucas's Experiences with Racism and Bigotry
Lucas has been made the target of racism by characters like Troy, James, and Billy on the show, but this book is where Lucas begins to understand the full ramifications of what it means to be black in a world where racism is ingrained into society. We also get to see how it psychologically impacts Lucas and feeds into his worst insecurities.
Take Lucas's introduction to the basketball team for instance: For the most part, his tryout is average (not awful, but not spectacular), but Jason still allows him on the team for one particular reason:
There's always been a question in the fandom about whether Jason was racist in the same way Billy was. I know Caleb doesn't think so, and argued Billy was worse (and given the the amount of mental gymnastics certain fans have done to pretend Billy wasn't racist, as well as Caleb's experiences with racism in the fandom, I get where his position is coming from), but this book suggests otherwise. Jason may not have been as overtly racist as Billy was, but there is a soft bigotry at play here in Jason allowing Lucas on the team BECAUSE he was black as opposed to Lucas's actual skills. Some people will probably argue against Jason being racist because of his friendship with Patrick, but that's basically the "I can't be racist because I have a black friend" argument.
What's depressing is this haunts Lucas for the remainder of the book. In spite of how hard he practices to get better, he can't shake off the idea that he was only let on the team because of his skin color (and because of the stereotypical idea that all black people do basketball), and not because he earned it. This is reinforced by other members of the basketball team, led by Lee Garroway, who not-so-subtly takes every opportunity to remind Lucas of this:
Speaking of which, this book introduces another bully in the form of Lee Garroway, and he's a loathsome piece of work. Like Billy, he is outwardly racist towards Lucas, but he takes it a step further in targeting both Lucas and Jay because he, along with several other members of the team, are pissed that they made it to the subs roster (thinking Lucas and Jay only got that position because they're both black) and could potentially make Varsity, which is a position they all want. This all culminates in Lee rigging both Jay and Lucas's lockers to spray them with glitter, and then later rigs Lucas's locker again with a bomb that almost kills a janitor working at the school. Lucas manages to catch Lee in the act by planting a camera in his locker after the first attack, and even though the footage gets Lee's friends expelled, Lee is still let off the hook because his father is a donor to the school and bribes Mr. Higgins into covering it up. It's similar to what happened in Flight of Icarus when Eddie accuses Mr. Higgins of looking the other way when it came to athletic players like Tommy and Jason who bully other students and are allowed to get away with it because their fathers have the principal in their pockets.
Remember that profoundly stupid comment from the Angela apologist I talked about in my review of Darkness on the Edge of Town?
This is why that comment struck a nerve: Putting aside how this take is completely devoid of critical thought, it misses the fact that the reason bullies like Angela, Jason, Tommy, and Lee feel justified in their behavior is BECAUSE most of the adults enable them. At best, they do the bare minimum in disciplining these teens, and at worst, they look the other way and punish people like El and Eddie who try to stand up for themselves and others.
And I'm sorry, but the "They are children, none of them are responsible for what they do" excuse can take a flying leap into a volcano for all I care. If you deliberately make a bomb that you know will put someone in the hospital (or even get them killed), you are responsible for your behavior. This isn't like Lee was incapable of understanding what he was doing was wrong. To imply otherwise is stupid beyond belief. 🙄
What's infuriating is not only does Lee barely get a slap on the wrist for what he did, but the bomb threat was enough to cause Jay and his family to move, meaning Lucas lost one of the few friends he could depend on.
On top of that, this isn't even unique to Jay's situation. Both of Lucas's parents also have history which involved moving around to find a place where they could, at the very least, be tolerated in their community. All the while, they knew on some level they'd never truly be accepted:
Lucas's parents did the best they could in trying to protect Lucas and Erica and raise them so they wouldn't have to go through the same circumstances they did. The problem though is that racism has become normalized to such an extent that there isn't a way to escape it.
On a related note, this is why I find the current attempts by Conservatives to stop Critical Race Theory from being taught in schools to be vile: These people want to pretend racism is a thing of the past, like it isn't still impacting people of color in the United States to this day, and are perfectly okay trying to whitewash history and limit any attempts at discussion to achieve that goal. It's been an ongoing issue where I live (to the point that last year, three new members were elected to the school district so they could push their agendas and prevent CRT and other "undesired talking points" in schools), and I know it's been an ongoing issue elsewhere in the United States (*cough* Florida *cough*). John Oliver did a brilliant breakdown of this last year, and I highly recommend watching it:
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Just like with many of the other books in this series (Darkness on the Edge of Town, Rebel Robin, Flight of Icarus, etc) Lucas on the Line illustrates that many of the social issues these characters experienced in the 80s continue to be a problem today. Very little has changed, and while people might be more willing to hide their bigotry, or pretend it's something else, that doesn't mean it's gone.
Part 4: Missed Opportunities and Continuity Errors
Like I said before, this book isn't perfect, and has its flaws. I can't speak for what notes Suyi Davies, the author of the book, got from the Duffer Brothers and Netflix, but there were some major contradictions that were hard to ignore.
For instance, there's a flashback where Lucas is supposed to be in third grade and first experiences discrimination against him when the other kids are afraid of swimming with him because they think his "blackness" will rub off on them. While the flashback is effective in showing the insidiousness of how kids can be bigoted at a young age, it's undermined by the date this flashback is supposed to take place in: June 6, 1981. At this point, Lucas would have finished fourth grade, not third grade. On top of that, it's mentioned that Lucas wasn't friends with Mike, Will, and Dustin yet, but that's not only contradicted by other tie-in materials, but also by Dustin's claim on the show that he didn't join the Party until he was in 4th grade, which would have been around 1980. For Lucas to be in third grade in 1981 and not know any of his friends at this point makes no sense.
Then there's the third act of the book, which takes place within the first four episodes of S4: The show establishes the events in those episodes takes place between March 21st-24th, 1986. However, the book changes this so it takes place between April 4th-7th, 1986. The reasons for this are unclear, especially since this book came out AFTER S4 premiered, but I suspect it may have something to do with "Birtdaygate" (i.e. the Duffer Brothers forgetting Will's Birthday was supposed to be on March 22nd). I can't tell if Netflix was trying to retcon the dates because they were embarrassed by "Birthdaygate," or if S4 was originally supposed to be set in April before they changed it to March at the last minute (which begs the question of why they did that), but it is something that's been on my mind for a while now.
Moving past these errors, I was disappointed the book didn't expand more on Patrick's character despite having the opportunity to do so. In the show, Patrick demonstrates a friendlier side to Lucas during their time together, and I know it was speculated at the time that there was more to his interactions with Lucas. However the book doesn't explore that angle, and we don't get a lot of information about Patrick. It's frustrating because, out of all of Vecna's victims, Patrick is the only one that doesn't get his backstory fully fleshed out. We see why and how Chrissy, Fred, and Max were targeted, but it's only implied in Patrick's case. Lucas speculates Patrick had an abusive father, but neither the book nor the show elaborate on this, which makes Patrick come off as a wasted character, especially when his death could have had a bigger impact on Lucas.
Finally, this is just a minor nitpick, but I was unhappy that the book didn't seize on the opportunity of Lucas and Steve playing at least one game of basketball. There's a scene in the book when Steve offers to go one-on-one with Lucas, and Lucas turns him down:
For the story's sake, I get why they had Jay be the one to practice with Lucas as opposed to Steve, but it still feels like a missed opportunity, especially when it was implied on the show that Lucas and Steve's had a better relationship after S2 following Steve protecting them from the demodogs.
Final Thoughts:
Overall, I would recommend this book. It's interesting seeing things from Lucas's perspective, as well as how he views his relationship with others, and how he copes with his trauma. The book does a stellar job exploring how the racism inherent in Hawkins has impacted Lucas's life and well-being, and it's also a relatable journey of finding your identity and rising above the stereotypes people place around you and your community.
As for where Lucas goes from here, I'm wagering that he'll have a role in bringing Max back from the coma Vecna's placed her in, and that they'll finally get that date night at the theaters.
#stranger things#lucas sinclair#racism#caleb mclaughlin#erica sinclair#sue sinclair#charles sinclair#anti billy hargrove#anti jason carver#mike wheeler#dustin henderson#max mayfield#lumax#patrick mckinney#jeramine demario#tgh opinions#tgh reviews#lucas on the line#stranger things lucas on the line#vecna#the mind flayer#bigotry#eddie munson#chrissy cunningham#angela stranger things#suyi davies#steve harrington
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My entry for day 3 of @fallofneilhargrove. The prompt was Public Scorn and Don’t make enemies of the local knitting club.
Tw: abuse, abuser point of view, arrest, jail and swears
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Neil Hargrove was having pretty fucking good day. He had been to work, had Susan cook him a proper meal and had sat down to watch football. Like a proper man does.
Sure, things had gotten a bit sticky when attempting to get Billy to be a proper man again but that’s just what Neil had needed to do. Really the bruises were the boys fault. His lack of respect to his elders was a serious problem and there was only one way Neil could sort that. Eventually the pussy had to learn respect.
The game was on full blast and his fresh beer was nice and cold when Susan edged into the room. Neil’s forehead creased. That damn woman was ruining the game.
She stuttered out a “Neil. There… There’s a package for you.” She held out a brown, lumpy package addressed to him.
“Fuck off, woman. Can’t you see the game is on!” He snatched the package out of her hand and ignored her gasp of pain.
He ripped open the paper expecting a awful jumper or something. A belated birthday gift from a aunt or something.
Instead, he got an equally cushy lump of knitting. He scoffed and thought what grandma made this shit? The lump of brown knit unfurled in his hands revealing a bunch of what resembled letters. Neil twisted it around in his hands trying to make out the letter. Ne lnow vhol gau’re dainy. What? He looked a little closer and his blood ran cold.
We know what you’re doing.
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Click, click, click.
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It was the next week and Neil had put the knitting out of his mind. It was probably a mistake or a prank. Neil had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. He was certain of it.
In fact he was so sure, he had burnt the knitted monstrosity outside. He wasn’t scared of some stupid message.
Which was why when Susan slipped in holding an identical brown package to the one the week before he paid her no mind. No, he certainly didn’t pause the TV to scream at her and snatch the parcel away from her.
He tore open the now familiar brown wrapping to see a flash of blue. He pulled the knit outside of its wrapping to show off the blue hat. The half he was holding looked normal.
The red lettering he revealed by turning the hat spelt was again hard to read. Or perhaps the reader was a little bit drunk.
Asshole.
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The crunch of bourbons filled the air.
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Wednesday had arrived again. Neil didn’t have the football on this time. He wanted to see if what he had did stopped the knitting.
He had been so sure it was some type of prank. It had to be one of the people in his house. Of course, his pathetic excuse for a son was first. Perhaps he should have held off on the punishment before searching his room to find nothing.
The next day he had been down to the craft shop of Hawkins. According to Claud or whatever her name was from the shop, the boy had never set foot in that shop in his whole life. She would have remembered as she was the only worker there. Neil felt the urge to smack her rise again. Alas he couldn’t smack another man’s wife. He’d go to jail because there would be obvious proof.
Next step was to check his stepdaughters room. An unlikely culprit but one to try anyway. The girl wouldn’t get into anything suiting for girls no matter what he did. She wasn’t going to start just to knit him stuff. Clear.
He told Susan not to go anywhere near the mail box today. There was no way she could have knitted them without him knowing.
He pulled himself up from the couch. Time to see if his counterfeit measures had worked. He opened the post box.
Lo and behold a brown package was crumpled in there. His hands had a slight shake to them as he pulled out the package. It was slightly bigger than the rest.
He unwrapped it in the living room. A green jumper came out of the mess, on it knitted a sentence.
Arrest me. I deserve it.
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Giggles in the background as the net tightens.
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Neil refused to sit this Wednesday. He stood looking out the window. It was package time. On a Wednesday.
The postman stopped at a house. Then the next. And the next. Geez, this guy was slow.
Finally, he arrived. Neil watched like a hawk as he produced the brown package filling Neil’s mind with dread.
In fact, over the course of a week when thinking about the package Neil had a) spilt boiling water all over himself, b) accidentally shaved off half of his moustache, and worst of all c) accidentally screwed up the biggest work project of the season. He was lucky to not get fired. He had gone everywhere feeling like everyone was looking at him. The paranoia of not knowing who was sending the packages. What did they know. Whoever it was had to be ruining Neil’s life.
As he looked out the window he though about who it could be. The lady from the supermarket with the wart? That woman with the blonde hair walking down the road Or maybe next door who he was constantly in a argument with? The odd pair of friends with ten cats down the road? Or that guy he beat at poker the other week? Or the man with the moustache and glasses sat in his car outside? One of his stupid boy’s friends? Or maybe one of Maxine’s friends? An unknown stalker?
Whoever it was still eluded him.
In his thoughts he had managed to collect the parcel. He held the thing in his hand and looked hard at it.
His hands shook as he pulled back the paper. A pair of red gloves fell out of the package. They lay side by side on the floor as if someone was wearing them with their palms facing upwards.
The black text clear for all to see.
Abuser.
Neil jumped as he heard a shout at the door and a group of men entered.
“Freeze! Police!”
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The sloshing of wine as a toast to victory. But work wasn’t quite done.
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Neil Hargrove was sat down again. It was the next Wednesday after his entire life had changed.
His orange jumpsuit itched and his bunk mate snored loudly. His bunk mate wouldn’t cower under him. The large man had left a bruise on Neil’s cheek from the only time Neil had tried to enforce his way on the man. It was supposed to be his house, his rules.
But jail certainly wasn’t his house.
And the worst thing was that he didn’t know how. How had it gone so, so wrong? The police had presented him with the photos and the files. Weeks worth of photos, videos and even recordings all painstakingly took. A solid lot of evidence to sink him down. Each strike left on his son. Recordings of his screams slid over his soul. Videos of what he did in his own house.
It had to be connected to the knitting. The evidence hadn’t started collecting until a mere week before that. The calendar in the background of so many photos had proved that.
And here he sat another brown package in hand. This time delivered by a prison guard.
Neil felt like weeping. But of course he didn’t because real men don’t cry. And Neil’s a man.
A orange scarf trailed out of the package. A perfect match to his prison garb. More bold black letters stared out at him.
You got what you deserved.
The contact card of the Hawkins Knitting Club lay forgotten on the floor.
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Four beings of pure rage sat around a table six weeks ago.
Joyce a woman who had lived under a man like Neil. She had children living under a man like Neil. She wouldn’t let him get get away with it.
Claudia who had lost her husband but loved all the more fiercely because of it. No one would hurt a child under her watch.
Sue who was largely unspoken but Sinclair's fight for those who can’t. No matter what Sue didn’t let it slide and she would always fight.
Murray who ran on rage and spite. He was always ready to take people like Neil down. It was his shit, his life’s goal.
They raged in a circle when Joyce had met the brother-sister duo of Max and Billy. When she saw the signs. Neil had crossed the wrong club.
Don’t make enemies of the local knitting club.
So they did what they did best. They knitted.
Not only that but they were patient. Knitting was a craft of patience.
Murray and Joyce sat outside of the house. Everyone went out and they went in. They had plenty of experience planting cameras and listening devices. Murray continued watching and took photos when he could. Claudia made sure to put salt into that man’s coffee every time he asked for sugar. He never remembered her despite seeing her serve him at both the craft show and the coffee shop. Men like him never noticed women like her. Sue was the one who made the call as she compiled evidence meticulously. Erica obviously got it from her mom. She wouldn’t miss a single moment until this guy was finished. And all of them knitted. They knitted until their fingers felt like bleeding. They had a lot to knit as they needed to make this perfect. And perfection takes time.
In the end it was the rage of the knitting club that tore Neil Hargrove down. Because you should never underestimate a bunch of mothers and a journalist who are thriving off coffee, bourbons and wine.
#fallofneilhargrove#fall of neil hargrove#stranger things#strangers things ficlet#billy hargrove#max mayfield#neil hargrove#susan mayfield#joyce byers#murray bauman#Sue Sinclair#claudia henderson#tw abuse#tw jail#tw arrest#tw swearing
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i would love so much for the parents of stranger things, besides joyce and hopper, to get some elaboration on how they feel about their kids clearly having trauma from a series of events mostly unknown to them.
like does charles notice that after the fourth of july he and lucas have the same reaction to fireworks? for a moment he questions if ptsd, or whatever the shrink he was forced to visit after being discharged from the military called it, could be passed down genetically, no, of course not. he was in that mall fire, or maybe he just saw it? neither of the kids had given him any details, he and sue agreed to let them speak about it on their own time, even though their own time is starting to feel like never. and charles can let erica sleep in sue and his bed and he can give lucas advice on how to deal with the fireworks, but any deeper conversations and the kids are “fine” - they’re always fine. sue mentions therapy, charles scoffs at the suggestion, therapy would imply something’s wrong, that he did something wrong, that he didn’t follow all the rules, read all the parenting books, try his best but still fall short to things both in and out of his control. so lucas tears up and hugs him for “no particular reason” sometimes, erica still makes him check for monsters in the closet. kids can be strange, his kids are strange, but also his favorite people ever, so he’ll take his wins where he can.
after they move to forest hills does susan apologize for not being more present? yes, max says it’s fine, it’s not. susan wants to pull herself apart for her behavior, she tells herself she’ll do better tomorrow, she won’t. she’ll have max rest her head in her lap while they watch murder she wrote and find the time to braid her hair before school, but she can’t change the past or justify her failings or take away max’s pain. she can’t even talk about neil or billy. how does she explain that she desperately misses the worst man she’s ever met? or at least the moments where he was apologizing for something she probably should have left him for. and billy, no, yeah, billy... when susan schedules max to see the school counselor max accuses her of pawning off her problems to a stranger, yes, not that she thinks therapy would be useless for her. she thinks about how after the night max snuck out she anxiously confided in neil that something was wrong with max, something happened. he laughed at her, “that’s just what max is like,” oh right, she doesn’t know her own daughter, the man barely acknowledges when she enters or exits the home unless it’s an excuse to get angry, knows her daughter better than her, that’s just what she’s like. yeah, sorry, right, this is what it’s always been like.
after dustin’s good friend’s brother dies does claudia offer any support? maybe too much. she smothers dustin with love the same way she did when will went missing, the way she always has, dustin waves it away, billy was a dick, it doesn’t matter. claudia brings a lasagna to the hargroves, max’s grumpy step-dad slams the door in her face and dustin blows a gasket when he hears. suddenly unconditional love isn’t feeling like enough. dustin cries in her arms, when she asks what’s wrong he tells her that he isn’t allowed to say. what a perfect way to make every possible fear rush through her head. later he says it’s bullying, kids at school are mean and there isn’t anything she can do about it. she decides to believe him. hugs and home cooking don’t work like they used to but she tries, keeps engaging in his interests and checking in on him. She wouldn’t be herself if she stopped trying, even as the meltdowns increase in frequency and severity, his attitude becomes more sour, everything seems to be going wrong, she preserves.
when mike slams his door for the fifth time in a single week does ted change his technique for connecting with his son? no. what technique? that’s his wife’s job, not his.
#stranger things#lucas sinclair#max mayfield#dustin henderson#mike wheeler#lumax#byler#<- ships r just target audiences srry#charles sinclair#sue sinclair#susan hargrove#susan mayfield#claudia henderson#ted wheeler#karen wheeler#if you think i’m excusing anybody’s actions by empathizing with or contextualizing them ur wrong#i think susan has failed as a parent but i also emphasize w her deeply#nuance nuance nuance
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"gay people didn't exist in the 80s, so it's unrealistic for stranger things to do that" as if emily dickinson, who was from the goddamn 1800s didn't write the gayest shit that I've ever seen in my life about her and sue gilbert in her poems. so if gay people can exist 2 centuries ago, they definitely would've exist 36 years ago. they didn't magically pop out of nowhere in the late 90s/early 2000s
also, being in the closet existed back then (so did internalized homophobia), so of course people in the 80s and prior didn't come out. like use your goddamn brain cells for just a second. and this is a goddamn sci-fi show with monsters from another dimension but gay people is where yall draw the line. and during PRIDE MONTH?
#stranger things#robin buckley#will byers#mike wheeler#nancy wheeler#max mayfield#steve harrington#eddie munson#el hopper#lucas sinclair#dustin henderson#emily dickinson#sue gilbert#emisue#lgbt#byler#steddie#ronance#elmax#jaiden rants
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I will never get over this scene 😭
#stranger things#lumax#max mayfield#lucas sinclair#this scene broke me#max better wake up in season five or I will sue netflix#caleb knocked it out of the park in this scene#sadie sink is phenomenal in season 4#they need a happy ending#just saw this picture and it made me sad
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murray amassing a harem of hawkins adults and three russians, call that polyamurray
#seduced by his charm#stranger things#murray bauman#joyce byers#jim hopper#karen wheeler#alexei stranger things#dmitri antonov#yuri ismaylov#ted wheeler#lonnie byers#scott clarke#ms kelly#bob newby#sue sinclair#charles sinclair#neil hargrove#susan mayfield#claudia henderson#benny hammond#officer callahan#officer powell#martin brenner#sam owens#wayne munson#i fixed it ty for pointing out I accidentally forgot wayne 😭
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The phone rules in each of the Hawkins families, if Stranger Things took place in 2023:
The munsons: There are no phones during dinner, when listening to music or when watching movies. Wayne came up with the dinner one, the other two are Eddie.
The hendersons: Dustin has limited phone time during the day, he can’t bring it to school and he has to give Claudia his phone before he goes to sleep, so he gets enough rest. This is pointless, as he stays up all night working on D&D stuff.
The Wheelers: They genuinely don’t care. Phones at the dinner table is a common occurrence. Except for maybe during prayer, which Ted insists they do before eating.
The Byers/Hoppers: They don’t really care, but family time is sacred. Although I don’t think any of the kids would wanna use them then anyways. Like Dustin, Will and El can’t have them when they go to bed, just to make sure they get sleep:)
The Harrington: I mean they generally don’t really care about Steve, but whenever they’re home they’re super strict about not having phones out (meaning Steve’s phone, they can do what they want) when they’re eating together.
The Sinclairs: Erica can’t have a phone yet, and with Lucas it’s the same as with the Byer/Hopper household. Erica keeps trying to steal his phone🤭 (she is often successful and keeps guessing his password when he changes it)
The Mayfields, but it’s just Max and her mom: Max has a super old phone, and her mom feels bad about it, so she lets her use it whenever (not at the dinner table though). Max isn’t that interested in spending time on a phone anyways, so her old phone doesn’t bother her… Though she loves snake😌 The party often lends her their phones so she can try some of their games
#stranger things#hawkins#max mayfield#el hopper#lucas sinclair#erica sinclair#claudia henderson#dustin henderson#the party#steve harrington#eddie munson#wayne munson#mike wheeler#nancy wheeler#jonathan byers#will byers#jim hopper#joyce byers#sue sinclair#karen wheeler#ted wheeler
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where the fuck are all the fics of these people
learning what’s the fuck is going on?
do you know how much i want to see someone explain the upside down to ted wheeler?
i want the wheelers to know their son’s girlfriend has super powers or that their daughter got trapped in an alternate dimension.
i want the sinclairs to know their daughter infiltrated a Russian base or that their son shot fireworks at a monster
I want someone to explain to mrs henderson, the monster that killed her cat
it doesnt have to be all of them, even just one parent seeing something, and being sat down and given the spiel. i think that would be so funny, and i cant find anything.
#stranger things#stranger things season four#mike wheeler#nancy wheeler#karen wheeler#ted wheeler#erica sinclair#lucas sinclair#charles sinclair#sue sinclair#dustin henderson#claudia henderson#max mayfield#susan mayfield#neil hargrove#billy hargrove#steve harrington#robin buckley
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After Steve gets adopted by the other parents and illegally married into Eddie's, his new name is really long. Steven David Henderson Sinclair Buckley-Munson. Putting Hopper, Byers, or Wheeler would be a little awkward. Harrington has left the building just like his parents. Yes, Steve hyphenated. Of course, Max gets adopted by Claudia and Wayne.
#stranger things#steve harrington#joe keery#dustin henderson#gaten matarazzo#lucas sinclair#caleb mclaughlin#erica sinclair#priah ferguson#robin buckley#maya hawke#claudia henderson#sue and charles sinclair#robin buckley's parents#i don't know their name#wayne munson#claudia x wayne#max mayfield#steve harrington gets adopted#max mayfield gets adopted#fuck susan mayfield#she's a shitty mom#eddie munson#joseph quinn#stranger things s4#eddie stranger things#steddie#steve x eddie#steve harrington x eddie munson#steve harrington has the biggest family
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Dustin has the worst gaydar lol. He’s genuinely surprised (and supportive!) when his friends come out. Even over Will.
And when more come out, Lucas, El, Mike, he’s just like?? You’re gay too?? Is everyone here but me gay??
The answer is yes Dustin.
#has worst gaydar than el#and she doesn’t even know what gay is#even tho she is in fact also gay#yes im reposting this#i thought it was funny#and no one saw my first one#so bleh#dustin henderson#eleven hopper#lucas sinclair#will byers#max mayfield#mike wheeler#elmax#byclair#byler#sue me
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I think all the Stranger Things women should get to commit murder next season. As a treat.
#stranger things#nancy wheeler#kali prasad#el hopper#max mayfield#susan hargrove#karen wheeler#joyce byers#sue sinclair#<- apparently she doesn't have her own tag which is a crime how is they're a Susan one and not one for her wtf#erica sinclair#holly wheeler#<- maybe not those two they're little little kids#robin buckley#tag whoever i forgot
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"billy daddy issues" this and "steve daddy issues" that when are we gonna acknowlege that MAX has daddy issues too
#i think everyone has shit dads EXCEPT the sinclairs#bc sue and charles sinclair are literal angels who we do not deserve in this world#max mayfield
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before she and her mom moved into forest hills, max had a rule about lucas not calling her house, she would call him when she could. and more often than not “when she could” was the middle of the night. lucas was obviously not crazy about this, but he knew enough about max’s home life to figure the slap on the wrist he’d get for one of his friend’s calling late was disproportionate to whatever would happen if neil or billy caught max. max was never caught, lucas’ parents slept through the phone ringing the first two nights, but the third night the ring woke them up and lucas’ nonexistent volume control gave him away. his mom got up to tell lucas to get off the phone, but when she arrived at his door it was immediately clear lucas wasn’t talking to one of his party members. he was audibly nervous and throwing out shy compliments left and right. he called his mystery friend pretty, then apologized a moment after. “oh sorry, how about beautiful? handsome? cool? tubular?” he laughed, they agreed on cool then continued their conversation about video games. he was so respectful and kind and smitten and sue wanted to be upset but honestly couldn’t have been more proud of her son. she just went back to her room and explained it all to charles, they’d have normally been more strict about that sort of behavior but it was so sweet and lucas was such a little gentleman, it reminded them of the start of their relationship, if they’d called him out he’d just get more secretive. so they let it slide, shook their heads and laughed whenever they overheard lucas’ scrambling for the phone at two in the morning, exchanged glances when he alluded to the “cool new girl” he may or may not have liked and when he introduced them to his mystery caller sue cashed in her bet for what her personality would be like. after the summer starcourt mall burned down they stopped hearing ringing in the night, mystery caller stopped showing up around the house, but again, lucas was grown, he would come to them when he was ready.
#stranger things#lucas sinclair#max mayfield#lumax#sue sinclair#charles sinclair#sue and charles FOR THE WIN btw#one of the kids needed two normal parents and they said US#beloved hc is that their nickname for max is mystery caller and before lucas and erica are up when they’re making breakfast charles will do#a silly little deadpan game show voice and make fun of the parts of conversations they overhear like ‘lucas sinclair we have a mystery#caller on line two and she wants to argue with you about atari for three damn hours while your parents try to sleep’ and sue laughs and#loves him because they love each other and are happy#also sue won the bet on what max would be like but she was wrong max was just unbelievably nervous the first time she met them - she#introduced herself as maxine and was so overly polite lucas was genuinely worried#ok i’m done now peace and love#oh one more tiny thing i think max did get caught 1 single time but susan backed her up and took the phone and pretended max was talking to#her dad - bc i interpret her as generously as possible and think susan would love lucas dearly and post season 4 be so so happy to meet him
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