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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 6 months

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Same as it ever was 6

Warnings: this fic will include dark content such as neglect, bullying, manipulation, cheating, and possible untagged elements. My warnings are not exhaustive, enter at your own risk.

This is a dark!fic and explicit. 18+ only. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.

Summary: Between your home life and work, you just can’t catch a break. Especially after you draw the ire of your boss.

Characters: Lloyd Hansen ft. Pete Brenner

Note: have a happy friday.

As per usual, I humbly request your thoughts! Reblogs are always appreciated and welcomed, not only do I see them easier but it lets other people see my work. I will do my best to answer all I can. I’m trying to get better at keeping up so thanks everyone for staying with me.

Your feedback will help in this and future works (and WiPs, I haven’t forgotten those!)

I love you all immensely. Take care. 💖

Sunday gives you an excuse to get away. Pete, like a dog with his tail between his legs, doesn't even try to come up with an excuse to 'work'. You take Simone with you to the grocery store, warning the slug that he can handle Malik for a couple hours alone. You notice the pout in his lips but don't acknowledge it.

You don't need much but you take your time. You agree to buy Simone an Archie comic, shrugging off the extra few dollars as you notice her growing restless. You made her leave her book at home. You're happy she loves to read but she can't ignore the world all the time.

"You wanna get lunch?" You ask as you push the cart through the lot.

"Mm, I dunno," she drags her feet, "I'm tired."

"Probably 'cause you need to eat," you judge her with your elbow, "come on, how often is it just the two of us."

She grumbles but you ignore her reluctance. You're in no hurry to get home and you can scrounge enough for a sit down in the diner. It might be the last nice thing you can afford.

You load up the bags on the trunk and drive down the block to the same place you would take Simon when you were still pregnant with Malik. Those days were nice and so far behind you. The memory makes your heart ache.

You open the door ahead of Simone and follow her into the mom and pop shop. You're seated by the window in a booth. You order coffee as your daughter gets an apple juice. You peruse the menu but you're not very hungry.

"Oh, they still have the grilled cheese," you say.

"Yeah…" she continues to read the menu, nonplussed by your suggestion.

You tap your toe and cup your chin as you look out the window. It's a nice day even if you're gloomy inside. You turn back to the table and flip over the menu.

The waitress returns with your drinks. You sip your coffee before you order a mac and cheese and Simone gets chicken fingers. You hand the menus over and smile at your daughter. She's old enough, she'll catch on soon.

"So, what's your latest adventure about?" You ask.

"Uh, well, I just read one about a knight. She's a girl and she goes off to fight an army of trolls…"

You immerse yourself in her retelling of the children's novel. You don't care, it's better than reality. You giggle and smile as she becomes more animated. She can be so monotone but her passion makes you proud.

A figure approaches, breaking your trance, and you look over expecting the waitress. To your chagrin, it's not.

You grip the edge of the table as Simone's voice peters out and she looks at the man with her cool deadpan. You clear your throat, fighting the urge to reach across and shield her. Mr. Hansen smirks down at you as he glances between you and your daughter.

"Funny running into you here," he snickers, "enjoying your weekend."

"Just having lunch," you say crisply, "hope you're having a good Sunday."

You turn straight on the bench and look at Simone as you gesture for her to face you. She frowns as you try to come up with an escape plan. You don't even know what to say and he's not going anywhere.

"Oh I'm having a wonderful weekend. Look at you, how cute, this must be the spawn."

"Spawn?" Simone murmurs, "hey, what's your deal, guy?"

"Sim," you wave her off, "that's good to hear Mr. Hansen. I hate to keep you so–"

"Room for one more?" He winks.

"Ew, no," Simone speaks before you can, "mom, tell him to go away."

"She's mouthy. Not hard to guess why," he scoffs.

You slide off the seat and stand, stepping between him and the table. You arch a brow, pleading with your hands out.

"Please, sir, we're just enjoying a meal out. I'll see you tomorrow. At work."

He watches you, his amusement playing on his face. He's enjoying seeing you squirm, just like before. He always knows the most sensitive spot to hit. Your kids would be top of the list.

"Tomorrow," he winks as he leans back on his heel, "we got a special meeting, don't we?"

"Sir," you hiss.

He chuckles and rolls his eyes, "alright, ladies, enjoy your lunch."

He backs up and struts away. You don't sit until he's out the door. What on earth is he even doing in a place like this? It's not exactly a Michelin star experience.

You settle back in and swallow, turning to watch out the window. He isn't in his usual suit but still dressed nicely. A peach polo peeking out under a teal bomber jacket and canary pants. Tacky if you say so yourself.

"Who was that weirdo?" Simone asks.

"My boss," you lean back, "just saying hi."

"He's strange. Like the villain in the book I was reading," she scowls out the window, "you need a new job."

You laugh despite yourself, "you have no idea. First things first, I'm starving."

🗄️

You get home, exhausted. You put away the groceries and tidy up. Of course Pete couldn't clean up after making a mess of the kitchen for a simple PB and J. You sigh as you finish and look in on the kids in the living room.

Malik colours as Simone creases her brow at her book. You hear Pete outside working on his Corvette. For a brand new car, it sure needs a lot of maintenance.

You tell the kids you'll be upstairs if they need anything. You go to the bedroom and open the closet. You're so anxious about tomorrow, you may as well get ready to face the music.

You pick out an outfit. Nothing special. You don't have anything fashionable. It's not like you need more than a striped blouse and worn black pants. You just don't want to come back up there to grab it all in the morning.

As you come downstairs, you hear Malik giggling. You peek in through the doorway with your armful of clothing. Pete sits on the floor at the coffee table beside the boy and scribbles with a crayon. He meets your eye as you pass and gives a sheepish smile. You shake your head and keep going.

You open the door to the basement and the cool air sweeps around your descent. You put the outfit on the folding table beside the camping cot. Your first few nights have been less than comfortable. As cozy as your own marriage.

You check the dryer and take out the towels, folding them on the top and stacking them there. You hear footsteps on the stairs. You keep your back to the airy space.

"Hey," Pete says. You're not surprised. He keeps trying to corner you. "So…"

"Busy," you grab a basket and set the towels in it.

"Hm," he stops only a few feet from you, "Simone said you ran into someone. Your boss."

"Yup. Nice guy," you utter dryly.

"I thought Mandy was your boss."

You roll your eyes as you lift the basket and turn, "one of many. She's up in York now."

"Ah…" he hangs his head, gripping one hip, "a lot's changed."

"I'm not in the mood to talk so let's not do this."

He huffs and steps into your path. He puts a hand on the basket. He looks you in the face.

"I will be home every day at six–"

"Too late."

"Please, can't I just try? Can't you?"

"Me? I tried, Pete," you snap, "come home at six anyway. The kids will be happy."

"What about you?"

You stare at him grimly. Your eyes tingle and you look away. Your chest rises and falls.

"I haven't been happy in a long time. Don't think I will be again," you shrug and pull the basket away, striding past him, "I didn't make you happy either, did I?"

He huffs and trails after you as you cross to the stairs. As you go to make your ascent and he grabs your arm and spins you back to him. Before you can react, he snatches the basket from your grip and places it on the stack of rubbermaid bins by the wall.

He puts his hands on your arms and pulls you against him. He leans in and you turn your head, his lips crashing into your cheek. You shove on his chest and growl.

"What are you doing?" You pinch by his ribs.

"Baby, please, let me make it up to you–"

"Don't touch me," you push on him, "get off."

"I love you. I mean it–"

"Stop!" You hit his chest again but he doesn't budge, instead wrapping his arms around you, squeezing the breath out of you. How is he still so strong when you only ever got weaker? "Pete…"

"You can't walk away–"

"You already did," you keep your voice down, mindful of the open door above.

"Let me try. I wanna make love to you–"

"Pfft, yeah right. Go get tested and I might even consider letting you hold my hand," you snarl, "get off of me now."

"Wha– I'm clean–"

"Get!" You bring your knee up and feel it collide with his crotch. He releases you and staggers back, cupping his most precious possession. "You're a dirty fucking weasel."

You turn and pick up the basket and stomp up the stairs as you hear him whimpering. Serves him right. You can't help but smile at the ounce of power you feel in that moment.

🗄️

Monday morning both too quickly but not fast enough. You get up with the kids and get them ready for school, filling a thermos of coffee for yourself. You drive them to school and send them off with dread in your chest.

For a moment, you idle outside the school. You miss the days when you only worried about spelling quizzes and dodgeball. You hope at least your kids never end up where you are.

You follow the crawl of traffic out of the school zone and reluctantly steer towards work. You yawn and drain half your thermos before you get to the office. As you shoulder your bag and look up at the corporate facade, you feel the world threaten to crumble around you. No, not the whole world, just yours.

You enter behind a few others and try to find your courage in the elevator. You peek over at your coworkers; you recognise two but the other you don't know. There's not much workplace camaraderie, more of an understanding to get your work down and clock out.

You follow them out and go to your desk. You sit and pop the lid off of your thermos. Just enough to get you through this. You don't unpack your lunch, certain you won't be eating it there.

You turn on your PC and sign in. You're in no hurry to get started on work. Your calendar pops up with the internal schedule reminder. There it is, a meeting in ten minutes. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

You get up and go to the bathroom. You can do this. You dealt with your scoundrel husband, you are still moving, you're not dead in the water.

But how do you survive this? Do you beg? You quit and take the loss? No you can't. You need this job and if you get fired, at least you'll have a hope at severance.

You avoid your reflection. That old woman isn't you. You go out and check your watch, pausing as the shine of your rings gleam in the fluorescent light. You slide them off and put them in your back pocket.

You check the schedule one last time and go to tbe meeting room. There's no one there as you find the door shut. It's clearly empty on the other side of the windowed walls. You lean against the plaster and tap your sole.

"Ah, there she is. How's it goin', toots? You need some chamomile? The chairs sure are comfy, aren't they?" Mr. Hansen struts down with his hands in his pockets.

"Sir," you greet flatly. He's mocking you. Jokes on him, you're always tired.

"Come on," he twists the handle and swings the door open so that it bounces on the hinges, "get moving."

You don't react to his crass tone. You merely step into the room as the light flicks on as the censor picks up your movement. You walk along one side of the table as Hansen shuts the door.

You hover behind a chair as he goes along the wall and tugs each cord to repel the blinds down, blocking out the hallway. Uneasiness bubbles in your stomach as you watch him. You expected him to make your humiliation public.

"Have a seat, honey buns," he faces you, approaching the other side of the table.

You sit and fold your hands on the table top. He has no paperwork, not even a computer. You wonder what exactly is going on.

"Is someone from HR–"

"Look, let's keep the sticklers outta this," he waves you off, kick one foot out as he shifts his weight to one hip, "unless you really want a disciplinary slip. Me, personally, I can't be fucked with that paperwork."

You frown and flatten your hands on the table, trying to keep your anxiety from showing. He looks at the gesture and tilts his head. His cheek dimples and he snorts.

He doesn't comment. Not at first. He paces up and down the table and bites his thumb.

"Alright, let's get to business," he stops at the end, close to the corner, "what are you willing to do to keep this job?"

"Sir?"

"Pretty daughter you got. Probably eats up that paycheck in no time. All those cute shirts and ugh, the growth spurts–"

"Mr. Hansen," you swallow, "please, I don't think my family has anything to do with this."

"They have everything to do with this," he insists, "let's not pretend."

"I'm not– I'm sorry I fell asleep. It won't happen again."

"I gave you an out. All you had to do was put your hands down my pants and you could've napped in the boardroom. No problem. I do it all the time," he snickers, "but no, you're a stubborn little bitch. Makes me wonder what the old man sees in ya. Really, cause a tight ass ain't fun unless you get inside–"

"Mr. Hansen," you exclaim, revolted by his lewd words.

"Whatever he's doing, he's not doing it right. You need to loosen up, toots," he runs his thumb across his mustache, "and that little girl won't be so proud of mommy if she ends up working at Burger King like some stoner teenager–"

You sputter, heat creeping up the nape of your neck and speckling down your body. You shake your head. Did he know or is it a lucky guess? Either way, you don't have the energy for this. You're done being a joke for men.

"Just spit it out. What do I have to do?" You sneer as your hands ball.

His lips slant and he smothers a noise in his throat. He slowly walks closet until he's right beside you. You turn the chair to face him as he leans down and puts his hand on yours. He unfolds your fingers and feels along the indents left by your rings.

"Looks like trouble in paradise," he winks, "well, I'm the good kinda trouble. Trust me."

You stare at him. You're not as naive as you once were. There's no denial here. This is real life, a bitter pill you need to swallow.

"That's it? A hand job and I keep my job?" You squint.

He laughs and cups your chin, "oh, you think that's it?"

You can't help but let your surprise bleed through. Your not some young hot thing. Is he just trying to rub salt in the wound or is he serious?

"I…"

"Hand, mouth, cunt, ass, tits," he pulls away as he lists of each word, "you look in tact for the most part. But most importantly…" he shoots you with a finger gun, "you're desperate. What more could I ask for?"

#lloyd hansen #dark lloyd hansen #dark!lloyd hansen #pete brenner #dark pete brenner #dark!pete brenner #lloyd hansen x reader #pete brenner x reader #fic #dark fic #dark!fic #series #au #same as it ever was #the gray man #pain hustlers

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sp0o0kylights · 2 months

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Being from PNW as I am, I really want to do a Polybius AU with Steddie (I just don’t want to write it lmao)

We begin with Eddie being absolutely attached to this growing urban legend. An arcade cabinet shrouded in mysterious gameplay, awash with rumors of kids disappearing or even dying, and men in black “collecting” something from the cabinet every week?

Throw in his own little weird encounter with an arcade game as a kid, one Eddie cannot for the life of him find again and yeah, he’s salivating over this shit.

Hellfire’s tired of hearing about it. This has been Eddie’s white whale since they met him, they’re done listening to him chase down rumors and insist the game was checking for psychic powers in the population. (Or testing a “mind weapon” or six other things.)

He gets met with nothing but groans and complaints when he catches wind that something like Polybius popped up on the west coast, igniting the rumors all over again, but this is a new tale for Hellfire’s freshmen.

They sit, enraptured and asking six million questions, by something everyone but Mike thinks is just some silly bullshit story--but it’s so out there that Lucas and Dustin placate him.

(“Why on earth would Brenner use an arcade cabinet when he was just kidnapping kids at birth Mike, you just want an excuse to see El…”)

Obviously Polybius IRL takes place in Oregon, but let’s say things have grown a bit. Extended, like the growth of a disgusting, pulsing vine, into California.

Will is walking home when his hand flies to the back of his neck, a buzzing overtaking his ears as this weird, black arcade cabinet from a nearby shop seems to slide into his focus.

Slowly, like a camera lens being focused, it pulls him in until El yanks him out of it and he realizes he hasn't been breathing.

Later he tells Mike--because he has to tell someone that isn't Jonathan and isn't El and absolutely isn't his mom-- and Mike absolutely loses his shit.

This, of course, accumulates into a blowup at lunch, in front of the rest of Hellfire.

Who are rolling their eyes because oh God, not only has Eddie infected the freshman with this, they’re now doing that thing they do where they get all secretive and try to talk in code words.

(As if all of Hellfire isn’t aware they think “Mike’s girlfriend” who is about as real to them as Suzie is, has superpowers.

The party is good at a lot of things, but whispering isn’t one of them.)

There's an argument about whether this means Brenner, or someone like him, is collecting kids again and if so, do they have a responsibility to stop it, and that this isn't the Upside Down this is human horror, but what if it is actually the Upside Down, they don’t know--and it goes round and round between the Party in Hawkins and El & Will up in California, via phone calls.

The Hawkins crew decides they need to go to California, together.

They just…have to figure out a way to get there, first.

Will & El on the other hand, decide they can’t wait, because they can save kids.

They can make a difference--prevent this shit from happening in a new location all over again.

El doesn't want to be like Kali anymore, but she understands what Kali was trying to do and she feels that same sort of responsibility to stop what she can.

They disappear.

Jonathan calls everyone he can, frantic, because he thinks Will and El have decided to go back to Hawkins, and his mother just left with Murray to do something she was extremely vague about and Argyle does not have enough weed for this.

If you guessed this accumulates with a Eddie + the Extended Party (Nance/Steve/Robin) going on a road trip you’d be right.

Also they collect Suzie on the way because no one ever uses her in stories and fuck it she’d be fun to bring in.

With them being in California you have Max’s past coming into play, as well as Eddie’s own mystery with the arcade cabinet, everyone crashing together at the Byers house (one bed or no bed either is hilarious for Steddie) and as we left the rest of Hellfire back at Hawkins to try and dodge six million questions about where like, ten people vanished off to (“Uh….camp?”) we get to have some fun there too.

Throw in Eddie’s massive ass crush, “out of Hawkins” Robin + Steve (who is perhaps a lot more chill with things than Eddie realized) and a need to go “undercover” at a gay bar purely for selfish reasons on my end (I want to see Steve flirt shamelessly with men and watch Eddie blue screen bc of it) and you have a lot of fun with the entire groups dynamic.

I don’t have an ending other than Eddie at some point needs to play Polybuis and Steve drapes himself over Eddie’s back, whispering encouragement in his ear as a way to keep him from getting pulled into it the way Will was while the kids work together to kill whatever it is the government's unleashed this time (not Brenner, but instead another branch or faction who took his research and ran) but I’d love to parallel Eddie more to Will, on both the gay and supernatural fronts.

#steddie #honestly polybius is such a perfect little legend for them #also suzie

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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Why Mike Referring to El as "Superman" is Byler Coded

*Note this theory has nothing to do with gender*

This is gonna be long. But don't worry. I think it's worth it.

El + Will

El and Will are intertwined. Interchangeable characters. Almost like doppelgängers or alter-egos. Yet sometimes behave or are placed in situations as if they are foils. Here's what I mean by this.

Season One

From the very beginning, Will and El are linked. When Will goes missing from Hawkins, El appears in the woods of Hawkins. Will is taken from the party and El is given to them (in a sense) when they find her. Immediately they are put in contrasting situations (foils) yet are interchangeable characters (I'll be calling this alter ego since doppelgänger isn't a completely accurate term

Physically she is smaller than the rest of the group, like Will, and she is also shy, like Will. She's not just shy because she doesn't know many words as we know from later seasons, when she knows a lot more English. Though she talks a bit more, she is still reserved with communication, just like Will.

And we can also see their characters mirror each other in the way other characters react to them. Not only just Mike but Lucas and Dustin eventually become protective over El just like they are with Will. Joyce becomes a motherly figure for El once she meets her. Not in season one but eventually Hopper becomes both of their father figures. The bullies make fun of her just like they make fun of Will. But from the very first few minutes, we understand Mike and Will have a special friendship compared to themselves with Lucas and Dustin. Will only tells Mike the truth about the dice. He doesn't lie. Mike's also very protective over and sensitive about Will. He notices he doesn't show up to school. He goes to his house to find him. He genuinely wants to help find Will, just like the others, but he's really adamant from the get go. He has a protector role. As soon as Will becomes lost and they find El in the woods, she takes Will's place in his absence. Immediately, Mike takes her under his wing and protects her. They have a thing about friends not lying, referencing the very first scene where Will doesn't lie to Mike, and only Mike. They both have a special relationship with Mike and it's emphasized by all the other similarities between Will and El. Such as...

Both of the characters being the only ones to have outwardly abusive, shitty fathers. Lonnie is a homophobic bully to his own son and would gladly exploit his death, while Brenner imprisoned El her entire childhood and did nothing but manipulate and exploit her. They both were taken from their mothers, who go crazy looking for them and never stop until they find them or are physically prevented from doing so :( They are the only characters alive who have been abducted, so they share a complex trauma that none of the others can relate to. Automatically this gives them a similar character profile starkly contrasted to the rest. They both feel a connection to the Upside Down and are the other characters main (only?) connections to the Upside Down.

Finally, in the final moments of season one, Will is brought back to the original Hawkins and El is taken into the Upside Down. Interchangeably. A transfer of their characters. The paralellism lol. And this brings us directly into season two.

But before that.

This next sentence is important, so pay attention. Essentially, the only major difference between Will and El is that Will has no powers. Remember this.

Season Two

So immediately in season two there is already another situational contrast between our mirrored characters; Will is now in Hawkins, placed back inside the party, and El was in the Upside Down until she was in the woods (just like Will except reversed) and then Hopper took her in (same person who saved Will), taken from the party. So Will is given back and El is taken. Almost like you can only have one because they're so interchangeable. So there are already many parallels.

**So many that I could stop here and make my Superman point honestly but this is too much fun. So if you want you can just skip to the end for the rest of the theory and it will still make sense. But I suggest reading the whole thing for it to really hit.**

Anyway. Now instead of El being the main character, Will is, at least in relation to the other party members. I would say both El and Will are the main main characters of s2, but regardless, Will takes her place as the main character in the party. So again, they switch places. Indicating they are interchangeable. Which is very important. Just like season one where the party members and eventually the other characters were protecting El from the bad men, they're now protecting Will from the Mind Flayer. He takes the place of protected and Mike is his main protector as far as the kids and teens. Not only that but there are tons of Byler moments in this season and they mirror how Mileven were in season one. If what's happening in a canon ship is happening in a supposed "unrequited" ship, then maybe that ship isn't so unrequited. If people even question it, maybe that ship isn't so canon.

But I digress. Lol

Just because Will and El are so alike doesn't mean they don't clash. That's why they're also foils, imo. And this is what we see in season three.

Season Three

So by clash I don't mean they don't like each other or have ill will for one and other. I mean the trope or role they hold in comparison to the other characters only has room for one, so it can create tension. Otherwise, they still pretty much mirror each other. Both are finally getting to grow up and not experience trauma (in the first few episodes). They are both recovering from their childhood being ripped apart by two heads of the same beast. El has girls night with Max before+after breaking up with Mike, Will has boys night before fighting with Mike. They're two peas in one pod that are constantly revolving around each other. The yin and yang. So similar but constantly moving in opposite directions. When one does this, the other does that. Mileven's breakup scene is funny, lighthearted, fun colored and sunny. Bylers fight is dreary, dark, mono toned color scheme, emotional acting and serious implications. El is seen having fun thinking of other things after the breakup. Will destroys Castle Byers, the place he felt was safe for him, which could even parallel when El destroys the cabin because Hopper won't let her leave/see Mike. They're in almost identical situations (lover/crush isn't reciprocating the feelings I have for them, or at least isn't showing it properly) yet their situations end up completely different. This mirrors their characters but also foils them. Regardless it creates a link between the two indicating they hold similar roles within the show. Other than Mike relations, while El is figuring out something is up with Billy/the Upside Down, Will knows the Mind Flayer is back. They both consistently represent the fantasy aspect and always facilitate that storyline. Now that they've finally been present together in a season, it becomes A LOT more obvious how their characters are so similar it causes clashes, which only further emphasizes how alike they are.

Let's just get into S4 because this is so long lol.

Season Four

El and Will becoming siblings heavily emphasizes them being each others alter-egos and the fact that El has no powers only maximizes this to the fullest. Essentially they're now the exact same character trope/profile whatever you want to call it. El is now being bullied for being "different" and because she no longer has powers. We all know Will has been bullied since the womb 💀 Without her powers, El has a very difficult time defending herself, and so does Will in general. She can't vocally speak up for herself, the only time Will does is when Mike has ticked him off so bad, similar to El without her powers. They both just don't fit in. So why don't they also show Will being bullied? It goes back to how they clash, reiterating how they're the yin and yang, switching situations constantly. When Mike first gets to Cali, Mileven are all over each other leaving Will dilly dallying somewhere in the background and Byler eventually fighting. Then Mileven fight and Byler make up. Both Will and El want to hear something from Mike that he's isn't ready to say. He dances around the issue with the both of them - telling El she's incredible and he cares for her, telling Will they're just friends, and indicating their relationship didn't warrant regular contact. Same situation (I want Mike to reciprocate my feelings) different outcome (Mike doesn't love me, Mike can't admit we were best friends ((or more than that)) and his behavior is weird). This is not for no reason. Writers (and no it's not just the Duffers, so please stop shitting on the writing when if you look into it there's some good subtext) don't parallel characters for no reason. They are trying to indicate something. That Will and El are so alike but constantly stuck in opposing situations.

Okay so that's my in depth analysis of why Will and El are essentially the same character while simultaneously contrasting each other. Alter ego foils. Let's get to the ACTUAL point 😭

Superman

So, in the van scene, before Will gives his speech, Mike has his own little semi-speech and towards the end he says "...that I'm just some random nerd who got lucky Superman landed on his doortstep. I mean at least Lois Lane is a reporter for the daily planet, right?"

Now this may seem like a simple analogy, not knowing much about Superman. However, even when I only knew the basics and tropes, it still stood out to me that he referred to el as Superman, not Superwoman, wonder woman or Supergirl. I've seen a few people for and against this theory and it always revolves around the idea that El is a girl not a boy so it should be Supergirl. And yes, I think that partially helps this analogy, it gives it more attention to an average viewer; but that's not the only reason it works. In fact, I don't think that's the main point at all. It's also important that Mike refers to himself as Lois Lane. Now hear me out...

In the original Superman comics, and some iterations of it, Lois Lane falls for Superman because of his super powers and subsequent charisma/attractiveness, while befriending Clark Kent and not realizing they are the same person. Are we seeing this comparison? Please tell me I'm not crazy.

If it wasn't obvious, Mike = Lois Lane, Will = Clark Kent and El = Superman.

Here's a description of the "love triangle" between Lois, Clark and Superman. Yellow is Will, blue is Mike and green is El.

Now obviously, Superman and Kent really are the same person. However, I think there's plenty of support for the idea that Will and El are nearly interchangeable characters without the powers. So the Writers used a clever reference to indicate this love triangle (or at least I think they intentionally did lol).

What supports this theory more is Mike's descriptions throughout the seasons of El. He's references her super powers more than twice, referred to her as a "machine" a "weapon in s1". In S3 and S4 he has trouble saying ILY which on its own could be plenty of things but coupled with all of the other subtext... let's just say maybe I choose to be delusional. In the monologue, he refers multiple times to her super powers instead of like "i love your caring soul, your warming smile, how you are literally always there for us". No its "you can move mountains, fly, do anything" etc. Clear romanticization of her powers which she probably doesn't like and isn't a healthy thing in a relationship anyway.

Lois Lane has a close personal relationship with both Superman and Clark Kent, yet she's unable to tell that they're the same person. Even though the only thing being different is a pair of glasses and obviously super powers. This parallels how Mike is unable to differentiate between his feelings for Will and his feelings for El. They're confusing because he thinks he's supposed to like El because of society (Lois is primarily attracted to Superman first over Kent because of the allure he brings with his fame and powers, which relates to social standing) and that he can't like Will because of the obvious implications - being gay would give him hardship. For Lois Lane, it means she has a lower social status than if she were to be with Superman. The way El and Will have so many parallels I feel like this analogy is too blatant to not mean something. Especially considering this is a sci-fi action show and Superman would attract similar fanbases, so some of them would be able to make the connection.

+++It's also NOT a coincidence that he says this RIGHT before Will confesses his feeling VICARIOUSLY THROUGH El. It just can't be sorry.

Now obviously this is all speculation, but this next part is really speculation.

So how is Mike's behavior explained in the context of this Superman analogy?

Now that El lost her powers, Will and El are essentially two peas in a pod. If you analyze closely throughout the seasons you would catch on to it, but now more than ever. Mike has too. They call and write all the time so presumably they talk A LOT about A LOT of things. This gave him the time to understand El apart from her powers. Not only that but they were physically separated so even if she did have her powers, he still wouldn't be as affected by them. He finally gets to know her. And that's not to say he doesn't like her. Or even love her. He just doesn't romantically love her. And he realizes that once he's confronted her true self, and once he gets to Cali it's thrown right into his face (as he may or may not have been expecting) causing him to ignore Will. Even though he's never, even in s3, acted this nonchalant and apathetic towards Will. It's noticeable, probably noticeable enough for the general audience. A stark contrast even. Yes it could be the distance so they grew apart but we know from their talks in Vol 1 that it wasn't intentional. Mike says he lost Will. When's the last time he lost Will? In s2 with the Mind Flayer and in s1 with the abduction. How did he react? Negatively, but urgently tried to find Will. This time he reacts negatively but avoids fixing it. Why? Because he, at least on some level, has recognized his feelings for Will. Perhaps the similarities are so glaringly obvious that he feels stupid and naïve.

And one last thing to drive the point home.

Mike, in episode 8, refers to El as "superman". You can brush it all off as oh that's just the most popular superhero, etc. But in the VERY next episode, Argyle refers to her as "supergirl". It shows that Argyle sees her as a girl, not a boy. Not that Mike doesn't know she's a girl but that he chose not to refer to her as such. Someone else pointed out that he has referred to her as "person" multiple times throughout the series. I don't have the proof in that but if it's true it supports this. It also shows that the writers (may) have used the word Superman intentionally.

Well that was super fucking long but I would love to hear opinions if you've gotten this far!!! I don't think it's that far fetched but I am deluded so I truly can't tell lol.

#Byler #Byler is real #Mike Wheeler is gay #Mike Wheeler queer #Mike Wheeler queercoded #Stranger things #Will Byers #Will Byers is gay #Byler is endgame #stranger things 4 #stranger things gay #byler theory #byler theories #mike and will #THIS IS TRUE IDC!!!!!!!#mike wheeler and will byers #byler endgame #Eleven

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fastcardotmp3 · 1 year

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Jonathan & El cw: implied past child abuse

The first time he hears her call herself bad it strikes him so hard in his sternum that he can't buck up and do something about it.

Jonathan looks at this girl, his sister, who has saved the world time and again, who had saved his brother from a slow death in a terrible place, and she lays claim to a badness that makes him feel kind of sick, actually.

It's the same feeling he got when Will started calling himself a freak, the same feeling he got when Jonathan himself first started learning to play music loud enough he couldn't hear his parents fighting in the other room, even years before he taught that trick to Will.

It's a feeling, ultimately, that swallows stability whole and leaves you to stumble across uneven ground until you find your footing again.

Jonathan just has to-- find his footing again. And that means someone needs to talk to El.

"Because I am," she says when he asks why she calls herself that, sitting at the kitchen table with two mugs of her latest culinary obsession between them-- hot chocolate.

"But what makes you think you're bad?" Jonathan asks, genuinely curious, genuinely getting thrown to the ground by the shake in the earth. "I don't think you're bad."

El presses her lips together, eyebrows low over her downturned gaze as she looks intensely at the little marshmallows sitting on top of her drink like she's trying to solve the puzzle of the world.

Jonathan supposes she kind of is, in a way, contemplating human nature after spending so many years being told what to be, how to fit within a certain set of parameters, how to behave the way Papa wanted her to.

That's another thing that gives him big feelings. Those feelings could probably be solved by caving Brenner's face in, though.

"I have hurt people," is what she lands on, still not looking up but the scowl line between her brows deepening.

And there's no denying it, she has hurt people; she's killed people, as a matter of fact, and she's watched them die, so there's no point in dodging the reality of that here, in trying to say you didn't mean to when he knows she did.

Jonathan opens his mouth and then shuts it again, though, catches himself in the act of trying to tell her that the good she's done outweighs the bad because, for one, he doesn't know if that's true, and for two, maybe it doesn't matter.

"You know," he clears his throat, elbows digging into the table and shoulders hunching up around his ears, "stories-- like Will's books and Hop's TV?-- have really obvious villains most of the time. Bad guys, right?"

El looks up at him, thinks about it, nods.

"Right."

"Okay," Jonathan keeps going, "well, that's because people have always been trying to find-- easy answers for hard things. Things like good and bad. So they created monsters who only ever hurt and heroes who only ever help.

"But, just because it helps us understand why people do bad things, it doesn't mean that-- none of it is really that-- black and white?"

"Black and white?" El questions, but she's not pushing back against him so Jonathan has hope that this is working in some way or another.

"Like, clear and obvious. Like everything has just one answer, but that's not really the case, is it?"

"No," she says with zero hesitation. "Some things are-- confusing."

"Yeah, they are. People are," he pulls his mug closer to himself and taps his fingers along the ceramic.

"So there aren't... bad people?" she looks confused, like she doesn't believe it, like she's actively losing faith in his judgement, so Jonathan shakes his head quickly.

"It's-- It's more like there are just people," he flounders. "And I really-- I don't think I've ever met a person that's only ever been good or only ever been bad."

El looks down at her hot chocolate. Grabs the can of whipped cream and sprays more on top of her cooling drink.

Doesn't take a sip.

"You've only ever been good," she says it slowly, obvious confusion still touching her tone in ways that don't even overpower the rush of emotion Jonathan gets and knowing she really feels that way about him of all people.

He breathes sharply through his nose, opens his mouth and shuts it twice before he manages to say, "I've hurt people too, El."

It's not going to be an easy thing, Jonathan thinks, making sure she understands that people are largely just the choices they make and that people are allowed to choose to change, to get better, and that the people who hurt her, the people she hurt in return, won't be missed by anyone who loves El but might be missed by someone and that no matter how complicated it is and no matter how messy and no matter how surface level wrong it may be she is still not bad.

It's not going to be an easy thing, made clear by the way she looks at him now and visibly tries to make sense of the fact that someone she had deemed as good could possibly have ever done wrong, because those people in that fucking lab drilled absolutism into her head from birth, but fuck. Fuck.

"You're just a person, is all I'm saying," he implores, because it's going to take longer than one conversation over hot chocolate to make any of it make a modicum of sense, even to him. "You're a person and we love you."

Something shakes loose in her gaze at that, a tension releasing from her shoulders, because if there's one thing Hopper and Joyce and those damn kids have done right it's making this make sense to her.

"I love you too," she tells him, and Jonathan has the self control of a saint to not start crying.

When she adds more whipped cream to her drink, he just follows her lead.

#dot post #dot fic #jonathan byers #el hopper #the byers hoppers #jonathan & el #stranger things #was going through my drafts bc I have the worst case of brain fog I'm trying to shake loose and found this half written #so have this attempt at jostling words out of my body!!#because jonathan and el deserve a sibling moment

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lupon · 1 year

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So I noticed a while ago that the Byers new house and Benny's diner has the same address number

It's had me scratching my head for months. But I think I may have finally figured out what the connection could be

They were both places that were primarily meant to keep El safe and hidden. They offered her care and safety

They both had someone who was trying to protect El from people who wanted to hurt her. And they both made the mistake of letting in a stranger assuming they were someone they actually weren't

And the one who was supposed to protect her from outsiders were shot by a member of the government

So I think the main reason for the connections is to give a false sense of safety and put emphasis on how dangerous the government is. We didn't realize the government knew where to find her until the door was opened. This is just further honing in on the fact that El can never truly be safe until the government trusts her. Both Sullivan and Dr Brenner believed El was dangerous and needed to be restrained somehow (Sullivan thought it was best to kill her while Brenner believed she could be used as a weapon)

People need to see El save the world, or else they’ll just keep coming back for her. Until they know she’s one of the good ones, she’ll always be a monster to them.

#Eleven #El hopper #jane hopper #stranger things #stranger things theroy #st s4 #byler

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ravensinthedaylight · 1 year

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Ruby : Part One

hey! can i request a prentiss x daughter fic where reader gets kidnapped by an unsub (lots of angst) and emily is all mama bear to save her. can either end with angst or fluff. thanks!

Reader’s Age: 9 Years Old

Requests: Open

Summary: When Emily leaves for a case she leaves you with your godparents. They both decide to take you to the movies, but that night something terrible happens. The next day Emily Prentiss and the team sit, listening to the case file going over the facts of your godparents murder and your own kidnapping.

A/N: I’ve just watched the episode on the Romanian family and couldn’t help myself, considering I had seen this request just hours earlier.

You clung to your mother’s leg, your nose was buried in her pant leg, taking in her scent before she went away for what could be days, maybe even a week or two.

She had always told you that she wouldn’t be gone for too long, but it didn’t make a difference to you, she was still gone none the less and you missed her regardless.

You love your godparents, the Brenners, Angie & Mark, both of whom had been your mother’s friends for years, even before you were born, but you loved your mom a lot more. You just wanted to stay with her.

This seemed to be routine, every time Emily would go away it would be the exact same goodbye. Sometimes you would be with your grandparents, her aunts and uncles and other times it would be Angie and Mark.

You were still sitting on the ground, eyes tightly shut. Your mom didn’t try to move, instead she was bend slightly to you, stroking the back of your head.

You couldn’t see you godparents behind you, but you knew that they were there, waiting to close the door when Emily finally managed to coax you off her leg, you weren’t ready for that yet. You knew it would be a while before you saw her again.

Something felt really off, you didn’t like it. This made you want to hold your mother’s leg tighter, she made everything better, safer even. Your mom kept all the bad guys away, she kept you safe.

“I’ll be back before you know it bubs, I’ll be back as soon as I can. And hey! Maybe I could bring you to see the rest of the team after. Would you like that? Hm?”

You looked up at her with a look that made her heart breakl.

“I love you Mommy.”

Your voice was soft and it cracked slightly at the end.

“Hey hey hey bubba, please don’t cry. I love you too, so so much.”

Emily picked you up and held you to her side closely. “My best girl.” She murmured against your forehead.

After a minute she placed you on the ground once again and held your face in her hand. “Behave for Mark and Angie, sweet girl.”

“I always do.” You pouted.

Your mother booped your nose before kissing it.

“I know, lovely girl.”

Just then you heard her phone ding, and you knew it was time for her to go.

“Hey, Y/N.” Called Angie. “Why don’t you say bye to your mom and come help me try a new cookie recipe that I’ve been working on, triple chocolate chip.”

Emily let out a gasp. “Triple chocolate chip! Wow Y/N that’s your favourite!”

You nodded and placed both your hands on her cheeks. “You gotta promise me that you’re gonna come back to me.”

Emily chuckled. “I always do, bubs.”

“I know but I still need to hear you say it, because it helps yknow.”

Emily kissed your cheek. “I promise that I’m gonna come back the second the case is done. Scout’s honour. And hey, I’ll even throw in something else. The second I pick you up I’ll take you to the arcade and we’re gonna stay there however long it takes us to get enough tickets for that giant giraffe.”

It was your turn to gasp. “Mommy! That’s gonna take up over half my room!”

“I’ll bring uncle Derek and uncle Spencer to help carry it then.”

“I don’t think Uncle Spence will be much of a help, Mommy.”

Emily laughed loudly. “Alright, You, Go have fun with Angie and Mark.” She kissed your forehead again.

“I will!” You dashed up the pathway to the door of the Brenner’s house. “I love you Mommy!”

“I love you too, Baby. Have fun.” She called after you.

When you turned back around again, she was getting into the car. “Have a safe trip!”

She smiled at you and waved, getting the gears ready to pull out.

You felt Mark’s hand on your shoulder.

“She’ll be back in no time, Y/N. I’m even willing to bet that she’ll get back by tomorrow night. She’s always in a rush to get back to her favourite gal.”

You smiled up at him.

“And me and Angie was thinking of going to see a movie at around five.”

You grinned. “The new spiderman one?!”

“Mhmm you know it.” Mark laughed. “But I really am in the mood for some cookies. You wanna help your godmother finish em off?”

“Yes please!”

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

The movie was great. You and your godparents all really enjoyed it, although you were beginning to think that you were more a fan of the movie while it was the popcorn and pepsi that did it for them, but either way you had a good time.

You were a little homesick, but you always were, so it was to be expected.

Angie let you stay up until 9.30 pm, which was half an hour over your usual bedtime. You and her had made amazing triple chocolate chip cookies, which was now only double chocolate chip due to yourself and Mark eating a good amount of them before any actually went into the dough.

You currently sat at the table eating said cookies, enjoying the milk that came along with it.

You wondered if your mom was still up. She probably was, she always stayed up late with a cup of coffee in her hand reading some files with Sergio on her lap. Sergio wasn’t allowed in your room. Which wasn’t fair in your opinion.

“Y/N.”

You jumped.

“Woah sorry, kiddo. It’s just me.” Angie spoke softly.

You didn’t know why you had reacted that way, something just didn’t feel right about tonight, you felt like something bad was going to happen, the feeling was foreign to you. Maybe the sooner you got to sleep the sooner you would wake up and see that you were just overthinking or something along those lines.

“I think it’s time for bed, don’t you?”

You nodded your head and took your godmother’s hand as she guided you up the staircase and into the spare bedroom.

“Somethings not right.” You whimpered.

“What do you mean, bug? You don’t feel well?”

“I-I don’t know. Everything just feels off. I don’t know how to explain it. I feel like something bad’s gonna happen.”

Angie chuckled lightly. “Don’t be ridiculous, sweetheart. Your mommy’s just fine.”

You weren’t talking about your mommy, you were talking about you, in that house. You weren’t afraid of Angie and Mark, but of the thought that something horrible was about to happen.

“But-”

“Night night, Y/N.” Angie cut across. You sighed softly before deciding to let it go.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

Your godmother reached into the cupboard under the nightstand and pulled out your to-go-bag that your mom had prepared, out of said bag she found your stuffed platypus, which you only ever sought out comfort in when your mom went on missions that she wouldn’t be home that night for. For that reason the stuffed animal gained the name ‘Mily,’ as it was somewhat of a substitute for your mom, given the name was “Emily’ but without the E.

“Goodnight, Bug. How about we make pancakes in the morning?”

You grinned and nodded. “Can we make some for Mommy, too?”

“Of course.” She smiled, and you returned the smile.

You barely realised how tired you were. You were asleep the second the light went off, not knowing that that would be the last time you would ever see Angie alive, and also your last proper night sleep that wouldn’t be plagued by horrific nightmares.

︵‿︵‿୨♡୧‿︵‿︵

You felt a hand on your mouth before you even got a chance to open your eyes, which darted open straight away, you eyes were greeted by cold grey ones, a menacing glint in them.

Your scream was muffled by a man’s hand, that wasn’t Mark.

His hands were bloody, and so were his clothes, and to make matters worse the blood was now on your face too. But it wasn’t your blood, at least you didn’t think so. But you didn’t know who the hell it belonged to.

Ters sprung to your eyes as the man lifted you up into his arms, you were paralyzed in fear, but after a few seconds you started to kick and squirm.

“Sh sh shhhh, you’re alright.”

You sobbed in your kidnappers arms, what the hell was going on, this wasn’t a dream, it felt too real.

Your voice finally echoed throughout the house when your teeth sank into the man’s hand.

“PLEASE HELP M-”

“Behave or I’ll make you behave.” The man said a bit too calmly.

“MOMMY.”

“I said behave, dammit.” The window was opened now, you tried to scream again even though you knew it would be no use, nobody could hear you, there wasn’t any neighbours near the Brenner residence, the closest being about twenty yards away. The Brenners lived in the middle of the countryside.

“PLEASE I JUST WANT MY MOMMY!”

The man sighed darkly, heaving his leg out the widow. “I just killed your mommy, so be quiet for the love of god.”

You froze, you couldn’t say anything now. He killed Emily. He killed your mommy, You didn’t understand. Why did he kill your mommy?

You were frozen, the next thing you knew was that he was carrying you across the lawn over towards a car you had never seen before.

“Did you get her, Dad?”

“Yeah, open up the trunk and tell your mother to start the car, we gotta get out of here quick before anyone finds the bodies.” Bodies? “I know we just killed em, but you never know how long it’ll take for people to find em these days, with all the gadgets and all, it was so much easier back in my day and- BE QUIET!”

You sobbed even louder. You wanted your mommy, who you were just informed was dead.

“Heavens sake, hand me my handkerchief, Adam. I can’t listen to much more of her whining.”

The trunk of the car was opened by the boy before he dashed off to the front left to retrieve what you knew would be what was demanded by your captor.

“I’m sorry.” You whimpered.

“You’re ok. You’ll learn. They always do.”

The handkerchief was stuffed into your mouth and even more tears threatened to fall.

“Sit tight.”

The door of the trunk slammed shut, leaving you in nothing but darkness.

You could hear people move around in the main part of the car. You could hear celebrations and praise, a woman's voice and the boys and most hauntingly you kidnapper’s. He sounded so normal, as if he hadn’t just kidnapped a kid.

You could still feel the blood that soaked your clothes. It disgusted you.

You tried to shift your legs but realised they were tied together, you repeated the same motion with your arms, but they too, were tied together.

The car started. You felt the urge to sob some more, but suppressed it because of the man in the front, afraid of what would happen if you annoyed him some more.

You just wanted your mommy.

What the hell was going on.

to be continued...

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givehimthemedicine · 7 months

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NINA and the magic of VHS ✨📼

I think I just figured out a big part of how NINA works. here's how Brenner is "altering" past events.

something just hit me about this footage that's been staring me in the face this whole time.

before I come to my Big Point, let me establish a few things:

the camera codes don't match

s4 keeps giving us camera POV footage that's labeled per camera. we see codes like CAM 071, CAM 039 and CAM 114.

what's weird about that? nothing, except... here are what the tape labels in the NINA library look like:

alphanumeric codes like CAM B2, CAM A5, CAM TR2. not a single one with just the three-digit numerical codes.

k, put a pin in that.

the NINA library is so spotty

Brenner tells El, "Everything that took place in my lab was captured on video tape. Every success and every failure."

but the dates we saw in that closeup are so sparse. it takes only a dozen tapes to span a month of footage leading up to the massacre (a time period you'd think they'd save every second of):

CAM B6 08-10-79 CAM B5 08-12-79 CAM A2 08-20-79 CAM B5 08-25-79 CAM TR1 09-2-79 CAM RR2 09-4-79 CAM C6 09-6-79 CAM RR1 09-6-79 CAM C4 09-7-79 CAM B5 09-7-79 CAM TR2 09-8-79

no idea what a lot of these camera codes denote, but it's not too hard to guess RR means Rainbow Room.

I can tell you off the top of my head that there are four cameras in the Rainbow Room. and one in each corner of the training rooms, at least one apiece in test rooms, bedrooms, hallways. at least one apiece in observation chambers of test rooms - otherwise the One banishment footage wouldn't exist (is that a bit odd now that I think of it?).

and that's not including the tripod cameras with which are recorded close up footage like plinko and the cat.

so, why so few dates and camera angles?

@lilly-flowerr once kindly calculated an estimate about how many VHS tapes would be produced from 100+ cameras' worth of continuous footage for the duration of the HNL program and the result was in the ballpark of several million.

tbf, Brenner never claimed this was all the footage. so I figured, likely, this library actually just houses a pared-down selection of footage relevant to the massacre.

but the problem with that idea is... consider how when we see El get NINA'd with RR footage: she's being shown four views of the room at once. that's already impossible, based on the selection we see available in the library. there aren't even four RR camera views represented on that shelf, let alone all from the same day.

pin that too.

live feeds vs playback

I thought hey, if those camera POVs had dates and everything on them, why isn't that stuff on El's NINA videos? are they hiding that data to facilitate screwing with her?!??

which, yeah. but here's the One banishment footage that Brenner watches alone. no dates on that either:

so I went to look for other times we've seen lab playback to see if there are ever dates.

Hopper checking out the pipe in season 1; Owens reviewing Will's checkup:

that's actually a plot point on the Hopper one because he decided the lab was lying to him about which night that footage was of - if the tapes showed dates onscreen, that wouldn't have been an issue.

so then I thought, ok, if that data doesn't appear on playback, it must only display on monitors showing live feeds, and that stuff doesn't actually get recorded onto it. right?

well here are some live lab feeds: El and the cat; detained Nancy and Jonathan; scientists watching Will's checkup; Owens directing Bob to safety from demodogs. no dates anywhere.

so... if there's no data on live feeds or on playback.... where ARE those dates on the NINA cameras being displayed? there's no internal viewer on those security cameras, like looking through a camcorder viewfinder, so it's not like it's merely "the camera's view" unseen by any actual entity.

so like... who's seeing that? how are we seeing that?

pin that too. I promise we're getting close.

OSD (on screen display)

quick bit of context for those who didn't grow up with VHS.

in VHS days, your video camera (if you had it configured to do so) would put the date onto your home movies. it wasn't a separate layer you could turn on/off after the fact, like DVD subtitles. if that feature was turned on while you were filming, that date was forever fused onto the footage itself. any time you ever played that tape back, you would see that date. there's no way to get rid of it.

osd however - PLAY PAUSE FFW and all that - those labels aren't fused onto the actual footage. they appear momentarily only as you navigate the tape with your VCR. DVD players do the same thing, you're probably familiar.

you can watch the osd labels appear/disappear as Joyce investigates Will's Halloween tape, while the date stays put.

they give us the live camera view of Bob (which has just the date) vs Joyce playing it back on her VCR later (which has the date and also osd). why the timestamps are different is a whoooooole other post.

so now that we're all on the same page about how dates vs. osd works on VCRs,

I'll bring you to the only time I DID find dates on lab playback:

4x6 when Brenner pops this tape in his VCR.

"who's even seeing those ?" Brenner. yeah, that's not my stunning realization. but look what we see up in the top left corner: osd. PLAY.

so here finally is my point: if PLAY appears on the screen as a result of Brenner hitting play on his VCR....

let me direct your attention to the upper left corner of that other footage:

those camera POV shots all say 🔴REC.

those aren't recordings.

they ARE recordING.

Brenner is taping these past events, live, during NINA.

"how do you explain Little El showing up in some of the camera povs? brainwash her all you want, but she would show up big on a tape being recorded in 1986."

indeed! which is why I'm not going so far as to claim Brenner is recording The Actual Past. what I do believe is that he's recording El's memories of the past, in which she is Little El.

"and how are you gonna say Brenner is able to record El's memories right out of her head with a VCR? yes this is fiction, but VHS technology isn't. c'mon."

it's not actually that far fetched! El canonically has a very similar ability - it's been swept under the rug in comparison to the glamor of telekinesis, not used since season 1, but it's well established:

she not only can hear people remotely, but also relay what only she is hearing via radio/intercom to where others can then hear it.

Brenner was filming this test on a tripod camera, which wouldn't have been affected by the cut in power that happened when El started relaying. so he walked away from this moment with a recording of something only El was able to hear.

which is exactly how NINA works. add video technology, and there ya go. if it didn't already exist in 1983, this scene was Brenner discovering the concept.

onward:

Brenner's tapes aren't the tapes El is being shown.

watch this in 4x7: he inserts this tape, hits play, and then we cut to El in NINA, watching all the monitors flash to life with footage of herself in the infirmary for her bullying concussion.

the implication from the editing is that this particular VHS yields that particular footage for El to watch, but that's a false assumption they want us to make.

first, playing one VHS doesn't result in several screens with different footage rolling all at once. one VHS only holds one camera feed. all NINA's monitors can't be fed by one VCR.

second, "Infirmary" would most likely be abbreviated "I" or "IR". the tape he played said CAM TR2, which could stand for either Training Room or Test Room. El experiences 9/8/79 "memories" of both, so I'm not sure which this would be. regardless, it's not Infirmary.

third, as we've covered before, all the lab footage El is shown inside NINA is devoid of dates and cam codes. that's not characteristic of the tape we saw Brenner play in his VCR.

fourth, as we also covered before, not all the camera angles El's seeing are even represented on that shelf of massacre-month tapes.

so Brenner may indeed have captured everything in his lab on video tape, but the VHS library we and El are shown while he says that? pretty sure that's NOT what these tapes are.

it's implied that he's popping tapes into his VCR at the same time El's off in her memories. but if it's not for the purpose of showing them to her.... what is he doing with his?

"but nat, his finger hit play, not record."

well they're not gonna SHOW us him hitting record or we'd guess!

he's hitting play to get the tape queued up to the right spot to record on, which you gotta do with a VHS or else you could overwrite something important that's already on there.

if Brenner is recording whatever El is seeing, wouldn't that help explain:

the varying appearance of El as both big and little within the camera povs. at this moment, El is big because she's aware she's her current self (she's fully conversing with Brenner). this is definitely not really past footage, because it's not like Little El stood up on a chair and yelled into a camera in 1979. after this point though, she accepts what's going on and submits to the "memories" in which she is little, so she's seeing herself as little, so from then on she appears as Little El on the fresh tapes.

the different camera labeling within NINA and its library of tapes - they need to differentiate between old/real/fake/new camera views.

the sparsity of the VHS library - maybe only key moments need to be overwritten

this camera-yelling moment actually is a potential match for one of the tapes on the shelf. it's Sept 4, 1979, and it's in the Rainbow Room. CAM 071 09/04/79 could be the overwriting of CAM RR2 09-4-79. on the other hand, if that were true I'd expect to also see 09-4-79 training room and hallway footage to match those other povs we saw, and I don't, so idk.

the light circle game is the only NINA footage we ever get to see both live camera POV and playback of (although it's not actually the same moment, the dates and cams are different). the numeric camera code on both of these is part of my support for the numeric camera codes representing new footage.

regarding the date and cam code being different on those two bits of nearly identical footage…. what if I... plugged this into Multiplayer NINA theory real quick and said that maybe CAM 126 is fake-old footage that's been more recently rerecorded in someone else's NINA? that maybe that's what's on all of Brenner's tapes before he records El's new stuff onto them?

so here's my current thinking of how NINA works:

decide how you wish El remembered an event and compile cherrypicked real footage and/or staged footage supporting your version of events.

manipulate and gaslight El so that she doubts the veracity of her own memories.

drug her and throw her in a sensory deprivation tank where your selected footage clockwork-oranges her into "fully re-experiencing" your version of events.

presto! the most powerful person in the world now believes your version of events is true because she genuinely remembers it.

by means of El's electronic relay abilities (induced with a buttload of drugs), these false memories that only El is seeing, inside her mind, are displayed for all to see on monitor in NINA's control room.

pop a plain old tape into a plain old VCR and hit record, capturing whatever's on the monitor.

presto! now you have irrefutable original video footage of a past event that never happened.

now you can show that proof to someone else - the government, the media.... or perhaps more importantly another NINA subject, as an ingredient in your tampering with their memories.

so. I can't prove the ol' MindFucker4000 is also a time machine, not in this post, but I do still feel like there's time stuff involved as well. because I can't think of a way right now to claim that recording someone's manipulated memory of the past actually changes that past, meddles with timelines, etc.

can you? I don't have all the nuts and bolts ironed out, but I welcome your thoughts while mine gel!

#long but I promise this is worth reading #the Henward / Victor memory tampering implications.#I know it sounds crazy it IS crazy.wav #analysis #givehimthemedicine analysis #mine #this post aged me #lab stuff #nina stuff

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castleclerics · 6 months

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ABSOLUTELY INSANE NINA PROJECT PARALLELS FROM FUTURE MAN S2 (2019)

so there i was…. minding my own business watching s2 of a show i watched solely for josh hutcherson. then suddenly… he wakes up out of a simulation in a bathtub.

anyways once he fully awakes he’s greeted by literal female brenner

i don’t even think i have to explain the next screenshots so just look at this shit

she tells him she's from the future and she went back in time because she believes he's the only person with "the skills to save our world" similar to how owens tells el the same thing in 4x03

this part is crazy to me because i already had a theory that if el did the massacre, that her sending one through the gate was something her own mind made up.

anyways so the reason they put him in the simulation was to ask him questions about this guy (its a really long story) but like in the og timeline this doctor creates a cure but it destroys humanity so josh wakes up in another timeline where he didn't save the world, where stu, josh's former coworker, takes place of the og doctor. but it's interesting to think about since brenner was trying to have el find henry all this time and what if he wanted to see what questions her brain could answer about him to collect info on him or something??

el saying to brenner "i came here to try and understand who i was." LIKEEE

he asks if he says no to the simulation process then what would happen so she tells him they'll wipe his memory and "the only side-effect would be the lingering sensation like something was off. it would just be gnawing at you never more than a shadow." which reminds me of el laying in bed and getting flashes of the massacre in 4x03.

anyways onto the twin/clone stuff !!!!!!

he escapes into the desert after this so og josh doesn't end up getting killed. so basically they clone josh to see which version of him will be the correct one powerful enough to take down stu. also og josh ends up stumbling into a room of all of his dead clones :)

AHEMMM el commiting the massacre........ (for backstory in s1 he blew up a building to save the world so it was for good) and brenner recreating henry over and over…..

also just look at all the screenshots it literally looks like it was filmed where s4 nina scenes were filmed...

btw i'm still making a masterpost thing of how el rly did do the massacre it's gonna take a while bc i still have to do a little more analyzing and go over alllll of nina

there's literally more parallels but i can't fit them in this post but they aren't too important, more just to show the writers genuinely got inspo straight from this. anyways how fun right my jaw was on the floor watching this

#the nina project #stranger things parallels #future man

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pinkeoni · 1 year

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Explaining WillEl's Narrative Duality— With Charts!

Today I want to talk about the duality of Will and El's storylines and how paralleled the two are, and to help explain I've drawn little diagrams! (or, me forcing everyone try and read my handwriting)

This will probably be a multi-part post, but I'm going to start with season one since it is the easiest to explain, but also looking at just season one gives a good incite into where their individual arcs are heading.

First, let's start with the narrative backbone— Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey

The Hero's Journey is literary cycle that Joseph Campbell proposed all stories follow. Now whether or not all stories follow it is debatable, but ST actually follows it to a T.

I've simplified it for the sake of this post, but the general gist of it is that the hero starts off in the Known World, or the "Normal World," and then "crosses the threshold" into the Unknown World, or the "Realm of Monsters" as I'm calling it on my little chart. The hero then ends the cycle when they make the return journey back to the Known World with the knowledge they have gained.

Pre-season one, El and Will are sitting on opposite ends of the chart, Will lives in the Known World and El lives in the Unknown World. This will make more sense as I continue explaining.

I guess it's important to note that parts of the Hero's Journey is meant to be transformative based on the work and character that it is applied to. The Unknown World here is the known world to El, but from an audiences perspective her world is the unknown one, thus why I've placed her on that side of the chart. Will and El both follow the same steps of the chart in the same order, but whether they are in the Normal World or Realm of Monsters is different.

Once season one begins and we have our inciting incident, both characters cross the threshold onto the other side of the chart. They basically switch sides. El escapes the lab entering the Normal World and Will is taken to the Upside Down, or the "Realm of Monsters"

We see a lot more of El's story then we do with Will's, but for most of the season Will and El are basically living out opposite arcs. I think if you consider Will having powers, this is especially true.

El is a girl with powers who is learning how to navigate the conventions of the normal world.

Will is a normal boy who is learning how to navigate his powers in the unknown world.

If El is going to survive in this new environment, she has to learn how to dress and act like a normal girl. She has to learn what normal girls wear and what a friend is and how to make promises, all things that kids in the Known World, like Will, are already familiar with. On the other side of this chart, if Will is going to survive his new environment he has to learn how to use his powers. He has to learn how to control the lights so that he can communicate with his mom, something that kids in the Known World would not know, but that kids from the Unknown World, like El, would know.

The climax of season one is when their respective "monsters" are closing in on them. The Demogorgon (Vecna) gets closer to Will and Brenner gets closer to finding El.

Will and El then end the season on opposite ends of the chart once again, having both made their return journey.

(Of course, the story doesn't end there, but this is the resolution that is offered for the first season)

Like I suggested towards the beginning of this post, I feel like examining their respective storylines in this way could help predict the projection of their arcs in season 5, and what the core of their arcs are actually about.

An important aspect of The Hero's Journey that I didn't illustrate on my little chart is "Master of Both Worlds" or the step toward the end where the hero is a master of both the Known World and the Unknown World. This is a step that we haven't quite seen yet with neither Will nor El.

This goes along with my post here where I speculate the conclusion of Will and El's arcs, which includes El becoming her own person outside of being a superhero and Will becomes the chosen one. Considering that Will started off in the Known World and El started off in the Unknown World, the goal for each character has to be about mastering the opposite realm. Will is likely going to become a master of the Upside Down and his powers, and El is going to come into her own person outside of her superhero identity.

#willel #stranger things #stranger things 1 #stranger things analysis #the hero's journey #my analysis #will byers #el hopper #i feel like i just barely scratched the surface with this #their narrative duality is so much more than just this #but i wanted to keep this short and just introduce this concept #but will likely be using this as a backbone for other posts in the future #and expanding on it #will byers has powers

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the-lark-ascending69 · 1 month

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I just got an idea for whump Ronance.

What if Robin and Nancy gets captured by Brenner?

Like, they end up becoming his new lab rats. Thry get tortured and abused just like El was.

What do you think?

(Also, what kind of powers do you think they would have respectively?)

Anon I am so sorry i wrote a long asf response to this and then it got deleted and I was so mad I didn't want to do it again but now I feel inspired and motivated to give it another try.

SO. Wonderful concept! I love it! Let me share my thoughts!!

So what I came up with is:

At age 15, they both get lost in the Upside Down. They only vaguely knew about the other's existance from school but when they found each other down there, they became inseparable. This is an AU in which Will never went missing. Anyway they're terrified and starving and exhausted but at least they have each other, and they hold hands almost the entire time because they both desperately need the comfort.

Eventually, they make it out on their own after finding a gate... and it's in the Hawkins Lab. They come out on the other end before the unbelieving eyes of dozens of scientists, who were convinced no one would survive a minute in there without the proper equipment. Yet these trembling, starving young girls covered in grit survived with only the clothes on their back for a week.

Brenner recognizes them immediately - Nancy and Robin, the two girls from the missing person posters circulating through town. Everyone already thinks they're dead. They made fake bodies of them, for Christ' sake, he's not letting this opportunity go, especially after the disappearance of his only remaining test subject, 011.

This will be a new experiment. A different one. They are given different numbers for ir - A01 for Nancy and A02 for Robin. They get that tattooed in their arms. The purpose of the experiment is to study the effects of short-term exposure to the Upside Down on humans of their height, s.ex, age, health status and weight. They call themselves doctors. They give them separate rooms and run a series of tests daily on them. They try to be subtle at first as to not scare them too much - they don't want another 011 - so they call them by their real names for a while. They ask questions about their lives before the Upside Down and reassure them this is meant to test radiation levels - a standard procedure, before they can return them to their parents.

They immediatelly call bullshit. Why can't they talk to their parents now? Why can't they see them through a glass, at least, or a camera, if radiation is what they're worried about? Why won't they tell them what that place was or why it led back to the Lab? Do their families know they're safe? What is going on? They ask so many questions about every procedure ran on them, resisting in more and more extreme ways until the scientists need to tie them down and drug them whenever they want to do anything.

Brenner notices similar brain activity in them to that of his old test subjects, and he suspects the Upside Down might have given them some kind of ability. He keeps them in the rainbow room, hoping each other's company will help them develop their powers, yet for a long time nothing comes. They can't move objects with their mind, or astral project, or open gates. Even despite everything they do to them. Despite every horrible procedure they perform on them. Drugs of all kinds, leaving them delirious and weak for days. Electrocompulsive therapy. Hypnosis. Pain tests. Sensory deprivation. Solitary confinement. Brenner wants to activate their powers in one way or another, desperate after losing subject 011.

(It's terrifying each time. Nancy is invaded by pure rage while Robin is paralyzed by fear. Whenever they take one for a procedure, the other waits impatiently for her return, fully concious of what they're doing to her - or so it seems. Nancy, at least, thinks she knows what they're doing to Robin. She thinks they do the same things they do to her - tie her to a chair, put an IV in her, maybe, or stick a needle into her neck. Brenner will do this while casually telling her she'll only feel a small pinch, before doing such a monstruosity to her that she'll be woken up by seizures at night. It takes Robin some time to tell Nancy the truth).

They seem completely useless for a long time, but that changes the moment they capture a russian agent.

He was a scientist, working from an unknown location beneath Hawkins, trying to get intel from the Lab when he was caught and tortured to extract information from him. Robin wasn't usually allowed to wander the halls alone, but someone left the door unlocked and she was curious, and soon she found herself in front of a closed door, hearing panting and ragged breathing after this man received the beating of his life. He was talking to himself - curses and meanderings about death and whether or not he'd see his family again. Robin, despite having never learned Russian, understood everything, and in a perfect accent she began to talk to him. She didn't know why - she didn't even realize they weren't speaking English. For a moment he thought he was being rescued, and he shared with her a lot of information.

Brenner caught her in the act and severaly punished her. Solitary confinement for one week. She would only see other people when they ran tests on her, and even then they wouldn't speak to her at all. He ended up not living up to his threat when, not two days after the event, he noticed her brain activity going wild. He has fascinated, and he asked her what had happened, if that russian spy gave her something like a drug. "Russian?" she asks, only then understanding what had happened.

They believe her powers are related to xenoglossy, the supernatural ability to know a language without having ever learned it. Something extremely useful in that specific historical context. She'd be an incredible spy, and oh, Brenner can't wait to experiment with this. They kill the spy after she tells them everything he told her.

They begin to give her a special treatment over Nancy - not exactly for the better. Brenner wants to understand this new ability, developed not in the womb like in other subjects but when subject A02 is a teenager, possibly caused by exposure to Upside Down radiation, though that's not confirmed. Maybe it had more to do with their experiments. He thinks he hit a dead end when it's revealed Robin already knew intermediate-to-advanced French, Spanish and Italian from before being captured - she'd be just a regular poltglot in that case, a prodigious one, right, but with nothing of interest for Brenner. But he quickly realizes this is not the case. Robin didn't know a word of Russian before, and he develops a hipothesis he'll spend the following year testing. He tries her ability with different languages, escaling on rarity, complexity and distance from English. From reading a single short text, Robin becomes profient in Finnish - a non-indoeuropean language Brenner doubts she's ever had any contact with. Proficient, but not fluent. It seems like she can very easily extract a language's grammar from a short sample text, applying it to terms she's familiar with, but she can't magically "guess" vocabulary of grammatical rules not present in the material she was given. For example, by reading a text in which all 15-16 grammatical cases of Finnish are present, she will be able to apply them to any noun in nominative case she knows, but she can't do it with nouns she doesn't know, and she can't use grammatical cases not present in the sample text given to her. She also can't guess spelling or pronunciation without both text and audio samples, and she can't speak in accents she hasn't heard (though she can easily switch accents in a way native speakers of the language can't, a skill that is curiously not translated (lol) into her native English). She learns faster with audio than with text, but even faster with a real-time conversation. Brenner brings a colleague who is fluent in Japanese to test her and he's amazed by how quick her progress is. His hipothesis, seemingly now proven, was that hers was an entirely mental skill, not a supernatural one, since she doesn't magically have access to languages she never had any contact with. This would make her ability not real xenoglossy.

A few more fun facts about her "power":

Her pre-existing skill with Spanish, French and Italian didn't improve until she was exposed to these languages again after being captured. She becomes incredibly skilled at solving puzzles and cracking codes. Brenner believes her power developed thanks to her intensive studies in languages through her childhood. Her brain activity is similar to that of non-native speakers of a language during the few first minutes of having contact with a new language, but in less than an hour, it will be the same as with native speakers. She's confused by some reconstructed languages, but not others (Proto-Indoeuropean was easy for her to learn, Proto-Uralic took her some time before learning more finno-ugric languages than just Finnish. If this were happening in the 2000s, when the Dené-Caucasian theory was already formalized, then Proto-Dené-Caucasian would have sounded like absolute gibberish to her).Some of Brenner's colleages hipothesize that her knowledge of living languages help inform her of the grammar and syntax of proto-languages in an extremely accurate way, to the point she subconciously knows when a reconstruction is wrong. This would make her an amazing paleolinguist. Brenner is less interested in the reconstruction of ancient turkic languages in Siberia and more interested her use as a spy and code-breaker - though it wouldn't have hurt him to take a second look at the idea of turkic languages, because that Russian agent, he was from a region of Russia called Tartary, and he spoke another language aside from Russian, the Tartar language, though he never got to speak it in Robin's presence. Brenner and his colleagues, not familiar with the vast diversity of languages on Earth, spend a long time working with an incorrect hypothesis because they couldn't notice Robin speaking Tartar to herself as a distinct language from all the others they were teaching her. A year and a a half passes before someone spent enough time listening to her to notice the difference. It's a discovery that shatters completely Brenner's first hypothesis on the absence of a supernatural element in Robin's ablity, and he's once again fascinated when he discovers it. His new hypothesis: Robin's power grants her access to a person's mind through speaking to them in a strange, confusing way, and he can't wait to destroy her, pick her brain apart and figure out how it works even if he kills her in the process.

In fact, he does. Literally. He does it over and over and over again, and Nancy has to watch it happen time and time again.

Because here's the thing: Robin wasn't the only one to develop powers, and in fact, she wasn't even the first one.

If you've heard of the videogame Life is Strange, anon, then you'll understand Nancy's power here: she can rewind time. Her power is pretty much the same as Max's in LiS - she can rewind time up to a certain point, though it causes a great mental strain, and eventually, she will discover she can time travel to specific points in time through photographs she's present in, as her younger self.

She discovers her powers the first time Robin is killed.

Misbehavior got her punished - solitary confinement after a long testing session. She had an overdose in her cell, and no one noticed in time. Nancy barely remembers what happened then, other than the horror she felt, before the events of the day flashed backwards before her eyes and she was brought back to Robin - warm, alive, breathing - in the rainbow room.

She begged her to do as they said, to behave, to not fight back. Robin is confused but Nancy is in tears and she agrees to do as she says.

This time, when she has an overdose, they treat her on time. She was in a comma for a week, but soon she was back on her feet and back in Nancy's arms.

It keeps happening - over and over again. The time she swallowed her own tongue during a seizure because Nancy didn't hold her right, and she had to try over four times (and watch her choke and die four times) before she got it right. The time she didn't die - but she lost her ability to speak after hours of electroculpulsive therapy, and she had her fake an illness so they would submit her to less aggressive procedures. It happened again when, after a similar trial, she forgot her own parents and thought the scientists were her parents. But she mostly just died. Over, and over, and over again. Mostly from overdose or brain damage during seizures, but one time, she was purposely asphixiated during a test. To this point Nancy still isn't sure what was it that they wanted to test with that. She suspects it was just torture for the sake of torture. To break her, somehow.

Nancy is terrified of long-term effects of all of this on Robin's health. She's scared the damage will cross the point of no return too early, to a point she can't go back to, a point in which she can't stop it. She can hold Robin's head during a seizure but she can't stop the seizures, and the lasting damage they leave.

Robin is aware of Nancy's powers. Nancy didn't even have to prove them to her - she believed her immediately whe she told her, and she trusts her judgment completely. If Nancy tells her it's better to do X, you can bet Robin will be doing X. Robin doesn't tell Nancy about her newfound ability immediately - she doesn't want her to worry about something she can do nothing about. But she does share it with her, after some time. She felt the need to explain to Nancy why the sudden interest on her. Nancy worries about her Robin so much, so so much, because she's just become Brenner's favorite new toy, and he'll do anything and everything to exploit her. She's in much more danger than Nancy is, and Nancy wishes she could take her place, make herself into Brenner's toy, draw attention away from Robin, but they both know the best they can do for their safety is to keep Nancy's invisible power secret. Nancy hates herself for not being able to take Robin's pain for her.

They escape one day. It's a complicated plan including short-distance time travel, manipulating russian spies through a stolen radio, several forms of treason and going out the same way they came in - through the portal. Nancy does her best to keep them safe with her power as they search for the other gate, the one they first crossed three years ago. And then, they're out. They're found unconcious on the side of the road.

They wake up a few days later in the hospital, surrounded by their families. Nancy's brother, Mike, has a new friend - a quiet girl with long brown hair and a 011 tattoed on her wrist, and she knows she needs to speak to her desperately, but she's exhausted, so for the time being, she'll sleep for some time, feeling almost at peace now, knowing Robin is safe and in the good hands of doctors.

#ronance #whump #tw torture #tw drugs #tw electrocution #uuuh that's it i guess #this took me forever to write but i'm satisfied!

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mlchaelwheeler · 2 years

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Why Will Byers is the answer to everything (and the key to vol. 2)

After making a post yesterday about why I think Vecna was the one stalking Will in 1x01, I was reading into some other posts about why this is relevant now, given what we know from S4V1, and how that could affect how S4V2 goes down. I'm going to be exploring the possibility of Will having powers, mirroring Henry Creel (Vecna), and having been watched by Vecna since he was taken in 1x01. This is probably going to get pretty long, so buckle up brochachos!

So, I already explained this in my post yesterday, but I'll reiterate it here for those who didn't see it. When Will leaves Mike's house after the campaign where the demogorgan gets him, the garage lights flicker. It's important to note here that only the garage lights (and the light on Will's bike) flicker, not the rest of the house. While there was a power outage that same night (when El opened the gate, making contact with the demogorgan), Mike's house is on the opposite side of town and wouldn't be affected by the blackout (pointed out by @willel).

Now, on his way home, Will runs into a shadowy figure on the road--I believe this is in fact the demogorgan. You can hear it growl (a sound unique to it that Vecna doesn't display) and it is within the demogorgan's hunting ground, as it would've just escaped from the lab and into the woods. Seconds earlier, you can see Will bike past the HNL fence. However, this begs the question of why the lights were flickering at Mike's house? In stranger things, flickering lights are associated with supernatural creatures or psychic powers. No one was using powers at Mike's house, so it must've been a supernatural presence, not the demogorgan bc it would've just escaped from the lab, which points toward it being Vecna.

Before we get into why Vecna would be stalking Will in the first place, let's quick go over more evidence of why it was Vecna, in case anyone is still doubting my theory. Once Will gets home, he immediately calls for his family, but once he realizes he's home alone, he immediately calls 911, only to hear something growling back at him. As far as I know, demogorgans are only foot soldiers for the upside down and don't possess any sort of powers. Now, I know that in the show characters claim that the demogorgans are capable of opening gates, like the one in the tree Nancy enters. However, I'd like to think that it's actually Vecna who's opening these gates, making it easier for the upside down to infiltrate the normal dimension. If demogorgans can open gates, why did it have to wait for El to open the gate in 1983? And why wouldn't the demogorgan in Russia have escaped by now? But I digress.

When else do we see phones or radios being messed with in relation to the upside down? Think back to the multiple times El has used radio static to find people in the void. Radio static has been associated with psychic powers. We know Vecna has very strong powers, but the demogorgan does not. It would make sense that Vecna was the one messing with Will's phone here. It's also brought up a lot that Will's front door is unlocked and opened using telekinesis. Besides this scene, there's been no indication the demogorgan has powers--but Vecna does! Hence, it was almost certainly Vecna who was stalking (and kidnapped) Will.

So why does Vecna want Will specifically in the first place? Based on what we know from st4v1, Vecna had an unhappy childhood, killed his family, was taken by Brenner, then tested until he was given Soteria to weaken his powers so he could be easily controlled. He spends years in the lab as Peter, biding his time to get back at Brenner. However, he seems to take a liking to El, and before he tries killing her, he attempts to convince her to join him. She says no and banishes him to the red void--his mindscape?

Now why did Vecna wait 7 years before he started killing people again? It's likely that being banished to his mindscape drained him, forcing him to bide his time until he could regain enough strength to get back to the normal world. It's likely that he either needs to absorb enough energy (from people's fear right before he kills them, a parallel to Pennywise from IT) or absorb someone's powers to escape the mindscape.

Since he was banished in 1979, Vecna has most likely been on the lookout for someone with powers (not El, because last time went so poorly, and not Kali because she's "out of range") to target, in an attempt to get his full powers back. So when he senses Will, Vecna goes out himself to snatch him, bringing a demogorgan for backup. Once he catches Will in the shed, the light becomes blinding before suddenly going back to normal, with Will gone. If that has been the demogorgan, Will most likely would've immediately been eaten. However, @willel pointed out that the light in the shed lights up similarly to how the flashlights stay blindingly bright in the Creel house. This points to it being Vecna.

It's also interesting to note that the upside down is stuck on time at November 6, 1983, the night Will went missing. Who do we know of that has time manipulation powers? Vecna. I think that the first time Vecna majorly used his powers (since being banished to the mindscape) caused time to freeze. It's really the only explanation I can think of as to why this occurred. The night Will disappeared was obviously the start of all this, and it seems to be leading back to Vecna.

Furthermore, Will is able to escape his capture and hides in Castle Byers for nearly a week. The whole time, he's singing "Should I Stay Or Should I Go," which is brought up multiple times throughout S1. There's even a flashback to show how meaningful the song is to Will. Mike mentions that Will is "always singing that weird song he loves," and when El finds Will in the void, he's humming his song. Who do we know that's deterred by favorite music and happy memories? Oh right, that's Vecna.

During his time in the upside down, Will is resourceful! He uses lights multiple times to talk to Joyce, like "one blink for yes," the alphabet wall, and the circle of lamps in his bedroom. Now, I know that S4V1 expanded on this lore and showed how to communicate with lights from the upside down, but this actually just raises more questions for me. How likely really is it that Will was able to reach the christmas lights? The alphabet wall wouldn't have even been there if the upside down was frozen the night he went missing. Also, there's no way he would've been able to turn on those lamps in the circle so quickly.

This points back to Will having powers. He seems to be more resourceful when in the upside down than other characters, and is the only one to have survived more than a few hours alone. Even when he's eventually caught, why isn't he immediately killed like the other victims? Instead, he's brought to the library and a vine begins to suck the life force out of him. Why? We've seen that vines feed Vecna's powers, and likely recharge him. Is it that much of a stretch to say that Vecna was using the vine in Will to transfer powers, making Vecna stronger? The mindflayer does a similar thing in S3 with El, as biting her absorbs her powers, rendering her powerless.

Once Will is saved, he attempts to readjust to normal life, but is unable to stop seeing the upside down. His friends say he has "true sight," but what if that's not the case? Vecna could be giving him visions, attempting to weaken his resolve so he can be targeted again. In S2, we even see Will with his eyes closed multiple times, looking like how the tranced people did in S4V1.

Perhaps what Vecna really wants is a vessel in the real world? Even Jason said that the devil needs a vessel, so this could be foreshadowing to Vecna wanting to weaken Will enough to possess him fully. We saw kind of what that would be like in S2 with the mindflayer, but Will was still strong enough to fight back.

However, now, Vecna has been biding his time, waiting for Will to be as weak as possible. He's been alienated at every turn: ignored by his friends all summer, perpetually connected to an evil dimension, abused at home and at school, and now, his whole family and best friend (crush) forgot his birthday. Will is at his most vulnerable right now, so I believe the minute he arrives to Hawkins, Vecna will be taking full advantage of this.

Will is the perfect vessel for Vecna. Through flashbacks, they've been shown to parallel each other: called "sensitive" by their mothers, enjoy drawing as an escape, made to feel different from the rest of the world, and even dress the same. Both feel like they don't belong, and since El didn't work out, Vecna wants Will.

If you made it to the end, congrats, that was long. Hopefully it kind of made sense! This is where I think S4V2 could be heading, and Will is my favorite, so obviously I want him to have a bigger role moving forward lol

#will byers #vecna #stranger things #stranger things theory #byler #this got so long but hopefully it makes sense lol #i am a will byers has powers and is the main character truther!#sarah.txt

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darkficsyouneveraskedfor · 2 months

Text

Unmanageable 2

Warnings: non/dubcon, and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

Character: Pete Brenner

Summary: your manager sets his eye on your (plus!reader)

Part of the Backwoods AU

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

You’re often the first one in office and unfortunately, the last one gone. That day is no different as you let yourself in through the back door of the bank and lock it behind you. You arrive at least an hour before opening to run diagnostics. Marska or her equivalent, Taylor, often cut it close to the starting time. You don’t mind so much as long as they’re not late.

The silence is soothing where to many it may be eerie. You leave your office door open as a scan runs on your screen. You blow over the open slot of your thermos and groan. You were up a bit too late playing Eldenring. The Godskin Duo gave you quite the headache.

The connection, despite being wired in, seems slower than usual. The last week or so, cell service has also been limited. In Hammer Ford, it isn’t entirely surprising. Sometimes it feels like the world forgets the backwoods village.

You yawn and take a cautious sip of hot coffee. You nearly choke as your eyes are drawn above the monitor by a blurred shape. You pull your mouth off the lid of the cup as Pete leans against the doorway, slightly bedraggled as his floppy hair droops down one side of his forehead and his eyes are ringed with sleep.

“Hey,” his voice is gritty and low, “you’re here early.”

“Same time every day.”

You note that he’s wearing the same jacket as the day before. You can’t see the rest of him past your computer but his tie is gone and his shirt is wrinkled and unbuttoned. You should be concerned but you’re just not. Whatever problems he has, you can’t imagine they’re not self-made.

“I smelled coffee,” he grumbles and scratches the side of his nose.

You put your thermos down softly, hiding it out of his view. You’re not sharing.

“Guess…” He leans back and looks into the bank, “I could make a pot… Marska usually puts one on… her coffee tastes better than mine.” He checks his watch, “how long till she gets in?”

You blink at him. Shouldn’t he know? He’s the manager. Your job is the computers, not scheduling. You look at him and shrug.

“Mm,” he turns back to you, “guess I’ll give it a try.”

His reluctance is clear as he sluggishly pushes away from the frame and drags his feet away from your office door. You have the urge to get up and shut your door but even you know that’s a bit much. His soles scuff as he barely lifts his feet and you listen to him grumble and sigh.

He clanks around loudly with the old machine. You’re always sure to bring your own. They only ever have the cheap brand in the office and when you brought your own, others drained the pot before you got any. This place is miserable. You wonder if they need a technician down at the library.

The shatter of glass breaks the morning lull completely. So much for a slow start. You hear Pete groaning from the next room. You don’t have to go out there, you don’t have to…

Damn it.

You get up and find him standing over the broken urn, only the plastic handle still intact. He hangs his head and grips his hips, pouting over the disaster. You cross your arms as you approach.

“I’m a mess,” he pushes his hair back as he shifts to look at you. “Sleeping in my office, wearing yesterday’s clothes,” he drops his hand emphatically and puffs out through his lips, “now this.”

“Did you cut yourself?” You ask, scanning his hands for blood.

He shakes his head, “no, I didn’t, just… I’m not doing well.”

“Right,” you stare at him flatly, “well, just broken glass. Nothing that can be cleaned up.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” he says, “thank you.”

Then he walks away. Walks. Away. Leaving you in front of the scatter of glass shards. You watch him go incredulously. Does he really expect you to clean up his mess? As he enters his office, you’re assured that he very much does.

You close your eyes and take a breath. Technically, he is your boss. Well, truly, he is a man child.

You go to get the broom and pan and sweep up the glass. Not for him, for practicality. No one else should have to cut themselves for his clumsiness. You dump the glass in a box and put that in the bin. You’ll leave it to him to add the replacement to the supplies sheet.

Marska arrives as you put away the broom. Before she even slips her purse off her arm, she struts to the machine, not acknowledging you until she finds the burner empty. She tuts and faces you, blocking your path back to your office. Your safe haven.

“What happened?”

“Pot broke,” you answer bluntly.

“You broke it?”

“No,” you say.

She scoffs, “no? Well, what happened?”

You point to Pete’s office and shrug, shouldering past her without further argument. She sighs and clicks her heels towards the front desk. Her agitated mutters drone on as you enter your office and rub your forehead.

“Hey Mar,” Pete greets the teller buoyantly, “that’s a nice skirt.”

Absolutely no shame.

“Pete,” she purrs back, “what happened to the coffee maker, baby?”

They’re not as subtle or quiet as they think.

“Mm, yeah, accident,” he says, “you know what time that bakery opens? They do good coffee. You could run over, it’s never busy at open.”

“Pete, it’s always busy at open. That’s when all the old ones do their banking,” she rebuffs.

“Oh…” he sniffs, “I’m sorry, baby. Late night, I…” he pauses, “she knows.”

“What?” Marska’s voice cracks.

“I don’t know how she found out…” his voice trails off, “we should talk in my office.”

“Whatever, the other won’t care. I don’t even know if she understands me half the time,” Marska sneers, “you sure she knows what she’s doing? These fucking computers are slow as hell.”

“Mar,” Pete warns, “let’s go…”

“Well, I don’t have much time or any coffee, so make it quick,” she snaps and her heels tap across the floor.

You roll your eyes and close your own door. You don’t envy the mess they’ve made of their lives and you assume it won’t be long before Marska’s husband knows about it. What do you care? You don’t waste your time on all that. You’d rather get to the Erdtree.

#pete brenner #dark pete brenner #dark!pete brenner #pete brenner x reader #drabble #au #backwoods au #series #pain hustlers #unmanageable

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why-what-no · 2 years

Note

Could you do a fix, where y/n has some type of superpowers and helps saves max, but she somehow gets Peter’s or 001’s attention??

Your request is my command! :)

I’ll Help You

Pairing: Peter Ballard/001 x GN!Reader

Notes: Reader is of age, probably Steve’s older sibling who discovered their powers when the rift first opened. Requests are open. Also, for everyone asking for a part two, IDK if I’m gonna write one, since I kinda like how this ends and I can’t really think of a satisfying sequel to this fic and it’s better to let people come up with their own

No, (Y/N) wouldn't let it happen. They raised their hand towards the redhead, focusing all their powers on getting into her head, through Vecna. They saw flashes, a red and black world, dust and ruins, spikes and vines everywhere. It was hell on their mind, but.. they could feel Max. They could feel Max's energy getting stronger as she fought back against the fleshy monster.

***

Vecna tried to grab the girl, tried to crush the girl, but he missed. Anger bubbling up, he wouldn't be defeated by a child, His plan would work, it always would work.

He stretched a tendril towards the young broken soul. But., to his fury, something stopped it. He looked into Hawkins.

It was one of the powered. He hadn't seen this one before, and they was strong. He couldn't break into their head, Could they be, could they not be one of Brenner's creations? Could they be original, like him?

***

The creature was so distracted by those musing that Max escaped. But, he had a new focus now.

***

Max fell to the ground, gasping in fear.

"It's okay, it's okay." Lucas reassured her as she grasped his arm. (Y/N) almost cried in relief. Max was safe, she was safe.

"I thought we lost you." Lucas's voce cracked, verbalizing all of their feelings.

****

As Naney disappeared into nothingness, (Y/N) felt the same fear that they had when Max floated. "Nance!" They shouted, and before Steve could stop them, scrambled up the rope after her. They would follow her friend anywhere, because they knew Naney would do the same. Luckily, or unluckily, that's what happened. Falling into darkness.

They hit the ground but there was nothing around them. They turned, trying to make sense of their surroundings. "Naney!" They called out into the nothing.

"Hello." A voice rang out from behind them and they turned quickly to see a men. A blond men, tall and.. actually very attractive. He looked at them, smiling warmly.

"Who are you?" (Y/N) asked.

"A friend." He told them . "I admit, I didn’t expect you to follow your friend. That was very brave…. and loyal."

"Where is she?"

He held out his hand for them to take. “I don't know. But I’ll help you find her."

"Why should I trust you?” He seemed harmless, but so did they. So they were naturally cautious.

“Well, you can do this on your own, but I know this place far better than you. I can teach you about it. Show it to you. Find your friend.. Nancy, right?" His voice was gentle, smooth, convincing.

They looked at his hand, then looked at him. Then they looked back at his hand, since looking at his elegant face made them feel.. nervous. What the hell, what other choice do l have, they thought. (Y/N) stepped closer, taking his offered hand and following him into the unknown.

#stranger things #peter ballard #001 #vecna #Peter Ballard x reader #my fics #henry creel x reader #henry creel

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hbyrde36 · 3 months

Text

Life is a Game (and True Love is a Trophy)

Chapter 14

Ch 1 Ch 2 Ch 3 Ch 4 Ch 5 Ch 6 Ch 7

Ch 8 Ch 9 Ch 10 Ch 11 Ch 12 Ch 13 ao3 link

*Eddie*

It was eerie walking through the burnt out remains of Hawkins lab. It would have been a surreal thing either way, but it was worse now that he was remembering.

Ever since he’d worked with El earlier that day, more and more had been coming back to him in bits and pieces—flashes of growing up trapped inside white walls, his early childhood wasted in the cold unfeeling hands of Dr. Brenner and his colleagues.

He made his way quickly to the building’s basement, slipping into the Upside Down through a newly reopened crack in the wall. It looked almost exactly as he had always pictured it—a cold, barren, and slightly alien landscape. A dark mockery of the town he’d come to know as home.

He walked on, choosing his direction based on instinct alone, trusting himself that he knew the way to the Creel house even if he’d never actually been there. He just had a gut feeling and let himself follow it. If he was going to do this, if he had any hope at all of getting Steve out of this situation alive, he’d have to trust himself—all of himself.

Chittering growls in the distance made Eddie freeze in place, trying to discern where they were coming from and make sure they weren’t headed his way. Just as suddenly, he also heard the soft footsteps of something coming up rapidly behind him, too light to be a demogorgon or even a demodog, but still concerning.

Before he could even manage to turn and check on the something, it ran right into his back with a quiet, “oof.”

He whirled around with his hands up ready to fight, only to come face to face with a wide-eyed and startled Eleven.

“What are you doing here?!” He hissed.

“What are you doing here?”

“El!”

“Eddie!”

The growling intensified, seeming much closer and in greater numbers than before. The sound sent shivers down Eddie’s spine.

“Okay maybe we shouldn’t be yelling.” He whispered, and took her by the hand, pulling her along at a jog in the direction he’d been going. They didn’t slow down or stop until he was sure they’d lost the unseen pack of predators.

“I should really be making you go back. Everyone’s going to be worried when they find out you’re gone.” He said when it was safe—safer.

“And they will not be worried about you?” She argued.

He shook his head, sputtering. It wasn’t the same thing at all!

She was…

And he…

“I’m an adult!”

“You need me,” she said, tearing herself out of his grip and putting both hands on her hips, in startling similarity to her adoptive big brother.

“El, you’re just a kid! Steve wouldn’t want you putting yourself in danger like this.”

She quirked a brow and raised both hands palms-out at a nearby fallen tree trunk that was at least as big around as she was tall. It lifted into the air seemingly of its own accord, though Eddie knew better, and was flung clean across the road to the other side.

“I am strong. We can get Steve out and fight Henry, together.”

She made a hell of a point, though he still didn’t like it. If anything happened to her he’d never be able to forgive himself.

“Fine.” He said between clenched teeth and motioned to the street ahead.

“He would not like you being in danger either, Eddie.” She said softly, slipping her hand back into his as they resumed their journey.

“I know.”

When the Creel House finally came into view Eddie was still struggling to come up with any sort of plan, and as they approached the front door with its cracked and filthy stained glass window, resigned himself to playing it by ear.

He was almost certain they no longer had the element of surprise on their side, having realized along the way that there was very little chance Henry didn’t already know they were coming. The way there had been far too easy to traverse, almost as if he were letting them in. Eddie couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not.

Still, they took care in avoiding the intricate web of vines that ran up and down the staircase on their way to the top floor of the house. No need to make things easier for their enemy if they actually had somehow flown in under the radar.

Eddie pushed the attic door open as quietly as he could and tiptoed inside, El following closely behind. The first thing he saw was Steve, strung up in a corner across the room by his arms and legs with the same tendrils that had littered the stairs, that seemed to be scattered all over this hell dimension.

His body was disturbingly limp, head lolled to one side, eyes closed, and Eddie hoped with everything he had that he was just unconscious.

Without taking so much as a second to glance around the rest of the space, Eddie rushed towards the place where Steve hung, only to find himself unable to move—his feet becoming glued to the floor about halfway there. Out of habit he looked down first, expecting to find one of those snake-like things holding him back, or or even some substance sticking him there, but there was nothing to see.

Eddie swiveled his head around and finally he saw him. Vecna—Henry, hovering with the aid of his own set of tentacle-like vines that seemed to grow out of his back, in the middle of the space in front of a large boarded-up window. He had a single long-clawed hand held in the air aimed in Eddie’s direction.

Eleven stepped out in front of Eddie, mirroring Henry’s stance and using her own power, somehow distracting him enough to sever the connection.

As soon as he was free from his invisible bonds, Eddie ran to Steve’s side, hands flying to his neck to check for a pulse. He sagged in relief as he felt a strong steady beat against his fingers, and briefly rested his forehead against Steve's chest, feeling its shallow rise and fall with each wheezing breath.

“I’m here, sweetheart. We’re gonna get you out, don't worry.” He whispered into the fabric of Steve’s shirt and pressed a kiss through it right over his heart.

“The same way you got Eleven out when you were both small children?” Henry quipped, having somehow overheard him. His voice was deep and gravelly, more a growl, like the creatures who served him, than actual human speech.

Eddie breathed Steve in, committing the feel and smell of him to memory one last time before turning to face the monster of a man that might in fact be his biological father, putting himself between his past and his present.

“Let him go.” Eddie demanded.

“And why would I do that, Eddie?” Henry asked, drawing his name out as if to mock the very idea of it, an expression of distaste pinching his disfigured face.

“Because, if you let him go… I'll stay.”

“We.” Eleven said firmly, stepping up to stand next to him—adding herself to the human shield standing between her brother and Henry. “We will stay, but only if you agree to let Steve go and leave the rest of our friends alone.”

“Is that what you think I want?”

“Isn’t that what this has all been about?” Eddie blurted out. “Sure, you wanted to get back at Eleven for sending you here, at me for abandoning you, but you wanted us by your side once and now you’ve taken the one thing that guaranteed we would come to you.”

“You think I took him to draw you out?” Henry threw his head back with a deep rumbling laugh, as he was slowly lowered to the floor. “I took him to hurt you, to hurt both of you. You serving yourselves up for me like this is merely a bonus.”

With a casual flick of his wrists, Henry sent both of them skidding across the floor until their backs smacked into the wall. More of Henry’s never ending supply of sentient vines began to coil themselves around Eddie's legs, starting at his ankles and snaking upwards until he was too entangled to move. Another set had taken hold of his wrists, pinning them out at his sides. Eddie struggled in their hold, trying to get any part of him free, to try and fight back, but it was no use. His bindings only grew tighter and tighter.

All he could do was turn his head and watch as the same happened to Eleven right beside him. She cried out, but the sound was cut off abruptly as a final slimy tendril wrapped around her throat. Her eyes went wide, tears streaming down her face as she was slowly choked into unconsciousness.

Henry must have been sandbagging before. He’d let El free Eddie from his hold, it was the only explanation. The power he’d just displayed was far beyond what he had shown when they first entered the attic.

But why?

Just to fuck with them? Just to make them think they had a chance? What did these mind games do for him—what did it prove?

Maybe he just enjoyed tormenting them.

Eddie screamed El’s name as her small body went limp and soon found his own head being wrenched back. His heart beat frantically as he was pinned in place against the wall by another tentacle sliding across his forehead and a final one around his throat, constricting his airway.

“It didn’t have to be this way.” Henry said quietly to himself, almost sounding regretful.

Eddie wanted to tell him to go fuck himself, tried to make his mouth form the words but could only open and close his lips like a fish struggling out of water. Before long, black spots began to dance over his vision, and Eddie could do nothing but glare at his would-be father as the darkness slowly overtook him, vowing to himself that if he ever woke up again he would see him dead. One way or another.

Miraculously, he did wake again.

Slowly, at first—small bits of sensory information flooding his consciousness. The feel of the hard floor beneath his cheek, the chill of the air that surrounded him, its stale and musty smell, the taste of ash sitting on the back of his tongue.

His head was pounding, but he was alive.

He took silent stock of his body, finding that, apart from the pain in his head and a bit of rawness around his neck, he was mostly unharmed. He was also no longer tied up.

Finally, he opened his eyes and sat up. Henry was still there back up in his high position, but he was in a trance, or at least he seemed to be. Though Eddie wouldn't put it past him to be putting on a show again. He looked next to him, half expecting, half hoping to find Eleven to be sprawled out similarly free, but she was gone.

He looked around in a panic, scrambling to his feet when he saw she was now hung over in the corner with Steve as if on some kind of gruesome art display made special for him. He ran to check on her. The ties that bound her were looser now, merely holding her up in place just like her brother. She was paler than ever but her pulse was strong.

She was alive.

He didn't understand why Henry hadn’t killed them when he had the chance, unless he’d been bluffing when he said drawing them out wasn’t his goal—unless he wanted something from them. Frankly, Eddie didn't care what his motivations were, he was sick and fucking tired of all of it. Henry’s mind games, his own fear, and doubt, and guilt. He had to find some way to end this.

“Ah, you are awake, good.” Henry said, drawing Eddie’s attention back to the rest of the room.

“What do you want? Why are you doing this?” Eddie asked. Less for an answer and more to buy some time for him to think, and for El to wake up. He couldn't do this alone, he knew that now.

“If you would only stop and think about it logically for a minute, you would see that I am not the evil villain you think I am. I’m the reason you were able to free yourself from that place, after all. Without me you would still be living under Papa’s thumb.”

It was true, in a roundabout way, but Eddie wasn’t fooled. “Then why don’t you just let us go and leave us alone if you’re not the bad guy in this story?”

“Humans are a unique type of pest, don’t you think?” Henry continued conversationally, as if they were discussing current events, or the weather. “Multiplying and poisoning our world all while enforcing a deeply unnatural structure of their own creation, as if it were some kind of improvement over the natural way of things. Some call it order, I call it a straitjacket. A cruel, oppressive world built on a foundation of made-up rules. Seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, years, decades. Each life a shadow, a lesser version of the one before. Wake up, eat, work, sleep, reproduce, and die. Everyone is just waiting for it all to be over. All while performing in a silly, terrible play, day after day. I didn’t want that for myself, nor did I want it for you. We can make our own rules, and restore balance to this broken world. Burn it down only so that we may save it, together.”

Together—together—together.

The word echoed in Eddie's mind like the ringing of a bell. Evoking thoughts of Wayne, Claudia, and Dustin—the boys. His friends, his family. Even Hopper, who he’d never liked but had unflinchingly had his back since the day he’d heard about the scared little boy who’d escaped from Hawkins lab.

A flash of white behind Eddie’s eyes, and he saw him, Hop. There were others with him too. Wayne for sure, marching along right next to him. The others were fuzzy though he thought he got a glimpse of Chrissy’s ponytail. They were all walking down an abandoned strip of road, ash falling lightly around them. He saw it all in a split second before the vision fell away.

“Son, Five, Eddie—you are capable of more than you could possibly imagine. You can see things, yes, past, present, future; but if you wanted, like me you could reach into others minds, explore their memories. With practice and my help you could influence their very thoughts, their feelings. You must see how this ability could be used for good? To control that which comes after, in our new world. To make sure it never comes to this again.”

Eddie feared for a moment that Henry would know what he’d seen. He knew the man was able to reach inside and root around in people’s brains, but no reaction came. He wondered if his own abilities served to block his father out. He would still have learned much through Steve’s mind and others, but to his relief it seemed as though he couldn't read Eddie himself.

He couldn't be sure exactly when the vision had found him from. In the now? In the future? He chose to believe it was in the present and if he could only stall Henry long enough, help would arrive. He hummed, crossing his arms over his chest and doing his best to look interested, if suspicious, hoping it would prompt Henry to continue.

“But first you must disabuse yourself of this idea that all human lives are precious. They are nothing but a source of power now. With each life I took back then I became stronger, more powerful. You and me? We are the only ones that matter. I had hoped for a time that Eleven could be like us, but she doesn’t have the constitution for it.”

Henry sighed, and there was that suggestion of regret again, as if he had truly cared about El at one point. Eddie didn’t buy it.

“When Papa finally realized he could not control me, he tried to recreate me. He began a program. Its subjects were powerful but none came close to having my abilities, the ones Papa was so desperate to wield. He came up with a new…experiment, and nine months later you were born.”

“You are better than they are.” Henry said, pointing a claw at his two captives. “Superior. For the first time in your life you could be truly free. Imagine what we could do together. We could reshape the world, remake it how we see fit. End them. Cut your ties to this pretend life you’ve been leading, and join me.”

And Eddie couldn't help it. He shook his head and began to clap slowly.

“For someone who claims not to be a villain it was one hell of a monologue, I'll give you that. I guess I can see where I get my storytelling abilities from. But, uh, I do have to ask—what the fuck is wrong with you? And where in that twisted, rotted-out brain of yours did you get the idea that I would ever, ever, go for that?”

“We are family.”

Family—family—family.

Another flash and he could see them, his real family, approaching and opening the front door of the Creel house. Inwardly, he could have cried in relief.

Outwardly, he scoffed.

“You’re not my family. Wayne, the only father I’ve ever known, he’s my family. Claudia and Dustin, and the boys, they are my family.”

He began to take short slow steps towards where Steve and El hung, which happened to be the furthest point from the attic door, keeping Henry’s eyes on him and away from where the others would hopefully be entering any minute.

Eddie gestured to El as he spoke. “She may have been lost to me for a while but Eleven is my little sister. And Steve…” He trailed off, smiling sadly to himself as he pictured his boyfriends face the last time he’d seen him awake—smiling, and warm.

“You said I was better than them, superior? But that’s where you’re wrong. There is no one better than Steve Harrington. He cares about people. He took in a girl he knew nothing about for no reason except it was the right thing to do. He loves with his whole soul, never expecting anything in return. That is greatness, that is power. And I would rather die right now than spend one day without him, or her, or anyone else I care about, in your new world order.”

Eddie stuck his hand into his pocket, trying to be casual about it, palming the small pocket knife concealed there before pulling the hand back out. For what good the small blade would do him.

“So, no, daddy dearest. I will not be joining you. I am nothing like you, and I never will be, even if we do happen to share DNA. You are nothing more to me than a monster who needs to be put down.”

Henry snarled, thrusting his clawed hand out once more, the unseen force sending Eddie falling backwards, landing on the floor hard. It stunned him for a moment, knocking the wind out of him as well as the knife from his hand. Before he could recover he was snatched up by the ankle, dragged across the room nearly to Henry’s disgusting feet, and then hoisted up to be dangled upside down in front of him, their faces inches apart.

Something small but heavy fell from his breast pocket to land with a metallic clink on the wood beneath him. He glanced down, barely registering the sight of his old Zippo lying there that he’d completely forgotten he had on him, before a gunshot rang out.

It was loud in the small space, or maybe that was because the bullet had whizzed right past his head to graze Henry in the shoulder. His body jerked with the blow and Eddie was dropped instantly.

He was dazed from the fall and the fact that he’d lost all hearing in his right ear, replaced by a high-pitched ringing sound. Hands grabbed him under the armpits from behind, at the same time someone, Robin he realized distantly, appeared in front of him, first scooping up his fallen lighter and then taking hold of his legs, helping to carry him back and away from the firefight.

More shots rang out and Eddie spun his head around just in time to see Hopper getting another shot off while Wayne reloaded, both of them brandishing matching hunting rifles.

When they finally came to a stop, Robin started fussing over him, as did Chrissy—who was, apparently, the person who’d gripped him up from behind. But he waved them off, slapping their hands away and shouting at them that he was fine and to check on Steve and El. They looked like they wanted to argue, but one glance at the two others hanging limp in the corner was enough to convince them to go.

“The lighter!” He yelled to Robin. “Everything down here hates fire, use the lighter to release them.”

Trusting the girls to that task, Eddie turned his attention back to the fight, watching Wayne step up to take his own shot while Hopper re-loaded. He also noticed for the first time that Nancy and Jonathan were there too, though they were stuck in the doorway, barred entrance by more of the vines. They must not have made it through before Henry realized he was being ambushed.

Jonathan hacked at the tendrils with an ax, while Nancy went at them with a can of Aqua Net and a lighter. Improvised flamethrower, color him impressed.

Eddie took a few deep breaths, sweeping the ground with his eyes for any sign of his dropped pocket knife, the only weapon he’d brought into this place with him.

His search was interrupted by the sound of both men’s rifles clattering to the floor, one after the other. Eddie’s head shot up and he had the perfect view of Wayne and Hopper both being lifted off the ground as if by invisible strings. The men’s bodies grew stiff as their heads were forced back and blood began to seep from their eyes and ears. It was the classic Vecna attack and he had no idea how to stop it.

Henry locked eyes with Eddie through the space between the two floating men and did his best approximation of a smile with his lipless mouth. Eddie jumped to his feet on shaking legs and limped towards them.

“Stop this!” He shouted, and it was the strangest thing—like his voice reverberated off the walls and back to him.

Henry looked shaken for a split second, but the emotion was gone as quickly as it had come. He made a show of considering his two captives before striking out with one of his hands, and sent Hopper’s body flying across the attic. He hit a wall and slid down, landing in an unmoving heap at the bottom of it.

Wayne began to make a gurgling noise, his eyes bulging, blood pouring out of them in increasing amounts.

“Mr. Wayne! No!” El shouted, running straight at Henry with both hands raised. Eddie didn’t know when she’d woken up but he was so fucking grateful for it. She screamed wordlessly, blood already trickling from one side of her nose from the effort.

Wayne fell instantly, released as Henry was forced to focus all of his energy on holding Eleven back.

It was like a juggling act. Henry could only keep so many balls in the air at once for so long, and that number seemed to be dwindling as he got tired. There were so many of them, and only one of him, it should have meant they had the upper hand finally, but nothing they did ever affected him for long.

Eddie lunged for Wayne, throwing himself down at the man's side while he sputtered and gasped for air.

“Hey, Asshole.”

Nancy, who had taken up one of the fallen rifles, shouldered the weapon, aimed, and fired—landing a perfect shot directly in the middle of Henry’s forehead.

El was freed from his psychic grip as Henry rocked back from the force of the bullet, but somehow he didn’t go down.

And Eddie? He’d had enough.

Why didn't he go down? Was he the fucking Terminator or something?!

Eddie was exhausted, frustrated, feeling all but hopeless as he’d watched his people get hurt again and again.

How dare Henry be stronger than all of them combined!

How was that fair?

They were outmatched.

He felt worthless, his powers no help to them in a fight like this.

Unless…

He thought back to that small room, the day when he’d been trapped together with Brenner for hours as a little boy. How he’d tried and tried but it was never enough, and he’d gotten so angry, and overwhelmed, and frustrated, and it had built and built until finally he’d just burst with it—slammed his small fist down on that table and sent all of Papa's papers flying.

Eddie felt similarly now, it had been building up in his blood since the moment he’d woken to find Steve gone, a rage simmering in his veins, flowing through his body like an electric current—all of it meeting at his center, coiling, getting tighter and tighter until he had no choice but to snap.

He screamed his fury, releasing it from his body as he pounded both of his fists down into the hard wooden floor.

Eddie was no longer a child, and though his power was wild and untried, it was fierce. He’d had enough sense to try and control the blast at the last minute, sending most of it forward rather than out in all directions. His own people staggered in place but those on their feet had managed to retain that footing.

Henry, on the other hand, had been knocked flat on his ass and Eddie was determined to keep him there. He threw a hand out using it to help focus what power he could still feel hovering just there outside of his body, concentrating on using it to keep Henry pinned to his spot on the floor.

Eddie stood, staggering closer to his target and felt a presence fall into step next to him. It was Eleven, adding her power to his as she held her own hand out to help lock their enemy in place.

His hand shook, his arm ached, and blood ran in thick hot rivulets from his nose down his chin, but he would not stop. He refused to falter when they finally had Henry on the hook.

Nancy stepped into sight on the other side of Henry’s splayed form, reloading the rifle she still held in her hands and aiming it down at her target. Jonathan joined her wielding a gas can Eddie hadn’t noticed before, something they must have carried in with them all the way from the cabin, and began splashing it all over Henry’s body, soaking him in the accelerant.

Jonathan dropped the gas can, and pulled out the lighter Nancy had been using earlier from his pocket. He tried several times to light it but it just wouldn’t catch.

Before anyone even asked, Robin appeared at Eddie’s elbow brandishing his own shiny silver Zippo. With one hand she flicked the lid up and struck the little wheel. The flame sparked to life instantly and she tossed it right down into the middle of Henry’s chest, setting his whole body alight in a millisecond.

Robin smiled, her face shining in the bright light of the fire.

“Flambé.”

Chapter 15

Thanks forever to @penny00dreadful for being the best friend, cheerleader, and beta in the whole fucking world💜

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#steddie fanfic #steve harrington #eddie munson #stranger things #steddie #steve harrington/eddie munson #steve x eddie #steddie fic #fanfic #robin buckley #chrissy cunningham #steve and el sibling supremacy #good uncle wayne

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