Okay, imma elaborate on my madwheeler roleswap bullshit.

For those who have no idea what i’m talking about (probably most of you, i imagine 😅), the basic premise is this: what would Stranger Things/Hawkins look like if Max had lived in Hawkins from the beginning, and Mike & the Wheelers moved to Hawkins in season 2?

My previous posts on this are linked here (initial premise, basically breaking down how canon deviated to allow for the role swap) here (elaborating on potential implications of swapping Mike & Max’s roles for El & her relationships) and here (this talks vaguely about how removing Mike might change season one/party dynamics). All previous posts are gonna be elaborated on as i get further in my rewatch/plot this out more tho, lol. If anyone has any thoughts, other takes, or wants to bounce ideas around or offer their own opinions on how the season could potentially deviate based on this premise, i’d seriously love to hear about it (talking ab this stuff is my catnip ngl).

(Speaking of! @faithfulcat111 hiiiiiiii! I figured i might as well tag you on this post, since this focuses a lot on how season 1 might be different—specifically, differences caused by the fact that Nancy Wheeler isn’t in Hawkins, since I haven’t gotten to posts specifically describing how season 1 could/would go down yet (…in part bc i haven’t decided how i think it should go down, & also bc i rlly have to do that rewatch 😅). I haven’t decided whether Will was biking home from Max’s the night he was taken, or if he was just… at home, y’know? Because if will was targeted by vecna, (& i think he was lol), whether he was biking home or just at his house wouldn’t matter, except for the fact that one option creates waaaaay more angst for our characters than the other, especially if the Mayfield’s trailer was the last place will was seen 😬🤷.)

Now, can we talk ab the potential implications of No Nancy Wheeler?

Like. Wherever Nancy Wheeler grew up, it sure as hell wasn’t Hawkins, and that has all kinds of impacts on the people who ARE still in Hawkins.

In Rebel Robin, Robin basically all but says that Barb chose Nancy over her. No Nancy… are Barb & Robin still friends?

Steve isn’t pursuing Nancy, which means Nancy doesn’t drag Barb along to Steve’s party, which means Barb doesn’t get taken—at least, not because of the party. Was Steve pursuing someone else? Maybe Heather Holloway, or Chrissy Cunningham? Maybe one of them is invited to the party. Maybe she dies earlier, in this universe.

Or maybe she survives the monster attacks. Become part of the action, part of the force against the Upsidedown.

Without Nancy there… does Jonathan Byers take the pictures? [We need to have a brief sidebar about Jonathan. First and foremost, I love this character. Second, taking noncon pictures of someone, especially when they’re in a vulnerable position, is never okay. What Jonathan did was badly handled in canon and, frankly, out of character.]. Perhaps, rather than taking the photos, Jonathan trips, falls, cuts himself while wandering the woods looking for Will. His blood draws a monster (that perhaps gets caught on jonathan’s camera?), which causes Jonathan to either scream, burst through the bushes into the pool party rambling about a faceless monster like a madman, or both.

Now, having witnessed Jonathan Byers’ incident, Steve’s involved. Maybe he gets suspicious of the woods around his house, catches a glimpse of the monster too. Potential slowburn Stonathan friendship bc it’s clear, from the fact that Steve goes to apologize & pays for a new camera & talks ab hanging out with Jonathan in season 4, that steve genuinely wants to be friends with this guy.

In this au, Steve likely wouldn’t break Jonathan’s camera, bc Jonathan hasn’t given him a (frankly, completely justified) reason to. Steve & Jonathan’s fistfight probably wouldn’t happen. But unless Jonathan sees the monster… without Nancy & the photos Jonathan took of Barb getting taken, Jonathan has no reason to believe his mother, and no reason to try & fight the demogorgon (which probs wouldn’t be called a demogorgon here, given that the party isn’t as into dnd w/out Mike, RIP).

You know what else No Nancy means? Nobody to make the connection about demogorgons & blood. & later, in season 2, No Nancy back in season 1 means Alive Barb, which means no exposing Owens/the lab, which means the lab is still up & running in season 3, & ALSO means no Murray until season 3 at Least (through Hopper), AND given Nancy’s wildly different relationships in this au could mean there’ll be nobody to stab Will with a hot poker & free him from the mindflayer at the end of season 2, and depending on how we resolve that & season 3—

Basically, Nancy Wheeler is insanely important, and her absence is gonna have a lot of implications. (Thankfully, given that the Wheelers move to Hawkins pre-season 2, she’ll be around for season 4. 🙏)

I love the "came back wrong" trope but from the opposite side.

Imagine you are dead. And then you are RIPPED from the embrace of decay into the world of the living again. Your memories are hazy and you don't recognize any of these people, but they act like they're close to you? Like they love you? So you try to get your memories back, to act like you belong here, but everybody tries to forget you died. And you can't. It is omnipresent. And just trying to grapple with that fact pushes the people who "love" you away, and they're incapable of understanding, and they're so confused, what's wrong N̶̄̀O̶͛͗T̷̉́ ̷͋͝Y̴̎̌Ȍ̴̈U̸̓R NÄM̴̃͑E̵̾̇? And you just need them to understand, you aren't that person! You aren't! You don't know who that person is! You don't know why any of this is happening, but they're unwilling to bend, they keep insisting you are that person, your memories will come back, everything will be normal again, and you want to scream and cry and claw yourself open to show them you're different. Your existence as a being wholly separate from whoever you "used to be" is a sin unto itself. All you can do is scrabble for life and to them, you're killing whoever they loved to do it.

just. lots of fun in that concept, you know?

🐣 ok we are so back………..

I'm rewatching Steven Universe and I will never forgive Fandom for what it did to her

If they ever make the live action version the Guru episode it’ll go like this.

The guru: so, Aang, let’s start opening up your chakras. What are you ashamed of?

Aang (who never hurt Katara): ummm…

The guru: What do you blame yourself for?

Aang (who never ran away): uuuummm…

The guru: What are the lies you tell yourself?

Aang (who never denied he’s the avatar): ummmm…

The guru: What attaches you to this world?

Aang (who isn’t in love with Katara): ummmmm…

The guru: WHY ARE YOU EVEN HERE?

Oh how the turn tables

“I’m family”

“So. is. he”

god, stede really just learnt that the love of his life has died, that he was too late to save him and that the people directly responsible for his death are his own crew and he still got them all out and saved their lives, even IZZY whom he hates so much, he didn’t shout, he didn’t take it out on them, he made sure that they were alright and only then did he go to see ed’s body and fell apart, on his knees, all alone in the dark

Feelings Wheel

This is the feelings wheel by Geoffrey Roberts, shown to me by my therapist. My initial thought was, "what amazing synonyms to use for diverse emotional vocabulary!"

More than that, this wheel is great for understanding your characters inner motivations and reactions to situations. For example, if a character constantly feels helpless, then their overarching characteristics will be that they are fearful.

Characters who are less emotionally aware may use words and act in the inner most circle. Those much more aware of their emotions may describe themselves or express and use words from the outer most circle.

Hopefully you guys find this as helpful as I did! Let me know down in the comments.

Happy Writing!

the studio really said forget character development we are too afraid to develop our characters

How to Be The ✨Main Character✨ of Your Life 👑

Being the main character of your life means taking charge of your own narrative, making intentional choices, and living authentically. This doesn't mean life will be perfect. It means you're actively participating in your journey, making choices that align with your values, and striving to live a fulfilling life.

Understand yourself. Your desires, strengths, weaknesses, and emotions. What you like and do not like. Reflect on your actions and decisions regularly.

Figure out, decide and commit to the life you want.Both short term and long term. Break these goals down into small steps.

Take action. Don't wait for things to happen; make them happen.

Every main character faces obstacles. They build you. They show you, and others, how bad you want it. Instead of avoiding challenges, face them head-on. They're opportunities for growth.

Physical, emotional, and mental well-being are crucial. Regular exercise, a balanced diet, meditation, and adequate sleep can make a huge difference. How you treat yourself is how much you do or do not love yourself.

Surround yourself with positive influences and people who uplift you. Limit exposure to negative media or toxic individuals.

The world is full of knowledge. Always be curious. Read books and take courses. Always learn.

Connect deeply with others. Genuine relationships add richness to life.

Be true to yourself. Don't live to meet others' expectations. Celebrate your uniqueness.

Regularly acknowledge and appreciate the good in your life. There is always something to be grateful for. It shifts your focus from what's lacking to what's abundant. How you look at life is what you will attract.

Find balance in work, relationships, and personal time. Create a life that is fulfilling. You are not just one aspect of your life.

Imagine yourself succeeding and achieving your goals. This positive visualization can be a powerful motivator. Live your life as if it is already done.

Life will have its ups and downs. Resilience is the ability to bounce back from setbacks and keep moving forward.

[Post AGIT] Dan gets his first job at a Nasty Burger

and even more amazing was the day Link realised he [redacted] him back

if anyone talks shit about my best friend stede bonnet being an ass there will be hell to pay. it was the first time in his entire life he wasnt mocked. he thought he had it all. hes a middle aged man who for the first time in his life feels like he was doing something right. yea he was gonna be a bitch because at the end of the day he is a bitch. but hes growing

Spider realising the patriarchy harms men too is what I live for

salute