ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

Night out and 3 kamikazes to boot

apocalyptic Hawkins. There's fog everywhere, the upside down is leaking, there's demogorgons crossing the streets, everyone's struggling to get food, water is dirty (IS SINK WATER SAFE TO DRINK IN THE US? PLEASE TELL ME), lights are always flickering, maybe it's not even safe to breathe and the town is basically abandoned.

The military will be completely scrapped, they did nothing apart from making Jane commit.

the abyss doesn't exist. The upside down was just fine on it's own, there was no need for another plot line.

I might still have rovickie being together from the beginning, but there'll be some flashbacks of them getting together. If not, they'll get together in episode 1 or 2.

They'll also have more scenes together! And yes, I Think We're Alone Now WILL play over a montage of them (and maybe one or two shots of byler having tension while the song is fading out).

Jonathan and Joyce will NOT be sidelined.

Holly will still be taking, but we don't see anything from her pov, we can only imagine what happened to her. Also she gets taken to the upside down, not the abyss.

Ted's not surviving the massacre. Sorry, not sorry.

Max will wake up in episode 3 or 4, and the music (and happy memories with ALL the party members, not just Lucas) does bring her back because that's actually a cool concept.

Mike is targeted by Vecna for his internalised homophobia and just trauma. Sorry Nancy but you're gonna go through a lot.

Speaking of that, apart from Will, Lucas is the one who's constantly with Mike and really worried for him. He's not losing another loved one to Vecna and he derserves to be more than Max' boyfriend.

Robin will still mentor Will, but instead of having Tammy haunting the narrative, she'll just say she used to have a crush on someone, and she'll also freaking mention that Vickie used to have a boyfriend😭

Lucas is mentoring Mike. Mike also has a conversation with Vickie at some point.

Mike and Nancy will be more than just a prize to win in a love triangle.

my man Steve will also be more than a love interest.

no, and I mean no, new characters. The town's abandoned anyways, so there's literally no one else.

The og party is together the entire season. I can't believe they were seperated again.

Jane and Mike are either broken up from the start or break up in episode 1. But they're still really close for the rest of the season and I will honestly keep most of their moments except for the void scene obv and Mike telling her to "recharge her battery and try again"... (the "what painting" also happens during the cabin talk)

We also have WAY more bonding moments between the Byers and Hopper and Jane.

There'll be jonmike and nancewill bonding moments. ImagineasceneofWillandNancyshootingtogetherandthenMikecomesandWillteacheshimhowtouseagunanditsreallytenderandromanticandNancyprobablyclocksthemandgivesJonathanaknowinglook.

Jane and Will will be a team, and they'll have a conversation about Wills powers.

LOTS of elmax moments. They'll have THE most emotional reunion to the point where the ga notice how important Jane is to Max.

byler will have a s4-lumax-s2-byler-dynamic.

byler WILL kiss in the rain after a painting fight and Heroes WILL play in the background. They'll also have 2-3 kisses in total, personally I imagine they have their first kiss, one before the final battle, and one in the epilogue.

now we're talking byler: paintinggate, lettergate, phonegate and flickergate WILL be adressed.

Will comes out to Joyce and Jonathan with Mike eavesdropping. I imagine it being in episode 5 or 6.

plot holes WILL be resolved, we'll find out why the upside down is frozen in time, who unlocked the door, why Will was taken etc.

the final battle consists of Will and Jane in Vecnas mind and the rest are fighting monsters.

the final battle will also be LONG, and no it's not boring if you do it right (shoutout to lotr).

characters WILL get wounded, and I'm talking permanent scars and maybe even losing body parts. Sorry Max, but you're gonna be in a wheelchair and be blind.

Someone is dying and no, it's not gonna be ambigious whether they did or not. I'm not sure who, but someone WILL die.

Jane is surviving and she gets to be a normal girls and spend time with her family and friends, and henderhop might happen...

speaking of that, Janes arc WILL be about her independence and breaking free from the men in her life.

the epilogue is not gonna be 40 minutes, a well written season doesn't need nostalgiabait. It be 15-20 minutes and will probably just be the party playing d&d and some glimpses of the established couples, families and elmax:)

also the epilogue will probably take place a few months after not 18 months, everything won't be perfect, they'll just slowly be recovering, maybe talking about leaving Hawkins?

(Most of the big problems started after season 3 so that’s where I’m focusing)

KILL OFF HOPPER IN THE MALL

Have Mike and El break it off halfway through season 4 after they semi realise they weren’t meant for each other in season 3

More Will and El scenes

Mike still goes to California but Will conflict gets solved earlier and things slowly grow from there

When El gets kidnapped Joyce goes with the boys and we explore the horror of having another child go missing

Jonathan does something

The boys are more empathetic to Lucas and actually go to the game and skip dnd (makes them feel guilty for what happens to Eddie)

Keep Max the same she’s perfect

NO STANCY IT PISSES ME OFF

Steve, Robin, Nancy and Eddie have more time together so it makes his death more tragic and sets up more character exploration for season 5

Make the upside down scary again (idk how to)

Explore Joyce and Jonathan’s relationship because even tho I love Joyce she’s really neglectful to Jon while they’re on the road

More Robin and Vickie

Make the coming out scene more private not saying just Mike and Joyce but all the boys, Robin and Jon should be there

Byler starts when Mike asks El about the painting when they start talking about how they broke up ( they remain friends )

Let El actually interact with the group in season 5 instead of locking her in blue screen prison (fixed anyway because hopper is goneskis

The Jancy breakup is fine honestly I like it

Have Steve feel guilty as well as angry about eddies death because it’s the first death that happened on his watch and he was beginning to think of Eddie as a friend

Explore more of Nancy’s fear and disillusion with relationships from episode 1 on season 5

Let Kali and El live a happy life so the message about surviving abuse is to kill yourself

Joyce acts more of a mother to el and is the one who gives hoppers suicide speech

I've tried this game, and honestly, it's beautiful visually, musically, and obviously, the mysterious atmosphere it puts you in is so unique that a friend and I went into conspiracy mode to create a theory that I'm going to share.

First of all, I'll clarify that it all started with a joke between my friend and me, "MC got the chamuco" (chamuco is a way of joking about naming a demon/monster).

But well. ADVISE, THIS THEORY HAS SPOILERS FROM THE GAME.

If you haven't played it yet, don't read it for your own good.

As I replayed the game and checked the options, I started to analyze it a little more, taking it more seriously.

What caught my attention was that the food, the jam, had a strange, metallic taste.

But playing another route, it seems to have some special ingredients that weren't meant to make us sleep... BUT to keep something/someone away.

Being that in and of itself, my strongest suspicion is that it's primarily a creature (one of my favorites), which would be the Wendigo.

What is a wendigo?

The wendigo has its origins in Algonquin folklore, particularly among tribes in the northern United States and Canada. The legend likely arose to explain the harshness of winter and the desperation that can accompany hunger. The wendigo is typically described as a gaunt, emaciated being, often with an elongated face, glowing eyes, and a skin-covered body that seems stretched tightly over its bones. Some versions depict it with antlers or other animal features.

The wendigo symbolizes the dangers of greed and the loss of humanity. It is said to manifest in people who succumb to extreme hunger or desire, leading them to commit acts of cannibalism. This transformation into a wendigo is considered a curse or punishment.

But above all... One particular version of the legend mentions that if a person dreams of the wendigo, their body may become vulnerable to possession by the wendigo's spirit during the dream.

The wendigo itself is a creature that needs a greedy human... and in fact, MC could be shown to be greedy by wanting Jim. Which would explain why Jim, unlike other yandere characters, decided to push the MC away to immediately go do something important (I'm not saying Jim is innocent).

But beyond the graphic description of the wendigo.

Wendigos avoid fire since they're winter creatures and belong in the forest. They avoid silver leaves and silver itself (remember MC tasted metallic in his food), which, upon investigation, seems to match the drawings. Jim's food tasted metallic, and we might believe it's silver.

As you can see, there are similarities between the drawings and the objects below. Which are silver leaves and thin silver bars.

Whatever is tormenting MC in the dream, mentions that we are IDENTICAL and even the phrase "the one who dreams of wolves" AND COINCIDENCE, wolves are creatures capable of massacring a person.

Also, let's take into account... Jim's behavior.

First, consider the fact that the jam has metal, the fact that he spends his time counting and checking MC's pulse, AND HOW HE ALSO starts singing an unknown melody. Upon further investigation, another way to repel wendigos is with shamanic chants. In fact, when I played Li again, I remembered that I chose this option, and now, playing it again, I analyzed the scene further.

He starts checking our pulse again and here comes the striking part.

BACK HERE, Jim emphasizes being careful about what we let into our dreams. And oh, coincidentally, we actually have a creature tormenting us.

My friend even suggested that it wouldn't be surprising if even the wood carving, or, as it's posed, a talisman, contains something to try to ward off the creature.

BUT the biggest question to be answered... how does Jim know what's going after MC?

We know that Jim is clearly very besotted with the MC and that, apparently, he set EVERYTHING up so the MC would stay and he could "protect" MC, which I find strange considering they theoretically don't know each other.

But, rewinding to dreams.

The Creature, they say the rabbit is the most fragile and docile creature, the perfect sacrifice, and that they are the same. (Like they are trying to convince)

They says the fox is quite cunning, but not enough to escape them... But the wolf...he says, "We'll see if you're worthy".

but to both the fox and the wolf the say...

Like, they are not trying to convince the MC, they straight tell them they CANNOT escape.

And going in one of the routes where I did...

Coincidentally… it seems like the creature tormenting Mc is “related to this animal.”

Another interesting thing about the Wolf and Fox route.

The meat is no longer in the fridge, and Jim says he moved everything to the cellar because the refrigerator was malfunctioning, and the defensive way he acted was very suspicious.

Also… in the wolf's ending, it struck me that, most likely, since he's the most aggressive, cruel, and even selfish when it comes to speaking (which attracts the wendigos), he's much closer to the creature than he is to the rabbit. With the rabbit, he seems to want to persuade it with the idea that they're the same, but with the wolf.

But on its own... not eating meat won't help MC... No eating meat won't prevent MC from transforming into a wendigo. In folklore, transformation into a wendigo is often linked to cannibalism or possession by a wendigo spirit. Most stories mention that eating human flesh, or even being near a wendigo, can lead to transformation.

Also if MC show these symptoms they are done... People who experience Wendigo psychosis exhibit a variety of symptoms, including paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, and cannibalistic urges. Typically, the onset of Wendigo psychosis is characterized by depression, nausea, and anorexia.

On a different note... moonflowers symbolize rebirth, renewal, and blossoming.

So, when we talk about wendigo possession, the person is somehow "reborn" into a creature.

And the art here contains interesting symbolism, which in fact, everything is connected.

It seems strange that Jim is positioned this way. In fact, my friend translated it for me, and Opferfleisch means sacrificial meat in German.

But why is Jim being sacrificed?

Also, there's a Roman numeral on the tree, and he's basically like the Hanged Man tarot card.

That card symbolizes the acceptance of circumstances, whether good or bad.

So, Jim has accepted the fact that he's a sacrifice, as the description says. And just like the card, he appears to have a halo formed by his own hair.

Jim technically KNOWS what is happening or is going to happen to MC.

Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if the little bear's cub cabin never actually existed, and that it was all a plot by Jim to lure us in.

Since our car also coincidentally stopped working (he probably took advantage of the time outside to do something to the car before it reached his own front door), and he seems obsessed with MC staying, while it could be because of his obsession with MC, there's obviously something else going on.

Although the dream about this creature could also be Mc's unconscious warning about Jim.

IamfineguysIswear.

Day 2 is here. Welcome back to the altar. Let’s continue the ritual. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Big thanks to Damian Winters for providing 2 original Tracks for Chilling Devotion!!! Check them out @DamianWinters_ on Twitter.

And thanks for 10,000+ downloads of my games. My lil cursed games spread and I am pleased. More evil to come.

I’d recommend replaying Day 1 for the best results! I fixed some bugs.

(Not sure if Day 2 will break anything. Oops sorry! I got no playtesters lol please let me know if you encounter any buggggs)

Billy’s pretty sure he’s going to cum in his pants.

The way the street lamp is shining down on the car gives him just enough light to see the warm orange glow across Steve’s flushed face that's pinched with pleasure, his mouth parted with stuttering little gasps and quiet reedy whines that Billy can just hear over his playlist that fills his car.

He’s got his seat pushed all the way back, his pretty boy perched on his lap with two of his fingers buried deep in Harrington’s ass, down to the knuckle and pressed right into his prostate.

I’ve been reading a lot of Harringrove fics in the past months, and I keep noticing a trend, which surprised me. It has to do with how Billy & Neil’s relationship is depicted.

Let me preface that I’m a firm believer you should be free to do whatever you want in your writing, no matter how different it might be from canon - either through a  deliberate choice, or through interpretation. Here, I just want to talk about how surprised I was about certain lack of nuances - as if, as a collective, the fanbase chose to interpret their relationship through one angle only. Again, it is not a bad thing, but I guess I was expecting to see more diverse takes/ approaches in the amount of fic I read. 

SO, some facts:

The abuse (in the canon): In the show, we can see that Neil is a hard man, a strict figure buzzing with a nervous violence. We see him being violent with Billy in words and actions. Now from there, it makes sense to infer what Billy’s childhood might have been like, how it shaped into the angry teenager with a need to prove himself.

The aftermath of S3 : When Max read her letter for Billy, she says  that Neil ‘’ was a mess’’, left because she thinks he ‘’ didn’t want to be here without you’’

The abuse (in the fics) : in 90% of fics I read, Neil full-on beats Billy. I’m talking bruises, cigar burns, sometimes broken bones. And it is one interpretation, but I would have expected to also find more of the psychological and threatening abuse we saw in the show.

Why I’m looking for more variation in the depiction of their relationship: 

Whenever the fics go in depth in Steve’s relationship with his parents, it’s layered, psychological, touches on how abuse can be quiet and cold rather than violent an brash. And granted, it is an interesting contrast in Harringrove fics, to have them bond about their own trauma, depicted in such opposites ways. But I wish I could more fics that go into the complexity of abuse born from misplaced parental expectations and distorted love for Billy as well.

Because if we do trust the canon, Neil did love Billy (in some way at least), since he crumbled after his death. That doesn’t make him a better parent or person, but more of a fleshed-out character.

Because sometimes, I feel like we he becomes a ‘’boogeyman’’ - Neil becomes a pure villain, his only agency being to make the characters suffer. His abusive behaviour becomes ‘’just’’ a plot point used to justify Billy’s extreme behaviour. And it’s a shame! This simplification, to me, is  shame, because no matter if the writer chooses to depict physical or psychological abuse, their is nothing simple about a parent abusing their child.

And that can lead to me disconnecting from the fic : in some of those cases, whenever a character learns that Billy’s being beaten, they don’t tell Hopper/the police or any adults, do not try to take Billy away, do not confront Neil. Which CAN be justified, through character motives or reasoning, but more often then not, it just isn’t . They just don’t do anything until Billy can legally leave, and that throws me off, because those characters literally fought monsters from other dimensions.

Let me say again, that in the context of the fic, it can be justified why the characters choose to not say anything - Billy threatens them not to talk, there’s only 1 month left until he can leave, he’s worried about Max, etc. But as I reader, I want to hear those reasons.

In one of the fic I read, no one told Hop until very late, and when he learns it he’s so mad - and that felt fair! The characters had their own reasoning to not talk about it, which as a reader I might not agree with, but then another character challenges their reasoning, which s a reader is nice/ interesting to see. Anyway, I'm not throwing shade to fics that don't want to explore the abuse dynamics in depth, everyone's entitled to how/ what they want to write. I just keep thinking about this as I read more and more fics, and need to write it down somewhere.

(2k words and counting)