Beautifully put anon!

Lumax are shown to have a maturity and understanding of one another and their relationship which remains unparalleled! There's communication and reciprocation and real care - it's evident that they get one another but that it takes work, and they put that work in.

Best man!Dustin who just flat out goes "remember when I was into Max?"

Best man!Dustin who tells Max "If the two of you don't work out, I call dibs on him."

Best man!Dustin takes on the role of organizing the whole damn event because according to him, the maid of honor (El) just doesn't know what flowers to use for the theme.

Best man!Dustin who dances with Max and gives the "If you break his heart I swear-" talk and does the same when he dances with Lucas (which he heavily insisted on)

Best man!Dustin who kept hired the Byers bros to capture the moment (photography and painting, except they didn't accept the payment at all)

Best man!Dustin who hired corroded coffin because he knows no other perfect band for the event.

Best man!Dustin who accuses Erica for crying when he's the one who's actually swimming in tears.

Ocean paced around the dark streets of Uranium City. The dimly lit lights guiding her way through the endless streets. Glancing at her phone, the time read 10:30 P.M. It was way too late to be out and Ocean needed to find a place to sleep.

Going the only place she can trust, she knocked on the familiar dark oak wood door. One minute. Two minutes. Had this been a bad idea? Maybe she was already asleep or- “Ocean? What are you doing here?” Constance stood at the doorway, her hair covered and wearing a matching pair of pajamas. “I- I got kicked out of my house. Again.” It was no secret that Ocean was related to the only hippies in Uranium City, hippies that did copious amounts of weed. And also tended to become irrational under the influence so when Ocean got the chance, she would flee the house before it got worse.

“Oh no. Come on in, Ocean. You can stay as long as you need.” Constance pulled herself away from the door as Ocean walked herself in. “Did you already eat dinner? My family has some left over stuffed chicken breast and pasta salad.” Ocean opened her mouth to say no, she would hate to intrude in her friend’s dinner but her stomach beat her to it. “Let’s go get you something to eat.”

Yeah like so many people talk about them regressing (even I fall victim to it at times but I think I really only talk about it with stancy and maybe Dustin. but I also half think that the whole point it is to show that stancy aren’t well together and that it’s over between them in a romantic way. And they can start a friendship if they want to but it’s just going to be an adjustment for them if they want to do that). Anyway lol after that rant.

And yeah I hate how people just use the lab thing and twist it. Like so many people were saying that she’s relearning the same lesson over and over again. Which isn’t true and of course she’s going to have doubts especially when her abuser is back alive. And especially when she doesn’t have her powers who she’s spent her whole life with and her identity is based around it. Same I don’t get how or why people just miss the whole message. Especially when that message of not owing your abuser anything is a good message. And like you said her healing had a set back which is normal. And especially when her whole identity of having her powers were stripped away from her well that’s going to have a major setback for her healing/character growth.

It’s totally fine that you change the topic and omg you’re welcome. It is really fun whenever we write paragraphs to one another and I enjoy talking to you!

Hello! Yet again you have made some fantastic points that I really agree with!

I share your frustration about people missing the message of El and Max's parallel arcs about confronting their abusers. I will die on the fandom discourse hill about the "never forgive your abusers" theme of s4. So many people have completely missed the entire point and it really frustrates me! Post Vol. 1, I actually told my sister, "if they pull a 'Dr. Brenner was actually a good guy all along' thing, I'll actually listen to the people who call the Duffer brothers abuse apologists on tumblr." But come Vol. 2, they didn't do that! They hit hard with the scene where Max talks about how Billy was actually completely terrible, and they have El walk away from Dr. Brenner without giving him closure after realizing that he was the monster. I actually thought that it was brilliant that, as El is being manipulated by Dr. Brenner, the audience kind of is, too. Vol. 1 actually makes him out to be more sympathetic in some ways, but Vol. 2 has us realize that that was a false front all along and that he is actually irredeemably evil. That was well done! Yet it flew over some people's heads because I see people going "OMG I can't believe the Duffer's gave Dr. Brenner a redemption arc!!!" When it's the complete opposite of that!

ST sent a message that is very rare in modern media: that you can feel sympathy for those who hurt you, but you also don't have to forgive them. None of that "do it for yourself" bullshit that we always see. It said that it's okay to love them because emotions are complicated, but you are justified in hating them for the rest of your life. That is such a powerful message. The Duffers clearly listened to feedback about the way they handled Billy in s3, and then proceeded to completely fix the way that Billy had been framed. It is unquestionably my favorite part of s4. The emotions I felt when Max said that she'd wanted him to die are just indescribable. How the narrative didn't demonize her for those feelings, and actually supported her in admitting that Billy was actually just terrible and abusive. That emotional arc was just so well-crafted and empathetic that it breaks my heart when people either willfully misinterpret it or just completely ignore it.

So yeah, when I talk about the ST fandom as being an example of the "death of media literacy," I'm not talking about ships or whatever, I'm talking about the fact that people were unable to pick up on one of the main emotional through-lines of the show, and how some people were so blinded by their irrational hatred for the ST writers that they actually came to the opposite conclusion. Istg, critical thinking is dead and Twitter-esque "hot take" media criticism is the culprit.

This part of Chapter 13 in "Lucas On the Line" absolutely destroys me. Lucas is trying so hard to help Max but Max is also trying to make Lucas understand that she needs time and space.

When she finally tells Lucas what's going on she's crying. She's so hurt, and Lucas is too. But Max is hurt in a different way.

"I don't know if I can ever be happy, Lucas. Not even with you." She's in the worst state of mind right now and this is honestly the best choice for her. It may not seem like that to Lucas but it does Max. You can tell that he loves her so much that he isn't going to argue with her. He's just going to listen, like Robin suggested to him a little earlier.

"I can finally hear loud and clear what she's been trying to tell me all this time. I can't be with you anymore." He doesn't want to accept it but he has to. Lucas has said that him and Max "defy tradition" as a couple. They aren't like other couples. And they are definitely showing it here. We already know what happens in the show is mostly same as the book but with specific character POVs. Lucas' POV is so so devastating and so is Max's. I really hope we get a S4 Max book. It would be amazing to compare Lucas and Max's POVs.

hi thank you for this ask lovely!!!!

i know that some of them were mentioned in the text, so i'll be giving them an extra one. also i personally watch and know of more lighthearted stuff, so that's why they might sorta skew that way :)

and im here to tell you all about it

- they really do care about each other deep down

- ocean has a Bad Home Life ™ because shes just like me fr

- one night, she shows up at noel’s door, soaked from the rain, shaking and crying

- he takes her inside, cleans her up, lends her an old shirt and pair of pajama pants, and lets her cry in his arms

- they fall asleep together on the couch, watching mamma mia, cuddled together

- noel’s mom finds them, and wraps them in a blanket

- they don’t talk about it the next day

- but from that day forward, ocean goes to noel when she needs to get away from home

- noel’s mom loves ocean, she’s like a second mother to her

- noel will, in the span of a few hours, go from saying how much he hates ocean (during choir), to comforting her and telling her how much she means to him (later when she knocks on his door)

- they get lowkey defensive of each other

- like, they are generally pretty cold to people they don’t know, but when they overhear someone insulting the other, they become openly rude

- the choir has no idea that they are close

- noel has Severe self-esteem issues.

- ocean does her best to comfort him

- half the time she is just rambling about how wrong he is for hating himself

- “how could you even think that- you’re so cool and kind, and anyone who doesn’t see that is stupid-”

- ocean has a drawer of her clothes in noel’s room, they’re the only clothes she has that smell clean.

- the two of them debate movies all the time, because 90% of the time thats what they do after ocean is calmed in the evenings.

- ocean makes noel little gifts, like friendship bracelets and bookmarks

- noel lets ocean read his poetry

- she loves it, but insists on correcting any grammar or spelling she can find, even if it’s a stylistic choice

they don't interact outside of the group but has anyone ever thought about how joyce is probably the person who understands the most of what lucas is going through with max because she inadvertently brought bob into the mess with the upside down, the only difference being that bob is dead with no return but max has the small sliver of a chance at making it

has anyone ever thought of when joyce visits the hospital, she finds lucas all alone, refusing to leave max's side, and how her heart aches because if bob were in max's position there is no doubt she would do the same

has anyone ever thought of joyce holding lucas, apart from everyone telling him to go home, she lets him stay, brings him extra clothes and food, becomes a 2nd mother to him apart from sue sinclair (and assuring sue that she'll take care of him), holds him when he cries because this is all my fault, i should've never let her into this mess, opens up about her trauma with bob, assures him that he is not at fault and he is so strong and brave for being with max despite it all, that she will pull through bc she knows her foster daughter and everyone will save her come hell or high water

read runaway max. obligatory billy hate post </3

also the way that max was expecting steve to be like billy disregard her opinions and treat her as less than “the way high school boys always did” but he treats her with respect and dignity and continually protects her makes her feel safe. steve is the antithesis of billy in s2 max’s mind. i wonder if she talks about this in her letter to him agh

bonus! when billy shows up at the byers, steve immediately assesses the situation and lets max know he’s not going to let anything bad happen to her before going out to talk to billy

and it makes me cry every time i read it bc like. max is such a wonderful character and even though she has serious repression and isolation tendencies, she knows her friends will show up for her if she let them. it’s just so beautiful

HE BROKE MAX' FRIEND'S ARM

HE LIGHTED A DEAD CAT'S CORPSE ON FIRE

HE IS FUCKING CRAZY ARE YOU KIDDING ME HOW ARE Y'ALL STILL DEFENDING HIM

like in s1 he literally saves jancy from a fucking demogorgon and manages to help them kill it. jancy would no doubt be dead if steve hadn’t gone back for them

also, he protects three middle schoolers ON HIS OWN from several deadly alien creatures IN THE DARK and with only a fucking BASEBALL BAT

like how is that not badass? how does that not absolutely make up for the two singular fights he lost to human teenagers???

and i stand by this 100%, steve was definitely winning the fight with billy until the guy smashed a fucking plate over his head which like ofc he lost after that! that was not a fair fight!!

ALSO people make fun of him for being beaten up by trained russian soldiers, that shit does not make sense !! what the hell !!!