H.H.

i feel like the writers messed up so much when it came to heather’s character. i mean, why was she, out of all the other characters in the show, the only one to actually recognise that something was wrong with him? why was she the only one who tried to help him? how well did billy and heather actually know each other?

i mean, she was always smiling at him, talking, giving him compliments. and the writers gave us this initial impression that heather liked billy romantically but we never actually saw anything happen beyond that. (it’s almost as if whatever relationship they could have built between the two of them was pushed aside for the duffer’s milf fantasy) and their first big mistake was not establishing that there was a relationship between heather and billy in the first place.

take the shower scene. billy’s distressed and he looks like total shit. he stumbles off to the showers, bumping into people, knocking things over and he looks sick. really sick. and yet heather is the only one who looks up and asks him if he’s okay. she’s the only one who follows him into the showers, crouches down and asks him if he needs help. viewers are left to assume, with what little they know about her, that she’s helping billy because she likes him. maybe even cares.

and then the irony. the twisted irony of the scene in the warehouse and the dark, sexual undertones of billy pinning her down and whispering in her ear. it’s almost sadistic how heather’s frightened whimpers and billy’s deep, breathy voice was mistaken by max for being sounds of a sexual nature.

and it surely can’t be a coincidence either.

billy and heather, under the influence of the mindflayer, are then forced into stereotypical couple tropes: dinner at her parent’s house listening to cheesy love songs, drinking wine, staring at each other across the table.

heather and billy move in unison, like they’re joined at the hip. when heather attacks her father, billy can be seen in the background, leaning in the doorway gazing at her.

tom holloway’s first thought is that billy has some kind of manipulative hold on her, a romantic hold on her that’s much scarier and more real in his eyes than any supernatural hold. tom holloway believes his daughter is in love with a maniac. a maniac who has dragged her into dark and dangerous things. it obviously never occurs to him that his daughter and her ‘boyfriend’ are actually possessed by a supernatural creature with the intentions of flaying the whole of hawkins.

the tropes continue. in episode four, after a dramatic battle in the sauna, billy flees to the warehouse where heather is waiting for him. they sit in the darkness of the warehouse and it’s the classic wounded suitor trope. heather tends to billy’s wounds just like they do in the movies. it’s cheesy and overhyped but then billy grabs at her arm and we’re reminded that all of it, the candlelit dinner, the hand on the back of the chair, the wartime love song playing eerily in the background is all just an ironic and tragic juxtaposition to the reality of what’s really going on.

the problem is that we never saw what the relationship with the real billy and heather was actually like. all we knew was that heather cared about him enough to follow him into the showers and billy tried to stop himself from harming her (in the sauna scene we get a glimpse of what the real billy thinks about the things he’s been forced to do) but we were given nothing else to work with. it would have been much more effective to have built up that relationship first and then had flayed billy kidnap and possess her. it would have been all the more sad too.

below are a collection of quotes from some of my favorite 80s movies.

ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING

“I’ll make it very clear: you slip me the cash, and I’ll slip you the weiner.” “Don’t fuck with the babysitter.” “Nobody leaves this place without singing the blues.” “Get out of my house!” “I can only dream about having somebody like her as a girlfriend, but you’ve got her, and you treat her like this?” “Don’t waste your time, half pint. Her legs are locked together at the knee.” “I’d love to hit you. I’d love to pound on your face!” “You’re so slimy, I won’t sink to your level.” “If you give me any grief I swear to God I’ll kill you. Dead, murdered, stabbed.” “Get in the car and run him over.” “How could a righteous babe like you be lonely?” “That’s the sweetest thing anybody’s ever said to me.” “My only shot at ever being in a gang fight and all I get is one stitch?” “Tonight is going to be the greatest night of your life.” “I am not losing anything, I am still in control here! Got it?” “I’m trying to get a date, you’re cramping my style!” “Girls like you come along once in a lifetime.” “And you’re just a girl in love with an asshole.” “I got a little banged up.”

BACK TO THE FUTURE

“Great Scott!” “Where we’re going, we don’t need roads.” “This is heavy.” “Why do you keep calling me Calvin?” “It’s written all over your underwear.” “Hey, you! Get your damn hands off her!” “I finally invent something that works!” “Maybe you were adopted.” “I guess you aren’t ready for that yet.” “You look so familiar to me. Do I know your mother?” “Are you sure about this storm?” “Since when can weathermen predict the weather, let alone the future?” “You’ve really made a difference in my life. You’ve given me something to shoot for.” “I’m really gonna miss you.” “Even if your intentions are good, it can backfire drastically!” “If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything.” “What the hell is a gigawatt?” “It’s not like I’ve never parked before.” “You seem so nervous. Is something wrong?” “I swiped it from the old lady’s liquor cabinet.” “If you let people walk over you now, they’ll be walking over you for the rest of your life.” “I figured, what the hell?” “Since you’re new here, I’m gonna cut you a break, today.” “Why don’t you make like a tree and get outta here?” “I thought I told you never to come in here.” “I’m your density.” “I’ve never picked a fight in my entire life.” “I can’t keep up of all of your boyfriends!” “History is gonna change.” “One rejection isn’t the end of the world.” “What are you looking at, butthead?” “I’m gonna get that son of a bitch.” “Say hi to your mom for me.” “Where are my pants?” “I’ve never seen purple underwear before!” “I have your car towed all the way to your house and all you got for me is lite beer?” “You really think I ought to swear?”

PRETTY IN PINK

“We don’t have a candy machine in the boy’s room!” “I’m not particularly concerned with whether or not you like me.” “I can’t believe you’re saying this.” “She thinks you’re shit. And deep down, you know she’s right.” “It’s called a sense of humor - you should get one - they’re nice.” “C'mon, I’m talking about more than just sex here.” “You know, I’ve been out with a lot of girls at this school. I don’t see what makes you so different.” “I have taste.” “You’re a bitch” “I’m off like a dirty shirt.” “I just want them to know that they didn’t break me.” “You don’t have the guts to tell me the truth.” “That’s a major appliance, that’s not a name!” “You know what an older women does for me?” “May I admire you?” “Drinking and driving don’t mix – that’s why I ride a bike.” “Why don’t you just… nail her, and get it over with?” “Why are you getting involved?” “I’m getting really bored with this conversation, all right?” “If you want your piece of low-grade ass, fine.” “Does he have… strong lips?” “This is a really volcanic ensemble you’re wearing, it’s really marvelous!” “I believed in you. I just didn’t believe in me.” “Good Morning! Welcome to another day of higher education!” “This is an incredibly romantic moment, and you’re ruining it for me!” “Love’s a bitch.” “Do you hear yourself? Do you hear the same asshole shit I hear?” “What, do I have to spell it out for you?” “Nobody appreciates your sense of humor.” “Why don’t you go to take a shower, you look like shit.”

THE BREAKFAST CLUB

“We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it, that’s all.” “I’ll do anything sexual. I don’t need a million dollars to do it either.” “I’m a nymphomaniac.” “I’m not going to discuss my private life with total strangers.” “If you say you haven’t, you’re a prude. If you say you have you’re a slut. It’s a trap.” “You’re a tease and you know it.” “Why don’t you just answer the question?” “What do you need a fake I.D. for?” “You wanna come over sometime?” “Eat my shorts.” “I’m doing society a favor.” “You really think I give a shit?” “Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?” “Screws fall out all the time, the world is an imperfect place.” “Why are you being so nice to me?” “Chicks cannot hold their smoke, dat’s what it is.” “When you grow up, your heart dies.” “I have a really low tolerance for dehydration.” “I could disappear forever and it wouldn’t make any difference.” “I might as well not even exist at this school, remember?” “You’re so pathetic.” “Don’t you ever compare yourself to me.” “Do you know how popular I am? I am so popular. Everybody loves me so much at this school.” “You won’t accept a guy’s tongue in your mouth, and you’re going to eat that?” “I’m telling the truth, that makes me a bitch?” “You have problems.” “Speak for yourself.” “You’re kind of sexy when you’re angry.” “Would you mind telling me how you know all this about me?” “I don’t think either one of them gives a shit about me. It’s like they use me just to get back at each other.” “Being bad feels pretty good, huh?” “You ask me one more question and I’m beating the shit out of you.” “Have you ever been felt up? Over the bra, under the blouse, shoes off… “

THE GOONIES

“It’s our time down here.” “Just throw everything into cardboard boxes.” “Always separate the drugs.” “I want you to spill your guts, tell us everything!” “I’m not all alone in the dark. I like the dark. I love the dark.” “That was so nice of you.” “If you do a bad job you’ll be locked in here with the cockroaches for two weeks without food or water.” “You know, your voice is kind of nice when your mouth isn’t screwing it up.” “Your looks are kind of pretty when your face isn’t screwing it up.” “C'mon, give me a lickery kiss!” “Hey, are you hungry? I got a Baby Ruth.” “You’re even hungrier than I am.” “Is this supposed to be water?” “I’m setting booty traps.” “Looks fine to me.” “Okay, this is the little boys’ room, and that cave over there is the little girls’ room.” “Next time you kiss him, do it with your eyes open. It’s a whole different experience.” “Senior Jerk Alert!” “I’m gonna hit you so hard that when you wake up your clothes will be out of style!” “What happened to your braces?” “You know, I just want to say thank you. For offering to save my life.” “Man! You smell like Phys Ed!” “Watch your hair! Watch your hair! They’re goin’ for the hair!” “My God, I’m in a crazy house!” “This is ridiculous. It’s crazy. I feel like I’m babysitting, except I’m not getting paid.” “I just saw the most amazing thing in my entire life!” “First, you gotta do the truffle shuffle.” “I’m pretty much ODing on all your bullshit stories!” “You’ve got a great body.”

FERRIS BUELLER’S DAY OFF

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” “You’re my hero.” “A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself.” “I could be the walrus. I’d still have to bum rides off people.” “You can’t respect somebody who kisses your ass. It just doesn’t work.” “Pardon my French, but you’re an asshole!” “Look, don’t make me participate in your stupid crap if you don’t like the way I do it.” “It is his fault he didn’t lock the garage.” “I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life.” “You’re still here? It’s over!” “The key to faking out the parents is the clammy hands.” “It’s a little childish and stupid, but then, so is high school.” “Your ass is mine.” “You realize if we played by the rules right now we’d be in gym?” “The city looks so peaceful from up here.”  “Anything is peaceful from one thousand, three hundred and fifty-three feet.” “I am very cute, very alone and very protective of my body.” “Gummi bear? It’s been in my pocket; they’re real warm and soft.” “You killed the car.” “You have nothing to worry about. I’m a professional.” “I think we should shoot her.” “What are you interested in?” “Get off of the float!” “In a nutshell: I hate my brother.” “Are you suggesting that I’m not who I say I am?” “You’re a beautiful man. I want to thank you for your warmth and compassion.” “I asked for a car, I got a computer. How’s that for being born under a bad sign?” “Four thousand restaurants in the downtown area, I pick the one my father goes to.” “Only the meek get pinched. The bold survive.” “Go piss up a flagpole.” “You heartless wench!” “I weep for the future.” “If you’re not over here in fifteen minutes, you can find a new best friend.” “You’re not dying, you just can’t think of anything good to do.” “Do you have a kiss for daddy?” “What a little asshole.” “You sounded like Dirty Harry just then.” “You wear too much eye makeup. My sister wears too much. People think she’s a whore.” “I can’t drive when you’re yelling at me!” “Smile, babe. Just smile…”

FOOTLOOSE

a storm is delaying our flight home and i’m afraid of thunder, please talk to me while we wait

we’re both in small claims court and i got into a huge fight with the person suing me but you stepped in to hold me back before security got there

i drove two hours to the closest video rental store that’s still operating and you were checking out the only copy of the movie i was after

i hit you with my car but luckily you’re okay, but we should still exchange information i guess

our friends that we came here with went off together and now we’re making awkward small talk

i was worried about buying something off of someone creepy from craigslist but oh no you’re hot

my friend talked me into playing a drunken game of spin the bottle even though we’re all adults and now we have to make out

we both decided to take a [yoga/fencing/cooking etc] class and we’re the only two assholes not taking it seriously and everyone else is giving us dirty looks but we keep grinning over at each other

my date just made a scene in public and got arrested and now i’m stranded in a city without a ride home

sharing a cab together

you’re trying to get me to sign a petition and i have no idea what you’re talking about

you’re drunk at this festival and dancing on the table and when you eventually fell i caught you

i tried to get a part time job at this place right by my house but they hired you instead and i have to see you every day when i go there now

blind date!

For the fluff and soft hearted, here is another lists of sentence starters that has the highest potentiality to turn into a soft scenarios. Feel free to change any pronouns / sentence structure according to your muse’s preference!     TRIGGER WARNING:   N/A.

“I never noticed your eyes were this [colour].”

“Your heartbeat’s really loud.”

“You asleep?”

“I like this, being so close to you.”

“Your hair keeps falling into your eyes, do you know that? Here, lemme just—”

“You’re so, so, so pretty.”

“I just — I’m breathless, okay? Whenever I’m with you, it happens.”

“You make my heart beat so quick.”

“You always know how to make me smile.”

“You’ll always be safe with me.”

[Kisses the other on the cheek]

“Always.”

“I can’t imagine being anywhere but here with you.”

“All my choices lead me to you.”

“I’ll never give you up.”

“I sleep better if you’re around.”

“You snore in your sleep. But… it’s adorable, okay?”

“I like this. A quiet breakfast with you.”

“There’re billions of people on this planet, and I love you. How incredible is that?”

“I trust you.”

[Holds the other’s hand when they think the other won’t notice]

“You keep staring at me instead of watching the film. What’s up?”

“Let’s push all of these stuff away. I wanna dance here right now with you.”

“Are we really doing this? Are we really slow-dancing?”

“When you laugh like that, it just — you’re so beautiful, you know that?”

“No, sorry, you laughed. I … I never saw it before. It’s — pretty.”

“You haven’t laughed in a long time, and I guess I was staring ‘cause I forgot how that looked like.”

[Puts head on the other’s shoulder]

“I will never let you go.”

“You’re the best thing to have ever happened to me.”

“You wrote me a song?”

“You’ve got a fever. Of course I’m not going anywhere.”

[Suddenly feels around the bed to search for the other’s hand / body when they’re sleeping]

[Extends a hand when they see the other was searching for it while they’re sleeping]

“I just feel calmer. When I’m with you.”

“You’re not in bed. I came looking for you.”

“What are you doing up? Come to bed.”

“It’s weird. I never thought I could feel like this, but you showed up. Now, it’s like I don’t wanna go on knowing I might lose the feeling.”

“I don’t mind sharing the blankets with you.”

“You’re cold. Come here.”

“You always do that. You always warm me up.”

“Stay.”

“It’s getting crowded. Here, hold my hand.”

[Hugs for a very long time]

[Puts feet on the other’s lap]

“I’m so proud of you, you know that?”