from all of this set-up we know that 1. hopper has literally been a dad in the past and 2. he inevitably gravitates towards that role for kids in distress despite never really explicitly showing any intention in serving as that role for them. when owens refers to him as “dad” hopper doesn’t correct him, but he also doesn’t accept it. he’s silent. likewise, by leaving the food for el in the woods he likely wasn’t explicitly deciding then and there that she would live with him and he’d be her dad. it isn’t until he runs into her in the woods that he brings her back to the cabin and the “”adoption”” really begins to happen.

hopper’s situation at this point is pretty insane. practically overnight he’s become the primary guardian of this child who btw is being hunted by the state for her telekinetic powers and if he fails to keep her safe, she’ll be taken by the people who tortured and abused her for what we can only assume would be even more torture and abuse. he’s still grappling with the fact that he lost his daughter and he clearly blames himself for it based on his view of himself as a black hole that “sucks everything in and destroys it” so his insistence on the rules he’s given el makes sense with his perspective at this point in the season. not to mention that at this very same time, he’s also trying to keep will safe.

is he doing a bad job? YEAH HE IS because his role as a father and his past experiences are complex and painful and they’re affecting his current attempts at parenting el!! he’s quick to anger and bad at prioritizing and doesn’t really understand why she would sacrifice her safety to see mike. to watch his entire arch up until their big fight in season two and ultimately decide that he’s just a bad father and therefore a bad character does such a disservice to his dynamic with el. he was never meant to be a perfect dad who’s in-tune with her emotions and 100% prepared to fit that role. he’s literally a bereaved father who quite frankly isn’t in the position to basically adopt another kid except that he HAS to because if we know anything about hopper it’s that he physically cannot let a kid be in danger without intervening.

HP Characters | Lily Evans - @potterversenet fav character event

“Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead— Please— I’ll do anything—”

Jilytober | Lily Evans

Most of the intelligence community doesn’t believe he exists.

bathroom. seven. swimming in the tub. goggles on. holding her breath underwater. has to come out for dinner. doesn’t want to. does, but only because there’s ice cream for dessert. doesn’t take the goggles off.

bathroom. nine. freckles on her elbows. water’s too hot. wants to be an olympic diver. bathers on because last week petunia said she had a fat tummy and now she wants to hide it. hair in a swimming hat that is really just her mother’s floral shower cap.

bathroom. eleven. crying after petunia called her freak. how much of this water is her tears? gets out of the tub too fast, slips. cracks her head open on the tiles. blood everywhere. her mother screaming. still crying as her father lifts her in his arms. rushed to the hospital in her towel.

bathroom. twelve. standing up in the shower. blood on the tiles. is that her blood? is she dying? runs out of the bathroom yelling for her mother. just her period. petunia smirking. feeling shellshocked. eating chocolate and watching lost in space on the tv. grinning like a champ.

bathroom. fourteen. picking at a spot in front of the mirror. plucks out half her eyebrow. tries to cover it up. potter can’t see, he’ll make fun of her. stupid potter. made fun of her knobbly knees in the yard the other day and she hit him for it. you’re the bigger knob, she told him. looking at her knobbly knees reflected back at her, freckly. they’re quite nice, she thinks. i’m quite nice.

bathroom. fifteen. floor of the shower. tear tracks. heart breaking. won’t let you. holding her heart, bloody and raw in her hands, in that courtyard. let me? mascara smudges. raining outside the window. doesn’t matter, she doesn’t have anyone to go see anymore. no-one to ride her bike with, sit by the lake with. looking at herself in the mirror. does her blood run dirty?

bathroom. sixteen. twirling in a floral dress. mary’s lipgloss. bruise from where she slipped down the stairs. flushed cheeks. petunia yelling at her to hurry up. pretending she can’t hear. hairdryer. singing blondie lyrics into her hairbrush. more yelling. leaves her wet towel on the floor. she used petunia’s again. wasn’t an accident.

bathroom. seventeen. potter’s such a dick. bright eyes. ink on her fingers. wants to write his name in lipstick on the mirror. messy hair. summer freckles, a few on her nose, more on her shoulders. potter told her last week he likes her freckles. god, she’s smiling so hard. why is she smiling so hard?

bathroom. eighteen. shaking. dirt and blood under her nails. cut on her left cheek. sprained wrist. james bandaging it for her on the edge of the bath. gentle fingers, large hands, callouses. there’s still light behind her eyes from all the flashes. bodies hitting the ground. hit and run. she’s too young for this. they’re all too young for this.

bathroom. nineteen. overflowing sink. corner of the room. lighting threatening to split the skies apart. hair in damp ringlets. choking on sobs. can’t stop crying. won’t stop crying. marlene’s face. marlene’s body lying on the floor. marlene laughing. marlene screaming. marlene dying. she’s dead, lily. she’s dead. chest cleaving in two, ribs breaking, no air. can’t stop crying. door cracking open. his arms, her name in his mouth. cradled against his chest, in the corner of the room. james, it hurts. more crying. i know, i know. i have you, evans.

bathroom. nineteen. hair in curls. peony-pink lips. baby’s breath wreath around her head. white dress. mary smiling at her in the mirror. perfume clogging her nostrils. everyone bustling around her. sirius hammering on the door. peter needs help with his cufflinks. sirius threatening to let james in if they don’t hurry the hell up. mary yelling that they can’t start the wedding without the bride. sirius yelling that they bloody well can and they will. james’s voice on the other side of the door. her stomach in knots. smiling like she doesn’t know she has to compete with the sun.

bathroom. twenty. nursing harry in the bath. giggling as she pours water over his head. james distracting him with a rubber duck. are you trying to drown him, evans, jesus christ. snapping back that if he hadn’t let sirius get tomato sauce in harry’s hair they wouldn’t be having this conversation. smell of burning from the kitchen. did you forget to turn the stove off, james? him swearing, her yelling at him to stop swearing in front of harry, harry saying bugger. harry laughing. all three of them laughing. smoke alarm going off. life is ok. life is good.