wip from a million years ago that im never gonna finish of the party if they were a fight club

this makes me so happy because I've always thought dustin would be a weird al fan and didn't think a pic like this would ever exist LMAO

D&D subtext in Stranger Things

Highly, highly requested analysis (no it’s not) of some interesting things I noticed going on with D&D in stranger things. This includes my personal thoughts based on my credentials of; having watched the show more times than i can possibly count over the past 7 years and current knowledge of DnD classes, worldbuilding, monsters, character creation. I’ll have this on the pinned post on my blog and i’ll add a text break because it’s…a lot.

Misc. :

The show starts with and is based off of Dungeons and Dragons, a table top rpg that the characters like to play. In the first season we don’t get much insight into the boys characters or the game itself, it’s used as a device to further the idea that these kids are nerds, they play a nerdy game that involves fantasy and math. As the show progresses it continues to be used to push across certain ideas, like establishing each character in the party and in season three showing how the game might represent the boys as social outcasts and their childhood.

DnD, is used throughout the show but we get to see actual play of the game in season one and four. It’s also used as a way to name the monsters they face (the monsters do get the right ideas across but the game and show versions are actually quite different from each other, especially the demogorgon)

In season 4 the idea of satanism connected to DnD really interested me. Why was everyone connecting DnD to satanism? I mean we know that everyone thought that Eddie was killing all of these people but that doesn’t mean that his club had anything to do with it. The duffers interestingly incorporated the real stigma that was widely held in the 80s against the game. At the time people were going on witchunts against anything regarded as being possibly related to satan. The most interesting part about all of this though is that, Dungeons and Dragons was made by two very devout christian men, Ernest Gygax (one of the founders) was even a Jehovah’s Witness! The two being christian’s though, incorporated a lot of religious themes into the game including clerics and paladins (calm down you fiends i’ll be getting to that) who carry a lot of religious themes and monsters that may represent demons. Outsiders might have seen a game presenting such themes as a mockery of their faith or a way to promote satanism simply by having monsters.

Characters:

I want to preface this by saying the classes that I’ll be talking about aren’t actually time period accurate. The boys would have been playing D&D 1e which had the three classes of : Fighting-man, magic-user, and cleric. While the classes listed are from D&D 2e which didn’t come out until 1989. Anyways.

In season 1, in the first scenes of the show we get to see what is the middle of DnD session before it gets interrupted. We get the basic ideas of their game across, Mike acting as DM presenting the adventure he created to his players while the rest of the party waits in anticipation for what they have to fight next. We also get to see some of will’s drawings of the party and his character

Keep these pictures in mind.

In season 2 when mike and max are arguing in the gym we hear mike say, “I’m our paladin, will’s our cleric, dustin’s our bard, lucas is our ranger and el is our mage.” At first glance it seems like nothing, oh he’s just listing off the party members and their roles and how max doesn’t fit into the party. But when you look at it properly it’s so much more.

Lucas and Dustin could not be more perfect for their chosen classes. Lucas is a ranger which means the ideal stats to be highest would include dexterity, constitution, and wisdom. Dexterity refers to, in this case the hand eye coordination and general reflexes. Constitution refers to a characters stamina and toughness, and wisdom is well, wisdom. Sounds like a certain character that has quick reflexes, has a tendency to take punches pretty well, and has good problem solving skills huh? All of these apply to lucas quite well, AND his weapon of choice is a ranged weapon, the slingshot (wrist-rocket you know what I mean), it’s really quite perfect. As for Dustin, he’s said to be a bard and the highest ideal stat for that class is charisma. Dustin has been proven to be very charismatic, he gets along with people and he can very comedic. Another thing about bards is they will tend to be very eloquent, inspirational, and persuasive, it comes with the territory of having a high charisma score, and we know dustin has a way with words. Dustin’s known for being a an eloquent and persuasive character; he convinced Mike to make up with Lucas after their fight in season one, he convinced a hesitant Mr. Clarke to tell him how to make a censory deprivation tank, he convinced steve to join him in looking for dart, and convinced erica to go through the vents (sort of). So, it makes complete sense for dustin to be a bard.

Taking a look at Mike’s character, his class also makes a lot of sense. Mike plays a paladin when he’s not the DM. A paladin is a “devout warrior” they fight with a cause, to serve their patron deity. They’re often compared to knights because of their values and the armor they usually wear. A paladin is the perfect representation of mike, especially for how will described him during the painting scene, he’s a leader and will throw himself in dangerous situations for the sake of the party, like when he jumped off the cliff for dustin.

Now, remember how will’s drawings, specifically of his character? Remember how mike said that will was a cleric? Will’s character is complicated. Will’s character being a cleric doesn’t make sense but makes so much sense at the same time. His character doesn’t look like a cleric. Clerics might be spellcasters but they don’t traditionally carry a staff or wear robes like we see will’s character does. He wears wizard clothing and has wizard abilities, not to mention in the first scene we see him play DnD and attempt to cast fireball, a spell that is most commonly associated with wizards and sorcerers and he does not seem to get his magic from a deity like a cleric traditionally would. (Clerics can cast fireball but only if they are part of the light domain) So, his character seems to be more of a wizard than a cleric, which is odd.

My theory relating to Will’s character:

Looking back at what mike said, Will’s character class doesn’t make much sense. But, I personally feel like Mike wasn’t being totally honest. First, he listed el, who they might consider to be part of the party but she doesn’t have an actual role in the game, but of course she would be the magic-user/mage. I think that mike made the list based on his feelings about the party specifically regarding will and el. El has powers in real life so it makes sense he assigned her the role of mage, and replacing will for him to become a cleric. It’d be interesting if Will was simply a cleric in mike’s personal thoughts about the party because it would make it so mike views them as very close. Paladins and clerics are very similar in relation to the fundamentals, a paladin is a warrior that swears an oath and serves a deity while a cleric is the servant of a deity that heals and fights. Basically, a cleric does more spell casting and less fighting while a paladin does more fighting and less spell casting. Since the two are so similar it would give a lot of depth to the characters being best friends, who have a much deeper understanding of each other than the rest of the party would. And even if he wasn’t simply a cleric in mikes mind and will the wise is actually a cleric, this would still show that the two having a much deeper connection and understanding of each other was hinted at from the beginning.

What if Steve was a junior during season two so that he was a senior during season four and went to high school with The Party. Just imagine what the outsiders perspective of this would be like. Because all of the sudden “King Steve” is now best friends with a random band kind and a bunch of freshman

On the first day of school Steve pulls into the school parking lot and out comes a gaggle of freshmen and no one knows how Steve knows them

Steve being friends with Robin at least makes some sort of sense but all the random kids he’s friends with doesn’t. When asked how he knows them he gives some weird explanation about how he used to date one of the their older sisters but that still doesn’t explain how the one he’s closest to definitely isn’t that kid.

In the beginning he invites them to sit with his basketball friends and while all of them except Lucas feels too awkward to continue doing that they’re thankful they at least had somewhere to sit during their first few days

Picture him being the most supportive person of Lucas on the basketball team and helping him learn the game and become friends with everyone

He sees some kids picking on Dustin and Mike and is able to use his status to make sure that never happens again

He’d make sure no one mentions Billy in front of Max because god knows she doesn’t need to dwell on that any longer

When Dustin, Lucas, and Mike first joint Hellfire Club, Steve is at first suspicious of Eddie because of his reputation as the loud drug dealer who got held back twice but eventually comes to realize that he’s actually a pretty good guy

But he does still give Eddie a talk on making sure that the kids are okay and not introduce them to any of that stuff. Leaving Eddie very confused on why Steve cares about the kids so much

Instead of walking to class with his popular friends he’s now walking with Robin and for some reason always talks about her when talking to Vickie

Sure, he may no longer end up as Prom King but anyone can see that he’s much happier now than he ever was before

Mike: has daddy issues

Will: has daddy issues

Jonathan: has daddy issues

Steve: had (slight) daddy issues

Dustin: [doesn’t even show his dad-probably doesn’t have one]

WHY HAS EVERYONE GOT DADDY ISSUES???

hello hello *drops snippet of a fic i wrote 2 years ago and runs* (i'm posting more of these soon bc i'm having a writerblock or whatever and have been stuck for MONTHS on a chapter😂🔫)

Steve closed his eyes.

He didn't want to die.

He’d survived, what? Five years. Five years of those monsters and alternate dimensions. He could survive another year. He had to.

So he tried to remember.

He remembered, three years ago, sneaking into the Wheeler’s house. He was going to see Nance. Mike Wheeler saw him. He wasn't meant to be outside because there could be a killer or kidnapper on the loose, yet there he was, about to look for his best friend. Steve and Wheeler weren't close at the time; Steve was actually pretty sure Wheeler hated him, and Steve didn't have a liking for Wheeler. Yet, Wheeler ignored him and left. So Steve kept climbing. He knocked on Nance’s window. He remembered Nance not being exactly happy about seeing him there, but he wanted to help Nance study. He also wanted to have sex.

He focused on another memory for the best. He found it interesting he could remember the time he was drugged by Russian doctors with Robin. He remembered being dragged to the movies by Henderson. Back to the Future was on. He’d been wanting to watch that movie for a while, and so had Robin. They didn't have any tickets, so they had to pick some seats that just so happened to be empty, and those seats were the worst. Robin kept complaining about it and the guy behind them kept shushing her.

He remembered the day Henderson visited him at Scoops Ahoy after returning from camp. Steve thought it was quite ridiculous that his best friend was a kid he bonded with trying to save Hawkins. Regardless, he loved that kid. He remembered Henderson being happy that he got the job, and them doing their handshake. Robin did not look impressed by how many kids her coworker was friends with.

And he remembered Eddie. Eddie the Freak. Eddie who had been accused of murder and Steve found himself forced to help. They never really talked in school. Not upfront. And even though Eddie was just how Steve remembered him, except his hair was longer, Steve was the one who truly changed. In the Upside Down, there had been one particular moment; after he’d nearly been eaten by bats, Steve wanted to thank Eddie for saving him, but Eddie insisted Steve had saved his own ass. He said that what Steve had done was very metal, he even mentioned someone called Ozzy Osbourne. Steve had no idea who he was, but later he had bought one of his tapes. It wasn't really his type of music, but he listened to him anyway for some reason he couldn't really explain. Eddie also told him that Henderson talked about how Steve was a badass. Eddie confessed that he was jealous, that he didn't understand how a guy like Steve could actually be a “good dude” while he was a coward. He started talking about how he always ran. How he was no hero. Steve was grateful for that because running away had saved Eddie’s life. So Steve told Eddie not to be so hard on himself. Eddie brushed off whatever Steve had said and confessed the only reason he was there was because Nance and Robin had jumped after him with no hesitation, and he didn't want to be the one who stayed behind. Eddie started talking about how Nance had wasted no time jumping after Steve, and that, in his cynical point of view, that was an act of true love. But Steve didn't care about that. Yes, he cared about Nance, obviously, but he didn't think what she had done was about love. I mean, Robin had jumped in, too. Besides, Nance had Jonathan. What Steve was paying attention to was Eddie’s lips. Eddie’s dry, chipped lips. He suddenly had an urge to kiss him. To just kiss him and get him to shut up about Nance. But he pushed those thoughts away. He shouldn't be thinking those things. He couldn't.

But right now, Eddie was playing his shitty acoustic guitar to save him. Eddie was playing for him. So who cared about what Steve should and shouldn't be thinking.

Read the full thing:

The hellfire club x reader

Includes: Mike wheeler , Lucas sinclair , Eddie Munson, Dustin Henderson ( I know there are some others , but I don't know them , so we will stick to our main characters<3)( Also I am sorry this took so long , but I am writing so many exams I'm gonna die and also I procrastinated as much as possible)

Warnings: yandere things, stalking, obsessive behavior , bullying, I hate this and really struggled with it even though I loved the idea

Summary: you defend Dustin once and not it's over for them. They need you

Thank you to @saturnsbabe69 for helping me figure out how to write this<3 (and sorry I was so late)

The hellfire club was known around school as a group of losers who enjoyed playing board games in all of their free time, hence a lot of people made fun of them

You on the other hand weren't exactly font of them , but you should never tolerate people making fun of others. So when you saw a boy knocking down a boy's- Dustin was it?- tray down in lunch and calling him a 'careless loser' you decided to do something small for it

Now , you weren't exactly willing to end up in detention for an unknown kid and his friends , but you could be really discreet when needed

You passed by the by Dustin and his friends who were currently cussing out tha boy and gave them a reassuring smile

Reaching Brad , the boy that had knocked Dustin's tray you stuck your foot out causing him to fall on the ground, head first

"oops , Brad are you ok? Maybe you shouldn't have been such a careless loser"

That's the same exact way those boys fell for you

After that expect them to be following you around

Lucas and Dustin , can and WILL stalk you , following you home , knowing your program and all that. And let me tell you, Dustin will look through your garbage

Mike will stare a t you from afar , collecting information but not obsessively stalking you. He will however try and discreetely get close to you , throu a class or even by accidentally bumping into you

Eddie was definitely the first one to approach(let's assume he is only like two years older) and in a non discreet way.

He will call out your name on the hallways asking you if you wanna go with them on the movies or something

Embarrassed you decline

All the other boys facepalmed but at least now it was out and they could actually be more open about you

Dustin would find you in the halls to talk to you about class , Lucas would play basketball and yell "this shot is for you" (and then most likely lose), and Eddie would just talk to you non stop asking you out once a week

Mike I think would be tha least annoying but don't expect him to not be obsessed. My boy would upgrade his stalking and he would totally threaten anyone that speaks to you

You become kind of their friend and you talk to them , but rejecting them anytime they ask you out

In the beginning they didn't mind much , convinced you'd come around and actually fall for them eventually

When sometime had passed and you seemed to remain immune to their efforts to woo you , they decided that needed to get more serious

They even scolded themselves, because what were they thinking , you are so delicate and perfect , so how could you fall for their distasteful attempts right?

They put on a nice dinner , maybe even a picnic in one of the most picturesque places in town

They make sandwiches and all , Eddie even learns some romantic songs to play to you, while Dustin prepares the food and Lucas carried it. Mike makes sure everything is perfect , collecting flowers and orchestrating tha whole thing

They take you there , in a blindfold that they really struggled to concise you to wear and they confess their feelings in depth

You end up not saying no to their advances not long after

Bruh... Dustin becoming a mini-Eddie with the hair, clothes, rings. The grave. Edward Munson "now at peace" as fucking if and for it to be vandalized too idk man just no just leave me here I don't want it

#happy boop day to those who celebrate

stranger things as memes requested by patreon members part 2 (part 1)