#DREADEDFEARS : independent , highly selective , sporadic activity & MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE . 𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐎𝐖𝐄 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐑 . an original character tied to the stranger things universe . a study in : suppressed rage , using music as an escape , fear-inducing powers , narrowly escaping death & challenging society .
“ rock is awesome ! but how is this still considered rock ? ” brows knitted in confusion. trying to understand how heavy metal and rock could be in the same category — trying to see the overlap like a venn diagram.
“ technically speaking , it’s still got roots to blues and psychedelic rock genres so therefore , still counts as rock , ” harlowe explains , shrugging casually . in truth , she could probably go on about rock and its subgenres but she needn’t bore robin with the details .
#DREADEDFEARS : a sporadic-activity , MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE , independent original character based in the stranger things universe . HARLOWE BRENNER . EXPERIMENT 007 . featuring a study in the following : suppressed rage , using music as an escape , fear-inducing powers & challenging society .
#HELLMETALS : a sporadic-activity , MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE , independent EDWARD “EDDIE” MUNSON of stranger things . featuring a study in : being convicted by public opinion , satanic panic , fire-forged friendships & deadpan snarking .
congratulations ! on behalf of the admissions committee , i am honored to offer you admission to HAWKINS PREPARATORY ACADEMY . please accept my personal congratulations for your outstanding achievements ... ( continued )
001. BACKSTORY .
born to two pharmaceutical moguls in new york . and it’s no surprise that their family descends from old money so yeah , you could say that makes her pretty RICH . with inattentive parents , harlowe grew up spoiled . her essentially threw money at her and her siblings . as if that would fix the issue . but there was one good thing that came out of being passed between nannies and their maternal grandparents , they became her family .
she’s put into almost any and every extracurricular activity out there . music . martial arts . japanese class . at the age of 8 , harlowe is dubbed a music prodigy . she starts off with oboe and piano then branching off to play clarinet , followed by trumpet , and felt right at home as a percussionist . it should’ve been something positive , their parents manage to twist that into something negative . of course they were less than pleased . they wanted someone to follow in their footsteps . keep in mind , harlowe was only EIGHT years old at the time . does any eight year old know what they wanna do with their life ?
they prove to be a bigger disappointment once they hit their teen years . acting out . rebelling against their parents . getting into fights . and to top it all off , harlowe picks up a new interest : knives and weaponry . at this point , her parents kind of don’t know what to do with her . but like all issues in her parents’ life , they just throw money at it .
and that’s what they did . they submit her and her brother’s application to hawkins prep and of course , they get accepted . based on grades and extracurriculars alone ? likely enough . but to be extra sure , her parents make a SIZABLE donation to ensure their acceptance , mostly to ensure harlowe’s acceptance .
she’s in hawkins for the next four years . they’re initially annoyed that they’re sent away . she didn’t want to be here . however , as time goes on , are they secretly pleased to be away from their parents ? ABSOLUTELY . she’s free . able to do as she pleases . and occasionally gets into fights because come on ... it’s boarding school and they can only tolerate some people for so long . but all in all , she finds any excuse to stay away from home . if the academy is open over holiday breaks ? they’re not going home .
home isn’t exactly a welcome place . expectations are suffocating . childhood friends no longer know her . music becomes their escape . and being at hawkins ? it also becomes her escape and she’ll be damned if anyone tries to take it from her .
002. HEADCANONS .
in this verse , harlowe is biologically related to the brenners . their parents aren’t dead so they were never raised by their uncle , dr. martin brenner .
she’s very proud about her japanese heritage . harlowe spent a lot of time with their maternal grandparents and as a result , they grew up speaking japanese
in addition to getting very interested in knives and weaponry , harlowe collects vintage weaponry ( because hello she’s rich she can afford it )
percussion section leader in orchestra . she mainly plays the snare drum and timpani
they’re drum major + drump captain of the marching band ! they play the tenor drum
003. PLOTTED CONNECTIONS .
[ WANTED: ROOMMATE ] someone who was unfortunately saddled with harlowe as a roommate when they first came to hawkins . she wasn’t a terrible roommate per se , but she was definitely moody . somehow , [ your muse ] was one of the first people harlowe ends up befriending . albeit ... in a very unconventional circumstance
[ WANTED: SIBLING FIGURE ] the two just bicker and act like siblings tbh that’s about it
[ WANTED: BEST FRIENDS ] literally ride or dies . probably get into so much trouble with them because of the amount of fights harlowe tends to get themselves into . either they try to stop her or enable her , there’s no in between <3
The beast is on the prowl, He’s latest victim a child he knew from Hawkins, Number 007 a child who lived in his realm for sometime a child he wanted to work with to mold the world with, But she escaped him before he had the chance to influence her, but not this time..
“SO good to see you again Harlowe…” he snakes his way forward large strides enclosing the distance between them. “you snuck away from me once …” he spoke softly reaching out towards her. “i won’t let that happen again dear one.” he dances clawed fingers in the air as he points to her. “Come now … follow me.” henrys voice echoes from Vecnas decaying mouth he wants to help the girl.
@dreadedfears
she never thought she’d be back here facing him of all people . they took a chance when they left that world . and harlowe doesn’t REGRET it one bit . lips press into a thin line . she tries not to flinch at the way he moves . eyes narrow at how he’s prowling . she can practically feel it . a perk to their powers being tethered to this universe . they’re determined to not be his next victim .
“ we can skip the formalities . ” chin juts out in defiance when he reaches out to them . “ i wouldn’t go as far as calling it sneaking away . i just took an opportunity . ” and thank god it paid off . she was back in the real world . harlowe knows they might not be so lucky this time around . and yet ? she hesitantly trails after him . “ dare i ask what plans you have ? ”
“ whaaaaaaaaaat !? no , i’m not lost - ! ” chuckles nervously and leans against a brick wall , trying to play it cool , trying to be chill . but suzie bingham has absolutely NO chill . “ i’m definitely not trying to find dusty bun before it gets dark , whaaaaaat ? ” and they call her a genius . * @dreadedfears 💜✨
raises a skeptical brow at the younger woman . harlowe can’t help but chuckle in amusement . “ did you want some help ? you don’t wanna be in this part of town after dark . haven’t you heard of all the shit that’s been going down ? ”
[ @spidercursed sent an ask ! ] ❝ since when did ‘hopeful’ and ‘naive’ become the same thing? ❞
THE BOYS STARTERS ––– accepting !
“ the second you start to latch onto hope as a way out . ” she’s seen too much at such a young age . and from harlowe’s perspective ? it’s easy to confuse the two . “ i’m not saying having a little hope is a bad thing but when you start relying on it ? it never bodes well for anyone . it’s irresponsible and brings too much collateral damage . ”
i’m so sorry besties i’m fr so behind on replies and ask memes FJDLF but i am working to queue them all slowly so if there’s a thread that i haven’t replied to yet , i’m not ignoring it !!
[ @hellfireleads sent an ask ! ] [ SHIELD ]: in order to protect them from physical harm caused by a third party, the sender shoves the receiver against the wall and shields them with their body.
PINNED AGAINST A WALL PROMPTS ––– accepting !
they’re beaten , battered and bruised . they grunt , stumbling slightly as they dodge another attack . she can only hold out for so long . does harlowe care ? not particularly . they take in a shaky breath . hands are outstretched . a red glow manifests around her hands as she targets them , blinding them . satisfied , harlowe charges in . she uppercuts them and doesn’t let up . eyes are focused on what’s in front of them and nothing else . she has them cornered only to suddenly find herself SLAMMING into the nearest wall and eddie shielding her from someone ... something they missed . eyes slowly trail up , unimpressed . features soften when they come to the realization that he’d only done what he did to protect them . “ i had that . ” stands up straighter . “ you really didn’t need to do that . i’m the one with freaky powers , remember ? ”
❝ she knows. she knows more than she should and if she isn’t careful.. if she doesn’t walk the right line , she’s gonna end up being the WICKEDEST of them all. mark my words. ❞
tara wasn’t sure where she was, after her sister’s BULLSHIT FUNERAL , she’d just kept walking and walking until the sun started to set and her feet began to ache. none of this felt right , no body , no casket , nothing but the word of some COPS & DOCTORS. but who would believe her if she did dare to interject ? finally succumbing to the pains in her feet , the curb ahead under an illuminated street light caught her eye. only it was occupied by [ @dreadedfears ] someone. fuck it❛ do you mind if i sit ? ❜
hands subconsciously ball into fists as she stares off into the distance . the past couple of days were a blur . chrissy’s death . eddie’s supposed involvement ( although they don’t believe he has anything to do with it ) . now a funeral . and to top it all off , her nightmares seem to have gotten WORSE . she’s snaps out of her reverie , hearing the sound of faint footsteps . “ sure . go for it , ” gestures to the empty seat next to her . “ heard about the funeral . ”
“ like i get it, don’t get me wrong but it felt like my head was going to implode from the sound. i couldn’t even hear myself think ! ”
“ that’s kinda the whole point , y’know ? using it as an escape . no thinking , just rocking out to it . i’m personally a bigger fan of rock itself over metal but it’s technically still rock . ”
