absolutely do not follow me unless i know you. dustin clarence henderson (from stranger things?) - taken and (re)nerdified by moon. this blog is a memorial/ interpretation to childhood friendships, the greatest unknown being the future, grief at a young age, and the personification of brains. (prev. dustybns)
please note i am very particular about my own canon. (which can be found here) i have spent a lot of time and effort in dustin, as he has been passed upon more times than i can count. it's time the fandom gives him the love he deserves.
rules are very simply, do not be a loser. this is a fun outlet for me and i dont care about petty bullshit. i (also) really don't care about aesthetics and all that jazz. i usually just fuck around and match my writing partners.
the day had gone smoothly. besides the fact dustin and jane broke wills handmade mixer. which splattered every crevice of the kitchen in blue whipped cream frosting. coating both the girl who had returned from death and the boy who had prayed to every lucky star. it only lead them to several taste tests. quite literally. wondering hands, &. tongues that were making up for lost time.
but now, the party is dazed & drunk. birthday cake sitting heavy in stomaches. cheers ringing, HAPPPPYY BIRTHDAYYYYYY! bottle brought to mouth in accordance. knee bumps the long limbs in front of him. pulling mikes attention from where it sits always, will. tossing the present in his lap. " happy birthday brother." it's misshaped, entirely wrapped from newspaper that he had stolen from the recycling bin in the dorms. inside sits a framed polaroid. mike and dustin hellfire era. both laughing at something useless & untasteful. but had been a repeated joke down in the basement where they sat for months. just them. powerful silence, or the long winded conversations that made no sense to anyone but them. when all felt lost, a friendship that never failed.
back against the wall , you slide down to the floor . phone held TIGHT and knees drawing to chest . already reorganising plans for the next week . " NO , you can't . " voice gentle , a habit rarely broken and ALMOST NEVER with him , but words are firm . and if he hangs up on you anyway ? you'll be at the station waiting for the next train within an hour . doesn't matter how long you have to wait there . because he sounds bad , worse than the voicemail you are so tired of hearing friends slur their words down the phone . a childhood spent listening for tell tale signs of drinking . some of you got away with just mental scars rather than physical , enough to mess up your life and you don't blame anyone for how they COPE , but dustin got dealt both . unable to hide from either . at least yours go UNSEEN most days .
did he say something ? shake your head , knowing he can't see , and head drops back against the wall with a dull thud . eyes closed / deep breath / planning which friends can share notes if you ditch classes this week . not really an if anymore . more a ... how soon can you get there . less than 24 hours for sure . probably less than 12 . " think i'm gonna come down there for the week . been a while since i came to you , right ? you let me know if tomorrow morning or afternoons better for me to turn up . " no option to decline . try to keep your voice light , casual , when neither of you feel anything close . " and while you think on that ... gonna TELL ME what's so bad right now ? or i can talk . but i'm not getting off the phone . your choice . "
softness coats the aggression. plans being made at his expense. watchful eye or just another thorn inside his friends side. something else however plays in mind. it had been a hazy weed laced confession, choked on with a cough. smoked exhaled in the darkness. im still in love with your dead sister. thrown out to the wind before there is any take backs. and he thought it would break them. uttering something so utterly cherished. in the confides where it had practically eaten him alive. laced in the fact she was also his other best friends ex-girlfriend. but there was only a misdirected laugh, wills pupils narrowing in as to say: finally. throwing a shoulder too close, where they sat on the balcony. i know, whispered into the silence. dustin cried that night. for the first time in what felt like years. a weighted ocean of every bad memory flooding the small new york apartment.
but that was months ago. when time still felt momentary. not a collage of all the wrongs and rights. “ i - see her." eyes shut, teeth chattering. hoping the ghost in the corner will disappear. there is also something bubbling so very deep. shoved when the dirt had touched her casket. all the things unsaid. the i love you. it should've died with her. keep talking or it will spill over. " will i fucking see her. jane. i see her. and i'm going crazy. i am seeing shit that isn't there. " keep talking or it will spill over. keep talking or it will spill over. blink! but she sits now against the wall with him. looking sad, lost even. " something is wrong with me. i- maybe this what he meant. "
phone rings three times. he knows because will usually always picked up on the second. same stupid routine between them. always call when things got bad. yet, here is the cracked sound of another’s voicemail. the loud beep after the ending. “hey, it's me. i miss you. call when you can” / @dussttin
it's late . heart HAMMERS in your chest with worry / guilt / just a little dash of fear . you messed up . late night plans are almost always made in advance because you don't want to miss a call and come back to a voicemail just like this . all of you are a little messed up . it's expected , right ? that you NEED each other . late night phone calls , frequent meet ups , and making sure you COME HOME to see jonathan even if you head back out again as soon as you know he's okay . because that is what they do for you as well .
and you never mind when your new friends , with their relatively normal lives and problems that don't trace back to interdimensional monsters , joke about it impacting your social life . you go out plenty and enjoy this new life you're making far away from hawkins . so why had you said yes this time ? because your boyfriend begged . it makes the guilt WORSE as you punch in the familiar number you could write with your eyes closed . the fear comes from that little boy in your head who was always so scared the party would push you away / reject you for all the reasons everyone else seemed to . starting with your father . most of the time , you don't even think about it anymore . but NOW what if this is what does it ?
you let dustin down by not answering . not being here . maybe he won't give you another chance . a STUPID line of reasoning , you know that , but still you lean against the wall with a held breath as the line rings . CONNECTS . " sorry . i'm last minute plans . i just got back and i'm really sorry i missed your call . " words rush out , almost stumbling over them , there's no time to think them out . just pure , unfiltered , worry . " i got your voicemail , obviously . are you ... how are you doing tonight ? "
too melt in the absence of tranquility. bottle of whiskey half gone on the floor. body no longer feeling the side effects of years long torment. (ringing in ears, headaches so explosive it leads to vomit lined shrill, and then the worst of it. the shadows that still line the corridors) taunting him. you failed them. eddie, steve, jane. how many more were to come? sometimes he thinks death might’ve just been easier. to be laid in the aftermath of a grave, deprivation slowing sinking to obscurity. there is cracked glass somewhere in the shared bathroom. blood now caked to hand like war paint. because sometimes it’s worse to see the reflection that stares back, than those that don't. phone being ripped off the receiver. almost pulling the chord out in the process.
“hey…” it’s slurred, bitten off like it just might be a secret. glasses removed and thrown to tabletop next to him. (they didn’t work much these days. sight permanently damaged in left peripheral) pinched bridge of nose. releasing what can only be a sigh. because she stands there, as if alive. stupid, stupid, stupid. “ it's not really - a good time. " syllables barely audible as the phone drops ever slightly. knuckles aching. no doubt scaring an already wounded body. add it to the never ending list. go away, go away, go away. she wears a smile similar to a cheshire, honey dipped curls pressed against the hallows of cheeks. beautiful, so achingly beautiful. “ go away ” whispered like a sin, to not spook the vision or himself? “will - it's a bad time okay. can i call you later man?"
happy birthday william byers! feat @vcssl and @storytcllr <3
he's shuffling besides mike anxiously. leave it to michael wheeler to be fucking three hours late. okay correction. not entirely his fault, the connecting flight just happened to get delayed. and his gazelle legs weren't rushing to find dustin in the middle of the airport in a wheres waldo situation. that unleashed an argument in the taxi on the way to their destination. you're insufferable dustin, yea well at least i know how to read a clock wheeler.
knock on the door is hefty, there is an exasperated laugh to his side. some careless: chill out man. but invitation is opened with a creaky wooden doorframe being slid open. will standing there with a signature lazy smile, a tad nervous look shuffling between the two. but small frame is crashing into the other without hesitation. pulling him in so tightly, there must be some recollection in there. perhaps a memory of losing him entirely. fingertips ghosting backside, the same acyclic smell lingering against senses. a trail of smoke hitting nostrils. it's become (him). something so eagerly looked forward too. there is also something else. tenderness that must be choked back before seen. tears that had lined in the corners of eyes. blinked against a pink jumper. smile overriding the small slip of sentimentality. pulling away so mike can get next up. one he knows will has been longing for. "happy birthday. sorry we're late. mike doesn't know how to properly be on time for anything in his life."
little does anyone know, but a present sits in his bag. wrapped precisely in old newspaper from dorm room. a yellow makeshift bow hanging off the side. it's his old comic that never reached will. time was never gracious to either of them like that. xmen 134, a copy highly sought after even as children. about time it reached it's proper owner.
season 5 meta/deepdive. themes: dustin henderson is mauled by a demo (( sorcerer scene, season rewrite based on this. )) feat @vcssl.
the over-looming body fatigue is finally kicking in. beating like a loose heartbeat in eardrums. one that should've alerted him that something was wrong. always so keen to the details. how could a failure like this be so lost? they are cornered quickly, hands brought to face, ready for the disastrous attack. and he looks back for just a second, perhaps longer than should've ever been taken. will the wise, a fucking sorcerer. body crumbling to knees as the demos all split in two's. but as quickly as they are seen, they are gone. because something else is slamming into the side of face. a sharp sensation that can only be described as a punch. wishful thinking. instead it belongs to the claws of a monster. and he is thrown off course. landing a distance away. wind knocked out of chest as body leans to the side.
blood pools in mouth. acidic like starch vibrance. it is being spit out but the reaction doesn't work. instead it drips down chin, as if wound had come from neck instead. gurgling slightly as breath has to be pushed through nose. if he can breathe, then he is alive. screaming starts to vibrate in different directions, left and right. bloodcurdling because it's his own name. but why can't he see? vision has gone black, glasses presumably shattered to dust. and body refuses to move on it own power. fingertips shakily dare to shadow the wound. laceration that trails the entirety, brow to mouth. ripping him open as easy as the fluff to a teddy bear. "shit" , whispered as it spikes through body. face feels cold, so oddly cold while sweat pours down lining of white shirt.
moments play forth, he doesn't know quite how long. because every second feels worse than the last. but fabric is being placed against face, so harshly that it sends a forcibly cracked scream into the air. and then he finally feels it as adrenaline has cooled to nothing. panic is rising as gore coats him. it is felt everywhere. down to hands that won't stop shaking. he was going to die here. he was going to die. "w-w-will' syllables coated as mouth can barely move. it comes out again. this time harsher as teeth chatter. " .... WILL .... " he doesn't know if will has even made it out. alive. but he was always a lifeline, as childish fingers entwined as they watched poltergeist for the tenth time. dustin being teased that the shock ending should've been known by now. but they are no longer kids behind a television screen. chest rises and falls. " i cant see, i - cant see" rushed out as body tries to push itself upwards. but there is multiple sets on hands shoving him back to kiss the earth.
the conversation is apparent even as he drifts between stages of consciousness. they need to stop the bleeding. idea thrown out about burning the wound. if only the brains of the party could speak for more than a second. and so they do it, with a mix shift lighter as someone throws up in the background. guess being lucas by profanities that are mixed in there. body lays dormant, pain unable to verbalized at this point. but someone is talking to him slowly. a voice, soft/ sweet. even after so many years of pain. will, you are going to be okay. you are going to be okay. you are going to be okay. you are going to be okay. but the darkness takes him to a foggy daydream. leaving dustin henderson permanently scarred and barely alive.
the season five rewrite i keep yapping about. warnings; temp character death, optional perma deaths, henry creel being wonder twins AND byler phobic, and a lot of waffle.
broken into three sections (vol 1, 2, and the finale). 8,318 words, approx a 40 minute reading time if you read slowly.
VOLUME ONE.
starting at ep 1. this episode actually goes by exactly the same except holly is not seeing henry. the kid plot is genuinely gone. its been thrown away.
the premise of this rewrite is genuinely very simple. who needs 12 kids when henry has a vessel and a powerful sister right there to channel? sure neither of them would ever agree or be willing but literally when has that mattered you know
great thing about wonder twins. theyre so....kill two birds with one stone. very easy to manipulate.
so. he's been Watching. wills been getting a lot of dizzy spells since season four.
attacking the wheelers is a trap. literally just bait. casualties? ted. ted wheeler is dead as fuck. id say rip but....nah. holly has minor injuries from running from a demo. karen is still critical care but alive.
it wouldnt have mattered what order they got there, but by luck (for the demo, who doesnt want to be shot by nancy wheeler today) mike and lucas arrive to the wheelers first. they split up looking for holly and lucas finds her, safe, and the demo kidnaps mike downstairs.
nancy and jane arrive just after he's taken, so just like in canon, jane goes through the gate trying to save him like she chased after holly. and just like canon it's too late.
no one knows exactly why mikes been kidnapped but the running theory is to throw them off balance and confuse them.
it kinda is but also. hes bait. mike is wonder twins bait. henry knows they're both going to run and save his ass. its all part of the plan baby.
in hawkins, will lucas and dustin regroup. they catch dustin up on mikes kidnapping. lucas shares what happened at the wheelers from his pov. will shares what he experienced.
joyce is very adamant that theyre children and need to stay here, they'll work it out and get mike back.
these kids have literally never sat down and minded their own business. if they did that s3 would be a lot different. they're sure not doing it when mikes missing and jane is in the upside down doing god knows what.
so. they conspire. theyre planning. theyre making each other a little stupider tbh. they all agree they need to do something but can't figure out exactly what.
lucas leads the charge here. not just leads the charge, he Takes charge and decides that they need to go into the upside down too and find mike themselves.
sweet perfect baby boy truly...
ep two ends on them outlining their plan of escape and arming themselves when joyce isn't looking. robin probably helps without realising exactly what she's helping with because robin and will fries i cant leave them.
they find a gate and go into the upside down. somehow will just knows where to find one....okay buddy. nothing concerning there.
will spent a week navigating this hellscape at 12 (and...he built it but dw about that detail) so he helps navigate the way through the upside down on foot as they start searching. they know the areas hops checked before so theyre gonna try the zones he hasnt.
it starts becoming obvious theres....something. going on with will and the upside down. he knows it a little too well for only being there a week four years ago. also every time they hear a demo in the distance, it moves in the other direction and vines actively get out their way.
its powers. its the biokinesis-hivemind stuff. will doesnt realise hes doing it. dustins taking notes.
they meet up with jane and hop. jane: :D hopper: >:(
he's mad as hell. not only is jane here, the other kids are too.
no one tell him that the older teens are actively getting ready to chase after them. jancy are coming for their brothers. stobin are coming to get dustin and lucas. theyre nowhere even close yet but no hop will NOT get peace.
its fine bc joyce doesnt have peace rn in hawkins either
the plans working perfect see bc look. wonder twins are right there in the upside down trying to save mike. trust the process.
hop keeps trying to corral the party but they are NOT listening to his ass im so sorry they keep talking over him about what to do next
they talk about the Wall and what it could be and about what theyve found out about the military base. the theory jane and dustin create is that the military had captured henry and he'd sent a demo to kidnap mike as a hostage to force her to break him out.
theyre both so good at math but unfortunately no one considered hes playing manipulation 3d chess and his turns not even over yet :/
and mind you he's actively listening to their ideas and theories via will. hope he's having fun....virgin loser chud
lets take a detour to camazotz.
mike is not having a funky fresh time. he's not getting the sunshine and breakfast treatment.
his ass got thrown into the pit of suffering aka locked in a room upstairs in the creel house that is actually a prison cell. nothing for him to do, no escape. just visions keeping him bullied and beaten down.
not really the beaten down part hes just not able to actively shout things at henry like he wants.
hes bait and a hostage to make wonder twins cooperate so hes technically unharmed but like. theres not a lot going on in his head right it's okay if henry tortures him a lil right?
max notices.
so when henry leaves to return to gaslighting and mansplaining and manipulating, she breaks into the creel house and breaks mike out. UNFORTUNATELY henry has put down some safeguards so he Knows when max drags mikes ass outta the torture chamber.
hes a lil busy to pull up and beat their asses, so lets get into doing actually cool shit in a literal mindscape. he actively changes the woods. he can't take away the cave or move it because mind flayer but he can change the layout of the woods before it.
madwheeler bickering in the evil woodland labyrinth because they keep going in circles and can't find their way out....honestly henry deserves the headache. make him realise he cant destroy the world bc he needs paracetamol or something guys
also just to note, these woods are freaking horrifying. the trees have literal eyes. its constantly changing.
whats henry too busy doing to beat their asses in person? well haha about that
hes not just lurking and reading the party group chat messages trust #hardworker #noslackingonthejob.
on their way to the base we're gonna reheat one of the actually good nachos from the finale aka henry fucking with hoppers head. its so funny.
hes gonna tell the kids to stick together dont wander off don't cause trouble and then walk right into a trap.
the party are too busy theorising how the military could have caught henry and how he could still send demos after them etc to notice tbh. theyre being cutiepies together henderhop are practically sat on top of each other i have a vision
theyre also talking about why take mike when there were options like hopper right there in the upside down already or why if henry can still control the demos didn't he use them to free himself
theyre accidentally stumbling into the right answer because then lucas is going to point out how all of them came running to save mike. just like they all ran to save will in season one.
but more than that, they all know will specifically would do anything to save mike. mikes that important to both jane and will.
william, humble king, is like what does it matter that i'd run to save him. i cant do anything.
side note that it's not been mentioned but. being in the upside down. hes had a few more of those visions. they literally had to hold him down and cover his mouth to keep from drawing attention it was low key traumatic.
so yeah we lost the like a sorcerer scene, but we do have the party. dustin specifically raises the idea that maybe will has something henry could want or use. like powers. hes been watching and thinking.
lucas brings up a lot of the little details. like all the weirdness since they came through the gate. dustin has many thoughts on it. many horror movie related thoughts on it. following the line of possession, never really severing the chord, still being linked into the hivemind etc. there's still a bit of that in him and that means something.
its not a 'youre sorta like vecna' but a. maybe youre a little like jane. its bittersweet moment more than anything because powers are such a loaded word and in military occupied hawkins? even more complicated.
anyway back to henry and hop. henry low key mocks this man for trying so hard to protect jane, but remember a few years ago. remember when he had the choice between saving will and protecting jane and he chose will. does he ever think about that. does he ever regret it.
well good news hop! you get to make that choice again. except its really not so life or death this time. its simple. henry would like both of them, really, but hop can protect one of them. jane or will. whoever he picks, henry will leave alone. protect from harm, even.
he won't hurt or kill the other one. hop isn't giving one over to die. but henry will Take them to where he has mike. and it won't be fun or nice. both kids will be mad at him (allegedly). he'll only target that one and leave the other one alone. if the other one follows later well...thats not his doing that'll be all them.
and hop has to pick because otherwise henry will target them both. so either pick one or lose them both. up to you jim.
and like. last time the choice was different. a lot different. and its not like he wants to choose now either. but either pick your daughter or your (basically) stepson.
obviously this time he picks jane. and boy does he feel like shit about it.
and henrys just gone like hop hasnt just made a deal with the devil. he doesn't mention it because he'll do whatever he has to, to keep all these kids safe anyway. they carry on to the base.
oh yeah, thankfully madwheeler stop bickering just long enough to get to the cave. they have a heart to heart and find their way out to safety. for now.
everyone gets fucked up at the base. like everything that could goes wrong...goes wrong. the boys are meant to keep watch, hop and jane go in.
guess what? here come jancy and stobin. arrested. they under military arrest for being in the upside down. give them a break.
the boys also get caught and dragged down to the base. the kryptonite's going off inside. the three of them are more scared of nancy wheeler than of the soldiers with guns. god forbid you sneak into hell to try and save your bestie/her brother right?
right. be afraid. be terrified.
anyway everything that could go wrong has....and its gonna get worse. because you know what can make any bad day worse? a blond man
it doesn't matter that vecna doesn't have hair, hes still spiritually blond.
i'm not plotting out a full action sequence sorry. but you know how henry wrecked the mac to take the kids? its kinda like that except in this case he needs wonder twins alive and unmaimed and also he needs to psychologically torture william byers.
so there's chaos. everywhere.
jane and kali and hop arrive on the scene. will is getting hive mind tortured. jane saves dustin from getting eaten. henry saves jane and destroys the kyrptonite signal. but also traps her somehow bc he doesn't have time to fight rn. saving dustin left her open to attack or something.
basically the sorcerer equiv. theres so many people scattered around and chaos. the wiseone convo goes mostly unchanged, henry still says he was easily broken. easily changed. instead of stuff about the kids, its bait about how mike did everything to save him but wills too weak to do the same. so much bait. may as well be ragebait.
you might think the scene is as bylerpilled as canon bc of this. but you would be wrong. bc wills just been baited about how hes weak and broken and thats why he was taken. that for all he cares for mike and any of his friends, he can't protect them or be honest with them. so it is still accepting his feelings for mike and that hes gay and all the things he was told are flaws about himself that lets him lock in.
anyway instead of mike-robin-lucas, will saves jonathan-lucas-dustin.
everyone has some war wounds from the fight (lucas chest scars, you remain, exce[t he gets hurt trying to protect his friends this time) and dustin gets mildly maimed despite the double save. hes fine.
will be important later but just know. henry kills dr kay here.
VOLUME TWO.
you know when i said mildly maimed? haha no.
so the tldr on what happened to dustin at the base is. jane saves him from getting skewered with shrapnel by a demo, which is what left her open to attack from henry. but the demo isn't dead or gone, it comes back for a second wind and. basically mauls the side of dustins face. lucas gets hurt trying to pull him to safety bc party crumbs.
when the main fights over and they have to regroup and check the damage. dustins face is already sweeling badly and bleeding A Lot. everyone is panicked. they're not doctors. no ones sure if they can stem the bleeding long enough to get him back to hawkins. steves literally torn up his shirt to use to try and help.
tldr....theyre gonna burn the wound to cauterise it. they make it all worse genuinely. dustins probably in and out of consciousness bc thats gonna hurt.
either way hop puts his foot down. the kids and kali are going back to hawkins with him. he can't really order the older teens around but does want them to leave too.
the byers-hopper siblings have a moment here to take in the fact will does have powers and everything. jonathan isn't happy about either of them running into the upside down but now isn't the time he wants them to be safe.
the thing is....he wants to walk them right outta here to safety but also. nancy isnt leaving she wants to keep searching (obviously) and thinks they might be able to find something at the lab
they encourage him to stay with her. theyre going back to hawkins, they'll be safe and with hop and their friends, so pls....jon just go with your heart (literally) for once rather than putting your wants/needs aside for your siblings.
so hopper leads the kids and kali and steve outta the upside down back to the squawk. steve carries dustin out, obviously. theres no time to reunions in hawkins though bc dustin Needs a hospital. he needs urgent medical help.
the lab gang is now robin and jancy. everyone makes it out which is what matters.
steve, dustin, lucas and will go to the hospital bc lucas and will are Not leaving dustin. hes mostly conscious again and theyre not leaving him okay.
the doctors are Horrified. like genuinely theyre demanding to know what happened but theres no time they gotta clean the wound and fix the damage bc the upside down crew did indeed make it worse. he won't lose his vision but jesus......
he also does Not want to be put under anaesthetic. will and lucas are promising theyll be right there and theyre promising everyones safe and fine but hes gotta let the doctors look after him right now okay. will promises theyll be there when he wakes up again.
don't make promises you can't keep.
the doctors kick them out and say go to the waiting area or whatever. its late afternoon. steve stays at the hospital but lucas and will go back to the squawk. its meant to be brief to get their lashings and to update everyone on dustin.
especially jane who can't be seen in public but wanted to go with them so badly. she might have taken the risk honestly but shes also looking after kali.
at the squawk, people have been catching up. erica's been spying on the mac z for joyce and murray and the military are a mess rn post attack and kay being dead.
they've also been talking about how henry left jane alive, even protected her from harm at one point. like thats...suspicious.
so hop has to come clean. he has to admit the deal he made with henry and what henry said. now they all know its bc will has powers too. hes Ready to be yelled at.
wonder twins are yelling but it's not what you would think.
they're both arguing about who should have been Sacrificed. wills like oh thank god you sacrificed me. janes like no it should have been Me if it was me i could be saving mike right now.
literally fighting about how the other one deserves to be protected more and how it would help everyone else more if They were sacrificed. jopper are watching this self sacrificial tennis match and wondering if they need to be concerned right now.
they do. shoulda been concerned a while ago tbh but here we are
anyway now everyones on the same time. wills linked to the hivemind, he has powers, and henrys planning to kidnap him in the near future. also that henry has mike somewhere.
i dont want to assign blame here but. lets just say. a plan is made very similar to shock jock. except instead of using a dead demo....the idea is jane could give will a psychic boost to find and tap into the hivemind. so they can spy and do recon.
as lo put it. wonder twins as wifi boosters. it makes sense okay.
so wonder twins sit criss cross apple sauce outside holding hands thinking theyre perfectly safe in hawkins. hopper and joyce are armed and ready in case anything happens. its gonna be a small detour before lucas and will go back to the hospital to see dustin.
...lets jump back to camazotz. madwheeler are actually driving each other crazy. their prison break attempt is going crazy. theyre running from henry, trying to make sure he cant find them, and running through memories to find a way out.
the memories are. a mixed bag. some are henrys. some are mikes and some are max's. but some seem to be wills? basically they realise a bunch of will and henry's memories have gotten tangled recently bc of hivemind bleed through and mike guesses somehow henrys been using will to spy on their plans this whole time.
really not important. its just a fun fact. madwheeler get to learn a lot about each other.
they end up in mikes memory of the attack at the wheeler house but there's no escape beyond the door. theyre trying to find their way into the next memory when henry finds them.
being deep in your own mindscape gotta give you crazy power but also make everything complicated. and henry technically needs mike unharmed for now. so he actively fucks with mikes head so that mike cant see henry or max.
he knows max is in danger but he literally can't locate her to help. crashing out and fighting air trying to get lucky.
wonder twins wifi works! like canon will is able to take control of henry long enough to break his leg and concentration, also breaking henrys "spell" over mike. madwheeler run as directed but not back to the cave, they run into even deeper memories. theyre not going back to the cave they're on survival mode now.
oh will....will baby this was not your smartest decision. walked yourself right into henrys mind literally where he wants you. dumbass.
get out happens mostly like canon except henry isn't Just kicking will out of his mind, he's invading wills. reversing it.
jane can feel somethings gone wrong and she's trying to get him to pull outta there now but. 3d chess. henrys been in his head he Knows the shit wills ignorant too. like his powers. like what he can do without the hive mind.
aka he reverses whos in control and uses wills innate powers against him, just like will did to him. he forces will into a full dimension shift to throw him into the upside down. wonder twins are still holding hands so will is literally ripped out of janes hands and no one can stop it.
and wills being hit with some of the memories the mind flayer hid from him back in s1/2 so he can't Run. can't try to escape. sitting duck core. hes dragged to the abyss Conscious this time.
the wiseone "does this bring back memories" scene except its actually in the abyss and not in the mindscape. will can see mike, unconscious. theres a longer "discussion" here about how wills been such a good spy this last year, and wills played his part in realising his powers. a lot of hurt no comfort words about how wills gonna help them one more time, and that he Belongs to the mind flayer. he helped them build and now he'll help them draw the worlds together too.
also note. i think there's 2 types of vines that the mind flayer uses. the kind we see used on will in s1, and then the kind with the kids in s5. maybe it was just bc they wanted to avoid the imagery again but idc. ill run with it. the kind we see in will is like a literal hook, its a connection with the hive mind that will take root and change you and doesn't Leave. the kind in s5 will bring you under control of the hivemind but only as long as it has you. if that makes sense.
basically, mike has the much easier to remove kind. the s5 kind. hes currently stuck in henrys mind but it wont have a lasting influence over him. will....well. they need will Stuck. fully connected again. easier to channel and control.
this is genuinely important later okay. its not just rehashing wills trauma and subjecting him to horrors again i promise this is one of the details i've left for pay off.
so wills getting locked in a cell (room of the creel house) next to mikes currently vacant one. for now, he's Remembering things. the things he forgot. henry also gives him a Serious warning; will is fully linked and intertwined with the hivemind again now.
if the hawkins gang kill henry, will dies. there's no way to avoid it. this is something that someone who thinks they deserve to live would consider need to know information in the finale. will does not fall into that category i fear.
henry leaves him to hunt down madwheeler so back to them....
theyre so tired. guys, madwheeler have been moving through memories for sooo long. theyve actually started talking about feelings.
scary. terrible. madwheeler heart to heart as they sneak between memories bc there's a monster (blond man) chasing them...
they talk about lumax a fair amount. which also starts the cogs of mike wheelers brain turning. thinking about his feelings. which is equally scary.
also about that blond man.....clearly max is the biggest problem here because shes got experience exploring his mind. she's the one navigating them. so he's gotta take her out.
in hawkins, lucas is at the hospital with max and waiting for dustin to wake up. steves actually with dustin, probably by his bedside trying to salvage his glasses but....steve baby theyre gone. theyre crushed. you cant tape em back together. dustins just gonna be blind for a min.
between the swelling and dressings, dustin is half blind for the for the foreseeable. just for the record.
so they're all present when the demos attack. upside down warning signs go off like the lights flickering etc. they don't know the demos are specifically coming for max, so steve's hauling dustin outta that bed and getting them to safety in case its a finish the job situation.
but then the demos bypass them. literally. heading further up. which means theyre here for someone specific. and theres a pretty obvious but unfortunate option aka max.
steve gets the warning to lucas. dustin and steve probably have their healing moment here bc steves going to leave him to run into danger and protect lumax and its not that he doesn't want to protect lumax but. steve has a track record and the people dustin loves have a track record and listen. the outlook just isn't good.
they broadcast over the speakers where to meet them bc the 4 of them are getting to safety together. no one left behind.
dustin may be high on pain meds but he and lucas are Smart. they tried to build a bomb so like. i trust in them to make a trap. im sorry to write karen out here but its been like 3 days since she nearly died. i think henclair can figure out something.
i will likely come back to revise this later im just fully blanking on the hospital and how they get rid of the demos in this scene. but when the demos are dead and max is awake and safe, dustins gonna ask where will is. bc he said he'd be There.
and dustin is gonna have to explain that henry has will. again.
it may not be the same as dustin being the last person to see will in s1 but will being the last person he saw before being put under and waking up to him being vanished again sure does hit like being stabbed.
god forbid dustin take a freaking nAP.
also pour one out for max who just woke up from an extended coma to find out everything bad is happening. anyway max and dustin unite and say theyre not spending another freaking day in this hospital. break them out rn
by the time they get back to the squawk, jancy and robin are back too. the brenner research they find isnt about a wormhole. bc its not one. but about how its another dimension and the journal tracks that week of november 1983 and how the upside downs version of hawkins was building and expanding.
the research also pertains to henry and what brenner found in the years studying him and the mind flayer. drawing the worlds together has been a long term plan.
the hawkins gang figures this is why henry needs will and jane. because as powerful as he is, affecting dimensions is an immense challenge. he needs conduits to channel. which is why he needed will to access these powers too.
theyre not gonna put this together but i need everyone to know it also helps that will and jane are so tied to the upside down, the abyss and earth. will would be the upside down anchor to channel, and jane the earth one. while henry represents the abyss/dimension x. i have a lot of thoughts about that dw about it. call it a trinity.
to pull the worlds together completely, henry Needs jane too. but he could make a damn good start with just will. so they cant just keep her away until they can fight him it wont work.
ill tldr the hawkin gangs plans here. jopper will be going with jane and kali to the lab. kali and max will be staying at the squawk in the basement. both of them are physically disabled right now because yes being kidnapped and restrained for Months if not over a year would have a physical effect and kali is Not being shot fuck you.
they argue dustin should stay too but he is Not listening to them. two of his best friends are kidnapped rn and you want him to sit and stay here??? die. no offence to max and kali ofc but if hes not in a fit state to go to the abyss then hows he meant to physically protect them huh.
the least he'll accept is getting to go with jopper and jane to the lab to help set up the bomb, which will wipe the exotic matter. the upside down won't be destroyed but it will wipe out the connection between all 3 dimensions thats never quite been able to close.
also two more hawkins notes.
firstly, the reason it was important to kill kay? to make the military situation more complicated. kay was just a cog in the american military industrial complex machine. she killed dr owens off screen because he wouldn't play ball. but with kay gone theres still sullivan. theres still other soldiers who'll do as told. there's every scientist who signed off and helped with the hawkins lab experiments. jane and kali aren't in danger because of one person but because where there's one, there'll be more. so kalis thoughts about dying arent actually wanting to die, it's the trauma and knowing as long as the gov think they're alive then it'll never stop.
secondly, when the worlds start being drawn together, gates open up all through hawkins. the upside down is Exposed. people are dying left and right its actually chaos.
doubling all the way back. when madwheeler escape camazotz, mike wakes up in the abyss. obviously. he's disoriented and confused because he was expecting to be in the upside down. he does Not know wills there. because why would he expect anyone else bar vecna to be there. hes gonna feel real bad about his will senses acting up.
while he runs, he doesn't try to dive through an unknown portal in the ground into darkness. he doesn't know that this Isnt the upside down and he doesn't know where the literal ground will take him. so he's running across the abyss rather than falling thousands of feet.
hes obviously caught and dragged back pretty easy. he gives it a good try. they don't call him michael slenderman wheeler for nothing. put those legs to action bestie.
when he's dragged back, fully conscious, he does See will this time and his whole brain stalls. bc oh my god hes barely visible under the vibes and wtf -
his ass is dragged back to camazotz. byler adjacent prison cells <3
no but actually though. they talk through the walls. will catches him up on the real world like having powers. they talk so much it actually pisses henry off a bit considering theyre being LOUD and gay in his brain.
and theyre trying to plot so you know what. fuck you. visions.
see. uh. mike doesnt know teds dead. this is how he's gonna find out. dead teds just part of it though, mikes getting dragged in 4k for being repressed and for how he treats jane and will and why does he feel conflicted if theyre just friends hmmmmmmmmm.
also a lot about how hes meant to be the leader but he ran without noticing will when he woke up. that he arrived too late to protect his family. that theyre all going to die and he never even tried to get holly out of hawkins. she could be dead right now, who knows whats happening in hawkins, and itd be all his fault.
will on the other hand has gotten a bit too confident in accepting he's gay and that deaths coming his way. he reached a flow state. and whos best to destroy it? lonnie fucking byers.
oh you think your feelings make you stronger. well dustin still nearly died. you didnt save him william. and he's going to die trying to save you. like mikes going to die as soon as you serve your purpose. a lot about how he spent his whole childhood trying to hide and outrun monsters but there's nowhere left to hide. hes a mistake and a burden who gets people Hurt.
hurt no comfort baby.
this is your brain on psychological torture and impending death. basically, deciding he's going to die soon because Henry has to die, and having had the emotional shit beat out of him...will tells mike hes gay. more specifically, he tells mike that he likes him. that he has for a long time. and its okay that mike doesn't like him back and isn't like that. but he had to be brave enough to say it.
mikes very quiet. he says some stuff. none of it is a i like you. because he's grappling bad with repression. but its not a shut down or returned feelings. its more im here with you no matter what.
this conversation will return in avengers doomsday.
around here is where will gets hauled Upstairs. forget the dining room. they're going to the attic. like that was henrys place you know? i feel like if its just the two of them right now he'd rather start it There.
finale.
the big notes going into the finale. chaos in hawkins, the military are a mess rn, kali will NOT be dying, henry is fully expecting them to come and wants jane to.
its still jane kali max who enter henrys mind. if they can pull max from the squawk in canon, she can pull them both in shut up.
when they get to the creel house, they actively have to search for henry and will and mike in a place that does Not want to help them out. like. its not a physical house its a manifestation in henrys mind. it actively changes on them trying to get jane on her own. its an obstacle, not static. max manages to get them to mikes cell since its the same one he was in last time she found him. they literally have to bust the door open.
he's able to tell them henry took will to the attic. they try to force mike outta his trance so he's one less prisoner in henrys mind but he refuses without will.
optional treat for moon here but maybe steve does die in the upside down because it takes so long to interrupt henry....im so sorry steve. this is an OPTIONAL treat okay everyone else can opt out.
will is genuinely Exhausted. like being channelled would not feel good plus the strain of the hive mind etc. hes not feeling great here. ideally, they want will and mike to Wake up around now and run to find the party. but wills not sure he Can wake up on his own.
which is why they make a run for the cave. they need to delay until the party can reach them and wake them up. henry cannot be allowed to channel wonder twins together cause then Everyone is screwed.
henrys Vanished too so it's not like they can just. try to kill him rn. madwheeler lead the way out.
the tank scene is extremely similar to canon, but joyce is there too. and henrys fucking with them both. like....reminding joyce what happened the night of the play. he warned her she has to be willing to do anything it takes to protect what she loves, and yet. she hasn't done that has she.
her sons gone again. her other son is walking to his death right now trying to fight. she never protected them well enough. and she wont be able to protect jane either.
hops getting mocked for his choice again. that he sacrificed will and thought he could protect all his kids anyway. hes been so ready to die to end this but its his kids that are gonna die instead, through their own choices.
so yeah the tank still happens. kali and max disappear from camazotz first but jane is still lingering somehow. she tells them to get to the cave, the partys coming okay.
the party isn't coming, but more on that later.
byler RUN to the cave. henry, satisfied that janes gonna have to physically come to him now, is chasing them. which is genuinely scary. tall blond man with freaky blue eyes.....sleep paralysis demon.
they are not safe at the cave. he is TIRED of gay people jesus christ someone give him a break (no).
wills being carried (literally) so much in this rewrite cause henry pushing past the pain to go inside is also causing a lot of pain and distress for will. theyre too tethered for this right now.
henry is gonna kick mike out of his mind. one second mikes basically supporting will as they try to escape through the desert then hes gone poof and is waking up in hell. will is gonna fall down the mine shaft trying to run away and boy does it hurt.
taking a pause to return to the physical world. as soon as the party step into the abyss, and take more than a couple steps, they're all walking into visions. like my brothers in arms you are on the mind flayers home turf where its gonna be stronger than ever. it can absolutely throw you all into visions.
my vision for this is very. thunderboltsesque. theyre being trapped in a series of their traumas. theres no way out but through. ideas for lucas and dustin...lucas being dropped into the attic at the end of s4 with max dying in his arms. but he's being told he didn't protect her. didn't save her. he didn't do enough when she was depressed. hes meant to be so loyal to his friends but he leads the ones he loves into danger. he lead will and dustin into the upside down to save mike and they failed on all accounts.
dustin is getting mocked about his feelings for jane, that he's a coward like eddie was, he wants to be the hero but he never has been. never been brave enough for it. too scared to tell her how he feels. is it because he thinks hes bad luck is it because hes scared she'll reject him like other girls have. and now look at him. and while his best friends been kidnapped, possibly dead, he was still in love with his gf. enjoying being near her. optionally if steve died, theres more hitting on the coward and bad luck parts.
jonathan gets immediately dropped into the s2 exorcism btw. except nancy isn't there. there's possessed will actively trying to kill joyce. hes the only one who can do something. and theres no firepoker. no way to make it stop because every time he tries, something stops him. but there's a rifle in his hand. shoot him, jonathan. either be a man and shoot him to save your mother or let her die. yes it sounds like lonnies voice. lonnies voice is also taunting him about all the years he spent protecting will, putting himself into harms way, so doesn't he want to shoot him. if he kills will then maybe joyce will treat him like her son again. maybe his life could start moving on. but its his choice really.....if he tries to throw away the rifle, it just ends up back in his hands.
so anyway :D
honestly whether steve died or not when breaking into the abyss, everyone has some kind of trauma to drag them over the coals for. nancys back in the building again (steves pool).
so back in the upside down. murrays dead. don't ask idc. jane is realising she can still feel will. maybe she doesn't need the bath, maybe she just needs their connection.
she still goes into the abyss but their mental link will be important in a second.
mikes awake in the lair of horror and hes trying to wake will up. but when he tries to get close, the vines literally throw him away. literally nothing is working. and the worst part is hes not being treated as a threat, like henry and the mind flayer know he's going to fail.
its bc they do, btw.
in camazotz, wills fallen down The mine shaft. henry follows him down there. hands may be thrown a little. but they stumble on the memory of young henry in the cave. they watch it together and feel it together.
so yeah. will does still appeal to him like canon. begging him to please give this up because it was never him and he can be different, he was used just like he's trying to use will. but just like canon it's Too late. will should have run when henry told him to get out frankly. because henry grabs him and takes them both into a different memory.
when he made his choice. aka The Play. aka patty. he's not being used, he chose this, he and the mind flayer are one and wills part of this now. of them. and he'll help them finish this and kill the party and bring the worlds together.
i fear i will be keeping the mind flayers fuck ass crab form but only because its a temporary form. destroy it and the mind flayer will return to a formless creature. this is just so it doesn't need a host to carry it into the new world it creates. and it Wakes up. its much more tentacle like in s3 though. for full range of movement.
some of the party have woken up via the only way out is through, but they havent made any progress. they're all released now though. so it can hunt them. yay?
this is another thing i'll have to return to. but no they cannot grind down the mind flayer. so the scene plays out differently. nancy keeps trying to lure it away from the others and bait it. jonathans so busy trying to protect her and dustin-lucas that we get moon option 2. robin dies when jonathans covering them, both injured, that there's no one to cover his back. if stobin have to die, they'd wanna go out on the same day tbf.
again every character death bar murray and ted are optional. stobin are a if you want suffering double homicide okay.
jane arrives. she breaks right into the heart of the mind flayer where vecna mike and will are. i genuinely do not care for a lame physical fight, this is gonna be mental. she followed her tether to will right there and here, this close, she goes into the mindscape to fight.
again im not gonna write the full fight scene in this not so shortlist for a s5 rewrite on tumblr dot com. but the fight is almost all mental.
theres no point of killing henry in the physical world when they know the hivemind is way more complicated than that. they need to kill him here, in his own mind, where he can't escape. its a tag team fight where will is focused on fighting the mind flayer and keeping it away from the party, breaking its physical form from inside the hivemind, and jane is focused on fighting henry. but at the end of the day they're doing this together.
but its not easy. its hard. its going badly. theyre both exhausted and fighting on fumes. ill be so fr will at least is losing bc he's part of the hivemind and just being here lets it channel him.
in the real world....mike has eyes. he can see what they're doing. he can guess. and in a delicious s4 parallel. he gives a speech to will this time. about his feelings. about the fact he does have them. and this time, because he doesnt need a pep talk and his hand held to say it, it actually has an effect. there no 'ily' or anything. mikes still repressed as hell. but he believes in will, that he's stronger than this thing.
and with the backdrop of The Play and the question of can love defeat fear, wonder twins win. they break the mind flayers physical body and they kill henry in his own mind.
except hes petty af. he told will what would happen. if hes gonna die wills coming with him.
will isn't waking up. so jane isn't either. and he tells her the truth - what henry told him, that killing henry was going to kill him too. because he's too linked now. too deep in the hivemind. her being in there with him is the only reason he's still there mentally right now probably.
which is true. because in the real world the mind flayers Dropped. the party and jancy rushing in there. mikes been dropped hard from where he was restrained and wills been dropped too but there's still a (dead) vine down his throat.
nancy goes straight to mike, making sure he's okay. and jonathans pulling the vine out but realises will isn't breathing.
the physical strain from the fight and henrys death sent his body into straight up cardiac arrest. he's not breathing. probably hasn't been for a minute. jonathans doing cpr. nancy, already hugging mike, isn't letting him go.
because behind them, they can hear jonathan begging will to come back. to wake up. that he can't die in here. and nancy doesn't want mike to see. she can't stop him hearing but shes clinging to him and doesn't want him to See. dustin and lucas are with janes physical body, ready to catch her when she wakes up in case she falls.
and in the mindscape, jane is begging will to fight. to stay. she's not letting him go. she doesn't care she has him and she is Not letting go.
will is dead for, probably, around 7-8 minutes. clinically. and jonathan doesn't stop trying. ever. not for a second. its a byers-hop group effort that brings him back. jonathan never giving up on reviving him, jane not letting him go.
on the way back to hawkins, the military still stops them. its not them going through the mac gate, it's because the military is everywhere in hawkins right now on account of the upside down breaking through while henry was moving worlds.
its bad luck. truly. ill circle back to the exact methods, but jane does still escape back into the upside down. and she Does expect to die when the bomb goes off.
will can't feel her in the days after, like she could feel him. they assume his powers are gone and dying freed him from the hivemind. the mind flayer is Out there but its locked in the abyss now and has no footsoldiers. the connection between dimensions is gone for real this time. kali can't find her. no one wants to believe she's Gone.
shes not! blowing up the exotic matter blew up the version of hawkins will built in there, but the dimensions still there. jane survives it. and with the wonder twins tether, shes able to tap into his dimension shifting just this once. or maybe its an ability she has on her own. up to you. but generally to me its that they will always have a mental tether and shes able to use that to escape the upside down. she escapes...outside of hawkins. not far out of town but shes not there.
the town remains in quarantine for another two months as the military deal with the mass deaths and exposure. everyone is going to be under monitoring to make sure word doesnt get out. and thats why jane can't tell them shes alive.
its safer, for now, for them to think shes dead. because then the military does too. hop hides kali until quarantines over. and then they help her go anywhere she wants, under the guise of doing college tours for jonathan. the byers-hop family offer for her to stay with them but. it doesn't work out.
byler do not talk about what they said. it wouldn't be right. the same day they even expressed feelings towards each other, jane died. so they don't talk about it. will comes out to dustin and lucas that summer and pretends he hasn't already come out to mike. because if they ignore it then it didnt happen.
(this is how they end up making out in mikes basement. because when they finally Talk about camazotz and what they said, it opens a messy grief and guilt filled dam of feelings.)
jane is living either in canada or mexico, whichever border she was able to get to. living and finding herself. free. she uses their mental connection to contact will in the partys second year at college. this also helps will discover he does indeed still have powers.
suddenly hes super interested in the party taking a holiday together. its not safe to tell them on the phone, they've barely stopped being constantly monitored by the military, but they make it happen. they get the party up to her without the rest of them even knowing janes waiting there to see them.
tacenda ( n. ) things better left unsaid; matters to be passed over in silence.
that summer ⁸⁵ was supposed to be the time of their lives. where the lake sat silent, the gentle ripple of waves touching toes. sticky sweat dripping from bodies that were undeniably changing. sunburns that ended up peeling in horrible disarray. but something else sizzles in his stomach, an all but unknown feeling. perhaps jealousy, or the real kicker anger. it had all started when he returned from camp. after a month long adventure away from the people that gave him the (ability) to smile. but today, dustin has found himself on a tangent. untypical but nevertheless overdramatic as hands are waved. going on about the homemade ham radio. (even sneaks in the minor tale of a camp romance).
but in the corner of lense, he sees it. mike leaning over to whisper something to jane. the two giggling, and at what, his expense no doubt. a soft kiss to lips that are shameless, and when mikes pulls back, he shoots a look back in his (own direction). but mike sits bored, disinterested, and down right rubbing it in the face of another. the problem was that dustin was a perceptive boy, always picking up things that should never see the day of light. it is why his father leaving, came at no shock. sunscreen is slammed down, ricocheting off the dirt they have all spread towels on. body rising as backpack is thrown on shoulder. fucking bullshit, whispered with a vengeance that could've opened a tear in the friendship. and the party looks shocked, just as (he) is.
and he goes quietly to grab bike that lays on the small grass pile by the road. mike being the first to block path. (the rest slowly taking their places behind) that summer had changed them, in particular mike who shot up like a beanstalk. now looking more like a threat than a friend. 'hey man whats your deal ! we are just having fun'. there is a small inkling to laugh, not humorous at all. because red is stinging in peripheral. so badly that glasses are ripped from face. thrown absently mindlessly in pocket for the ride home. “yeah whatever” shoulder hits the others. a brick wall being put up, the armor of another's disrespect. and he leaves, not bothering to look back at some stupid face that michael wheeler always wears.
