DEPRESSED MANIC NIGHTMARE BOY

[gareththegreat]

#GARETHTHEGREAT writing blog for gareth keefer, a drummer tattoo apprentice character from s.tranger t.hings ( unaffiliated. ) highly selective & private. minors dni. primarily runs on queue due to work schedule. loved by billie ( 33 . est. ) this blog will contain triggering content . 21+ preferred . minors do not interact . established june 2022. REVAMPED DECEMBER 2025. ( i have not watched season 5 yet. )

 open starters./ headcanons / verses./ prompts./ board.

 affiliated with; chivalrites, munsontm, gldngrrls, nanettewheeler also found at: mapplethorpe. gonzo. lennon, siobhan. jm.       💞 @bestiadentro / @evolutionofsoul / @nanachannyan 💞

RULES & INFO UNDERCUT.

01. whilst normally i am a devil may care type person whenever it comes to my follower count & organization, i’ve decided to keep this blog tidier than normal. i’ll only be following back people that i’m interested in interacting with. if i follow you first, we’re probably already friends OR you have a really cool blog and i really want to write with you. i’m trying to be very careful about who i follow in the s.tranger t.hings fandom. no, i haven't watched the new season yet but i plan to whenever all of it is released.

02. brings me to another important thing. i've chosen not to use the original actor who plays gareth ( g/wydion l/ashlee-walton ) because it has come to light that he's actually quite an asshole and his twenty minutes of screentime plus fandom popularity had gotten to his head. ( it came out that he always misgendered his ex partner and refused to post them on social media due to not wanting to upset his "fans". i just can't support that kind of behavior. ) i'll be using p.atrick f.ugit from now on in threads and edits. i may reblog some of the original content for charater study reasons, but i will NOT be using gwydion or supporting him.

03. yes, i'm aware the fandom prefers to call gareth, gareth emerson---....i started writing and developing gareth before this was established. needless to say, i'm pretty much unaffiliated with the fandom anyways. all my headcanons and backstory as been made by me! if anything, gareth keefer may as well be my original character, at this point. he's just a twenty year old high school drop out ( well, he actually gets expelled but--.. ) who is is a musician and a tattoo apprentice. <3

04. drama is not my thing. i avoid it in real life and you best believe i’m going to avoid it online, being that this is my hobby. i wont reblog callouts, but will read them. i’ll only reblog if the person is incredibly dangerous to make my followers be aware. no gross behavior with minor muses, either, thanks. don’t be transphobic, genderbend, whitewash, don’t be a racist asshole, don’t support n*zi imagery, don’t be a fucking dickhead. 

05. oooooh i do love shipping! though, i do prefer a little bit of plotting beforehand. i think it’s very important to build a relationship ooc as well. i’m more comfortable to ship if we talk a little ooc. gareth is nineteen/twenty one years old ( verse dependent. ) so i will not be shipping him with any of the younger hellfire members. chemistry is very important. yes, gareth can be a bit of an asshole whenever you first meet him, but he's a big teddy bear once you get past that.

06. i’m billie! i’ve thirty three years old and i’ve been apart of the rpc since late 2010. i’m an old lady. i’ve been around the block a few times. i work full time overnight ( twelve hour shifts ) at hospital & i have a lot of social obligations so i’m primarily mobile. most of my replies will be posted by queue due to this. my reply speed is slow and whilst i post a lot of ooc posts while at work & what not, it may sometimes take me a few days or even weeks to reply to a thread. patience is key! this is something i do whenever i want to destress and have fun.

07. gif credit to malboraslihangifs

now that you've read all that, you are rewarded with gareth's stats and what not. <3

STATS.

NAME: gareth leroy keefer NICKNAME: gareth the great, freak, gary, gare, garebear, Rabies, grumpy bear, king kief keefer AGE: verse dependant ( 18 - 22 ) BIRTHDAY: april 7th GENDER: cis male. PRONOUNS: he/they. ORIENTATION: closeted bisexual  RESIDENCE: hawkins, indiana. BIRTH PLACE: hawkins, indiana. EYE COLOR: hazel/green HAIR COLOR: brunette - dirty blonde. HEIGHT: 5'8" BUILD: stocky, broad. pudgy.  PIERCINGS: nose ring, nipple piercings  TATTOOS: he has ‘em. i don’t know what they are yet but he has ‘em. a lot of 'em. OCCUPATION: drummer for corroded coffin. works part time at a liquor store, apprentice at a tattoo shop KNOWN LANGUAGE: english, some spanish. EDUCATION: was set to graduate in 1987 but ends up getting expelled and dropping out. focuses on becoming a tattoo artist.

BULLET POINTS:

gareth comes from a middle class family. his father has a respectable job as an accountant & his mother is a stay at home mom. 

he has a twin sister named geraldine. she goes by jerry. they are polar opposites, considering she’s a straight a student & set to graduate in 1986 unlike him. she’s also a cheerleader. they do not see eye to eye but they love each other nonetheless. 

he also had a younger brother named robby. he was sixteen. he fell victim to vecna. gareth was the one who found him. 

i haven’t quite figured out anything about his d&d character but i can tell you that his character is a barbarian elf & probably chaotic neutral. 

he’s known to get into fights because he has a temper. he also goes out of his way to start them, especially when it comes to the jocks. 

has been playing the drums since he was ten years old. he’s really quite good, to be honest.

he also plays drums on the drumline in the marching band at hawkins high. 

ends up getting injured in the “earthquakes”. ends up with a broken femur and some broken ribs. stays in the hospital for a month & a half for rehab on his leg.

ends up getting expelled and never graduates :(

[inseptili]

Eddie isn't surprised in the slightest to see Gareth perk up at the mention of food. It is, in fact, one of Eddie's weaknesses too. Particularly, he's in the mood for good ol greasy diner food, so that's where they'll be going. "Diner sound good?" The usual place they went. The best too in his opinion. Cheap and good eats. What more could a guy ask for?

He'll stand up from his spot as it's decided they're going to get food regardless. Then he stretches a bit before turning to Gareth. "I could go for some hashbrowns right now." With onions, cheese, and of course, smothered in ketchup. Delicious. Sausage gravy and biscuits sounded pretty good too, actually.. now he's really hungry.

[gareththegreat]

yeah, if you couldn't tell, gareth did like his food. ( compared to eddie, he was certainly considered chubby. ) tongue clicks on the roof of his mouth as he stands up, stretching his arms over his head and letting out a groan as tired muscles stretch out. "of course the diner sounds good. that's some shit i can actually afford," a snort leaves him. ( though, working at the liquor store does make him a good amount of cash, it's gone pretty quickly. )

"i could go for a burger---....or like a full breakfast. and a chocolate shake," oh, you could probably hear his stomach growling.

[lcveblossomed]

"if i stop speaking out my ass then it's gonna get really boring really fast." eddie says before he finishes his own beer. he then turns and gives the old bartender a charming smile. one more beer. he'll probalby have to actually pay for the one after this. "what is the point of a jester if not to entertain the masses? i am here to make people laugh not be fucking serious."

[gareththegreat]

"hmm--...yeah," gareth can't really deny that. their is a reason that eddie is one of his best friends. ( rather it be because the drummer finds him hilarious or they both take turns with the brain cell is up for debate. ) he'll finish his own beer, giving the bartender the same look. ( come on, man! he basically plays bouncer for you! ) tongue clicks on the roof of his mouth. "is that what we're calling it? a jester? you know, you could be beheaded for this,"

[inseptili]

@gareththegreat

Was it really all that surprising that Yoshie gravitated toward the group of people at school that were referred to as freaks and outcasts? No, it really wasn't. Because already, she's being referred to as the same thing. People really were silly. Judging people by the clothes they wore or interests that weren't a harm to anyone.

She'd boldly asked to sit down at the Hellfire Club table just a week ago now and it was pretty awkward at first - on their part - seeing as they clearly weren't used to girls just up and showing interest in them. Which she gets. Now, however, she's starting to feel a bit more like she's fitting in somewhere. A surprise seeing as she's never felt like she's fit in anyway. She's never thought about fitting in before, really. It's never been important to her. Regardless, it's still a nice feeling.

It's the only thing that brings her to stop as she hears Gareth speaking to her as she passes his house. Yoshie will stop when she's called out to, realizing he'd been outside. The sight of her might be a surprise though. Typically dressed from head to toe, she's in workout attire instead; shorts and a sports bra which showed off the muscles hidden underneath her clothing. She'd been out for her morning run. Weekend or not, Yoshie would get up early. It's just routine.

"Good morning, Gareth - I didn't expect to see you up so early." And by the looks of it, he's not up because he wants to be.

[gareththegreat]

no, it certainly wasn't surprising but it wasn't something that they had been expecting. in all there years at hawkins high, only one or two girls actually seemed interested in joining their little campaign. you can't expect them to know how to act right away. ( though, eventually, they did warm up to yoshie. ) rather gareth wanted to admit it, yoshie was pretty fucking cool and she also knew how to build quite the good character, which helped out in their campaign.

he sees the familiar face as he sits on his yard chair in the garage, cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. ( he wasn't expecting anyone else to be awake. ) it was still quite early in the morning and gareth was currently procrastinating on mowing the lawn. ( he's certainly considering waking up his younger brother to do it. ) he'll give a wave, though after that he's truly taking her in. ( holy shit. she's fit as hell. )

"i'm putting off mowing the lawn. think i might get my brother to do it," he'll grin. he's not a morning person. "so, you run, huh?"

[inseptili]

Eddie knew more than anyone that Gareth hated things like people tip toeing around subjects; preferring people to just get out with it. Normally, he wouldn't do something like that to Gareth, but he feels like this situation is a bit different than any sort of normal circumstance. But it's Gareth. He should've just told him. Should have, could have, would have; didn't. Ugh.

"Well uh - Guess the best thing is to just be out with it at this point, huh?" That's still tip toeing around it, Eddie. C'mon now.

"I'm uh - not human anymore, long story short." While he's technically not a vampire, but something similar in nature simply in that he requires consuming blood to live, he didn't want to start off with that comparison right off the bat. But he'll get to that now. "Something kind of like uh.. a vampire."

Now the question is whether or not Gareth would take this claim seriously or not. Maybe he'll put two and two together; with the way Eddie hasn't been eating anything or much or anything. Sure, he can eat human food and his body can technically process it, but he doesn't require it to live. It's just eating it excessively can make him feel sick. So, Eddie avoids it when he can.

"Don't believe me? I have ways to prove it." And he hopes they know that he wouldn't lie or joke about something like that at this point. Not with all the crazy things that have happened to them already. Shit like that isn't funny at this point.

[gareththegreat]

yeah, gareth wasn't much of a tip toer himself. he was blunt and brash about most things, saying exactly what was on his mind. ( though, he could also be quite secretive but no one needs to know that. ) gareth wasn't the type to talk about his home life, but there would be signs. not to mention how defensive he'd get whenever someone asked a question about his family dynamic. ( the fact he was still able to live under their roof was a mystery. )

the drummer simply sits on his couch, looking a little indifferent as he takes in this information. ( always stoic until he isn't. ) he'll lean back against the rough material of the couch, his arm moving to drape over the back of it. ( he ignores the throbbing in his leg. ) he'll nod his head, sucking on his teeth as he thinks of a proper way to respond.

"so, you're a vampire---....thing." his eyes shift over to the uneaten dinner on the plate he had brought him earlier. ( he never really did eat all that much. ) he witnessed eddie snack on things with him while watching movies but nothing more than that. he'll suck on his bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing together.

"so, how are you supposed to prove it?"

[hauntedxwritings]

"I'm not going to promise I won't.. after all I learned my attitude from the best." Dustin looked at Gareth. "But I'll try to keep it in check with you. It seems I've been a bit too much for everyone lately. I'm just.. fuck.. I'm damaged..but then again.. aren't we all?"

[gareththegreat]

"yeah, but first things first is you need to learn to give a black eye. so far, i've only seen you sportin' them." he'll take this moment to pat the back of dustin's back, giving him a soft smile. though, his demeaner changes whenever dustin continues to talk, blinking rapidly with disbelief. "listen, i know you can be annoying but damaged? what kind of shit is that?"

[realmofthemuses]

@gareththegreat Olivia/Gareth

Olivia let out a small hum as she cuddled into the side of Gareth. Her head buried in the crook of his neck, eyes closed as she rested, the movie that was on forgot as sleep was catching up to her.

Being with him, made her feel safe. Her father couldn't hurt her there. She wasn't on high alert like normal. How she wished she could stay there forever but she knew if she wasn't home before him with dinner waiting, he would have the police force out to find her and she didn't want to think what her father would do to Gareth.

"I wish we could stay like this." She muttered out, her voice quiet. He was one of the few that got to hear her speak and when she did it was soft and at times barely audible.

[gareththegreat]

gareth's arm is wrapped around olivia's small form, keeping her close to his side. ( he liked how he felt like a protector towards her. ) if he could, he would protect her from everything--...including her shitty cop dad. though, it was nice to see his quiet, terrified of everything girlfriend actually relax for once. ( he couldn't help but be happy that he's the one that caused that. )

"i wish we could too. i still think you should just stay here," though, he knows that it wouldn't be good for olivia and probably wouldn't be good for him either. "you ever think about running away?"

[hagantm]

@gareththegreat says "You're trying so hard. I think I know why."

SO THIS IS WHAT HE GETS FOR TRYING TO KEEP HIS SHIT TOGETHER . low profile , maintain a positive attitude , whatever Higgins had called it in his little speech to Tommy before accepting him back at school . ( behave yourself , Mr Hagan, and we'll let you get your diploma . if you can . ) all the creeps and nerds come crawling out of their holes , thinking they can talk at him now . as if maintaining a positive attitude isn't hard enough in this shithole without a shot of bourbon for breakfast .

" and if you end the day in the back of an ambulance , I think I know why , too . " Tommy unceremoniously shoves a couple of books in his locker , then slams the door shut to reveal Gareth's stupid face behind it . there was a time when he'd have locked the idiot into the locker along with the books - before Tommy had learned what consequences are . and that he'd rather not suffer them . he thus leaves it at an unimpressed glare , shouldering his backpack again . " the fuck do you want , Keefer ? "

[gareththegreat]

honestly? he's surprised hagan was allowed back into school. ( a part of him was a little jealous. he gets to walk with the rest of the class--...gareth doesn't. ) though, that's what happens whenever you get held back a year. having to repeat his sophomore year makes him have to stay in this hellhole for an extra year. ( certainly not the happiest five years of his life, but we digress. ) gareth was always one to---...poke the bear, one could say. perhaps the idea of causing tommy to get officially kicked out of hawkins high seemed appealing.

though, it doesn't take long for the drummer to remember that he, himself, is also on thin ice. he can't help but snort at the little quip tommy had offered him, raising an eyebrow. "so, like--...what's up with this whole turning over a new leaf thing? i'm surprised higgins let you back in,"

[daemonsdaed]

"Maybe I shouldn't." It's an argument for argument's sake. She doesn't actually care, but it's so easy to push his buttons. "Clearly you're doing a good job listening and telling me when I sound like an idiot." She crosses her arms. "Know what I think? You can't get enough of my yapping. Like, if I shut my mouth, what's even the point of me hanging around?"

[gareththegreat]

gareth can't help but look over at cherry with a mixture of exhaustion and indifference. ( though, she's not wrong. gareth does enjoy her company. ) he might not say it out loud but the fact that he hangs around her speaks volumes. he'll give a huff, rolling his eyes as he leans back in his chair, arm resting on the back of it. "yeah, but maybe you could say something a little more interesting. i don't even know what your talkin' about,"

[absentpublic]

she grins at the kiss to her nose, though that expression quickly shifts into feigned outrage & shock at his name-calling. unfortunately nerd would simply deflect if said with any venom, though she simply must pretend it's wounded her deeply. if only to be silly. "ah! n - n-nerd ... ? h-how -- how d-dare you!"

[gareththegreat]

not many people got to see this side of gareth. ( the big, soft teddy bear side. ) though, how can he not be soft with nettie? ever since he first met her, he's been smitten. ( though, if you tell people he's like this with his girlfriend, he'll kill you. ) he can't help but chuckle, wrinkling his nose slightly. "but that's what i like about ya', nettie. i mean, have you met me? dungeons and dragons, over here. i'm also a nerd. i hate to break it to you,"

[thebasketcasebabe]

Allison turned to look when she heard footsteps approaching, pulling further into the shadows to try and hide before recognizing his voice.

Relaxing, she swung her bag down off her shoulder and pulled out a flashlight of her own. She moved to hold it beneath her chin, flicking it on and fixing him with an ominous look. “I wouldn’t come here unprepared, Gareth. Not with what’s waiting for us inside.”

[gareththegreat]

"that's my girl," the drummer gives her a grin, giving a playful roll of his eyes. "what do you think is lurking in there?" he'll motion towards the ominous building, with his own flashlight which he hadn't turned on just yet. he'll raise his eyebrows, turning to face allison once more.

"what do you think, al? think we'll find ghosts? or maybe a bunch of homeless people." he didn't really believe in ghosts but the concept was fun. ( the fact that their could be a bunch of homeless people was more terrifying than ghosts. )

[narrativeabducted]

Sass makes no attempt to dodge. They don't even really think about it, their immediate reaction is to just swat at the pebble as soon as it gets thrown at them. They land a hit on the pebble and smack it out of the air and then shake out their hand, scowling slightly.

"ow. that's crazy. why did you throw that at me. that's not very nice."

[gareththegreat]

oh, cue a very noticeable eye roll whenever sass just simply swats the pebble out of the air. ( okay, that was pretty cool but you're not going to get a compliment from him! ) maybe later once he cools down a bit but right now, he's still a little butt hurt that you've decided to throw a pebble at him at all in the first place. ( can you blame him? we thought you were friends! )

"you started it," gareth finds himself making his way over towards sass, raising an eyebrow. "what do you want, sass?" // @narrativefinale

[bestiadentro]

There's not really much time for them to have a conversation about this. There would be more demodogs coming after them soon. The scent of the blood from their brethren is very likely to draw the attention of more. "No time-" He can already hear them so they'll need to get a move on. So, Alaire is running forward in Gareth's direction suddenly, only slowing long enough for his hand to reach out and grab a hold of one of the human's wrists to pull them along with him.

"I'll explain fully later, but right now, I need you to trust me." He's pulling them along though technically toward more commotion. Mostly because he can hear Steve in his own fight with some of the creatures. It seemed instead of coming after them, they'd gone after Steve and the kids.

Luckily, by the time they're getting there, said commotion seems to be over or can be seen ending; Steve holding a bat with nails as a weapon he'd used against the demodogs. "Are you okay?" Alaire questions with Steve giving a quick nod. Though he's furrowing his brows at the sight of Gareth. Only because he's surprised to see him there, of course. Seeing Steve's expression, Alaire is quick to explain that he'd found Gareth being attacked by some of the other demodogs.

"I'll explain things - you all go ahead and get out of here." To which Steve nods and urges the kids out of the bus and to his car with Alaire making his way back toward Gareth again. "Do you have anywhere we can go to talk privately?" After all, this isn't exactly something he can talk about in public. "I'm not sure how many more are around, so we'll need to get out of here fast." So if he knows a place, he needs to be quick about it. Where they're going to go to talk, that is.

[gareththegreat]

gareth really doesn't have time to process anything, does he? ( no time---... ) could be heard because his wrist is grabbed and suddenly, he's yanked forward. he'll stumble slightly before he regains his footing, nearly running easily side by side with alaire. ( he's a lot faster than he looks, years of athletics coming in handy in moments like this. ) he has no other choice but to trust this guy, right? the new kid at school seemed to be a lot more than he seemed. the way he ripped through those things? he didn't want to get on alaire's bad side, that was for sure.

now things are getting a lot more confusing. ( is that steve harrington?! ) he'll blink slowly, more color draining from his face. ( if that was even possible. ) he had been pretty intoxicated whenever he had left the hideout but now? the shock to his system had seemed to sober him up. though, all these things getting tossed to him at once was making his head spin. ( wait, aren't those--... what the fuck are those kids doing here? ) he'll take a deep breath, patting at the front pocket of his flannel vest to pull out a pack of cigarettes, the shake to his hand obvious as he tries to light it.

his eyes shift to look over to alaire once more, giving a shrug of his shoulders. "i've got a pretty nice set up in my basement," words are murmured around his cigarette, eyebrows furrowing together.

[shockjockk-deactivated20260322]

calogero was fifteen when he first began to think of his body as a canvas. the urge happened gradually, akin to the dusty flurries that begin a dense snowfall. slow accumulation, made of small observations that stacked upon each other until the thought settled and consumed him. it started small; his left ear pierced. a silent act of rebellion that caused waves throughout the house. everyone seemed to be on edge, the silver gleam of a paperclip’s inner loop away from total dysfunction. parents who could barely afford the means that they were set on providing. twin sisters beginning the challenges of middle school. an older brother with one foot out the door, frustrated with the suburbia he had lived in all his life turning more banal by the hour, fears of emulating the path of his parents. rocky marriage, comfortable jobs that promised stability and left nothing for elation.

and in the middle of it all, calogero. studying, watching, walking on eggshells. he grasped the exasperation of his mother, weary from years of jaded neutrality crushing her spirit; his brother’s face when his eyebrows raised, his jaw clenched, and the anger that had been subdued rose eagerly to the surface, ready to hurl its daggers. he was careful to step around the land mines that threatened to explode any minute, suppress the thoughts that loomed and hide behind a feigned smile and facade of comfort that waned and gibbed with the days that passed. fifteen turned to sixteen, then seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen. his brother passed, although perhaps that was to be expected given his lackluster ability to adhere to the rules. not only of the household, but of life as well. namely the one that forbids drinking and driving. it still stung, though. the ghosts didn’t make things any easier.

a pile of correspondence from calogero to his brother, never sent, lay deep within the confines of his closet. where would he send them to anyway? the glassy and rehearsed lines his parents spewed stayed the same; his sisters grew, forgetting the tension that had once invaded the castelli home as middle school turned to high school, friends came and went, and days became busier. as for calogero, he swallowed his discontent, dealt with the bullying and isolation that came with high school life, and closed off. an invitation inside was weakness, and weakness was a weapon that could plunge him right back where he started.

but, on certain days, restless and unchaperoned with his thoughts of yesteryear, calogero found himself out on the road, in his old beat up honda. maybe his only thing of value, him and that honda had seen some particularly tough times together. this particular visit, to a tattoo parlor, is one of many. never had he actually dared to step inside, imagining the continuous scratching sensation mixed with steady vibration that would inevitably come from needles puncturing his skin and chickens out. this time, however, he’s ready. ready to decorate the canvas once again. the soft jingle of bells graces his ears as calogero pushes the door of the entrance, warmth hitting his skin instantly. he’s ready.

closed starter for : ( @gareththegreat )

[gareththegreat]

it's not often that gareth actually has his own chair open in the shop. ( he's taking all the walk ins. ) you know, if they agree to have a rookie tattoo them, of course. granted, gareth had proven himself time and time again, rather it be practicing on pig skin or on the other artists at the shop. ( it's a small town, the lot of them have to stick together. ) people like them always get stared down by people in a small, somewhat religious town like hawkins.

it has been slow, gareth sitting at the front desk as he fought off sleep. ( he never did sleep well at night and then he ends up dozing off, waiting for something to happen. ) at least it's better than his shifts at the liquor store, right? at least he can do something he likes here.

he'll perk up whenever he hears the familiar sound of the bell ringing at the front door. an unfamiliar face and what looks to be a dude with no tattoos. this brings a grin to gareth's features as he stands up from his chair to lean against the counter top. "hey, man. what can i do for you? you here for a tattie? we're taking walk-ins today,"

[gareththegreat]

all of gareth's drafts are in queue. daaaamn.

[gareththegreat]

@canclled sent in: no, no, no. i don't belong here.

"yeah, i could have told you that, hairington," the drummer says with a rather monotone, bored tone. ( he never expected to see steve harrington walk into the hideout but that's against the point. ) apparently, according to eddie, he's cool. whatever. ( he'll believe it when he sees it. ) he'll suck on his teeth, placing his hand on the wall as he leans against it. "so, you gonna turn around and leave or you gonna get a beer? either or, you look like a deer in the headlights, dude."

[gareththegreat]

steve is 5’10 :donotperceive:

c'mon now steve. you've got two inches on him yet he still makes you look like a tiny guy.