Headcanons vs. Accuracy: How Writing Gen X Characters Through a Gen Z Lens Breaks the Immersion
Okay y'all, let me be extremely clear about one thing before we get into this: I am not attempting to police anyone's headcanons. I understand fanfic is a form of escapism and people often project onto characters to make them more relatable. So this isn't me trying to suck the fun out of it. Rather, my goal is to educate those who do want to be accurate to the 1980s-early 90s setting but don't know how because you didn't live through it. And honestly? Neither did I. Full disclosure, I am a Zillennial (mid-90s baby) but one who happens to also be a huge nerd for historical/sociological accuracy in my fanfics. Stranger Things is a show near and dear to my heart and as someone who grew up in the Midwest (and experienced a bit of life before social media/influencer culture took over the world), I find fanfics that rely on modern "norms" a bit jarring. To say the least.
So if I am reading a Lumax fic that feels unrealistic to the setting and out of character? I click out. I legit stop reading. Because whatever immersion was there, vanished in a nanosecond once I realized the author only cares about vibes, anachronistic behavior be damned! Maybe I'm too serious, I'll admit that. But if you take the 1980s out of Stranger Things, then aren't you really just writing a modern AU with the characters? (If you are, consider tagging it as such, or don't be surprised if you lose some readers. In my opinion? Anachronistic behavior/dialogue is just as annoying as bad grammar. If not more so. I said what I said).
OK THIS IS GOING TO BE LONG FOLKS SO BUCKLE IN!
#1: College & Career Tropes
Realistically? Max and Lucas go to college in Indiana. Not California. Not the East Coast. Is it impossible? Of course not. But if they did, they'd be racking up extreme student debt for trivial reasons, which would be super OOC for a pair of pragmatic Gen X kids.
Now, I understand some fanfic writers aren't American. So maybe you don't know how our financial aid system works, which is another reason I feel called to do this. I'm advocating for quality, well-researched fanfics, and I want to help younger (or uninformed) writers make their fics the best they can be!
The Sinclair family are portrayed as solid middle class. They live near the Wheelers on Maple Street but it's pretty clear their socioeconomic circumstances aren't equal. The Wheelers live in a two story colonial with three kids, a finished basement, and a stay at home mom. They own a Mercury Grand Marquis, a car that would've been a "stretch" for the solid middle and unaffordable for the lower middle/working class or poor. Ted Wheeler works a boring yet "cushy" office job. If I were to guess, I'd say his yearly income was around 55-60k in 1989 based on data for Indiana during that time period. The Sinclairs on the other hand live in a raised ranch house and give off much more practical/grounded vibes. Charles is a Vietnam vet who likely works as a lower level manager and Lucas on the Line implies that Sue went to typing school so I'd imagine she's a secretary or something. When you then also factor in the wealth disparity between black and white families, I'd put the Sinclairs around 30-35k. That is the "too rich for aid, too poor to pay outrageous tuition" squeeze. At best, Lucas would go to one of the state flagships like IU Bloomington or Purdue, but I think Indiana State fits his practicality even better. Solid middle class families (unless they were status climbers, themselves a minority for this demographic even with the "black excellence" push which isn't the Sinclairs' vibe at all) didn't gamble their life savings to send their son out of state. Heck, like I said, regional campuses were even better for this fiscally-conscious group, hence ISU.
Now Max's situation is even more precarious. She went from lower middle/working class to trailer park poor when her stepdad left (and took his assholery with him!) She would receive the full Pell Grant and the Frank O'Bannon grant (then known as the Higher Education Award). That would cover her tuition and at least part of her housing at a school like ISU but if she went out of state? She's looking at massive debt. Massive.
The USC dream in 1989 carried a sticker price around $18k/year. Even with a Pell Grant maxed at $2,300 and a $2,625 Stafford loan, she'd be looking at almost a $13,000 gap. Every. Single. Year. For a girl whose family has $0 in expected contribution, that's not a dream; it's a debt trap. Staying in-state where her grants cover the full bill at ISU isn't just my headcanon; it's the only way a survivor like Max ensures her future independence.
Because of these points, I find it very unlikely Lucas or Max would go further than a bachelor's degree. Max because of her financial situation and also because her canon personality screams "I'm good at school but I hate it" and Lucas because he's practical. He wouldn't want to waste a huge chunk of his 20s paying for a fancy degree when he could get a decent paying job right away to provide for the family he and Max are building. By the year 2000, only 5% of Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 had earned a master's degree or higher (source).
#2. Marriage & Parenthood Timeline
In 1993 (the year Lumax would graduate college), the US Census Bureau recorded that the median age at first marriage was 24.5 years for women and 26.5 for men. However, this includes people who hadn't found "their person" yet. It was a nationwide average (including HCOL coastal areas). For middle school sweethearts in suburban/sub-rural Indiana? It would be much lower.
The average age of first-time mothers in the same year was between 24.4 and 26.2, again including women who weren't in relationships and/or who lived in HCOL areas.
Considering Max and Lucas would've been a couple (or at least in love if you count their break during season 4) for almost a decade, not to mention their insane trauma forcing them to mature faster than their peers, it's far more realistic than not they'd start having children in their early 20s.
These headcanons that have them (a couple of middle school sweethearts) choosing to wait until their 30s to welcome kids into the world make them extreme outliers for their birth cohort and geographic location.
On top of that, Max is a girl from a working class background with several adverse childhood experiences under her belt by the time she woke up from a coma at 16. Studies show that exposure to ACEs such as domestic violence, parental separation, and poverty (all of which Max experienced) is a strong predictor of early marriage and childbearing. Lucas isn't just her boyfriend. He's the first person who's ever made her feel safe and secure. For a girl who spent her entire life in survival mode, Max isn't looking to "find herself" (which is a luxury she couldn't afford anyway and very much a millennial/Gen Z concept in terms of traveling the world, getting multiple degrees, etc), she wants to build the stable family she was robbed of as a child. A safe nest.
To put it into perspective: In 1993, while the coastal elites might have been pushing the marriage age up, the Hoosier reality remained grounded. For a girl in sub-rural Indiana, being unmarried at 30 wasn't just a choice; it was a social anomaly. Most of Max's peers would have been dropping their toddlers off at preschool by the time these modern headcanons even have her thinking about a wedding. Heck, even San Diego where she was born and raised was basically "the midwest of California" back then, so a 13-year-old Max in 1984 would've found the Hawkins culture more familiar than if her family had moved them north within the same state to San Francisco, for example.
I also think it's important to note that "healing yourself" or going to therapy to resolve your trauma before bringing kids into the world is, in itself, an anachronism for Gen X. So if you headcanon them waiting because of that, I'll debunk it for you right here, right now: In the early 90s, therapy wasn't a wellness tool. It was a last resort and carried a certain stigma. The Gen X attitude was "suck it up and get on with it." For them, "healing" meant getting a job, starting a family, and doing it better than their parents. The idea that either Max or Lucas would take a year to sit on a couch and talk through their feelings with some shrink before deeming themselves ready for a baby is, quite frankly, a Gen Z projection. Not to mention, much of their specific trauma was supernatural so it's not like they could tell anyone that. And access to specialized therapy was almost non-existent outside of major metro areas.
#3. The Tomboy Archetype & "Queer Coding"
Finally, I think it's necessary to remember that, for girls in the 80s, being a tomboy was a standard, widespread experience. If you want to headcanon Max as some flavor of LGBTQA+, you're welcome to it, but her tomboy status isn't evidence in itself.
I see so many people interpreting her as unfeminine or even masc/Butch when, canonically, she liked bright colors, wore her hair long, read her mom's Cosmo, and fantasized about kissing Ralph Macchio! She didn't want the boys to gatekeep all the "cool" hobbies, but she had a blast trying on clothes with El when they went on their Starcourt Mall shopping spree! Skirts and dresses aren't practical for skating, but unfussy + low maintenance ≠ masculine. She's just a sporty, California skater girl. If she is queer, I'm willing to bet it's not because of the way she dressed/presented herself.
Y'all are viewing a Gen X girl through a Gen Z lens, very different times.
Oookay, deep breaths, that was a lot I know! So now maybe you're thinking, "it's just fanfic, why does it matter?" Well, it matters because immersion is the soul of a good story. When you take characters born in 1971 and force them into a 2026 life path, you're stripping away the very things that make them who they are. The 80s and 90s weren't just a vibe or an aesthetic, but a specific set of economic and social circumstances that shaped the Lucas and Max we know and love in canon.
So when a fic has them waiting until they're 30 to have kids because they want to "travel the world" or earn a PhD, it stops feeling like Stranger Things and more like a modern AU disguised with 1980s "vibes." You lose the grit, the pragmatism, and the very soul of the Gen X experience. As someone whose primary draw to the fandom in the first place was to experience a decade I never got to live through myself, modern projections have no business claiming canon-compliance or historical/sociological accuracy. If I wanted to read about Millennial or Gen Z struggles, I'd look at my own life or read contemporary YA stuff. When history is ignored or dismissed as unimportant, the immersion is broken. And once it's gone? The story loses all traces of authenticity. People lose interest and older readers (who do exist) may even be confused or offended.
Of course, there are exceptions to every rule and certain factors could delay life milestones, but that's not what I'm talking about here. I'm saying when younger writers have the characters choose to delay traditional adulthood to "find themselves" that's where it becomes anachronistic. And therefore out of character.
So by all means, keep your headcanons, write your fics however you like. But if you want them to truly resonate within the Stranger Things universe? Respect the era. Respect the characters within their original setting and according to their canon personalities. Or tag it as an AU.
Research is important folks and if you don't want, or aren't willing, to expend the effort, that's what this account is for ;)
I OFFICIALLY DECLARE MYSELF THE (UNOFFICIAL) LUMAX RANT ACCOUNT FOR ALL THINGS PERIOD ACCURACY & FACT CHECKING, WELCOME (OR WELCOME BACK) !!!
I feel the need to reiterate that anyone who follows or otherwise interacts with this blog should understand what they're getting: I am not unbiased. I freely and happily criticize fanfic tropes that are anachronistic, out of character, and unrealistic/idealized.
If you are someone who enjoys headcanoning Lumax having kids in their 30s (on purpose, not due to fertility struggles) or traveling the world or healing their trauma before fully embarking on adulthood, this blog isn't going to be your cup of tea. (Also fyi, the reason The Party's parents had kids in their later 20s-early 30s was likely because of Vietnam and/or the economy, for Lumax's specific cohort early 20s parenthood vs later was a choice nobody was being drafted into war and the cost of living was stable so that wouldn't necessarily make Lucas view older parenthood as optimal)
I'm allowed to criticize tropes I hate, this is the unofficial Lumax rant account, and I will never ever call out a specific author, link their fic and/or encourage others to bash it. So I'm not breaking fandom etiquette. ✌🏻
ALSO---I'm not gatekeeping or policing headcanons, that's why I say if you don't care about period accuracy just ignore me and continue writing whatever you want no need to get defensive!!
I feel like a lot of what I see for Will now is him becoming a famous painter who sells out galleries when his art on the show would indicate something in comics or games.
Yeah I personally headcanon him at SVA (School of Visual Arts) and becoming like a comic book artist or something!!
Ok, if the goal here is realism then I feel like we maybe need to start looking at the art that we have seen Will do on the show and consider if that art is actually good enough to get him into these prestigious art schools that some seem to want him to go to lol. Like, he is probably above average for a small town like Hawkins, but New York?
Yeah I'm honestly not sure because the scope of "competition" would increase drastically in a place like NYC. Will's a very talented artist, no doubt about that, but to answer your question I'd say he has a 50/50 shot maybe?? His painting from s4 was good but art is so very far from my area of expertise that idk if I'm the person to ask XD
Another option for Hawkins would be repairing Hawkins Lab and turning into a college, because it doesn't seem like they have any colleges there. It would create more jobs and bring in / keep young adults in town. A community college or trade school would be good as those jobs are probably already available in Hawkins, but they could also shoot for a branch of an Indiana university if they wanted something a bit more glamorous.
Yeah a college would be a great idea, like a satellite campus of IU or Purdue, or an Ivy Tech. I could also see them maybe turning part of the destroyed library into a museum where people can come to read/learn about the "crazy stuff that happened in the 80s" XD
Rust Belt generally refers to towns that were surviving off of the industrial / steelworks / manufacturing industries and began to go defunct when those industries declined. The abandoned Brimborn Steelworks building would suggest that Hawkins is a town like that. It isn't hopeless but they would have to pivot to a new direction for their town's livelihood.
Oh yeah for sure, and they also had Hawkins Lab but that obviously shut down too due to all the supernatural stuff. So I 100% agree they'd need a new industry to survive. Enough families would have to stick around to "rebuild" too, and I think people would IF there was hope for the town's reputation/economy to recover.
I could see Hawkins getting a boost if they get an upstart Mayor who turns it into a tourist trap to profit off of all of the stuff that has happened there over the years.
Yeah I could totally see that! I don't think Hawkins is doomed and still see Steve and Lumax staying there in my own headcanons (the latter returning after college at ISU or maybe an IU/Purdue satellite campus) because I think there's something powerful about reclaiming a place from traumatic memories!
Like realistically Hawkins would be hurting for a while but if enough families stayed to rebuild plus your idea with the mayor turning it into a tourist attraction it's not impossible to assume it might eventually recover!
When people left for college, were they more likely to settle down where they were after or move back home? Who amongst our main cast do you think will build a home in Hawkins (or nearby)?
Based on my own (informal) research (as in, fact-checking, since I'm a mere Zillennial myself), the most common path for a Gen X Indiana grad in the Party's era if they didn't/couldn't settle in their hometown, would've been moving to a regional hub like Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, or Evansville. Or, if they were in the southeastern part of the state or far enough north, Louisville (Kentucky) or Chicago (Illinois) respectively.
Why? Because the vast majority of young Americans live within 100 miles of their hometown. This is according to a 2022 US Census study but the share was similar in the 80s-90s where, even among the most mobile demographic (the college-educated), around 70% still stayed local.
To answer your question about which of the mains stay in Hawkins or nearby: Lumax (fits the "small village" narration), Steve, and I believe Dustin would at least return to Indiana. Mike I could also see wanting to stay close to his mom and Holly after the heartbreak of losing Eleven.
On one hand, I’m not American. On the other hand, I’m older than you (proper Millenial vs. Zillenial). With all the love in the world, because you make excellent analysis in general, I’m going to counter-realism you here and say: None of them is gonna live in Hawkins ever again and nobody’s reclaiming jack shit. Even Steve, and eventually all their parents as well. I have several reasons:
1. The Party aren’t “the vast majority of young Americans”: they’re (except for Steve) various types of nerds, geniuses and outcasts who all had, from the beginning, all the motivation and desire to escape that hellhole , as well as the intellectual capabilities and/or talent to do so. This includes Max, who has always yearned for Southern California (which is home for her so it tracks with the “most youngsters settling close to home” narrative) and has only had trauma in Indiana, and Lucas, who (at least according to the novel) has always wanted to be somewhere where he wasn’t “the black guy”, but “a guy”. A.k.a. Somewhere decently diverse. Literally every main character’s motivation (except for Steve’s) was to leave, even before everything happened. The older teens even said that they wouldn’t go back even if they were paid to. Once they taste freedom they won’t ever let it go.
2. The Rust Belt was in decline and had been in decline for decades, youth brain drain was the norm: And incidentally, many of the jobs that left the rust belt went to the sun belt (which includes San Diego and Southern California), and there was (and is) a lot of migration from the rust belt to the sun belt for this reason. Lumax moving to San Diego wouldn’t be out of the ordinary among their peers.
3. Their own parents will discourage them from going back:
a) The Byers-Hopper: They’re in Montauk so there’s nothing there for them in Hawkins.
b) The Wheelers: Karen always yearned for freedom so she will plead Nancy and Mike to not go back to the trap, and Ted will tell them to be where they can get good jobs, a.k.a. NOT in the Rust Belt. If anything they’ll send Holly to spend summer with Nancy or Mike, and ask them to help her look for colleges there and stuff.
c) Dustin’s mom: She’s the sole Democrat (maybe except for Joyce) in a sea of republicans. She sent Dustin to science camp and bought him all those enrichment toys, so she clearly cares about him following his nerdy dreams. She’s also a single woman who only has her only son and a cat. I can see her more easily moving to be closer to Dustin than making Dustin move back.
d) Lucas’ parents: At least according to the novel, Lucas’ parents got into the middle class by making the correct choice at every point in their lives. Lucas is a black guy in a relationship with a white girl, his parents will want him to be wherever they will face less discrimination. If Max says she wants them to move to San Diego, Lucas’ parents will tell him to go. They’ll also encourage Erica con embrace every single opportunity given to her.
e) Max’s mom: she’s horrible, but also she doesn’t have roots in Hawkins, she was left stranded there by her horrible (ex?)husband. Max will either cut contact with her (because horrible mom), or she will take her to Southern California too. If she’s gonna be an alcoholic in a trailer park, she might as well be one closer to her home.
4. Their careers are fundamentally incompatible with small town living: journalist, filmmaker, creative writer, fine artist, foreign languages… even teaching will be incompatible as children as youngsters flee from Hawkins.
5. Hawkins is NOT A REGULAR SMALL TOWN. Let’s see a timeline of events:
1983: One kid disappears and is presumed dead, and then a teenager disappears as well. The teenager was acknowledged as dead and given a funeral in 1984.
1985: A mall opens to the public and kills the businesses on Main Street. Soon after, said mall is destroyed in a fire, leaving the people of Hawkins without Main Street businesses, without a mall, and without jobs at either of them.
1986: A giant earthquake ravages Hawkins, leaving several dead, injured, lots of homes destroyed.
1986-1987: The government puts the town under quarantine. Nobody could get in or out of town. Supplies had to be shipped from outside, and people who graduated high school were trapped there.
1987: A bunch of elementary school kids were taken by the military to protect them from kidnapping (from the parents’ POV).
1987: Lockdown was finally lifted, and everyone who was trapped could leave.
Every single of these is a depopulation event for a small town. We saw businesses being closed, and people leaving town. Hawkins was hemorrhaging people, and that trend wasn’t likely to be reversed in the 90s. And that’s the people who didn’t know about all the supernatural and government shit going on.
So this is my realistic reading: as soon as the lockdown was lifted, everyone who was left homeless, unemployed and/or who had a lifeline out of Hawkins left. Those who had jobs to hang on to stayed and shipped their kids off as soon as they graduated high school. Steve went to college sooner than later, found his all-American girl there, and settled down in a college town or somewhere that actually had students. Lumax went to Purdue or another first-rate university in Indiana, and left for San Diego or Southern California (where there are also small villages) the second they graduated. Will and Mike (IMO together, in other people’s POV separately) move to Los Angeles or Southern California upon graduation for weather (Will shouldn’t leave where it gets cold) and job reasons. All their parents + Murray + Mr. Clarke sold their houses and moved to 55+ condos in South Florida the second they retired (if they weren’t laid off before that). Today Hawkins is a smaller version of Gary, Indiana, where the only people leaving there are addicts, the elderly and poor, and those who can’t afford to leave at all and don’t have anyone to take them out of there.
I’ll allow myself the luxury of wishful thinking in one case: Eddie Munson’s poor uncle. My headcanon is that Dustin and his mom “adopted” him as an uncle and somehow (government, fundraising or other) they could get him a place of his own, medical care, and a modest pension to live in dignified conditions in his old age. Out of Hawkins of course.
I appreciate your well thought out counter-argument! Here is my response:
So I definitely can see your point about Hawkins specifically given everything that happened I could for sure imagine a severe decline, but as an American I'm going to counter you on Purdue or another "first rate" university for Lumax, unless they both got scholarships that's very expensive, college is VERY expensive in America and it was increasing rapidly starting with Gen X. And California was - and still is - VERY expensive. As a Midwesterner, I can assure you that leaving the Midwest (assuming that's what you mean by the Rust Belt) wasn't necessary. I might not've been born yet, but it's not like there was a "mass exodus" of educated people fleeing to the coasts because most people I know are lifelong Midwesterners (or even moved to the Midwest from the coasts) with decent jobs/standard of living. Even for Dustin Indiana actually would've been an exception to the "brain drain" rule you're applying because of Purdue and the engineering/aerospace industry. As for Max the only reason she wanted to return to CA was her bio dad who, for all we know, could be in prison by now because she hadn't heard anything from him in a long time and according to Runaway Max he did a lot of shady things like selling fake IDs and gambling. Lumax being an interracial couple is a fair point which is why I personally did see them staying to reclaim Hawkins because the Sinclairs were an established "one of the good ones" families there. Not to mention in Lucas on the Line Lucas acknowledges "even though Hawkins isn't as safe for me as I'd like, it's probably the lesser of two evils." I don't know that the whole town would necessarily collapse - some families could've stayed to rebuild - though I'm not disagreeing with you either. So if they didn't stay in Hawkins they'd go to a town/city with a similar level of diversity (most towns in Indiana are very very white because of the "sundown" and KKK legacy, and Hawkins seems like it would've been one of the few that did have a decent, if still small, minority population, similar to real life Peru, IN because there's a military base there so kinda like the function Hawkins Lab served).
I'll meet you in the middle because you make valid points about Hawkins itself but my financial/economic points still stand: I think the Sinclairs, Max and her mom, Steve, and the Hendersons (once Dustin finishes college, according to Gaten he went to GA Tech) would live in Indiana (different town/city, though not 100% ruling out Hawkins on the chance enough people stayed to pick up the pieces) or at least the tri-state area (IN/OH/KY or IL/IN/OH). The Byers and Hopper canonically went to NYC and Montauk, NY. And maybe the Wheelers split between NYC and Boston if you see Mike wanting to be near Will while Nancy is working at the Herald, and Karen, Ted and Holly could also afford to move if they wanted.
I personally see Lumax going to ISU (Indiana State) because Max's poverty would qualify her for the full pell grant + the O'Bannon grant which would pretty much be a free ride (or almost/minimal debt) at a regional school but she'd for sure have debt at a flagship if she didn't want to juggle working and college at the same time just to afford it (people do this but if she had a cheaper option why choose the harder path?) and the Sinclairs had more income but would've faced the "middle class too rich for aid, too poor for elite tuition squeeze" therefore ISU, Ball State, or a satellite campus are more realistic unless they got really good scholarships which is possible but also not guaranteed. Wherever they go, though, they'd go together. IMO they'd be interdependent (the non-toxic cousin of codependent haha) after their trauma like there's no way they won't have PTSD and Vecna nightmares for yearsss. Or tbh maybe if they got married and were both independent students who could live together, they could afford a flagship because they'd both get the full pell. I still headcanon ISU because of the specific majors I see them doing but IU/Purdue could be realistic depending on the specific circumstances you build for them (lucky scholarship, marriage, etc)
Hopper had that $40k in a trust for El that she unfortunately will not get to use for anything, so that could go towards tuition. There may also be the money that Joyce got from selling her house because it was implied in s4 that Owens got them the Lenora house (and they never could have afforded that house so that checks out).
Totally forgot about the $40k yeah I agree w all of that!
Will Byers attends the Cooper Union, which was 100% tuition free for all accepted students, and super prestigious and selective/competitive. Since somehow Jonathan was able to go to NYU for film of all things, they would share a small apartment (and because I’m a byler, I say they share it with Mike as well - I also have other reasons) and Will studying with a full ride would actually make it easier for both Byers kids.
Oooh I like this because it helps explain how the HECK Jonathan ended up at NYU haha. I mean I know he's wanted to go there the whole time but I've heard it's a "rich kid school" so realistically he'd have MASSIVE debt. My original hc is maybe they had some leftover hush money from when Will was kidnapped into the Upside Down that Dr. Owens helped them get, but I reject the idea that anyone got paid by the military or Dr. Kay's people in season 5...Nancy and Hopper not being in prison WAS the payment lol
Some of the problem might also be that writers who aren't from the US just aren't really sure what the options are? Most ppl in the world know NYC and LA but probably wouldn't know many small towns or lesser-known colleges.
I agree that's part of it which is another reason I started this blog—to be a resource! Like even in terms of things like how US financial aid works or that each region has its own culture/"flavor", international fans might not know much about. Stuff like that. Again, people are allowed to write whatever they want, but it's a double-edged sword because those of us who care about realism and/or accuracy are also allowed to critique it! I mean if they have computer access to write, wouldn't that suggest they should be able to research? 🧐 But tbh if I'm able to tell that the writer isn't from the US I tend to be less critical. The people I legit "throw shade at" on here are fellow Americans who are choosing to prioritize vibes and done-to-death tropes 😂
I think that it's more than just big city bias working against Hawkins, it is also this idea that Hawkins itself should be traumatizing for all of the characters.
For sure I can see that too, it's just they tend to put the characters in big cities vs regular towns that aren't Hawkins, ya know? Like I wouldn't have as much of an issue if a character moved to Columbus, Indiana or even Dayton, Ohio but when everyone seems set on LA, San Diego or NYC that's when I start rolling my eyes 🤣 Chicago is the only one that's not a stretch, imo, because it's still in the Midwest. Or in that same vein Cleveland, Indianapolis, etc are fine even if I wish we could get some small town rep too. Not to mention trauma responses vary widely so I think it'd be more realistic for at least few of them to remain in/near Hawkins to "reclaim" it, if that makes sense.
I want to clarify again that the purpose of this blog is not to police people's headcanons or tell anyone what kinds of fics they're allowed to read, write, or enjoy.
That being said, people who visit or follow LiveLoveLumax should understand what they're getting. I'm not going to pretend or sugar coat it: I *do* have opinions and am openly critical of certain tropes/tendencies within the Stranger Things fan-fiction community.
So if you prefer vibes-based, self-indulgent fics/hcs and don't care about historical, sociological, or character realism/accuracy, this blog probably won't be your cup of tea ;)
I don't think that you are gonna be able to escape the California thing because people Do Not want their favorite characters staying in Hawkins, I have even seen Steve stans complaining that he stayed in Hawkins instead of moving to some city even though he is a teacher who wants a bunch of kids so him in a city would make no sense.
Oh trust me I know I can't escape it, that's why I created this account as a safe haven for fans who care about realism and accuracy in a sea of self-indulgent "vibes" fics XD
The binary thinking that big cities = amazing and small towns = boring is honestly annoying and offensive like people can write whatever they want but then I'm allowed to come on here and call a spade a spade LOL. I mean cities are fun but there's this underlying elitism and stigma in modern fandom that "regular" towns especially in the Midwest are inferior and as a Midwesterner I rebuke that!!
I'm so confused about the state of fanfiction these days
Okay is it just me and this has been happening for a while now without my zillennial self realizing it, or are the rules/expectations legit changing??? Let me explain...
I cannot tell y'all how annoying it is to be reading a fic and get abruptly YANKED OUT OF IT because the author wrote something that makes legit zero sense/defies logic so for the rest of the chapter in the back of my mind I'm still trying to figure it out XD
Like for example I read this one Lumax fic last night where they were sharing a dorm room...yes, a DORM ROOM not an apartment (they even referenced the RA like wtf)...and nobody in the comments even questioned it???!!! Meanwhile I'm like 99% sure that wouldn't have been allowed especially not in the early 90s even if they were in California at some super progressive college with co-ed dorms. Not to mention they were upperclassmen so atp if the author wanted them living together all they had to do was put them in an apartment instead. And don't even get me started on the fact that they went to college in CA because that's a trope I'll always find financially unrealistic but I digress...
But yeah I feel like some writers have officially thrown realism out the window and just expect everyone not to notice and I IMPLORE people who do this to please tag shit properly or include an author's note with some sort of warning hahaha
