AND . . . SHOWTIME !

love ( she / her ), 20. dacre stan first human being second. ao3 : tba , requests : tba

[nogitsunbaemoved]

“Billy you can’t just punch Vecna in the face.”

“I’m gonna clock that motherfucker.”

“We have a plan!”

[junkyardcamaro]

There have been countless mini-essays about how Billy anti’s hate him because he’s an “inconvenient abuse victim,” and how because he doesn’t react perfectly to his abuser, that that somehow means he deserves to be hated/left behind/left to die.

And it seems that because of this newest interview with Caleb that even some Billy stans here and on twitter are now buying into that kind of thinking too. I can’t even begin to tell you how disappointed I am in those people.

You know all that racist/violent/abusive behavior is from his father, you know that if he’d lived past s3 he would have turned his life around. He’s a 17-18 year old kid in the 80′s, he’s not doomed to forever be a monster.

It’s literally been like: “Oh no! This imperfect character that I like for being imperfect has been acting imperfectly this whole time!” suprise pickachu face blah blah whatever

[lux-astralis]

a few reminders because i’m tired and angry

fandom is a hobby, not a form of activism

adult women aren’t inherently creepy for being in fandom and having hobbies apart from raising babies and doing taxes

the vast majority of people pushing back against the worrying trend of instigating harassment over fictional characters and relationships aren’t incest supporters or pedophiles, actually

liking a m/f ship doesn’t make someone a dirty heterosexual invading your space

preferring gay ships doesn’t make you ‘’woke’’ and good

no one owes you a disclaimer that they are a good person who recognizes that their favorite fictional villain’s actions are evil and that they don’t condone those actions irl

liking a fictional villain is in no way comparable to advocating abuse/murder/genocide/etc and you’re a fucking idiot if you believe that

just because a woman is attracted to a fictional villain doesn’t mean she’s promoting toxic relationships or going to end up in a toxic relationship. assuming women can’t tell fiction and reality apart stinks of internalized misogyny 

some rando’s a/b/o fanfics have none of the level of influence that popular tv shows and movies spreading propaganda have

no one owes you a detailed description of their traumas and mental health problems

abusive relationships are not the same as enemies to lovers ships

y’all need to chill the fuck out over people, relationships, actions and events that don’t actually exist and learn how to enjoy and discuss them like normal people

fandom is a hobby, not a form of activism

feel free to add more

[oneshortdamnfuse]

The Duffer’s early characterization of Billy as a racist bully is a problem, and not because Billy didn’t actually say or do anything racist. It’s because their supposed “inspiration” picked from IT (specifically Henry Bowers) and their push for Billy to have more overtly racist lines is not appropriate for the story they were telling. At all. I go back and forth over whether or not it would have been better for Billy to be this one dimensional villain, like Jason Carver was in season 4. However, given the type of story they were telling I am glad that we were given the opportunity to see a “bully” type character who had a backstory that explained his motivations. It added layers to his and Max’s character. It made the fight against the Mindflayer more dramatic and compelling. That being said, as an abuse survivor whose ACE score is an 8, it was still hard to watch and even harder dealing with the fandom fallout that is still stuck in the mindset that Billy is basically the Duffer’s version of Henry Bowers - something they never truly accomplished.

Stranger Thing is not IT, no matter how many nods they try to give to it. IT is inspired by real racist and homophobic violence in a small town. Stranger Things does not touch upon either of those things with any authenticity, and it was never meant to. It doesn’t mean that fans can’t or shouldn’t care about those things. However, there is absolutely no good reason why the Duffers should have been faithful to their original vision of Billy being as overtly racist (using slurs, even) and violent as Henry Bowers because it serves no narrative purpose other than to traumatize characters and vicariously viewers with minimal long term consequence to the plot. This is not IT. They spend more time on this show tormenting abused people than they ever do addressing systemic hate. So fans should not treat it like IT, and they should certainly not treat Billy as another Henry Bowers or act like he’s ever done anything on par with that character’s actions when there is no canon proof of that.

My ongoing problem with the Duffers is that they don’t utilize trauma in a thoughtful way that connects to the overall theme. They are writing a generic good over evil story, which is okay but it’s not what people inflate it to be. Instead trauma is like decoration. You are meant to look at it and maybe it will evoke some feelings but it is just decoration. Stephen King’s IT is not that. Trauma is integral to the plot of the book where an entire town is not made “sick” by supernatural experimentation but rather the systemic hatred and disregard for life that is pervasive in their community. Henry Bowers is symbolic of that hatred in his words and his actions, which is why he becomes a willing pawn of IT unlike Billy who is taken against his will and forced to relive his trauma. For Henry, this union is liberating and exciting. Henry never stops, either. He never backs down. He is unrelentingly racist and homophobic, as opposed to Billy who leaves Max and her friends alone after a single incident. Henry also never feels bad about what he does, unlike Billy who dies apologizing.

Any time fans justify their feelings towards Billy using the Duffer’s words, I can’t take them seriously because their vision re: his characterization was never realized and it’s a good thing it wasn’t. They wouldn’t handle it, and you know how I know? The very scene where he attacks Lucas has minimal narrative consequence despite the way it made fans feel. Like I said, it’s just for decoration. This is not Henry Bowers. This is not IT. They never intended to explore racism in any meaningful way, just like they’re dragging their feet in terms of queer representation four seasons in. It. Is. Just. Decoration. Instead, we got to see fans cheer as they made Billy suffer and die while his trauma was put on full display after doing heinous things against his will. That’s not a villain’s satisfying end. That is a tragedy. It’s extremely sad, and the season 4 finale as well as the overall lack of emotional maturity in this fandom has not only reopened the wound of seeing his trauma mocked but rubbed salt in it with every screenshot of the Duffer’s words that gets reposted.

I cannot reiterate enough that trauma is decoration to the Duffers, which isn’t just evident with Billy but I digress. Yet, some fans hang on to their shallow words like everything they say or suggest is narratively true and fully realized. I can think of no better example of this than when fans say Billy is homophobic because Henry Bowers is homophobic, even though there’s no evidence he is and in fact Billy is called a f****t by his father. Just absolutely no critical thought there. If I don’t stop somewhere I will never shut up about it but to this day it makes me unbelievably angry to see anyone dare make comparisons with IT and Henry Bowers when that’s not what Stranger Things is about no matter how much they borrow aesthetically from Stephen King. Being critical of Billy is fine and encouraged by me, but not when you’re using it to make ridiculous claims or simply justify hating abuse survivors. We’re not all good little survivors who are soft and demure, but we still deserve a chance to heal. You don’t need to be a jerk about people who wanted that for Billy.

[lazybakerart]

FUCK YOU for saying billy wasn’t brave to stand up to the mind flayer. that his sacrifice meant so fucking little. fuck this show.

[billystears]

“I didn’t know if he deserved to be saved.”

What a slap in the face to anyone who relates to Billy’s trauma and hardships. Max’s entire speech was so off putting and infuriating.

That was such a sudden switch up from the letter to Billy, and further implying that he’s an unredeemable monster is so disgusting.

[atomrose-deactivated20230322]

My reaction to hearing Max say Billy didn't deserve to live like he didn't sacrifice himself to save humanity and literally took a beating from his dad every fucking day because he didn't want Max to get abused too:

[reineydraws]

gonna post these pieces of billy and max being like real siblings before i watch vol 2 and it puts any billy is alive theories to rest (or confirms them?! 🤡 lmao)

i imagine these to happen in au where they actually were like real siblings, back in cali, and billy would take max surfing and also take her to rich people's empty pools to skateboard in lol 🛹☀️🏄‍♂️

[billystears]

Max’s entire speech upset me immensely, as someone who deeply relates to Billy’s struggles and his character as a whole.

Watching him stand up for himself, and take on the mind flayer in the midst of mental torture in season 3 meant the world to me, despite it resulting in his death. That moment of bravery honestly taught me many lessons that I insert in my own daily struggles.

He was an 18 year old child, plagued by his past and struggles, longing to find someone who cared while he was used as a pawn by an otherworldly being, and clearly terrified. He was tortured and they say he deserved it?

To hear Max say he didn’t deserve to be saved SHATTERS me. What I hear, is that he didn’t deserve anyone fighting for him. He didn’t deserve anyone defending him, understanding him. He didn’t deserve what he craved all his life. Even in death he was left to fend for himself, against something stronger than him.

Were his past actions okay? No, absolutely not- but any abuse victim, any child, teen, adult, and so forth holding onto any sort of trauma deserves a second chance. We all deserve someone to fight by our side and show us we can turn around, and that we aren’t our past.

Hearing Max say Billy didn’t deserve to be saved, hurt me personally. Hearing that she prayed he DIED, was just weirdly unnecessary. Plus, Disregarding the bond that was clearly there in Dear Billy is annoying. It should’ve been played on a lot more than it was.

Using Billy to further torture Max with her memories is also horrendous. We deserved to see at least ONE scene where they bonded. One moment where the briefest grin was exchanged, because I know there was at least one. Why couldn’t a positive moment be a part of her montage, a moment that pulls her back? Why can’t we be shown that he ISNT just some monster?

He deserved redemption, he deserved more than what we got in the second part, not only for his character, but for everyone who could relate. A moment to show that I deserve to be saved.

[hihuddy]

I swear to god the duffers showed more compassion for vecna and brenner than Billy.

[feerazi]

Spoilers for stranger things s4v2!!

Eddie Munson and Billy Hargrove stans let's put aside our differences and just sob together......

[leporinelou]

fuck you

resurrects and queer codes billy hargrove harder

[bagels-and-coffees]

duffer brothers im in your walls.

[charlie-chick-deactivated202209]

Its a constant battle 😔🤚

[plushedberried]

dacre montgomery addressed me by name today and i’ll never move on 😵‍💫

[iangallagherz]

literally nothing in stranger things will ever be funnier to me than billy sitting poolside in his lifeguard snuggie and his trucker hat w a cup of ice from 711

mans has had it with everything. he's done. he's tired. he's had Enough. he's possessed by an interdimensional shadow creature and yet he's still out here like "let's get this bread ig." honestly iconic