#better things comic

[betterthingscomic]

Day 4 of Billy Hargrove Appreciation Week!

by @billyhargroveappreciationweek

AU day….hahahahhh all I draw is my Stranger Things AU.

Better Things all stemmed from the first dream I had from Eddie’s perspective, where both he and Billy were in summer school together after the events of S3. Higgins, thinking he’s punishing Eddie into some kind of remedial community service, gives him the responsibility of helping Billy get to and from classes, help with note taking, studying, etc. while he recovers from his injuries. If Eddie can’t give a damn about his own grades, maybe helping to be responsible for someone else’s will turn the boat around.

Little does Higgins know that the two of them already have a… *ahem* complicated history, you could say. Not quite friends, not quite nothing though, either. Eddie always felt drawn to him and cares about him. And in the AU, Billy is aware of the supernatural goings ons more than in the canon storyline.

Bla bla bla, a forced proximity type trope develops when Eddie offers to start bringing Billy to and from school as well, since it’s much easier to transport Billy and his chair in a big ass van than in Susan’s little car. And what do you know, that’s the perfect excuse for Eddie to start toting Billy around everywhere— hanging out at the park smoking, back at his trailer to listen to some jams. And woah, now Eddie is suddenly staying over for dinner, staying the night when their movies run too long….

Both of these boys hold such a tender spot in my heart, and this AU really brings out the best parts of their characters that I love to highlight 💚 ❤️

Since it’ll take so long for me to get to this point in the fan comic, I had to indulge myself and try to capture a moment that felt really true to that original dream I had all these years ago.

[betterthingscomic]

Billy Hargrove Appreciation Week Day 5!

by @billyhargroveappreciationweek

I’ve always seen Billy’s life before Hawkins being very lonely. At least in my AU, he was a more average guy. His macho-beautiful-untouchable-man behavior that we see when he rolls up to Hawkins High was a pretty new act.

In San Diego, he spent a lot of his time in what felt like lockdown. Good grades were a must; good behavior was a must. The Hargrove family is military, and boy howdy, none of them can forget it. Anything less than exceptional was punishable in Neil’s eyes. Too bad he still found any old reason to punish him regardless of early bedtimes and straight A’s. When Billy realized nothing he’d do would ever be good enough, maybe around the age of 14/15, he started lying more. Figuring out how to turn off his emotions the best he could and becoming good at it. Sneaking off to the beach when he should have been studying didn’t do much good since there wasn’t anyone for him to share that time with…making friends is hard when everyone sees you as a nerd and a f*g. But being out of his house, getting some breathing room, and observing others living their life was a much welcomed relief anyway.

Some real bad shit happens to Billy before he leaves San Diego. But it’s bad enough that he wonders if he’ll ever step foot in that city again. His memories of that time, and of his old self have become purposely hazy to him. Like a dream. One that you hope you never find yourself having again, to the point you find yourself dreading falling asleep. He has no choice but to try and reinvent himself as a bid to survive. His apathy leads to the act, and the act is what leads him to anger. Becoming something and someone he never wanted to be feels like some penultimate punishment. There’s only one step worse…and he promised someone he’d never take that last step.

[betterthingscomic]

Day 3 of Billy Hargrove Appreciation Week!

by @billyhargroveappreciationweek

Billy’s family is one of the things that really inspires me to create, so I took today to draw a moment from my story that I feel like highlights the changes in Billy’s relationship with them. After Neil runs out on them due to the lab shutting down and being too much of a coward to take care of his disabled kid, the pressure of his abuse and toxic nature of pitting the family against each other is lifted. Finally, they’re free to work through the trauma he caused and find ways to move on and heal together. This happens at the same time as Billy is trying to heal his body after the Battle for Starcourt, and the mental and physical barriers he faces definitely go hand in hand.

He and Max become much closer to how they were as kids. Before Neil’s abuse ramped up even stronger, and they made it a goal to talk to and protect each other. While still teasing each other relentlessly of course. Susan and Billy get to form a relationship for the first time —one where she can actually mother him and nurture his softer side without fear of repercussions. I’d say overall, they all learn how to function better on an individual level, as well as a family unit working together ❤️‍🩹

(Originally I drew Eddie in too since he’s a part of this scene, but removed him so the focus could mostly be on Billy and Max. Let’s just say he ran back to Billy’s room to grab him a blanket or something lol)

[betterthingscomic]

Day 2 of Billy Hargrove Appreciation Week!

by @billyhargroveappreciationweek

Oh man….I think about Billy’s presence in Season 5 all the time, but in the context of my AU I guess the getting there is different and a bit too complicated to explain in a post. 😭

He is one of the Party with powers, so I wanted to try and show a scene of him patching up some of the kids before sending them back out into battle. El and Max tend to be among the main boots on the ground, while Dustin and Lucas run support and long range attacks from the margins. By this point in the story, he’s learned that his healing abilities are even more important than being a tank, and now trusts to leave that part up to El and Eddie.

Didn’t have enough time to paint a background today, but I wanted it to look like they are at one of the properties around Lover’s Lake, as it’s a much more significant location from the beginning in my take :^]

[betterthingscomic]

Realization hit, and Chrissy sat a hand her on Eddie’s shoulder and held his eyes in her gaze. Past his smile all she could see was that mark, dark and demanding of her attention. His face dropped when she ran a thumb along the wound. “This wouldn’t have happened if it weren’t for me. I’m so sorry, Ed.” He only shrugged, that dopey smile back on his face.

“No, it’s not your fault. It’s probably years of hairspray fumes and party drugs melting their already shriveled little popular brains.”

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Get ready for me to be insufferable with blue and red and differing shots of the left and right sides of the body in this arch. The symbolism is all I have in these trying times

[betterthingscomic]

Day 1 of Billy Hargrove Appreciation Week!

By @billyhargroveappreciationweek

I wanted to do a quick doodle of older Billy on his surfboard. In a life that was full of chaos, abuse, and pain, I always liked the inclusion of Billy being a surfer. I feel like it was one of the few opportunities in his life where he could regain some kind of control —navigate that chaos by using his strength. I imagine that brought him a bit of peace.

I recently spent a couple weeks in San Diego, where Billy grew up in my AU. I experienced some truly beautiful and intense beach sunsets there. The colors were truly awesome! After everything in Hawkins is over, Billy gets to go back to California with his loved ones, and even if surfing is much harder after his injuries, I know he’d still find peace going out and paddling around on calm waters, getting to enjoy the sun go down :)

He’s started working on a few tattoos but doesn’t have his sleeves yet lol

[betterthingscomic]

Day 6 of Billy Hargrove Appreciation Week!

by @billyhargroveappreciationweek

Fitting that I got behind on artwork due to plans with our own polycule lol

Drawing Eddie, Chris and Billy together is actually my favorite thing. Mungroveham has my whole heart :’)

This is what their long fought for polycule looks like upon leaving Hawkins. I don’t think Billy envisioned a future where he had a true connection with one person, let alone any more. So when he wakes up one day, all grown up in his house in Shasta, and realizes he’s surrounded by so many lovers and friends, it’s an overwhelming feeling. And while I can’t wait to draw more stuff from that era of Billy’s life, I wanted to capture a sweet moment between him and his anchor partners first :^]

Their graduation isn’t just saying goodbye to school, or to Hawkins and their classmates. It’s more about saying goodbye to the old, conformed versions of themselves. Ones they are leaving behind for something better, more authentic. It’s a proper send off for the people they were when just surviving, before they really start living.

One w/o a background under the cut.

[betterthingscomic]

Eddie lets out another cloud, doing his best to blow it away from Chrissy’s direction. “But I mean, what was I supposed to do? Stick around to see where they’d punch me next?”

“NO, you should have punched back. I know you didn’t start anything.” Chris lets out an exasperated growl, sitting down on Eddie’s legs with so much force that he has to stifle a yelp. “It would be self defense! I don’t understand why you won’t stand up for yourself.”

He flicks the cigarette butt away, not even trying for the ashtray within reach. “All I would’ve punched is my one-way ticket to Higgins’ office on Monday.” He’s right. He knows he’s right and somewhere behind that pout, Chris knows it too if she would face the truth. That as much as they have formed a bond, in the eyes of school, society, The Man, they’ll always be seen inherently with different eyes.

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Well last week was a wash with how many times AO3 was down, and with two birthdays and a death anniversary it was a busy week anyway! Everything is going crazy these days, lots of uncertainty with my schedule for the future but I’m here to keep uploading when I can :^)