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Stranger things theory time (bit of a stretch)

!Spoiler warning!

Ok so I’m sure you’ve probably seen memes about the doom of “B” named characters. (barb, benny, bob, billy, brenner I guess) I have a theory. Some of the main deaths over the 4 seasons have been barb, bob, billy, alexei, Chrissy, Fred, and Eddie. What do we notice here? A, B, C, E, and F so unless we’re counting Doris Driscoll, there hasn’t been a D name yet. Now I’m not saying they’re going to kill Dustin, (because they just took Eddie from him and haven’t given him much screen time so far anyway.) but I think someone who’s name starts with D might die in season 5.

It’s a stretch of a theory but….

I've just learned that there's only a 5 year age gap between Joe Keery and Alec Utgoff and it made me suddenly even more sad about Alexei in season 3 because what if Alexei was also only 5 years older than Steve, about 23-24

Adds more fuel to the statistic that you're way more likely to die as a named character in Stranger Things if you're under the age of 25 (Barb, Sara, the 16 kids in the lab, Alice Creel, Billy, Alexei, Heather, Chrissy, Patrick, Eddie, Fred, Jason and technically Max too)

House of the filthy, house not a home House of destruction where the lurkers roamed House that belonged to all the homeless kids Kids of the black hole

The point of Canon Divergence for punk!Steve: his first encounter with the Upside Down was nearly fatal. A lot harder to ignore the ghost in your pool when you have a scar that reminds you of it 24/7.

[Image description: Realistic two-tone drawings consisting of two parts. First: Steve is standing before a mirror, hunched over. One of his hands is on the mirror, the other is holding scissors. He's looking down at the scissors, glaring tiredly. There's a scar left by a Demogorgon's bite, wrapped around his right arm, right half of his chest, reaching up to his neck. The ghost of Barb is standing behind him. The word 'BULLSHIT' is written in red on the mirror. Second: Steve is cutting his hair. One hand is covering his neck, the other is holding the scissors, mid-snip. He has a sidecut now. His eyes are closed, his expression less severe.]

Shot In The Dark

Fandom: Stranger Things

Pairing: Steve Harrington x Original Female Character

Summary: Claire Douglas is new to Hawkins, leaving her hometown in Ohio after the death of her uncle. She just wanted a fresh start, away from the tragedy of her life. However, when a little boy goes missing and her new friend Barbara disappears, she is forced into a world that she had no business being in. Throw in a boy who started out as the worst person, and a group of kids including her next-door neighbor, trying to save the world, her life couldn't get any more hectic.

Chapter 1

November 5, 1983

She sat in the bay window, her back against the wall her knees bent as her chestnut irises scanned the pages of her new novel. Rain droplets raced down the cold glass of the window, leaving a gloomy air around her. On any other day, Claire would be dressed in her usual jeans and jacket out in the backyard shooting countless arrows into the handmade target that she spent her spring break crafting. It was her one true happy place.

Feeling the soft edge of the fletching on her cheek, holding a drawn bow with a firm controlled grasp. Control. As long as she had her bow she had control. Control of her actions, her mind…her feelings. When she was without her bow, her mind seemed to wander to darker places than it needed. Her emotions tended to bubble over causing her to panic and feel unnerved by everything around her. Her actions became impulsive and chaotic. With her bow she could breathe, something she hasn’t been able to do well since she lost the first person in her life. Her father.

She didn’t know him well, as she was only 4 when he died but she still remembered the small things he did with her. Like reading to her, or even singing to her. She could remember his deep voice as he sang, which her mom said always made him sound like Elvis. She remembered how he would pick her up and dance with her and her mom telling them that they were the two most beautiful people in his life. Claire would giggle and hug him as her mom blushed with a bright loving smile on her face. She also remembers the day he had to leave. He had kneeled down in front of her tiny confused body, with tears in his deep brown eyes. Something she got from him. He had placed a kiss on her forehead and told her that no matter what happened that she was his princess and she had to help the queen take care of the castle while he was gone. He had hugged her and whispered an ‘I love you’ into her ear.

That was the last time she ever saw him. Her mom was broken on that day, she had lost a big piece of her heart. Claire had also lost a piece of herself that day, although she didn’t understand it until the day she had also lost her mother. The second person in her life. An uncurable monster had stolen yet another important person from her. On that day, Claire began to become lost. Out of control, scared and angry. Mostly at the world. Yet, there was always a tiny dark voice in the back of her mind that told her that they were taken because of her. No matter how untrue it was, she couldn’t help but believe it. 

Her Uncle Johnny had immediately shot down any of those dark thoughts in her head. He had come into her room one afternoon, a smile on his face as he told her he had a surprise for her. Claire had been confused, she hadn’t done anything to deserve a gift. On that day, her uncle introduced her to archery. Although he had used it to hunt, he thought it would be good for her to have a hobby. A hobby that required extreme discipline and control.

“With Archery you learn how to focus and breathe, you learn control.” He had taught her everything he knew, and from that day on it was the only thing that kept her sane. Everything was good after that. She had learned to breathe. She had learned to smile again. Claire would spend her weekends in the woods shooting her bow. When she was 10 her rich neighbor taught her how to ride a horse. She had used it as an opportunity to teach herself a new skill. Hitting a moving target.

The phone ringing beside her broke her out of her train of thought, pulling her attention away from the book she had stopped reading about 20 minutes ago. She grabbed the phone, pulling the cord taut as she answered.

“Douglas residence.”

“Oh hey, Claire, it’s Barbara I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping me and Nancy, she keeps obsessing over finding a top to wear for Steve.” Barbara chimed through the line, a hint of annoyance to her voice at the mention of Nancy Wheeler’s new boyfriend. Steve Harrington was far from the ideal human. He was rude and a bit of a playboy. He made Claire want to rip her hair out. Not to mention his friends were both a bunch of stuck-up assholes. 

“Do I have to?”

“No, but I would like for you to come.” Claire smiled at this. Although Nancy seemed nice, and she was, she had a tendency to make everything revolve around her. Granted Claire hadn’t known her as long as Barb had, but she still had a lot to learn about the girl that everyone seemed to think was perfect. Barb on the other hand only cared about others. She had been the one to ask Claire if she wanted to be their friend the day that she became a new face in Hawkins Indiana. Claire wasn’t really looking for friends, but she was glad to have them.

“Fine, are you driving?” Claire hated being in a car, and she sure as hell refused to drive one. 

“Of course.”

“Okay, I’ll be ready in 10,” Claire stated. She wasn’t a fan of going out, especially not with friends, she much preferred to be alone. Claire got up from the bench stretching her stiff muscles with a small groan. She trudged to her bedroom heading straight to the closet. Claire thought for a moment, her finger tapping the tip of her nose as she contemplated what to wear. Usually it wasn’t a hard decision, Claire normally planned her outfits ahead of time, but she hadn’t planned to leave the house today. With a loud sigh she grabbed a pair of light denim jeans, a teal and cream stripped sweater and her black high-top converse. 

“Why am I going again?” She questioned herself as she pulled on the jeans with a huff. She shuffled into the sweater, tucking the front of it slightly under the waistband. She put her shoes on tying the laces before heading to the bathroom. Claire usually left her long curly dark hair alone. Allowing it to fall naturally over her shoulders. She didn’t really bother with make up either, only choosing to add a little mascara to her lashes. She didn’t like being in the spot light, so why bother with her appearance.

A loud car horn sounded from outside, breaking Claire from her mirror staring contest, she spayed on a simple perfume before running back to her bedroom, to grab her bag and her walkman. She swiped one of the many mixtapes off of her bookshelf as she left her room.

Her Aunt was sitting at the dinning table sipping on a cup of coffee, solving a crossword puzzle from the paper. Claire looked over her Aunts shoulder at the last riddle on the page. I am so simple, that I can only point, yet I guide men all over the world. Claire smiled as she watched her aunt rack her brain for the answer.

“It’s a compass, auntie.” Claire abruptly spoke, causing her aunt to jump only slightly. Claire laughed as she gave her aunt a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Oh Claire, I hate when you do that,” Her aunt grumbled as he scribbled down the answer to the puzzle.

“Do what? Solving the puzzle or scaring you?” Claire smiled at her aunts grumpy face, giggling slightly as she shot Claire a glare.

“Both, now where might you be going?”

“With Barb and Nancy, shopping, is that okay?” Claire looked for approval however she only hoped that her aunt would say no. But to her dismay, she only agreed, telling her to be home by eight. Claire nodded, heading to the front door. She grabbed her rain coat slipping it on and running out the door to Barbara’s car. She swung open the door to the backseat climbing in quickly to avoid the rain.  Barb watched her from the driver’s seat, with a smile. 

“Hey, sorry I dragged you out of the house in the rain, but you know how persistent Nance is.” Barbara apologised, something she did often when things seemed to inconvenience other people. Something she did on Nancy’s behalf. 

“Barb, it’s okay, although I would have preferred to stay home reading my book.”  Barbara laughed at Claire’s obvious disapproval of this particular outing, shifting the car back in reverse. Claire sat in the middle of the back seat buckled in tightly as she loaded her tape of choice into her walkman. She always did this. Distracting herself from her obvious fear of moving vehicles. Ever since the crash, Claire had anxiety when being in a car with anyone. So, she chose to block it out. It was the other thing that kept her mind at ease when she didn’t have her bow.

The Wheeler house came into view, and Nancy came running out of her house. When the door swung open Claire removed her headphones, only to hear her sigh of frustration. Barb and Claire greeted her with a smile as she slipped into the seat. 

“Claire, I didn’t think you would want to come.” Nancy gave a look to Barb as if to ask why she was there. This elicited an eye roll from Claire. She knew that Nancy wasn’t really a fan of her, mostly because Claire had a tendency to be a smart ass, but also because she didn’t really know Claire that well. Claire was a mystery to her, she was a mystery to everyone. She wasn’t a fan of opening up to people. Spilling her heart out meant caring for people and she had lost too many people that she cared about. 

“I only came because Barb begged me, as much as I don’t like steve, shopping might be fun.” At this Nancy smiled, claire however knew it was only because she mentioned the boy who had grabbed her undivided attention. Barbara shook her head at the girl beside her before getting back on the road to head into town. 

***

“What about this?” Nancy held up a top that was a bit revealing. It was lavender with an intricate lace pattern on the back. The sleeves were long but it was obvious that they were meant to sit off the shoulders. Claire and Barbara gave each other a look giggling at her, innocent face. Claire snatched the top from her hands placing it back on the rack.

“Sorry Nance, but you are not Carol,” Claire joked, spinning the girl around by her shoulders and pushing her towards another clothing rack. Nancy laughed, feigning offense looking back at her two friends. Barbara looked shocked at Claire’s comment but laughed all the same. The three continued to search the boutique, Barb and Claire both finding things that they liked as well. As Claire ran her fingers over the soft cotton of a graphic T-shirt, Barbara struck a conversion with her. 

“Do you think he actually likes her?” Barbara seemed hurt by the idea that she might lose her best friend to an idiot like Steve Harrington. Even though Claire hadn’t been in Hawkins for very long, she knew of the “King Steve” reputation that he boasted in. She couldn’t help to worry about Nancy, even if the girl didn’t seem to enjoy her company. However, Nancy was smart she could make her own decisions and judgements about the resident playboy.

“I don’t know, maybe.” Claire replied pulling a shirt from the rack, inspecting the design. Claire eyed the taller girl to her right with curiosity. One thing Claire had learned over the years was to read people’s body language, and looking at Barb it was obvious something was bothering the red head.

“Why do you look like that?” Claire hadn’t meant for it to sound rude but it did. Barb whipped her head around raising an eyebrow at Claire. 

“Look like what?”

“I don’t know like you lost your best friend, Nancy may be dating the school douche bag, but she won’t leave you behind.” Claire truly meant the words she spoke, although it was hard to speak for the other girl whom she had only known for about 7 months. 

“I hope you’re right.” Barb whispered looking down at her hands. Claire couldn’t agree more.

“Hey, guys what about this one?” Nancy skipped over with a cute white and read sweater. It was low cut but not too revealing. Claire and Barb nodded with smiles on their faces, causing Nancy to giggle in happiness. The girls paid for their items and headed home. Barb dropped off Nancy first and then continued her way to Claire’s house. The rain had stopped, easing a bit of Claire’s anxiety. The two sat in silence aside from the music playing on Claire’s walkman. 

Claire’s house came into view and she began putting away her walkman, alerting Barb.

“I had fun today, we should all do it again sometime.” Barbara smiled at Claire, who only nodded with a small smile.

“Yeah maybe,” Claire unbuckled the seatbelt as barbara parked the car, going to open the door.

“Hey Claire, you know… you know you can talk to me right. I’m your friend and I want you to trust me.” This took Claire by surprise, she was unsure of what prompted this sudden outburst of friendship, but she appreciated it none the less. 

“Yeah I know, thanks Barb.” Claire smiled a warm smile, finally climbing out the car and heading into the house. Truth be told, neither Barbara or Nancy really knew much about her, other than the fact that she lived with her aunt, and she was into archery, music and books. She didn’t talk much and when she did it was usually with sarcasm. 

A curly headed little boy had caught claire’s attention as she walked up the front steps. His bushy hair was pushed down by a red, white, and blue cap and he shot her a sweet gummy grin. The Henderson boy. He was always so sweet and curious about his new really pretty neighbor. He liked to watch her shoot her bow, and even got excited enough to talk to her about it. He thought that she was cool and even thought to ask if she wanted to play dungeons and dragons with his friends. Claire found the boy sweet and kinda funny with his references to lord of the rings and the hobbit when he first saw her shoot her bow and hit dead center in a target. 

“Hi Claire!” Dustin waved as he walked his bike down his drive way. Claire smiled at the younger boy saluting him as he road off down the road. She shook her head as the sound of him yelling into his walkie faded in the cold fall air. She sigh as she walked back into the house the looming feeling a exhaustion suddenly washing over her. She had fun shopping with the girls, laughing and gossiping. It was a feeling she missed from back home. 

After the accident, Claire had shut down, she pushed people away. However, it didn’t take much considering the people around her weren’t really her friends. They had all ditched her the day she got into the accident, not even bothering to come see her in the hospital. So, she stuck to herself. Until, Barbara Holland and her were assigned partners for a history project. She had gotten to know the quiet girl and decided what would be the harm in trying to find friends in this new small town.

However, she wasn’t sure why she agreed, and she certainly had no clue how long it would last.