Story Raise The Candles High - UDC IX (Stranger Things)

Helper - My favorite of the set simply or the peaceful domestic setting allowing Hopper and Joyce some time together.

Haven - Joyce as mother bear to both of her sons. This had a somber tone, but Joyce as protector came through loud and clear.

Heal - I liked this was a show of solidarity as Billy healed. Nicely done. I can see Lucas asleep in the chair still holding Max's hand.

 

I don't know if I can quite convey how much I appreciate all of your comments and likes and support. Please know it really, truly means a lot, and I am so grateful for all of you. Thank you.

@earlybird-obi-wan As always, I'm so happy to know you enjoyed this set! Thank you so much for reading and for your lovely comments! It means a lot.

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Oh my gosh, you have no idea what that means to me. Thank you so, so much.

@Mira_Jade Thank you so much for not only reading but taking the time to read through all of these and share your thoughts!

Ugh, I know. Hope it's better now!

Thank you so much! I give full credit to the song for inspiring that drabble, and I'm so glad it resonated with you! And that's so cool you've actually seen the Redwoods. I never have, but I've always been so amazed by them.

Thank you! That was a tough one, but food is always a good fallback.

Thank you so much, and I'm so happy you liked it! It was one of those ones that popped into my head pretty much fully formed and all I had to do was write it down and tweak a few things. Mike and El really are meant to be and nothing will ever keep them apart.

Thank you so much! After what they went through there's no way they wouldn't have a bond and be lifelong friends. Especially when El is best friends with Max too.

It really means so much to me to know that you've enjoyed these and they've brightened your world a little bit. Thank you so much, again.

@brodiew Thank you so much! "Helper" was fun to write once I finally came up with it, so I'm so happy you liked it too. I'm glad you liked "Heal" as well!

Thank you! Joyce and her love for her sons is one of my favorite things about the show, so I'm so glad that came across here.

Thank you so much for reading and for your comments!

Thank you again, to all of you and to anyone who's read these.

 

Week 20

*****

Characters: #96. Max/Lucas; #97. Hopper/Joyce; #98. Mike/El; #99. Nancy/Jonathan; #100. Steve/Billy
Genre: All the soft fluffy fluff
Notes: I finished these drabbles maybe a week, or a week and a half ago. I was struggling to come up with anything for this set. And then I finally got these down, and it was another struggle to decide whether or not to post. Because when I look at these I just see something that I wanted to be special, that ended up being more of the same garbage I've been writing all along. Boring pointless fluff that doesn't change anything and doesn't mean anything.

But I know my perspective is definitely skewed these days. And then when I left work today I was flipping through the radio and "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" was on. I've had my satellite radio for almost 8 years and I've never heard that song on any of the channels. I can't remember the last time I heard it on regular radio either.

So. Here's week 20.

Under the spoiler tag I've put together a playlist of all the songs that I've used throughout this challenge for inspiration or background music. There aren't actually many 80s songs, haha. This set in particular was inspired by both the acoustic and original versions of "Candles in the Rain", and "Same Ole Love" by Anita Baker. You don't have to listen to all of these, but please at least check out "Candles in the Rain" (either version). It's a song that has come to mean so much to me, and it's a message I think we all need to hear these days.

Spoiler: Songs

1. Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) (acoustic) by Melanie
2. School by Supertramp
3. Dr. Jones by Aqua
4. Beast of Burden by The Rolling Stones
5. Songbird by Fleetwood Mac
6. Everywhere by Fleetwood Mac
7. Diamonds by Rihanna
8. Stonehenge by Spinal Tap
9. Calling Dr. Love by KISS
10. It's So Easy by Linda Ronstadt
11. Torre de Oro by Johannes Linstead & Nicholas Gunn
12. Heaven Meets Earth by Johannes Linstead
13. La Lunada by Johannes Linstead
14. Rhyme of the Ancient Forest by Johannes Linstead & Nicholas Gunn
15. Morning Star by Johannes Linstead & Nicholas Gunn
16. Just Dance by Lady Gaga
17. I'm Eighteen by Alice Cooper
18. Stairway To Heaven by Led Zeppelin
19. The Promised Land by Bruce Springsteen
20. I Will Play A Rhapsody by Burton Cummings
21. Ordinary Day by Vanessa Carlton
22. Same Ole Love by Anita Baker
23. Lay Down (Candles in the Rain) by Melanie & The Edwin Hawkins Singers

Thank you so much to everyone who's shared this journey with me, especially @earlybird-obi-wan and @WarmNyota_SweetAyesha. It truly means more than I can put into words. Thank you again, and I hope you enjoy this final set.

*****

Lay down, lay down, lay it all down
Let your white birds smile up at the ones who stand and frown

So raise the candles high, cause if you don't we could stay black against the night
Oh raise them higher again
And if you do, we could stay dry against the rain - "Lay Down (Candles in the Rain)" by Melanie & The Edwin Hawkins Singers

*****

96. Archeology

Max snatches the photo strip from Lucas. He's making bunny ears and she's giving him the finger, they're making stupid faces, they're laughing, and finally they kiss.

"You can keep them," Lucas says.

"Fine, whatever," Max says, shoving it in her pocket.

But when she gets home she takes a shoebox from her closet.

Inside there's a tiny stuffed shark, a garishly bright scrunchie from El, a picture of her and her dad at the zoo. Another picture of her clutching her first skateboard. Letters, cards, snapshots of her life.

She smooths out the photo strip and lays it down.

97. Museum

Her fridge used to display her boys' artwork, an A on a test, or a report from the prize-winning science project.

Now there are newspaper clippings of Jonathan's photos, a couple sketches Will gave her last time he was home, and a postcard from El's most recent trip to California.

They'd surprised her and Hop last Christmas with a framed photo collage featuring a mix of carefully posed portraits and candid moments. It's hanging in the hallway next to one of Will's paintings.

Even hundreds of miles away the kids feel close.

She snuggles next to Hopper and sighs contentedly.

98. Dog

"I had a good time," El says.

"Good." Mike smiles. "That's good. Me too."

Their breath mists in the cold air. After a couple hours of dancing in a packed gym it's invigorating.

They're far enough away from the doors that the noise from the dance is muted. Even with the parking lot lights, Orion and his faithful dog are clearly visible overhead.

"El," Mike says, then pauses.

"Yes?"

"I, uh - " Mike takes a deep breath. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mike," El says.

Her smile shines brighter than Sirius as their lips meet in a gentle kiss.

99. Junior

Nancy takes a deep breath and smooths her blouse.

She's meeting her new intern today. Her first intern.

She wants to do more than give career advice.

She wants to offer the encouragement and support her mother never got, that first Barb and then Jonathan have always given her.

She wants to teach her to be herself, to fight for truth and justice, to trust her instincts and never back down when she knows she's right.

"Go get 'em, Nance," Jonathan says, his eyes meeting hers in the mirror as he hugs her.

He kisses her cheek, and she smiles.

100. Scar

At first Steve's disappointed that he's back in Hawkins and his parents are away.

But he can't stay sad.

Not when he and Billy are spending the Fourth of July weekend with friends who've become family.

Not when Dustin runs into his arms shouting "STEVE!" with a huge smile.

Not when Joyce hugs them both, asks how life is on the West Coast, tells them she's happy they could come.

Not when he's holding Billy close during the fireworks and even closer later.

Not when Hawkins is far behind them, and there's an open road ahead, and they're going home.

 

Congratulations on completing these. Gentle, loving everyday moments, the best kind for treasuring!!

 

Congrats on finishing and the last set was just beautiful with the inspiring words

 

@WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Thank you so much for your kind comments and all of your support!

@earlybird-obi-wan Thank you so much for your lovely comments and for sticking with me and my fluffy little world through this entire challenge!

Once again, I really do appreciate your readership, and it really does mean a lot to me. Thank you.

 

Excellent set, amidalachick! I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but your writing really captures 'the slice of life' aspect. While sometimes I feel like I have to keep it light or dark, your writing offers a peace in their future, free of monsters and pain. I like it. A lot. Excellent work. Archaeology and Museum were my favorites of this set.

Keep your chin up about production. I'm feeling a bit of a drought myself, but you'll get there. So will I. I think it might be time to return to Hawkins.

 

I'm sorry I haven't replied sooner. Everything - writing, reading, commenting, replying to comments - is a struggle still but I truly do appreciate your readership and comments more than words can say.

@brodiew Thank you so much! "Archaeology" and "Museum" were the toughest ones to figure out, so I'm so happy you liked them in particular. And thank you for the encouragement! All the best with your writing, too, and I hope to read more from you soon.

@Mira_Jade Thank you so much for reading and for your lovely, detailed comments! It means so, so much to me that you enjoyed these. Thank you.

Once again, to everyone who's read/liked/commented, it really means a lot. Thank you.