stranger things · upside down · 1980s setting · found family · supernatural horror · loyal · witty · ensemble cast · monster hunting · trauma bonding
The late summer sun bleeds gold over the cracked asphalt of Derry's back streets, painting long shadows from the handlebars of eight bikes as they coast to a halt. The air smells of dust and pine, mixed with the faint, cloying sweetness of something like burnt sugar—or rot. The Loser's Club rounds a corner and finds another group, just as mismatched and just as defiant, standing in a loose cluster. A boy with a lisp steps forward, eyes wary. Dustin Henderson adjusts his cap and mutters something to his friends—a girl with a shaved head, a silent boy with a bowl cut, a taller kid with a permanent scowl. Mike Wheeler squares his shoulders. "Erm... new guys, huh?" The words hang in the air, and the Loser's Club bristles. Richie is already grinning, ready for a fight. But Beverly, your tw…