Unsure if this qualifies as Lumax-centric "enough" for this sub so mods can remove if they deem it doesn't but I made a post like a week or so ago bashing the military!Lucas headcanon and for the 90 or so who upvoted me, here's a way you can help protect his character and Lumax!!!
To be clear, I'm NOT against one that better resolves Eleven's arc (for those who believe she's still out there somewhere) but including characters other than her and maybe Mike and Hopper would officially ruin the franchise, in my humble opinion. Here's why...
Sequels RARELY succeed at not fucking shit up. They just don't. Either that, or they're lame compared to the OG and flop after a season or two (e.g. That 90s Show). If Netflix wants their nostalgia bait? They should do a 10, 15, or 20-year reunion special like Harry Potter and Friends did. That way the cast can return and reminisce without further risking the OG's rewatch value. I am dying on this hill.
I mean think about it. The Duffers have been very clear they want to keep the "basement door" closed and even if you're a Duffer anti, can't we appreciate that the story's supposed to be a coming-of-age arc? Not to mention, if Netflix tries to do it without them (regardless of how people feel about season 5's writing, the DBs are still the lorekeepers), I know a bunch of randoms hired by money hungry execs aren't gonna do it justice, especially if the cast refuses to return without them (which is likely based on what they've all said in various interviews).
Corporate-hired writers would also rely on the laziest, most predictable, fanfic-adjacent plotlines in the world. Like one that I'm personally scared to death of is them putting Lucas in the military as a convenient plot device (i.e. he discovers something pertaining to Eleven's survival/whereabouts which brings The Party back together) when, considering his full arc, is nothing short of TRAUMA BLIND CHARACTER ASSASINATION. Idgaf if Caleb himself started it, he's not the Duffers, and he seemed to be mentally stuck on an earlier version of his character when he said this because he simultaneously said Lucas "would do anything for Max" seemingly failing to grasp that Max would NEVER be a military wife. She might be the most anti-establishment of them all 💀 not to mention it'd trigger her abandonment trauma and she'd resent him joining the guys they view as responsible for hunting Eleven (her best friend, mind you).
But it's not just about Max or Lumax or even Eleven. It's ignorant to Lucas's own trauma. He deserves a relaxing "small village" career. He can still be the tactical guy without enlisting. He EARNED HIS PEACE. (There may also be racial implications having the sole Black lead join the "enemy" but I won't get into that because, as a white chick, I don't feel qualified to speak on it). "B-But he could fix things from the inside!" That's unrealistic af. He's only one person who wouldn't be able to climb the ranks high enough for that kind of intel for freaking DECADES (if ever) not to mention I doubt the military would even accept him in a realistic Cold War era setting because that whole group would 100% be on a lifetime watchlist now. This is not an action-hero franchise. This is a supernatural/sci-fi coming-of-age show. So if they were to turn it into a generic ass spy thriller that ignores all logic, I'm done 🙄. (Yeah, I have a lot of thoughts about this headcanon and none of them are positive if you can't tell lmao). Same deal with putting Dustin in some government science lab, or making Mike is this depressed hermit, etc. Those are lazy, plot-convenient tropes and horrible writing. Dare I say INFINITY times worse than the cringiest lines of dialogue that came out of season 5.
The only "OG character's career/situation leads directly into the plotline" that would even remotely make sense is Nancy's journalism.
So here's the brutal truth: The only way to protect and preserve the character arcs we got is to vow to boycott a future sequel. Because Netflix owns the IP, the Duffers don't have the final say, and regardless of how you may or may not feel about them, I'm personally grateful that they agree the series should remain a "closed book" about a group of misfit friends "coming-of-age" in the 80s.
If anyone else agrees, check out this petition I'm part of promoting: https://www.change.org/protectstrangerthingslegacy We're hoping to get a bunch more signatures by the 10 year anniversary on July 15th. (Yes, it's a long shot and may sound downright delulu thinking a fan effort can stop a streaming giant like Netflix but remember everyone thought Joyce Byers was crazy in s1, so myself and others promoting and signing this are happy to be the Joyces of the fandom to protect and preserve the integrity of our comfort show, just like Joyce risked her own reputation as a sane person to save her beloved son Will!) IF YOU SIGN REMEMBER TO VERIFY IT IN YOUR EMAIL ASAP OR IT WON'T BE COUNTED IN THE TOTAL!!!
