YMMV / In a Strange Land

---

• Adorkable:
  • In keeping with the show the whole Party, but especially Dustin whose chapters are littered with references ranging from comics to Star Wars to Lord of the Rings, even when he's under stress.
  • Mr. Clarke is a big nerd who's first thoughts about finding out that alternate dimensions are real and filled with monsters is how it's going to effect various scientific fields. He's also a huge horror fan with almost every movie he references being horror that ranges from Hammer films, to 50's creature features to 80's Body Horror. Imagine Mr. Clarke watching a David Cronenberg film.
  • Steve has his moments- he's genuinely good at and enjoys playing D&D, secretly used to read comics as a kid, and suggests that the argument of whether to call El Jane or El is best solved by 'calling her Jane-El like she's from Krypton.'
    • The fact that he practically squees the first time he sees her use her powers (to lift a jar) and ends up nick-naming her Supergirl.
• Genius Bonus: Steve makes multiple mentions of Jonathan's lack of jealousy in regards to them both being in love with Nancy not working because they 'aren't from Mars'. The title of the fic most likely comes from 'A Stranger in A Strange Land' by Robert Heinlein, about a messiah figure from Mars who espouses the value of polyamorous relationships and a lack of jealousy among his other teachings.
• Heartwarming in Hindsight: Steve notes in the last chapter that one of his first interactions with Dustin was Dustin getting him a Cherry Mash from the hospital vending machine while they were all waiting for Will to wake up in Season 1, with the implication that it was an incredibly weird choice because no one likes them. Rewind to Chapter 8 where Steve gets himself a Cherry Mash from the motel vending machine when he's worried about Dustin.
• Hilarious in Hindsight : Lucas insisting that the broadcast is a Russian number station and Dustin thinking that it's going to be way less cool when they 'inevitably end up the ones that have to fight Russians' is this considering the events of Season 3. Doubles as a Harsher in Hindsight, given that Steve and Dustin's encounter with Russians in the show proper ends with Steve being captured and tortured.