lillie98

[lillie98]

Eddie pauses, his fingers stilling against his guitar strings. Steve makes a questioning noise, but doesn't move from where he's sitting on the ground, back against the log and his head still resting against Eddie's knee. And for a long moment, Eddie does nothing, so caught up in it all this—this life they've managed to scrap together.

They're thirty-eight, and they own a house, one with a big back yard perfect for a fire pit, a fence and a dog. Last spring a storm had blown down their oak tree, and Steve had rolled the trunk of it over to make seating, the rest firewood. On clear nights, they light a fire and sit next to the flames, and Eddie will play his guitar. And they're far enough out of town that the stars stretch endless, beautiful in the night sky above them.

That's the kind of night they're having now. And it's not what Eddie used to dream of—bars and stages and stadiums of fans. It's not his uncle's trailer and dealing drugs that Eddie thought he'd have to resign himself to. It's not even orange jumpsuits and prison bars, like he was scared of.

Eddie sets his guitar down, resting it against his seat. Steve finally looks up, brown eyes a little sleepy, and a lot content.

It's the kind of night that Eddie never even thought to want.

"Dance with me?" Eddie asks. He watches a slow smile stretch Steve's face. He's gorgeous, painted in campfire light.

"Getting sappy in your old age, Munson?" Steve says, even as he takes Eddie's hand and lets him haul him to his feet.

They fall into each other easily, because they do it every day—arms around waists, shoulders. Cold noses against an ear. Lips kissing lips. They know exactly how to fit themselves together, where their pieces meet and the edges line up perfectly. They sway there in the darkness behind their home, fire-warmed and holding each other. There is nothing but the crackle of the burning logs, the wind in the trees, the crickets and the night birds calling.

"Perfect," Eddie murmurs.

"Hm?" Steve hums, his fingers playing with the ends of Eddie's hair. He presses a kiss to Eddie's neck as they turn a little circle, dancing. "What is?"

"You," Eddie says. "This. Everything. I love this."

He can feel Steve's smile against his skin, knows with out seeing all happy shine of Steve's eyes, his scrunch of his nose, the dimples and the shape of his teeth. He's perfect, and he'll always be perfect to Eddie.

"You, too," Steve whispers. "I love this, too."

[lillie98]

Reminder: Will Byers, Lucas Sinclair, and Dustin Henderson are all visibly different. They're bullied because their respective sexuality, race, and physical condition make them outsiders. They're not bullied because of Mike.

Mike is someone who's different because of his interests. These interests allow him to associate with other "nerds and freaks". Unlike his peers, Mike has the luxury to hide what makes him different, granting him the opportunity to "enjoy" the prototypical, white middle class, suburban lifestyle laid out for him. Whether that path will lead to his happiness is another thing (that the writers will answer in S5).

Mike struggles to live his life truthfully, in spite of and because of his visibly different friends. While he values their differences and sees them as strengths, he's also keenly aware of how it makes them a target.

He saw bullies mock Will for being "a fairy" when Will's death was announced. He heard Will being called "Zombie Boy" which is an epithet referring to AIDS as much as Will's undead escapades. He saw Max's step-brother assault Lucas for being Black. He heard bullies call Lucas "Midnight". He heard bullies call Dustin "Toothless," and he'll soon witness the aftermath of Dustin being beaten for not forsaking the Hellfire Club.

Like Mike said in S3, "We're not kids anymore". He's grown to understand that being different is dangerous. These differences come with real threats that are just as scary, if not scarier, than the supernatural ones the party fights.

Please don't trivialize the struggles of the other party members. Their struggles are significant to the essence of the show, as well as more visible than Mike's, which makes overlooking them deeply ironic.

[lillie98]

El is bullied for the specific things that Will is insecure about...

+ Will is nearly always there to witness it.

The first sign of bullying we see towards El is in regard to her perceived immaturity. The bullies giggle as she shows a squirrel named "Mr. Fibbly".

Will had an entire story line last season about how his friends are growing up while he wants to hold onto his childhood. This obviously connects with his sexuality too, which is alluded to during El's presentation as well. We see him rejecting the advances from the girl sitting next to him right before the bullies giggle at El. It's connected.

El is later laughed at when she attempts to use her powers but fails.

Will knows exactly what it's like to feel... powerless...

El is called a "snitch", all while Will has been fearful about being truthful of who he is, what he's been through, as well as being afraid of being "a spy".

Being called a "freak".

Being called a "baby".

While Will was bullied relentlessly for being gay...

El is bullied for... having a boyfriend?

And finally, El is bullied for having a broken home and an absent father... notice how they didn't emphasize the fact that her father is dead but just the fact that he isn't present?

[lillie98]

February 4th…

It’s solitaire’s death and sprolden kiss day guys🤗🤗

[lillie98]

I just had an incredible thought. So, we already know Mike leaves the script/book/etc. at Will’s grave, but what happens next? Well, the answer hit me like a ton of bricks:

Matt and Ross, a younger version of themselves, walk through the cemetery and stumble across a simple grave. A headstone with some small flowers and a hand-typed book. STRANGER THINGS written on the cover. It’s old and worn, but still in generally good condition. They ponder it, read a few pages, and realize they’re holding the story of the boy lying beneath their feet. Except, in this version, the boy—and his best-friend-turned-lover—survive. They heard about the Byers boy and his best friend, Mike Wheeler, but it’s been decades since they died—six months apart. Now, it’s 2010 and the world has moved on from AIDS, but homophobia still runs rampant and today’s youth have forgotten their elders. Matt and Ross have not only found their next project, but the story that will change the world. A way to make Will Byers and Mike Wheeler the heroes they were always meant to be, even for just one day.

I was rewatching Stranger Things Season 2, Episode 4 (Will the Wise) and I noticed something. Will’s map looks an awful lot like something I’d seen before, not just because I’m rewatching it. 😝When I looked at the completed map, I couldn’t help but notice it looked like veins—long, branching, blue tunnels racing through the body to provide blood and oxygen. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before, but it makes so much sense.

I’ve had a theory for a while now that Will’s blood is the answer to destroying the Upside Down, and this discovery proves it. Will describes the Mindflayer’s attack as “growing, spreading, killing, [Will] felt it everywhere.” He says he feels [MF] in his house and inside himself. The vines Will draws are described as tunnels beneath Hawkins, spreading their deadly poison to unsuspecting people. What if all of Hawkins, Will’s house, the pumpkin patch, everything, is a metaphor for Will’s mind/body. Stay with me here.

If the house represents Will’s mind/body and the tunnels are his veins, what’s inside them? What’s doing the growing, spreading, and killing? HIV. Somehow, perhaps from Lonnie or Vecna (Season 1), or perhaps en utero, Will contracted HIV, he just doesn’t know it. He doesn’t have the words to communicate what he feels, so he describes it as something racing through his body, slowly killing him. While HIV is well-researched and manageable today, it was not so in the 1980s. HIV was new, potent, and extremely caustic. People (mostly young, gay men) died from AIDS (late-stage HIV) by the thousands. There was no effective treatment and medications like Prep didn’t come onto the market until 2012! HIV was a death sentence, seen as shameful and disgusting thanks in large part to its connection with the LGBTQ+ community.

According to the CDC, (https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html ) HIV has three main stages

1) Acute HIV

The person is recently infected, highly contagious, and may experience flu-like symptoms. It’s important to get checked when this happens so you don’t inadvertently infect others!

2) Chronic HIV

The person has had HIV for a while and may show less symptoms. Their viral load (how much HIV in in their blood) changes based on whether they take their medication. Proper medication management significantly reduces the chances of spreading HIV to partners.

3) AIDS (Late-Stage HIV)

AIDS is terminal. Most people live about three years once they reach this stage. People with AIDS risk getting “opportunistic infections” Aka: germs they can’t fight off with their destroyed immune system.

Looking at this information, I estimate Will to be in Stage Two. I believe he was first infected before he was rescued in the Upside Down (see slug down his throat—remind you of anything?)

He throws up, seems awfully pale afterwards, and stays in the hospital for a while. The HIV (or Upside Down equivalent) was introduced to his system and it made him incredibly ill. Now, come Season 2, Will’s been home for a year and his body has adjusted to this illness. He doesn’t like talking about it, but it affects him everyday in the form of his visions. His viral load changes based on whether or not he’s having visions and comes to a head during the exorcism. Black veins cover his head and neck as he reaches out to attack his own mother.

There’s also a chance Will contracted HIV en utero and could link back to Hopper and his Agent Orange experience in Vietnam. We know many of Hopper’s friends who served with him had children born with various disabilities, so it could make sense Will was born with HIV (along with El since I prescribe to the Will and El are twins separated at birth theory). I also believe Hopper NOT Lonnie is Will/El’s biological father, making this theory much more plausible. Hopper said he knew the risks of trying to conceive with his Agent Orange exposure, but his wife wanted children so badly that he did it anyway. The scene with Will attempting to strangle Joyce could be the writers’ way of illustrating the pain that comes from getting an illness you did not control. He was punishing her, in a sense, for forcing him to live with this incurable condition.

Now, going back to the map, what does this mean for Season 5? Well, I believe Will’s blood will be the key to stopping the Upside Down. I’m not sure exactly what that will look like, but it will be incredibly dramatic and fulfilling. We know from Season 1 that Demogorgons are attracted to blood, so maybe they use Will’s blood to lure the Demogorgons somewhere and kill them? That would be cool! Either way, Will’s blood is important and he was drawing VEINS in the house—illustrating the Upside Down and HIV quickly taking over his life, threatening to kill him. Closing the Gate equals succumbing to the disease, and the exorcism is him fighting for his life.

Ps: Vines (how Hopper describes Will’s drawings) and Veins have the same letters. Just leaving that here

[lillie98]

Enamored with an Eddie who comes back from the Upside Down completely changes and turns to writing as his only solace, eventually turning it into a successful career.

When Eddie had realized that the grate wasn't closed properly and the bats started swarming, when he saw the fear in Dustin's eyes as they quickly lost control of he situation, he had been well and truly prepared to die. Part of him, privately, was hoping to die.

The town was out for his blood, his friends hadn't even come to the trailer park to check on him, and despite what he said, he knew 86' was not going to be his year. Not even close. At least if he died in the Upside Down, he died as a hero. Not a failed rockstar, or a high school dropout, or as another victim of Hawkin's endless bloodthirsty for anyone outside of their preconceived ideas of "normal". Not a mirror image of Al Munson.

So when he wakes up in the Hospital, bedridden and dehydrated, it doesn't feel like a victory.

When Dustin comes in to see him, positively bursting at the seams with excitement at Eddie's long-awaited return to consciousness, Eddie can't say a word. He has to watch as the light in his too-wise eyes dims as Eddie just stares. He's trying, he's trying so fucking hard, to say anything, but the words have dried up.

All Eddie can think about is the lack of anything worthwhile waiting for him out in the big, scary world. He's missing the pinky on his left hand, and the corresponding elbow has been chewed to bits. Even through the opioids, he's aware of an odd painful tingling that screams nerve damage. He knows that he'll never play again, and if he does it will never be worth anything to anyone. He's not going to graduate, the one thing Wayne always wanted for him. The one thing that has always kept him going despite how much the world has tried to bury his head in the sand has been taken from him, his excitement to get out into the world.

When Eddie looks out the window in his hospital room, all he can think about is how badly it wants to swallow him up and spit him back out.

Dustin has to be dragged out of the room by Steve and Robin as Eddie's silence seems to make him hysterical. He's screaming at Eddie, mad and desperate and sad.

Eddie doesn't see him for a week. When he comes back he's sheepish but determined, carrying a load of books under his arm. Eddie still won't say a word, but Dustin sits by his bedside and reads out loud until his voice is hoarse. Tolkien, Le Guin, Pratchett. He ends every visit by taking his hand, squeezing it tight, and telling him he's glad he's alive. Eddie can't agree with him, but he's grateful that doesn't stop him from saying it.

Wayne is faithfully by his bedside. He doesn't say much, content in Eddie's silence the same way he was in the midst of the endless chatter. He holds his hand, brushes his hair, turns the TV to all his favorite channels, and settles in for the long haul the same way he always has. Eddie doesn't know what he would do without him.

The rest of the monster fighting crew are in and out. Steve is there the most, standing in a corner with his arms crossed near the door during Dustin's visits. He never says much, but Eddie thinks Steve might understand him the best. He thinks back to those moments in the Upside Down.

"Don't be cute"

"Please be safe"

"we are noooot heroes"

"We'll try our best"

"Steve...make him pay"

"I'm scared, please but I'll keep him safe"

When Steve looks his way, it feels like someone is hearing him, hearing how loudly he's screaming in his head.

He's in the hospital for five months and not once during that time does he breathe a single word. He feels hallowed out in a way that's foreign to him, like a great void has taken the place of organs, veins, and muscles and left him cold and stiff.

When he gets home, a new but almost identical trailer sitting in the same plot as the last one, he's far from better. He's weak, and sore, and tired to the bone. Wayne has to go back to work, no two ways about it, so Eddie spends his days wasting away on the couch. Dustin is back at school, leaving long stretches of time where Eddie is alone with his void and the sound of him screaming into it, so he turns to his books.

Only there are only so many books in his possession and even if he wanted to leave his house, a feat that seems insurmountable in his current condition, so he turns to his notebooks.

At first, it's just reems and reems of sloppy-looking screams. He tries to make them as loud and angry looking as the voice in his head. His hand aches, weak from damage and disuse, but when he's done his throat feels just a little looser. Like maybe that void just got a little smaller.

That's how Steve finds him, sitting on the couch huffing like he just ran a marathon, surrounded by pages and pages of frantic writing. He's been coming by once a day, usually for an hour or two after work, to sit with Eddie and hang out. Eddie is pretty sure Wayne asked him to, but he honestly doesn't care. Steve is a little more chatty in the confines of the trailer when it's just the two of them, and Eddie craves the presence of someone who gets it.

Steve takes in the scene, gives a low whistle, and asks if Eddie feels a little better getting that all out. Eddie still can't talk, kind of hoped for a moment there that he would, but when all he does is nod Steve still gives him that annoyingly charming smile and a firm pat on the back with a wide, warm hand.

And, well, Eddie doesn't think he's ok, but for the first time in a long time, he thinks maybe he will be.

After that, it's like something is unlocked. He spends almost all day every day writing away in his notebooks. They used to be for songs and campaigns, but even the thought of music and DnD makes him feel like he's going to be sick, so instead he writes stories.

Eddie has always loved to spin a tale. As a child, his mom would make up stories of knights and princesses, bards and bakers, peasants and children, love and life. When she died, Eddie wrote as many as he could remember in a book that sits proudly on his shelf. He can't bring himself to crack it open, crack himself open, when he's already so vulnerable, but the act of building a narrative makes him feel closer to her.

He writes stories about a young alchemist falling in love in a foreign land. A scribe reluctantly taking up with a rouge knight until she reaches a more accepting kingdom. A princess working to expose the crimes of her kingdom.

A handsome prince abdicating the throne to fight on the side of the rebels.

A disgraced bard finding his way home.

Day by day, page by page, the void gets smaller.

The first person he shares his writing with is Dustin. The younger boy spends all Saturday at the trailer with Eddie, chattering away about Suzey, the Party, school, and all the things a kid his age should be worried about. He never asks what he's writing, which probably means Steve warned him not to, which Eddie can't help but appreciate.

Eddie wordlessly hands him a notebook. The one he's been filling for the better part of the last two weeks. Dustin takes it with eager hands, flipping through pages until his eyes are clouded with tears and he's flinging himself into Eddie's side.

It's about two brothers, separated at birth but brought together by a mutual cause. They adventure across the kingdom, seeking the knowledge that will end the brutal war ravaging their homeland. In the end, the eldest must sacrifice himself for the other, but the youngest defies fate to save him. It ends with the eldest, unable to live the life he once thought he would lead, thanking his brother for fighting for him when he wasn't brave enough to do it himself.

Ultimately, it's Steve that gets him to speak.

He doesn't try, never seems bothered by Eddie's lack of voice, content to pass notes and relish in the silent company.

Eddie hands him their story, the one about a handsome prince and a voiceless bard, and for the first time since he woke up is met with that terrible smile. The one that isn't a smile at all, but an apology. While Eddie and Max may have come out the worst, no one came out of the years of interdimensional terror unscathed, especially not Steve.

He explains that since last summer, his ability to read has deteriorated steadily. The doctors aren't sure exactly what the cause is, but assume the continued damage to his head as damaged the centers of the brain dedicated to reading and writing.

But Edddie needs him to read this, needs him to know this. Because this is the only way Eddie can think to confess. Writing has become so much of who he is since he left that hospital bed, and he wants more than anything to offer it to Steve.

When he speaks, it's rough. Scratchy and almost incomprehensible but when he chances a look up Steve is giving him his undivided attention. It takes him all day, stopping and starting and getting water and fighting off the pull of the void. The only thing that keeps him going is the stars he sees in Steve's eyes.

When he's done, there's no room for the silence to build back up because Steve is cupping his face in his wide, warm palms and telling him how much he loves him, too.

In the end, Eddie never regains his voice entirely. He goes days, sometimes weeks without saying a word. A year in, when they've all accepted that Eddie will never be the same as he was, Robin invests in a handful of ALS books and drills them all in sign language until their fingers cramp.

Two years in, Steve and Eddie watch as the kids walk across the stage, all six of them flipping Principle Higgins the bird as they accept their diplomas. Eddie cheers so loud his throat aches the next day, telling them how proud he is of them even as their parents tell them off.

The year after that, Nancy confiscates one of his books and sends it to her publisher, mailing him a generous publishing offer and a heartfelt letter that makes him cry. Steve holds him tight as they call Nancy to work out the details, his boyfriend talking into the phone for him as Eddie signs frantically.

Five and a half years after Eddie survived, Eddie's first book opens like this:

To the love of my life

Who hears me in my silence

and to myself

For filling the void with words

[lillie98]

Aaah!! This thread is so long!! Warms my heart!

Y’all NEED to read Into the Fire, one of the official Stranger Things comics. I won’t give too much away, but it centers around two sisters (9 and 9.5) who were raised in the lab. The story is actually a continuation of Six, another ST comic.

One of the biggest themes in Into the Fire is dreamworld versus reality and how facing our demons, however scary they may seem, will ultimately set us free. Stranger Things is 100% a Frame Story and the general audience is going to LOSE THEIR MINDS.

I was rewatching Stranger Things Season 2, Episode 4 (Will the Wise) and I noticed something. Will’s map looks an awful lot like something I’d seen before, not just because I’m rewatching it. 😝When I looked at the completed map, I couldn’t help but notice it looked like veins—long, branching, blue tunnels racing through the body to provide blood and oxygen. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before, but it makes so much sense.

I’ve had a theory for a while now that Will’s blood is the answer to destroying the Upside Down, and this discovery proves it. Will describes the Mindflayer’s attack as “growing, spreading, killing, [Will] felt it everywhere.” He says he feels [MF] in his house and inside himself. The vines Will draws are described as tunnels beneath Hawkins, spreading their deadly poison to unsuspecting people. What if all of Hawkins, Will’s house, the pumpkin patch, everything, is a metaphor for Will’s mind/body. Stay with me here.

If the house represents Will’s mind/body and the tunnels are his veins, what’s inside them? What’s doing the growing, spreading, and killing? HIV. Somehow, perhaps from Lonnie or Vecna (Season 1), or perhaps en utero, Will contracted HIV, he just doesn’t know it. He doesn’t have the words to communicate what he feels, so he describes it as something racing through his body, slowly killing him. While HIV is well-researched and manageable today, it was not so in the 1980s. HIV was new, potent, and extremely caustic. People (mostly young, gay men) died from AIDS (late-stage HIV) by the thousands. There was no effective treatment and medications like Prep didn’t come onto the market until 2012! HIV was a death sentence, seen as shameful and disgusting thanks in large part to its connection with the LGBTQ+ community.

According to the CDC, (https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html ) HIV has three main stages

1) Acute HIV

The person is recently infected, highly contagious, and may experience flu-like symptoms. It’s important to get checked when this happens so you don’t inadvertently infect others!

2) Chronic HIV

The person has had HIV for a while and may show less symptoms. Their viral load (how much HIV in in their blood) changes based on whether they take their medication. Proper medication management significantly reduces the chances of spreading HIV to partners.

3) AIDS (Late-Stage HIV)

AIDS is terminal. Most people live about three years once they reach this stage. People with AIDS risk getting “opportunistic infections” Aka: germs they can’t fight off with their destroyed immune system.

Looking at this information, I estimate Will to be in Stage Two. I believe he was first infected before he was rescued in the Upside Down (see slug down his throat—remind you of anything?)

He throws up, seems awfully pale afterwards, and stays in the hospital for a while. The HIV (or Upside Down equivalent) was introduced to his system and it made him incredibly ill. Now, come Season 2, Will’s been home for a year and his body has adjusted to this illness. He doesn’t like talking about it, but it affects him everyday in the form of his visions. His viral load changes based on whether or not he’s having visions and comes to a head during the exorcism. Black veins cover his head and neck as he reaches out to attack his own mother.

There’s also a chance Will contracted HIV en utero and could link back to Hopper and his Agent Orange experience in Vietnam. We know many of Hopper’s friends who served with him had children born with various disabilities, so it could make sense Will was born with HIV (along with El since I prescribe to the Will and El are twins separated at birth theory). I also believe Hopper NOT Lonnie is Will/El’s biological father, making this theory much more plausible. Hopper said he knew the risks of trying to conceive with his Agent Orange exposure, but his wife wanted children so badly that he did it anyway. The scene with Will attempting to strangle Joyce could be the writers’ way of illustrating the pain that comes from getting an illness you did not control. He was punishing her, in a sense, for forcing him to live with this incurable condition.

Now, going back to the map, what does this mean for Season 5? Well, I believe Will’s blood will be the key to stopping the Upside Down. I’m not sure exactly what that will look like, but it will be incredibly dramatic and fulfilling. We know from Season 1 that Demogorgons are attracted to blood, so maybe they use Will’s blood to lure the Demogorgons somewhere and kill them? That would be cool! Either way, Will’s blood is important and he was drawing VEINS in the house—illustrating the Upside Down and HIV quickly taking over his life, threatening to kill him. Closing the Gate equals succumbing to the disease, and the exorcism is him fighting for his life.

Ps: Vines (how Hopper describes Will’s drawings) and Veins have the same letters. Just leaving that here

[lillie98]

Is Mike Already Marked?

The argument that Mike may have been infected/marked by Vecna is valid for several reasons.

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Both Max and Mike were severely beaten by Billy and sustained injuries.

Additionally, they share many parallels. 1 2 3 4

I remember an excellent old video about Max-Mike parallels, but unfortunately, I can’t find it anymore :( whats wrong with tumblr tags!

Fast forward to s4, Max is marked by Vecna. How is it that Mike is not experiencing any symptoms, considering he went through similar thing as Max? Was he somehow spared, or did Mike manage to evade Vecna's curse while Max did not?

Perhaps he didn't....

Max loses Billy, someone she wasn't particularly close to but still mourns due to their sibling connection, while Mike experiences the loss of Will, who, although technically alive, has left Hawkins, and his absence is having a negative impact on him.

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Their Association with Needles (HIV/AIDS)

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Mike is showing early signs of Vecna's curse or infection (thus escaping everyone's radar) manifested in the form of:

Vomit Green:

Mike wheeler: "I asked for vomit green and I got vomit green"

....and will didn't find this joke funny!!!

some Byler theorists read this as a jealous reaction , but it could also be interpreted as him joking about not feeling well, referencing the early signs of an 'infection' (alluding to initial symptoms of HIV) the disco ball & elongated lights, implicitly suggesting vecna's mark on both will and mike. (s4e2 is titled 'Vecna's Curse')

colored vomit can mean symptoms that accompanies various conditions, ranging from infection to chronic illness. Green vomit means you are bringing up bile. This can result from an infection, such as stomach flu, or from causes like morning sickness. In some cases, it can occur with more serious conditions, such as liver failure or bile reflux. The spectrum of gastrointestinal symptoms in HIV ranges from odynophagia and dysphagia, to nausea and vomiting, to abdominal pain and finally diarrhea and tenesmus. As with normal hosts, gastrointestinal disorders are very common in HIV patients, Almost all HIV and AIDS patients have some gastrointestinal complaints throughout the course of their illness.

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Loss of Appetite:

Twig: someone who is bone-thin

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Declining Academic Performance:

Similar to Max, Mike's performance at school had been declining, although he got relatively better grades. (It's possible that his immune system wasn’t as dramatically compromised as Max's)

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Adverse Effects on Personality: Rage

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Lesbian Mindflayer's

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think he might have a slight awareness of his own condition and knows about Will’s situation as well.

Doesn’t that look like a more empathetic gaze?

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Mike is the HEART?

1 @threemanoperation 2 @greenfiend

or HAART ? is he associated with haart?

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is a combination of drugs that treats HIV infection. It's also known as combination antiretroviral therapy (cART).

How HAART works: it stops HIV from replicating, Reduces damage to the immune system, Slows the development of AIDS, and Prevents HIV transmission.

Benefits of HAART Reduces mortality and morbidity rates, Improves quality of life, and has saved millions of lives worldwide.

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[lillie98]

"Will was the subject of a secret government program"

Jon: "The reservation is under "Byers."

Owens: "But you should know there is a very real possibility this program fails."

Will in the shot when Owens mentions the program

She's one of a kind

He's one of a kind

"I think you're the cure... Our best hope. Our only hope." No Obi-One. There is another

The poster of The Cure, plus connection to building things and keys

And I think this subtle reference to the AIDS crisis is also about Will, and it means that this gay boy will be the "vaccine", the cure for the supernatural desease that is growing, spreading and killing so many people (Edit: The spreading of the UD into Hawkins can be seen as an allegory of a real desease, but in my opinion it's just an allegory. I don't think Will or Mike really have AIDS)

Them finding out Will's real role in the story, his importance, will help them save the world

They say they're gonna need a miracle

And he...

[lillie98]

Joyce Byers…I see you. I know you. I am you. Thank you for fighting, for not listening, for persevering when the world turns its back on you. You know in your heart what’s true and you will force the world to see it, too, even if it kills you. You make me strong.

Love, Women Everywhere

[lillie98]

“You speak of monsters, superheroes… that’s the stuff of myths and fairytales”

“Only by facing all of ourselves, the good and the bad, can we become whole.”

[lillie98]

phil is the type of adult i aspire to be. he is unapologetically himself. he is chronically ill but still silly. has an anxiety disorder but is still whimsy. thank you dad 🙏 not all adults are boring

[lillie98]

I want to see Mike sobbing in season 5. Full-on crocodile tears. Absolutely boo-hooing. He needs to finally break he has been suppressing his emotions for FAR too long.

[lillie98]

"You're losing blood" no I know exactly where it is. The floor. Don't ever underestimate me.

[lillie98]

Stop!!! I didn’t even think about HIVemind!! You’re a genius! Also, what horrifying conspiracy have we unearthed?!

I was rewatching Stranger Things Season 2, Episode 4 (Will the Wise) and I noticed something. Will’s map looks an awful lot like something I’d seen before, not just because I’m rewatching it. 😝When I looked at the completed map, I couldn’t help but notice it looked like veins—long, branching, blue tunnels racing through the body to provide blood and oxygen. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before, but it makes so much sense.

I’ve had a theory for a while now that Will’s blood is the answer to destroying the Upside Down, and this discovery proves it. Will describes the Mindflayer’s attack as “growing, spreading, killing, [Will] felt it everywhere.” He says he feels [MF] in his house and inside himself. The vines Will draws are described as tunnels beneath Hawkins, spreading their deadly poison to unsuspecting people. What if all of Hawkins, Will’s house, the pumpkin patch, everything, is a metaphor for Will’s mind/body. Stay with me here.

If the house represents Will’s mind/body and the tunnels are his veins, what’s inside them? What’s doing the growing, spreading, and killing? HIV. Somehow, perhaps from Lonnie or Vecna (Season 1), or perhaps en utero, Will contracted HIV, he just doesn’t know it. He doesn’t have the words to communicate what he feels, so he describes it as something racing through his body, slowly killing him. While HIV is well-researched and manageable today, it was not so in the 1980s. HIV was new, potent, and extremely caustic. People (mostly young, gay men) died from AIDS (late-stage HIV) by the thousands. There was no effective treatment and medications like Prep didn’t come onto the market until 2012! HIV was a death sentence, seen as shameful and disgusting thanks in large part to its connection with the LGBTQ+ community.

According to the CDC, (https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/whatishiv.html ) HIV has three main stages

1) Acute HIV

The person is recently infected, highly contagious, and may experience flu-like symptoms. It’s important to get checked when this happens so you don’t inadvertently infect others!

2) Chronic HIV

The person has had HIV for a while and may show less symptoms. Their viral load (how much HIV in in their blood) changes based on whether they take their medication. Proper medication management significantly reduces the chances of spreading HIV to partners.

3) AIDS (Late-Stage HIV)

AIDS is terminal. Most people live about three years once they reach this stage. People with AIDS risk getting “opportunistic infections” Aka: germs they can’t fight off with their destroyed immune system.

Looking at this information, I estimate Will to be in Stage Two. I believe he was first infected before he was rescued in the Upside Down (see slug down his throat—remind you of anything?)

He throws up, seems awfully pale afterwards, and stays in the hospital for a while. The HIV (or Upside Down equivalent) was introduced to his system and it made him incredibly ill. Now, come Season 2, Will’s been home for a year and his body has adjusted to this illness. He doesn’t like talking about it, but it affects him everyday in the form of his visions. His viral load changes based on whether or not he’s having visions and comes to a head during the exorcism. Black veins cover his head and neck as he reaches out to attack his own mother.

There’s also a chance Will contracted HIV en utero and could link back to Hopper and his Agent Orange experience in Vietnam. We know many of Hopper’s friends who served with him had children born with various disabilities, so it could make sense Will was born with HIV (along with El since I prescribe to the Will and El are twins separated at birth theory). I also believe Hopper NOT Lonnie is Will/El’s biological father, making this theory much more plausible. Hopper said he knew the risks of trying to conceive with his Agent Orange exposure, but his wife wanted children so badly that he did it anyway. The scene with Will attempting to strangle Joyce could be the writers’ way of illustrating the pain that comes from getting an illness you did not control. He was punishing her, in a sense, for forcing him to live with this incurable condition.

Now, going back to the map, what does this mean for Season 5? Well, I believe Will’s blood will be the key to stopping the Upside Down. I’m not sure exactly what that will look like, but it will be incredibly dramatic and fulfilling. We know from Season 1 that Demogorgons are attracted to blood, so maybe they use Will’s blood to lure the Demogorgons somewhere and kill them? That would be cool! Either way, Will’s blood is important and he was drawing VEINS in the house—illustrating the Upside Down and HIV quickly taking over his life, threatening to kill him. Closing the Gate equals succumbing to the disease, and the exorcism is him fighting for his life.

Ps: Vines (how Hopper describes Will’s drawings) and Veins have the same letters. Just leaving that here

[lillie98]

this verse is so special to me. because no he didn’t have to, he’s not stuck. darry could walk out at anytime he wants, the only thing stopping him is his own morals and values. if we’re being totally honest, he wouldn’t even receive that many looks if he did turn around left. they call him darrel, not darry, he’s wearing a muted/cheaper version of the soc’s outifts, his hairstyle looks to be the most styled (that is to say, on stage the socs all have their hair slicked and smooth and out of the greasers, darry’s hair is the most smoothed). and for all intent and purposes, he’s already gone.

hes only stuck because he’s wedging himself between the two roles. soda and pony never asked for a second father; darry’s just assuming that they do. he’s sticking himself in that role.

he didn’t have to drop out of school. if he stayed in school, he could’ve gotten a work study; continue his studies and earn a dollar. it wouldn’t be enough ofc he’d still need a part time job and he’d certainly still be running himself ragged, but he’d still be in school.

“i had different plans, i had places to go”

he only dropped out because of his morals and values. he’s from the south, specifically, the bible belt. the main value down here is “blood is thicker than water” all his life he’s heard that so ofc he drops everything to take care of his brothers. ofc he feels like he has to earn that dollar, ofc he sticks himself into a hole he’s not quite big enough for.

“either way i’m losing, no matter which way i go”

if he stayed in school and let the state takes the boys he still would’ve been losing. bc at the end of the day he does love his brothers. he wouldn’t be happy, he wouldn’t feel good about his life knowing his brothers are somewhere separated with some random strangers. he would’ve lost the only family he had left

on the other hand, the real hand. he chose his brothers, he chose to keep his family together and it still feels like he’s losing. because he’s miserable here. he loves his brothers ofc he does but they don’t understand him, and vice versa. their perfectly happy being greasers and darry just isn’t. he’s tried to be, bc once a greaser always a greaser, but it’s really hard to be content and happy when the only person who understood you just died. hes dropped out of school so he doesn’t lose his family only to lose his one way out. id go so far as to say he’s traded his freedom for his family and that may be a win for some people but it really feels like a lost for him

[lillie98]

this is how i feel abt steve