lillie98

[lillie98]

he loves horns 😈

[lillie98]

Soda was five years old the first time he realized he was behind. His classmates were all taking turns spelling words - like cat, rat, pat - and he couldn’t do it. He remembered his teachers scoffs and hostile looks, but he just couldn’t get the letters to make sense in his head. He remembered he started crying so hard the lady at the front desk called his mom. She brought him to get ice cream and assured him that it was okay, he had time to learn it all. He didn’t have to rush.

Soda was seven the first time a teacher outwardly gave up on him. He had been trying to read the same sentence for five minutes, and even with the teachers guidance he couldn’t figure out what the words were supposed to be. They looked too jumbled up to mean anything. Sometimes when he doesn’t understand what he’s reading, he can hear the sound of his teachers sigh as she snatched up the paper from him and told him he should’ve been able to do this, it was easy, what’s wrong with him?

Soda was twelve when he gave up on himself. He still struggled with reading, and he was barely passing his classes. It was a common occurrence for him to cry by now, a common occurrence for his class to laugh at him, and a common occurrence for his teachers to yell at him in front of everybody. His parents tried to help him, but it was no use. Darry tried to help, but he’d eventually end up having to comfort a sobbing Soda. His little brother was already a super genius. Soda decided it wasn’t worth trying this hard.

Soda was fourteen the first time he was really jealous of Pony. When Pony would come home talking about how much fun he had, how easy school was. It made him feel guilty, why couldn’t he just be happy for his brother? Darry assured him it was fine, it’s not his fault. But Soda still felt awful about it.

Soda was sixteen when he finally dropped out of school. Sixteen when he finally couldn’t take it anymore. He’d gotten made fun of one too many times. Called a last cause one too many times. He could never explain how much it hurt to see the unsurprised look on the office lady’s face. But he handed her the form and walked out of that school. And as he did so, he felt the ever-present weight he’s had on his chest since he was five lift off of him.

[lillie98]

kindergarten teacher soda headcanons (in a modern au)

— sodas classroom has SOOO much color it’s like a rainbow threw up. beige moms are this man’s sworn enemy

— he does a joke of the day every morning and if the kids come up with their own joke they get a piece of candy

— brings his guitar to class and plays it along with lessons a lot cause he knows it’ll help some of the kids pay attention

— always gets so engaged with the kids activities he will do it with them half the time cause he knows the kids will work with him more if he does

— suffers from an insane lack of funding but does his best, he knows how to make do

— pony comes in sometimes and lets the kids read to him so they can practice reading out loud without judgement

— it can be freezing cold and he takes the kids out for recess he loves the kids but they need to get their energy out

he’s just sooo. ugh. bro would love helping kids in a way he was never helped

[lillie98]

What do Will's favourite horror movies say about him?

In Runaway Max, we learn that Max enjoys horror movies too. And some of it is cathartic, she knows the vampires and wolfmen aren't real, and the whole point of them was to show the monsters could be beaten.

All the monsters I had ever known were ordinary underneath. Even the mummies and vampires were actors in makeup when you look close enough. - Runaway Max

And Will loves horror movies too, for similar reasons. He knows it's all fake.

What's the scariest kind of monster though?

Michael Myers was the kind of monster I was most afraid of because he was real…underneath he was still a man, and a man could be lurking anywhere. - Runaway Max

The monsters I understood were all just men underneath. - Runaway Max

Both El and Max have human monsters who haunt them and keep returning, and they're afraid they're the monster too. We have similar beats for Will too with the mindflayer, and Max draws a parallel there too.

Even though I'd never thought he was scary before, the thing inside him had made him into something terrible. He was part of the monster now. - Runaway Max

But Will hasn't faced any human monsters. Yet. Max starts watching a lot of slasher movies, because the scariest monsters for her are the ones where it's just some man behind the mask.

Will's favourite scary movies? Poltergeist, The Thing, The Evil Dead. All movies where the first victim - a child in a family, a teenage sibling in a group of friends, an adult member of a team - gets possessed by a monster. Where that monster needs to be killed and contained before it spreads to others or hurts them.

As far as symbolism goes, it's pretty loud.

The monster Will is most afraid of is the one in the mirror.

He's the tiger, the monster....but he's also the cure.

And while others can help him and give him strength, he has to face this monster on his own.

[lillie98]

There's something so strangely healing about seeing Dan and younger Dan in the same frame, completely unrecogizable to each other, but then they proceed to have the exact. same. mannerisms. Creepy, yes, but it goes to show that yes, you can change your entire life around, yes, you can grow into a new, better person, but that doesn't mean you have to give everything up. You can still be you, at your core. It's through this that we pay homage to our younger selves.

[lillie98]

churchgate: Henry will possess Will again in s5!

me: idk can't we come up with smth new? we've already done this before :/

churchgate: *this would mean getting to see Noah, who at the age of 12 gave one of the best performances in the whole show as possessed!will, do it again now as an adult*

Me: *grabs a bucket of popcorn* tell me more

THIS!!

Like, Season 2 is already the hardest season for me to rewatch. Will gets tortured the ENTIRE season, but it’s Noah’s acting that sells it. He’s soooo good the whole season that I’m literally in pain the whole Season 😭

I’m also a sucker for horror with religious imagery. I know Finn and Noah would eat that up and I’m excited to see whatever they filmed in that Upside Down church together.

[lillie98]

Dustin moved to the window by Steve’s front door and pressed his face to it.

"Robin. . .why is Steve talking to Santa?" Dustin asked and turned to look at her.

"Oh, he knows him very personally. He called him over for you guys," Robin said.

"Steve knows Santa?!" Dustin shrieked. "He never said!"

"Okay, do you still bel - ," Robin started to say.

"WHY IS STEVE KISSING SANTA?!" Dustin yelled, his face pressed to the glass.

"Oh, well, Steve’s been a very bad boy this year, and he's trying to work his way back onto the nice list," she replied.

"BY SEDUCING SANTA?!" Dustin yelled. "That's not how you do it!"

Mike, Lucas, Max, Will, and El entered the hallway.

"What's going on?" Max asked.

"Steve knows Santa! He called him over, and now he's cheating on Steve with him!" Dustin yelled.

"What? Is he trying to get on the nice list or naughty list?" Mike asked.

"Fuck this," Max swore.

They all spilled out onto the front lawn with Robin following after them.

"You guys do know that Santa isn't - "

"STEVE!" Dustin yelled.

"Oh, goddamn it," Steve cursed as he pulled away from Santa. "I've ruined - "

"Are you cheating on Eddie?!" Dustin yelled, his hands on his hips. "You're my brother, and I love you, but if you ruin this relationship with Eddie, I'll never forgive you!"

"That's sweet, Henderson, but completely unnecessary," Santa said and pulled his beard down to reveal Eddie. "Surprise!"

"Oh my god!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Don't beat yourself up, Dustin, it's an easy mistake to make!" Eddie said cheerfully.

"Why didn't you tell us?!" He asked.

"Uh, well, Steve wanted to keep it a surprise, and I thought you were old enough to know," Eddie said.

"It makes sense now, Eddie wasn't here last Christmas!" Mike exclaimed.

"And it makes sense why his wounds healed so quickly," Lucas said.

"And why he can drive so fast," El said.

"And why he is so good with animals," Max said.

"And kids," Dustin said.

"He's great with kids and storytelling!" Will exclaimed.

"What the fuck is going on here?" Eddie asked.

"I don't know," Steve frowned.

"He loves elves and Lord of the Rings!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Oh my god! Eddie's Santa Claus!" Dustin yelled.

"I have to call Nancy!" Mike yelled.

"We have to call the rest of the party!" Dustin yelled.

Robin, Steve, and Eddie watched dumbfounded as the kids ran back inside.

"Do they still believe in Santa?" Eddie asked.

"This is the first time I'm fucking hearing about it and we've known them longer than you," Steve said.

"Maybe since they know that the Upside Down exists, they think other things like the North Pole exists," Robin said.

"Makes sense," Steve frowned.

"I am NOT telling them that I'm not Santa," Eddie said, crossing his arms. "You do it, Steve!"

"I'm not doing it!" Steve yelled.

"I'll do it!" Robin yelled and then paused. "After everything they've been through. . .don't they deserve to believe in a little bit of magic?"

"I don't know. . .we would be lying to them, Robin," Eddie said.

Meanwhile, the kids were watching them argue from the window.

"So, how long do you think it'll take them to realize that we don't actually believe in Santa Claus?" Max asked.

"A while," Mike snickered.

"Eddie should have done a better job at hiding the Santa costume," Max said.

As Robin, Steve, and Eddie fought on the front lawn, the kids watched with freshly made hot chocolate and Christmas music playing in the background. Snowflakes began to fall from the sky, dancing around to land on the ground.

"The mood is right. The spirit's up. We're here tonight, and that's enough. Simply having a wonderful Christmastime. . ."

[lillie98]

The thing that makes Phan soo huge isn't even that they're in love for real in real life. It's about queer joy and watching someone grow old with their soulmate and the journey from being closeted to Whatever it is they're doing live on stage these days. It's about the fucking sexy nun costume and the bleached hair and two gay men in their 30s still acting as unhinged as they were when they met at 18 and 22. It's genuinely a beautiful love story but it's also two hugely important individual journeys.

[lillie98]

my favorite part of incohearent videos is when phil reads a card, doesn't get it right away, dan laughs, and phil screams "WHAT????" because he can't stand not being in on the joke for 2 seconds. that's stinky baby

[lillie98]

I was just rewatching some Byler scenes in s2e3,

And man do I love how much Mike advocates for Will in this episode. And I do mean advocates.

Mike takes Will’s concerns about Dart seriously immediately. The way he yells, “Right now!” is incredibly intense, leaving absolutely no room for argument.

Then, in the AV club room, Will’s voice is so soft and tentative during their discussion. He says things like, “Kinda,” and “I wasn’t sure,” which shows hesitance and doubt, but Mike is unwavering and determined and wholly on Will’s side. Even when he posits his theories and tacks on a “maybe,” to them, he is assured and convincing. He doesn’t let Dustin or Lucas doubt Will. He doesn’t let them blow off Will’s concerns.

Mike believes Will wholeheartedly and advocates for his fears and his knowledge and experiences of the UD when sharing it with Lucas and Dustin.

It’s stuff like this that just makes me go, of course Will fell in love with Mike.

[lillie98]

My Byler Headcanon

Mike and Will continue calling each other “best friend” sometimes, even after they get together romantically. Depending on the situation, they’ll refer to each other as both “best friend” and “boyfriend”.

I firmly believe that having your significant other also be your best friend is the perfect kind of relationship.

Even when Mike and Will start acting like a couple – being affectionate and doing things most friends don’t do – they’ll still see each other as best friends.

Throughout their romantic relationship, they’ll keep doing the things they did as friends: playing D&D or video games, reading (and now also creating!) comics, talking for hours about everything, and even judging others together.

At the same time, they’ll share those deeply romantic moments: looking at each other with so much affection and devotion, kissing, and cuddling. They’ll intertwine their friendship and love in ways that will make their bond even stronger.

They’ll truly cherish the fact that their romantic partner is also their best friend. So, when they can legally get married in adulthood, they’ll proudly say they’re married to their best friend.

This kind of relationship – (childhood) best friends to lovers – is, in my opinion, the best one you could ever have. And it’s one of the reasons why I love Byler so much. ❤️

[lillie98]

noah publicly shared how much he appreciates the cast and what he learnt from them. privately, he also hand wrote them letters for every single one of them.

no wonder how everybody from the cast adores him and has stood by his side. they could never make me hate you noah. he’s truly the sweetest boy.

[lillie98]

Noah made letters for the entire cast😭🥹❤️🥰

He is so adorable💕

He really is the sweetest boy in this world🥹💖

[lillie98]

the problem is whatever we think about Dan and Phil TM the reality of dan and phil is 1000 times worse.

we think “dan thinks blonde phil is hot” reality is dan literally fainted and broke a lamp. we think “phil misses dan while he’s on tour” reality is he had a breakdown and dyed the phouse green. we think “they’ve been together 15 years that’s so aspirational.” dan says god literally put us on this earth to come together just like ranch. and we just have to deal with that.

[lillie98]

Don’t think about Johnny in stay gold. Don’t think about how he’s changed back into his long hair because that’s how Pony chooses to remember him. Don’t think about Pony who refuses to let his last memory of Johnny be when he is hurt, dying, and in the most broken form of himself. No, his last memory of Johnny and the way he chooses to continue to remember him will be how he was before. When he had long, greased up hair. When he shared his dreams and there was still a chance that he could get out and live his life with nothing holding him down.

Pony chooses to remember the Johnny that was and could’ve been.

[lillie98]

Footsteps pad down the hallway as Steve and Eddie make their way to their bedroom at an honestly irresponsible hour given that they both have work in the morning. Yawning, talking quietly. They get ready for bed one at a time in their small bathroom, Eddie settling under the covers with a book while Steve finishes brushing his teeth.

There's a smile in Eddie's voice when he speaks, the words muffled to outsiders by the rustling of sheets as Steve climbs into bed. Whatever it is, it makes Steve laugh, which makes Eddie laugh too. They fall in and out of bouts of talking and giggling, the only two people in the world - or at least it must feel that way, alone together at such an absurd time of night, in the familiar comfort and quiet of their shared bed and shared home.

They don't know that their teenage daughter is still awake in the room next door, listening to their laughter floating through their house's thin walls. She smiles to herself in the dark, warmed by the simple and genuine joy in that sound.

They don't know that this is far from the first time she's heard them laughing together in private. They don't know that she's absorbed every smile they've given each other, every kiss and kindness and warm conversation she's ever witnessed them exchange, and with every one she has learned what love looks like. She may make a whole dramatic show of gagging or pulling a face at some of her dads' displays of affection for each other (she is Eddie Munson's daughter after all), but they don't know how much she actually appreciates the fact that her parents are still so happily in love, that after nearly 30 years together they still genuinely enjoy being around each other. Their relationship began long before her and the love they have for each other continues still not because of her or in spite of her but simply alongside the love they have for her in equal measure.

There is so much love in this house, of that she has never had any doubt. She loves her dads, her dads love her, and her dads love each other, and those are facts, fundamental truths that have been shaped into the very foundation of her bones as she's grown up. No argument or mistake or disagreement has ever been - or will ever be - enough to waver that. Even in moments of anger there has always been love, unquestionably. They don't know just how deeply she knows that. They don't know just how much she values that.

Sleepy and sentimental, she thinks of friends she knows who have grown up in broken homes and are drawn to broken relationships, and she feels so incredibly grateful for the happy childhood Steve and Eddie have given her and the example they've set of such a healthy, loving relationship for her to look up to. They don't know that she knows how lucky she is to have them.

One day I'll tell them, she thinks as she rolls over onto her side and lets her body grow heavy with sleep. One day I'll thank them for teaching me what love is.

[lillie98]

Filming a young Byler flashback? Finn and Noah crying during the final read through? Finn and Noah filming scenes together all year? BTS photos of Finn and Noah? Robin hanging out with Will and Mike all season? Will and Mike scenes with Holly? Noah scared to reveal Byler spoilers after reading the final script? Cara unable to form a normal sentence to describe Byler’s friendship? No Milkvan in the BTS trailer? No Milkvan BTS or pap photos since January?

It’s all adding up…