#and he doesn't want to lie to lucas he just doesn't know how to say what he needs to say

[love-byers]

the first time i saw this, when i was NOT a byler shipper, i thought el was running TO mike. i thought we were getting a sweet moment where el runs to mike and he puts an arm around her or hugs her.

then i realized she was running away from him. 

and i was like, why?? they're supposed to be the couple why does she not want his comfort??

and even after will calls her out on doing mike wrong by lying to him, even after she sees that mike is attempting to talk to her and comfort her, that he's not angry at her, she still tells angela to lie to mike. more lies. that's how much she cares about keeping up the persona. had angela lied to mike, el would've continued lying to him the entire week. something she knows in her heart is wrong and not fair to mike.

this is a theme in s4. putting who you want to be seen as before being honest with your bf/gf. going above and beyond to preserve your lie, to be seen as who you want to be.

chrissy does that with jason. who she portrays herself as is completely different than who she really is and what she's really going through. jason has absolutely no idea chrissy is struggling and refused to believe chrissy would buy drugs, because chrissy didn't want to tell him. who knows how jason would've reacted if chrissy was honest, we don't know because chrissy didn't trust him enough to tell him. that's not love at all, that's sad.

this is a point in s2 as well. murray calls nancy out for being afraid to be her true self, and she stays with steve because she doesn't have to be her true self around him. she is her true self when she's with jonathan, and that's why they worked together. that's love.

the exact same thing happens with chrissy. the first time we see her genuinely smile is when she's with eddie. she's sweet and charismatic, and had she lived she totally would've gone to eddie's show, something you never would've expected from her, something her boyfriend, the person she pretends to love, would NEVER do.

robin and steve reinforce this too

you fall in love with the person who makes you feel accepted, the person who makes you feel like you can be who you are. the person you trust with your true self.

mike and el don't trust each other enough, they don't understand each other well enough.

they would have to change their behavior towards each other by leaps and bounds, and we're already at the last season. there is no time for that. stranger things isn't a multi season show about the complexity of romantic relationships and the healthy way to resolve problems. there is no time for that in just about any movie or show, especially a sci-fi show. you know what's way easier and way more likable? pairing your character with someone they naturally click with, who bring out the best in each other and for some reason can't help but be their authentic selves when they're with each other.

did it with jancy, like i said earlier

did it with lumax. when lucas and max talked on the bus max found herself spewing about things she'd never even said out loud before, and she had to stop herself. something about lucas just made her feel comfortable, like she could be herself and tell the truth. she trusted him.

"You're nothing like your brother, okay? You're cool and different, you're super smart, and you're like, totally tubular."

jopper too! joyce constantly had to hide things from bob, she was insecure about their family not being normal.

"This is not a normal family."

"It could be."

though bob had good intentions, the message of the show is not trying to be normal when you aren't. whatever it is about you that makes you weird or different, whatever you've been through that changed you, stay true to it. dont bottle it up and try to be someone else. all of vecnas victims in s4 were doing this, and it didn't end well for them.

they even did it with dustin and suzie. dustin constantly tries to impress max with his teeth, then in season 3 he says suzie thinks kissing is better without teeth. he doesn't have to be insecure about that or try to impress her. she likes him for him.

mike isn't comfortable being his true self around el either. he's insecure about his interests, he feels like he has to act older and cooler to impress her.

you shouldn't be with the person you feel you have to impress. you should be with the person who relieves that pressure, who makes you feel like being the authentic you is enough.

jonathan and nancy, lucas and max, joyce and hopper, dustin and suzie,

cough WILL AND MIKE cough...

[munsonsmixtapes]

hii could you write a smut like this so yk the scene in stranger things where eddie’s bed was covered in unknown stains? and when he says “those stains are.. idk what those stains are”and then recap from the night before that eddie and the reader hooked up with eachother the night before tysm!!

I love this idea!

cw: MDNI (18+) smut (p in v) unprotect sex (wrap it before you tap it)

Eddie, Robin, and Nancy stare up at the mattress above them that Lucas and Max have just carried in. His cheeks turn pink as the two girls eye him suspiciously. This puts him in a predicament. He could lie, or he could tell the truth.

He's gonna lie, he thinks. He doesn't care if they don't believe him, he just absolutely cannot tell the truth. Not only would it embarrass him, but he also doesn't want to tell them about you. That's none of their business.

The mattress looks even more gross than he remembers. He meant to wash the sheets but he forgot like always. So now every knows what he's done and he's trying to play off that he doesn't know what the stains even are.

"Those stains are uh-I don't know what those stains are." He doesn't have to look at the girls to know they don't believe him. He doesn't care anyway. He just lets his mind wander to the night before.

"Look at you," he says as he spreads your legs wide. "So wet for me, hm?" He asks as your slick leaks out onto the sheets below you.

"Always wet for you," you reply and he smirks because he knows you're right. You're always wet for him and that's the way he likes it. He loves to know that he's always on your mind 24/7.

"That's right, sweetheart," he nods and lines himself up before pushing his cock inside you, pumping into you fast, hard, and deep. He's managed to fit all of myself inside you and he's getting harder as he sees the tears pricking your eyes.

"Taking me so well already. Didn't think all of it would fit, did you?" He asks as he grabs hold of your thighs, wrapping your legs around his waist as he pushes even farther into you.

"Oh," you moan so loudly that Eddie's nervous that other people in the trailer park can hear you, but he decides that he doesn't care. In fact, he wants them to hear you, to know just how good he makes you feel. "Eddie," you whine, grabbing onto his shoulders as he lowers himself onto you.

Your nails dig into his shoulder blades and he winces, but clearly it doesn't bother him that much since he's continuing to pound into you, both of you exchanging moans as your hands move down to his back, scratching up and down to show him how much you're enjoying it.

And you're already coming, an orgasm rolling through you and Eddie's talking you through it as he pushes your hair away from your sweaty forehead before pressing a kiss to it.

"Look so pretty when you're coming," he says. "Wanna do it again?" And you're nodding enthusiastically as the two of you go for round two and many more after that.

"Right, of course you don't," Robin teases Eddie with a nudge and he flushes as he continues to think about his night with you and wonders how he can back to you, and fast.

[steddiealltheway]

Steve can see it in Max. That same loneliness and ache that he finds in himself. For him, it’s result of his parents leaving with no intent to return to him unless absolutely necessary.

He knows he was an accident. Or rather a mistake as his father used to call him when he was particularly angry. But it made sense to him. Steve's the reason his father had to marry his mother. He left him "trapped." And maybe no one says it out loud, but he can tell his mother feels the same way too.

But they must keep up appearances, right?

Which is what Max has been trying to do since Billy died, El moved away, and it's been just her and her mom. But she's been going about it through a different route - pushing people away all while pretending things are fine. But Steve sees the way she picks up the broken pieces of her mom and tries to put them back together - Steve's had to do the same thing before.

So, he starts sticking around a little longer. Offering her more rides to the arcade and around town to pick up groceries when she needs to. Sometimes he'll tell her about a new recipe he's been trying for a casserole and pick up the ingredients, pretending like the milk and butter he bought will spoil by the time he drives home from her trailer.

Of course, they both know it's a lie, but Max humors him and plays along. She'll let him cook dinner while she picks up the bottles her mom left on the floor, dumps out the overflowing ashtray, and feeds the dog. Usually, Steve will ask her what she's learning in school and linger a little longer than usual in hopes that she'll say more than the usual, "I don't know. A bunch of boring stuff."

But lingering has gotten a lot of things out of Max such as her love for Kate Bush, a story about El and how much she misses her, and short quips about Lucas before she gets a sad smile on her face. Steve doesn't really know what to say most of the time, but he hopes that just being there will help.

Unfortunately, lingering and just being there has led him to his current predicament of none other than Eddie "The Freak" Munson sitting on the hood of his car glaring at him as he walks out of Max's place. Steve jumps a little, startled by the figure on his car and becoming more hostile as he sees the expression on his face. He shoves his hands in his pockets and slows his pace. "Is there a problem?"

Eddie snorts humorlessly. "Christ. You're really going to pretend like there's nothing wrong with what's happening?"

Steve's brows furrow, entirely missing whatever point he's trying to make.

Eddie stands up and stalks toward him. "I see you, you know. Always lurking around when her mom isn't home. Coming out of her trailer late at night."

Steve laughs, finally understanding the absurd conclusion he's come to. "Jesus, man. You're delusional."

Steve doesn't expect it, but Eddie sharply shoves his chest and grits, "I don't fucking lie to me, Harrington."

Steve holds his hands up. "I'm not," he firmly states. "Nothing like that is happening here. I'm glad you're looking out for her, but it isn't like that."

"Do you expect me to believe that? Maybe this is why you're always hanging around Henderson and the other kids."

Steve crosses his arms and his jaw tenses. "I'm not a fucking pervert or a pedophile if that's what you're trying to say. I'm just looking after them."

"Why?" Eddie asks, dramatically opening his arms, "Why would King Steve adopt a group of misfits to take under his wing? See, the math isn't adding up."

Usually, Steve would just brush it off and tell the person to fuck off and mind their own business. But his parents have just left town again without leaving a note and Max had snapped when Steve tried to help her clean the place because it looked worse than usual, and he was just generally feeling like shit and angry at his parents and Max's parents for not being there. So he broke, "Because I don't want Max to end up like me! I don't want any of those kids to grow up without a role model. And god forbid if any of those other kids' parents fuck up, and they’re left with only me. I need them to know that I'm there for them! Because sometimes it feels like whenever the world goes to shit, I'm the only one who is there, and I plan to stay there, okay?!"

He finishes his rant breathing a little heavier than usual and noticing that a few of the lights in the trailers have turned on around them. He looks around and awkwardly nods to the people glaring out their windows. God, he needs to get a grip.

When he turns back to Eddie, he notices the conflicted expression, jaw dropped, eyebrows knitted together, eyes searching him as if he's still wondering if he's lying.

A door creaks open behind them and Steve curses under his breath as he hears Max say, "Eddie, leave him alone. Do you really think I would hook up with my damn babysitter? Jeez."

"Language," Steve quietly lectures as the door swings shut. He runs his hands over his face and takes a deep breath. It's been a long fucking day.

A hand lands on his arm and tugs him away from Max's trailer. Steve glances up at Eddie, leading him across the way. "Where are we going?"

"My place," Eddie says.

"Why?"

"So we can talk."

God, the last thing he wants to do is talk to Eddie of all people, the guy he's been actively avoiding since Dustin started worshipping the ground - or rather tables - he walks on. But he lets himself be pulled away in the trailer and practically deposited on the couch in the living room.

He glances up and comments, "That's a lot of mugs."

"My uncle's, but that's not what I wanted to... Christ," Eddie says, pacing in front of Steve and tugging his hair in front of his face. The anxious display makes Steve feel even more tired, but he lets him pace. God, what is he even doing here?

"I'm sorry," Eddie blurts out. "I'm just..." he trails off and rushes over to grab a stool a few feet away before dragging it in front of the couch. He sits on it but his leg still holds that nervous energy as it rapidly bounces up and down. "I jumped to conclusions, and it was really shitty of me, man. I just... didn't believe what Henderson was saying about you and thought 'Oh, this makes way more sense than Steve Harrington being a good dude.' And I'm sorry to accuse you of that. And I... I didn't know about your... parents and stuff. Like I knew they were away a lot because of your parties but... I just never connected the dots. And I'm sorry. No one deserves that shit, man."

Steve doesn't know what to do this whole interaction, especially with it coming from Eddie Munson who he doesn't think he's ever talked to before this moment, but... he needs to hear it. God, he needs to hear it.

Of course, he can't let him know this, so he does what he's best at and brushes it off. "It's fine. You were just looking out for the kids. And really just ignore what I said back there, it isn't that big of a deal."

Eddie worries his bottom lip before he blurts out, "I know what it's like." He pauses and takes a deep breath. "I mean, I know what it's like to have... absent parents. But in my case, eventually, my uncle Wayne took me in, and I can only imagine if he didn't." He gives him a pointed look and lowers his voice, "Do you have someone like that?"

A big part of Steve wants to leave right now, and he knows there's nothing stopping him. But a bigger part of him needs to stay. Needs to talk about the emptiness in his house that he can never truly escape at the end of the day that he can’t talk to anyone about. Because he's not supposed to be weak. He's supposed to take care of the others. So he admits, "No, I don't have... anyone like that. Except Robin but..."

"That's different," Eddie finishes the thought for him.

Steve nods. He loves Robin, but he loves her as a platonic soulmate and not as a parent figure in his life. "You know, I once had this basketball coach in middle school - Mr. Weston. And I remember looking up to him so much. I wanted to be just like him, and I would go to his office during lunch and ask him for advice or talk about dumb shit that my father would never talk about. But he never shamed me for my questions. And sometimes he even packed an extra dessert for me." Steve smiles at the memories and runs a hand through his hair, remembering the day he got the news. "But one time, when I went to his office, he had this look on his face. And I just knew it was bad news. And really, it wasn't bad news to him because his wife was pregnant. But she wanted to move a few states away to raise the kid closer to her family. And it wasn't his fault, you know? It wasn't like he purposely chose to move away from me, but I felt like I was abandoned again."

Steve wipes a tear from his eye and puts his head in his hands. "God, I don't know why I'm even telling you this story. Sorry."

"Don't apologize," Eddie says quickly. He pauses and shifts on the stool, his gaze being far away. "I remember him. He was one of the only gym teachers that defended me against all the shitty middle school bullies. He was a good person.”

Steve nods. God, he was a good person.

Eddie continues, “I'm sorry that he left. And I bet he still regrets leaving you behind."

Steve leans back against the couch and looks away, shaking his head. "I bet he forgot about me."

"You're kind of hard to forget."

Steve looks at Eddie and sees a slight blush on his cheeks as he shakes his head and waves his hands as if trying to make the comment go away. "What I mean is that there's no way he's forgotten about you. Someone who you used to have lunch with all the time to the point of giving you free food... Nah, man. He remembers you. I think you may have been as important to him as he was to you."

The thought breaks away at a wall Steve had built up long ago. "Thanks," he practically whispers.

Eddie just smiles at him, small dimples appearing on his cheeks.

"You didn't deserve it either, you know," Steve says. "The absent parent stuff. Even with Wayne, they should've been here too."

Eddie's smile falters a bit as he swallows and looks at the ground. "Thanks," he mumbles. He looks up at Steve and comments, "Getting sappy with Steve Harrington. Who knew."

"Yeah, getting sappy with Eddie Munson," Steve echoes back at him.

Eddie laughs, "I'm surprised you even know my name."

"You're kind of hard to forget," Steve says easily.

That same blush comes back to Eddie who shifts in his chair a bit as if he needs to process the information with his whole body.

They sit in the moment for a bit before Eddie gets a somewhat serious look on his face and offers, "You know, I'm definitely not a parent figure or anything, but I'm always here and around to talk about that whole thing if you need to."

Steve's heart beats a little faster at the sheer genuineness. "Same here," he can't help but offer in return. He glances down at his watch and sighs, "It's getting late, so I better..."

"Right," Eddie says, standing up and leading him to the door. "Do you need water for the road or anything?"

Steve smiles and pats him on the back without thinking too hard about it. "I'm good, man. But thank you. For everything really."

"Sorry for being an asshole," Eddie apologizes again.

"Usually that's my line," Steve accidentally voices before cringing a bit, wondering further why Eddie's been so kind to him.

But as he opens the door, Eddie comments, "I don't know. It seems like Dustin was right about the whole reformed jock thing. Maybe your crown really has fallen - which is a good thing by the way."

Steve slightly smiles at him before he turns to leave. But he can't help but say, "I wonder what the neighbors will think about me leaving your trailer so late."

Eddie groans then laughs. "Sorry to ruin your image."

"I wouldn't mind," Steve replies, honestly unsure what he means by that. "Goodnight, Eddie."

"Goodnight, Steve," Eddie says, that same blush on his cheeks, only this time Steve isn't sure if it's something he said or a result of the cold night air.

In bed that night, Steve feels a slight weight lifted from him and can't help but feel like he’s a little less alone.

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Day 3 - Mike's incriminating dilemma . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

I think one of the most obvious byler proofs to me that barely gets any notice or recognition that it is very convincing, is the fact that Mike seems totally unwilling to talk to Will about his problems with El. Whenever Will is spoken to about the issues they have, it's very noticeable to the audience that Mike talks about it in very general terms, making sure he doesn't end up spilling what they spoke about.

This is simply because it is incriminating.

It's also the reason why he doesn't tell Will he called him multiple times even though he easily could! It would solve a lot between the two of them if he had admitted he called him (which we got confirmation about from Dustin). However, he would rather not, and would rather sacrifice himself in a sense than have Will know how much he called, turning the focus away from himself.

So again, why wouldn't Mike just tell Will about what happened? He knows that it might help him, since he's definitely told a friend about his relationship problems before (Lucas). However, this time he's hiding something bigger -- he does not love El. He would much rather have Will stay in the dark about what he really 'needs to say' than have Will ask him more questions. He's worried that if he gives too much detail, he'll be outed as a liar, he'll be figured out by Will. There is no other reason for hiding what El wants him to say. He could tell Will, but he's simply worried about the questioning this would earn.

The fact that he's lying is one of the reasons he makes this face here:

This is when Will says 'Whatever you didn't say, you can say it to her then', referring to when Mike sees her again. He believes he's comforting Mike that she's safe and he will see her again.

At first, Mike grins at Will, simple because... he's happy that Will's comforting him. But then he starts to dig deeper into what he's just heard and what it then means. That's when he almost startles, blinks rapidly and looks nervous. The internal conflict is clear on his face, and the directors want you to take notice of it.

It's almost like he's disliking the fact he has to lie to Will here. He doesn't like that Will has no idea how deep this thing actually goes, and it's really not as simple as saying I love you when he sees El again.

All in all:

Will has no idea that he's encouraging Mike to say I love you to El.

He believes he's comforting Mike on the fact that El is safe and that Mike will see her again.

But Mike's worried about saying I love you. Meaning he's worried about seeing her again.

He does not want to say I love you.

Okay.... so this means that he does not want to say I love you. Even if it means that he can see El safe again. But this can be for many different reasons. Maybe he's not ready to make the commitment or something. But the next scene on the car is when Mike shows the real reason why he doesn't want to say it.

The next time Mike and Will talk about this, the thing that he has to say to her has been reframed to being 'The Truth.' He's realised, between the previous scene and the car scene, that he will eventually have to explain himself to El because he'll likely see her again. He thinks that if he had explained himself, maybe he would have taken him with her.

Now, 'explaining yourself' does not at all sound like a confession of love. It almost sounds like Mike trying to justify to El why he doesn't say it. AND:

He tells Will in this scene that he 'didn't know what to say' despite El spelling it out for him very clearly. This shows he knows that he can't say what she wants him to say, and he has no idea how to explain why he can't say it in a way that isn't incriminating. Again, he can't tell Will the thing he has to explain away, because it would raise too many questions.

Will says 'to say how you really feel', suggesting that Mike feels the opposite of what El wants. And the fact that Mike nods. He NODS when Will says 'what if they don't like the truth?' is just so clear to me. It AGAIN solidifies that Mike is nervous because he really doesn't want to tell El the truth. He has no idea what to say to make it better without lying.

TLDR; Mike does not want to say I love you to El. The reason? He doesn't love her.

[eufezco]

𝙎𝙏𝙍𝘼𝙉𝙂𝙀𝙍 𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙎 𝙈𝘼𝙎𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙏

𝙄𝙉𝘾𝙇𝙐𝘿𝙀𝙎 : steve harrington, eddie munson, billy hargrove

♡️ fluff ☆ angst ☽ smut

english isn't my first language !!!

MULTIPLE CHARACTERS

DADS HEADCANONS | ♡️ billy, eddie, jonathan, steve

SMUT HEADCANONS | ☽ billy, eddie, jonathan, steve

STEVE HARRINGTON

YOU'RE TOO DRUNK FOR THIS | ♡️ ☆

you're way too drunk to have that conversation with steve.

CONFIDENCE | ♡️

he isn't that confident when it comes to you.

HELP | ♡️ ☆

you and your nightmares spend the night with steve.

POOL SEX | ☽

WAIT FOR IT | ♡️ ☆ ☽ king!steve

you think steve maybe didn't make the best decision when he broke up with nancy because of you.

THE GRIEF OF LOSING EDDIE MUNSON | ♡️ ☆

x byers!fem!reader. steve and your family help you to go through the grief of losing your best friend.

SOFT!DOM STEVE | ☽

JELOUSY, JELOUSY | ♡️ ☆

steve has to face his feelings in the worst way possible when billy hargrove, the guy you kissed last night, knocks on your door.

TO THE UPSIDE DOWN | ♡️ ☆

steve, nancy, robin and eddie are in the upside down, you are paranoid that something might happen. steve has to reassure it won’t.

🩷💜💙 | ♡️ x bi!fem!reader

a conversation with robin, eddie, you and steve about your sexualities.

WE | ♡️ ☆ x hopper!female!reader

you go running to steve after finding out that your father, jim hopper, is alive. you reunite with him and jim and steve realize that they are now family.

MAX'S DATE | ♡️ ☆

you and your boyfriend steve help max after surviving vecna to get ready for her date with lucas.

FIRST KISS | ♡️ ☆

based on the quote: if I were to kiss you then go to hell, i would. so then i can brag with the devils i saw heaven without entering it.

THAT'S WHAT I LIKE | ☽

he has been neglected so when the time comes, steve doesn't know what he likes.

VECNA'S CURSE | ♡️ ☆ x hargrove!fem!reader

while visiting the grave of your brother billy, you are cursed by vecna.

POTTERY LESSON | ☽ ♡️

your pottery lesson to steve ends up in something better.

FANBOY | ♡️

i just think that steve would be the biggest queen fanboy.

THE FAMILY YOU CHOOSE | ♡️

a conversation between steve and his mom about his friends and you.

FORGIVENESS IS A NICE THING TO DO | ♡️ ☆

king!steve x munson!reader. after saying something horrible about eddie munson in front of you, steve finds out that he's your brother.

... READY FOR IT? | ♡️ ☆ ☽

you overhear a conversation between steve and robin about how you and him haven't had sex yet.

TAKING CARE OF MAX AT THE HOSPITAL | ♡️ ☆ x hopper!fem!reader

you want to be by max's side while she's in a coma in the hospital but it's consuming you. steve asks your father for help to get you out of there.

NEW YEAR'S EVE | ♡️ x hopper!female!reader

celebrating new year's eve with your boyfriend, friends and family.

EDDIE MUNSON

FIRST TIME | ☽

THE PRETTIEST GIRL AT HAWKINS HIGH | ♡️ x plus size!reader

DREAM OF A LIFETIME | ♡️ ☆ x pregnant!reader

your lack of communication had caused you and eddie to distance yourselves from each other. now he, robin, steve and nancy were trapped in the upside down, and you regretted not telling him you were pregnant earlier.

STAY SAFE | ♡️ ☆

you are the only person that knows where to find him.

FOUR TIMES EDDIE MUNSON KISSED YOU | ♡️ ☆ ☽

THE STAINS | ☽

what were those stains on eddie's mattress in that scene in 4x07?

WHITE LIE | ♡️ ☆

after being accused of crissy's murder, eddie hides and breaks up with you. when you findnd out you are pregnant, you tell everyone that it's steve's (your bff) baby but eddie can't do the math since two months ago you were still together.

REUNION | ♡️

you reunite with your friends from hawkins after a couple of years but now you are famous painter who just got divorced and eddie is the lead singer of the most famous band yet the tension between you is the same it was years ago.

MASTER OF PUPPETS | ☽

eddie plays master of puppets in his guitar while you touch him.

BILLY HARGROVE

FIRST TIME | ☽

POISONED DRINK | ♡️ ☆

you are in a party and someone puts something in your drink. luckily, billy finds you before anything bad happens to you.

TRAUMA RESPONSE | ♡️ ☆

you're a baddie but then billy finds out you also got some trauma from your parents.

GOOD GIRL, BAD BOY | ♡️ ☆

you are a good girl dating billy hargrove. all of your friends try to warn you that he is the type of boy who will break your heart.

SUMMERTIME SADNESS | ☆

billy sacrifices himself for you during the start court battle.

[gotigersiguess]

Season 4's theme of lies is very prominent in the romantic subplots. It helps to emphasize just how unhealthy Mike and El's relationship is becoming. Time and time again, this theme comes up between couples of the show. Lies, lies by omission and secrets. What's interesting is this leitmotif is at times interwoven with another important theme of this season —  independence/freedom to choose.

Johnathan and Nancy

Johnathan lies to Nancy about his acceptance letter. His main worry is that Nancy will abandon her dreams of going to Emerson and come live with him. That's a lie, but it's not a selfish lie. He wants Nancy to pursue her dream, he doesn't want to put her needs above his and he doesn't want to put his needs above hers. That's a very healthy decision. This storyline hasn't reached it's resolution yet, but I think we all know where this is going.

Lucas and Max

Max is grieving, she's not in a good place, and she is not opening up to Lucas. She is keeping her nightmares and headaches a secret from everyone. Lucas worries, he tries to offer support. At no point in time he pushes her back into a relationship, they simply grow closer. Lucas puts her needs above his, respecting her independence and choices, even though they may hurt him. Letting go, when you're asked to let go.

And then, there's Mike and El.

El is lying to Mike, Mike is lying to El ("I say it!"). And once again, there's that theme of independence and choices. El is becoming more self-reliant and finding herself, while Mike is clinging to the desire of being needed. He sees her slipping away from him.

and I'm not ready to lose you (quote taken from the script) I can't lose you (quote taken from the final take)

I don't know how to be without you, El

I think that's quite self-explanatory. Let me know if I missed something.

[dreamsteddie]

Who Will Catch Me When You're Gone?

Content Tags: Platonic Sobin, major character death, grief, depression, major character undeath

Inspired by this beautiful art by @tarraing

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When they found Steve, broken and bloody and scraped raw from the bats, all Robin could think about was that Steve's favorite sweatpants were ruined. She'd never understood those things or how someone so obsessed with fashion could wear them, but he'd always loved how comfortable they were. She razzes him about it every time he wears them.

Now they're ruined. Dirty and ripped.

She can hear Nancy ordering them to help her and Eddie freaking out but it's all just white noise to her right up until the moment everything comes flooding back in and the world has never been louder. Her breathing is deafening like she's trying to breathe for both of them.

Steve isn't breathing.

Steve isn't breathing but somehow she still is.

One moment she's stuck watching Nancy Wheeler try to patch her soulmate back together the next she's doing it for her so Nancy can start CPR. Eddie has stopped freaking out, she is dimly aware of him standing behind her, hovering because he doesn't know how to help. Doesn't know if there's any way to help.

Robin knows she's talking but it doesn't matter what she's saying. She doesn't think Steve can hear her. How could anything she says matter when her best friend isn't there to hear it? But she can't make herself stop, just in case.

But Steve never hears her. Nancy pushes on his chest and forces air into his lungs until her arms are shaking and she doesn't have enough strength to move his chest anymore. Then Robin takes over even though she has no idea what she's doing. Even though Nancy and Eddie are trying to tell her it's no use, that they need to go.

Like she could leave him here.

Then she's kicking and screaming because they're trying to pull her away. She's biting down on Eddie's ringed hand and kicking out into Nancy's ribs. She's not leaving, she's not. She can't do that to Steve, would rather lie down next to him, take his hand, and let the bats find her than leave him behind.

The last thing she sees before someone knocks her in the head is Steve's eyes, open and empty and staring right at her.

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When Robin wakes up she's surrounded by people, but no one says a thing. She sees Dustin, red-eyed and empty standing in a corner across from the couch she's been placed on. Max won't look at her, Erica is glued to her side, Eddie looks lost, Lucas is trying to keep a siff upper lip for his sister, and Nancy looks like a block of steel. Steve isn't anywhere to be found.

But then again, Robin knew that. She'd know if Steve was her because their hearts beat as one, but now her chest feels empty. It's Max, brave, scared Max, who breaks the silence. Robin doesn't hear it. Doesn't listen as people start explaining plans around them. Can't channel the righteous fury she sees in Nancy and Max, or the barely concealed fear in Eddie and Erica, or the building weight of responsibility growing in Lucas and Dustin's too old eyes. All she feels is empty.

She's going to do whatever they want her to do because she knows it's what Steve would do. Knows without a shadow of a doubt that if she was the one lying dead in the Upside Down he would be on a war path in her name, so she needs to do the same.

When she launches that last fire bomb into Vecna's ugly head, it's a hollow victory.

Everyone else survives. The Byers move back to Hawkins. The town starts to rebuild. The big bad is gone for good.

But it doesn't mean anything to her. She lies in bed most days without saying a word. She lets her parents dote on her, listens passively as they try to remind her of the college acceptance letters waiting for her on the kitchen counter. Manages to sit up and smile just a little when Eddie brings Dustin and Erica by to see her. Cries with the two of them tucked under her arms, all three of them aware of how vulnerable they feel without a strong pair of arms wrapped around their other side.

Robin asks Eddie to hang back one day and makes a request. The next day he comes by with a clean needle and a pot of ink and Robin sits motionless as he engraves a sunflower inner her wrist, somewhere she'll always be able to see it.

She always swore to Steve that she would never get a tattoo, too freaked out by the possibility of an infection, but those fears feel so distant now that the worst thing that could happen has come to pass.

She catches Eddie with one of his own to match the next week.

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A month goes by. She doesn't leave the house, even when Dustin comes by to beg her.

Then two. She can tell her parents are starting to really worry. They've given up trying to get her to think about college and started trying to get her to think about therapy.

Then Five. She started going to work again. She puts on her Family Video vest and thinks about Steve. She walks through the door and imagines Steve leaning over the counter. Keith turns on Back to the Future and she goes home with a panic attack. She doesn't speak unless it's necessary, but she's trying to move forward. She knows it's what Steve would want for her, even on the days when it's not what she wants for herself.

And then Six months pass.

There's a tap at her window.

She ignores it, at first. She refuses to go to a shrink, there are too many things she can't say to the ones her parents recommend, and she won't accept anything from those government goons who turned her best friend into a soldier. Into cannon fodder. Instead, she writes letters.

She sits down at her desk once a day and pours her heart out to Steve. She lets herself pretend for a few moments every day that he's just been dragged away by his parents for a few months. He's out there somewhere in the world, relying on her to keep her updated on the kids and the drama at work and herself until she can go out and join him, wherever he is. Some days she writes about nothing at all, some days she rages at him for leaving her behind, sometimes she speculates about their future, where she goes to college wherever he is, and they get an apartment and two dogs. She seals every one in an envelope, tucks them in a drawer, and lets herself breathe in that perfect fantasy for just a moment. It's the best part of her day, and nothing can tear her away from it.

Except the tapping doesn't stop.

And Robin lives on the second floor.

And everyone she knows would just come through the front door.

She turns, so slowly, toward the window. The glare from her bedside lamp makes it impossible to see anything through it, but she doesn't need to.

There are fingers, claws, forcing their way under the sill. She sucks in a sharp breath as they curl upward, crashes to the ground as they start to pull.

She's scrambling back, getting ready to scream and make a run for the walkie she leaves on silent on her desk to call for help. To warn the others that their monsters are back before it mows her down.

But then the window gives way and she stops. Stops everything.

Because the thing in her window is wearing her best friend's face. It's wearing his hair and his moles and his stupid fucking sweatpants.

And at the end of the day it doesn't actually matter what he looks like. It doesn't matter if there are new hinges in his jaw to show off new, shark-like teeth. It doesn't matter mater if he can't say anything besides a hissed, garbled rendition of her name. It doesn't even matter when he latches onto her wrist, right above that little sunflower, and sucks, taking just enough blood to make her light-headed.

Because she can feel his heartbeat pounding along with her own, perfectly in sync.

Because she's not alone, anymore.

[castlebyersafterdark]

kinda love the idea of will being lucas' bi awakening. i still see cannon lucas being straight, but i had this idea where like once mike and will are older and more comfortable in their relationship, mike and lucas start talking about sex with each other. they're not ashamed or embarrassed about it, they have that "bro" relationship with each other as we see in the show. mike starts talking about will, and how much he actually loves sex and how it's the complete opposite of how will is all shy normally. lucas is surprised, and mikes says how at first he was shocked as well. and lucas can't stop thinking about it. like.. will? our will? feral and horny? it just does something to his brain. (max and lucas are probably broken up or on a break at the time). and so he starts subtly asking more questions because he wants to know more, getting more bold the more he asks. "is it good?" "is he loud?" "how loud?" each answer making him more intrigued. mike talks about how will loves to give head, and how he doesn't even have to ask him, it's the opposite. or how wills always down for a good time, rarely passing up the opportunity. one time, after a passionate night with will, mike and lucas were having one of their one on one hang outs and begin to talk, and mike lifts his shirt up revealing hickeys and bite marks covering his chest and stomach, with a boastful, smug grin plastered on his face — mike knows what he's got. all of it just sticks in his brain and he can't stop thinking about it. he wonders what it would be like to fuck will himself, see if mikes telling the truth. he trys to stop himself, thinking "i'm not into guys," or "this is mikes boyfriend," but he can't stop wondering what it's like. he won't lie to himself and say that will doesn't have a nice body, or that he's not curious about what it's like being with another guy. when he sees will at their hangouts his mind begins to wander more. will is so sweet and reserved.. how can he possibly be what mike describes him to be like in the sheets? the contrast makes his head spin, hitting him with curiosity and.. arousal? he can't help but to think of how lucky a guy mike is.

Perfect perfect perfect. No notes. One of my favorite scenarios ever sent in. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Walking back to the school, Dustin noticed Steve and Eddie were holding hands. Will cursed inwardly, and he hoped that Dustin wouldn't say anything. He figured that they weren't quite ready to say anything yet, but why were they holding hands so publicly? Maybe they thought they were being discreet.

"That makes sense," Dustin said.

"What does?" Will asked.

"Safety in numbers, and it doesn't hurt to make sure we don't get separated," Dustin said as he took Will's hand. "Makes sense, doesn't it?"

Dustin smiled at him. He always appreciated Dustin's smile. It was always so innocent and, at the same time, mischievous. It was also full of warmth. His dark blue eyes also held the same, and it always seemed to twinkle, too. Will always loved the way they seemed to almost disappear when he smiled. Will swallowed. When did Dustin get so cute? Or maybe the better question would be, why didn't Will really notice until now? Oh, yeah. Mike. Will blushed. He had spent so long being in love with him, and he hadn't stopped to think about the possibility of anyone else.

"Yeah, I guess it makes sense," Will said and intertwined their hands.

Dustin went quiet for a minute, staring straight a head before groaning.

"I was hoping that you'd call me on my bullshit, Will," Dustin said.

"What are you talking about?" Will asked.

"I just wanted to hold your hand, and I was looking for any excuse to do it," Dustin said. "I don't know why Steve and Eddie are holding hands."

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Will asked.

"I don't know," Dustin said, blushing. "I wanted to be honest with you, but I got nervous."

"You, Dustin Henderson? You're never afraid of saying what's on your mind," Will said.

"Hey, I get scared. . .it's just that my mouth runs faster than my brain," Dustin said. "My mouth has a mind of its own, okay?!"

"Dustin, why do you want to hold my hand?" Will asked softly.

"I don't know, I already said that. I think that I have always been jealous of how close you and Mike are, how close you want to be with Mike. It doesn't make sense, though, because I know that I'm closer to Lucas than you are, and it doesn't bother me!" Dustin exclaimed.

"Dustin," Will said softly and stopped, taking his other hand.

"I think maybe it's because you always found all my inventions interesting. . .I mean, actually interested. You always wanted to hear more about them, and I just wanted you to keep looking at me like that. . .the way you look when I talk about them. This past year, all I wanted to do was talk to you about it, about them all and the science fair. . .even though I knew it wasn't possible, I kept imagining your face in the crowd and somehow that you'd find your way there. When Suzie broke up with me, I wanted you to be the first to know. I knew you would be the one to make me feel better. I can't explain it," Dustin sighed. "I think I just really missed you this year."

"Dustin," Will said. "I could guess, although I might be wrong about this. . .I generally am wrong about these things. . .can I - can I show you why you might be feeling this way?"

"Sure," Dustin said in confusion.

Still holding both of Dustin's hands in his, Will bent down and kissed him. Dustin made a small gasping noise against Will's lips. He didn't pull away, however. In fact, he pressed his lips a little harder against Will's with an eagerness that he was trying to contain. Will found that he very much liked kissing Dustin, liked the way his lips felt against his. Dustin growled into his mouth, and Will jumped, pulling away with a laugh.

"Dustin!" Will exclaimed.

"Hey! You started this," Dustin said. "You knew what might happen."

"You were the one who wanted to hold my hand!" Will laughed. "It surprised me, that's all. It was a nice surprise, though."

"Shit. . .it all makes sense. I can't believe that I've never seen it before," Dustin frowned.

"We lie more to ourselves than anyone else," Will said.

"There's a reason why your name is Will the Wise," Dustin beamed. "Does this mean - that you - ?"

"I'm definitely starting to move my eyes towards you," Will grinned and paused. "And it's not a big deal for you. . .that you like a guy?"

"You know, I don't think I care very much that you're a guy. I don't think I ever cared that Suzie was a girl. I hardly even noticed, I just. . .I think I liked that you're both so. . .sweet," Dustin said. "And you care. You both have heart, and I think that's what I've always cared about. Honestly, when I had a crush on Max, I just thought, well, I'm a boy, and she's a girl. . .that's just how it's supposed to be, right? After Max, I think I just opened myself up to the possibility of just falling for anyone, but I don't think my mind really factored that it meant guys as well."

"It's always been just guys for me, particularly one guy, but I'm starting to be aware of others, too," Will blushed.

"So, our hearts are still freshly wounded. . .maybe together, we'll help them heal faster," Dustin said.

Will beamed and took Dustin's hand as they continued to move. Steve and Eddie had walked further ahead of them, but they managed to catch up.

"It's really not fair how much taller you've gotten, Byers," Dustin explained. "You know, there was a time that I was taller than you."

"Please, you love it," Will teased.

"Maybe I do," Dustin said. "Maybe I don't."

Once they reached Steve and Eddie, the four walked into the empty entrance to the gym.

"Were you guys holding hands?" Steve asked.

"Yeah," Dustin said. "We were holding hands for the same reason that you were. We didn't want to get lost."

Steve and Eddie shared an amused smile before turning to them.

"That's not why we were holding hands," Steve said. "Although, Eddie does tend to wander off. . ."

"We're dating!" Eddie exclaimed rather cheerfully.

"Oh," Dustin said and beamed, sharing a look with Will. "That's funny. We are, too!"

"Shut up, that's not funny. We're being serious," Steve said.

"So, are we!" Will exclaimed.

"Seriously?!" Steve and Eddie exclaimed.

"Yeah," Dustin said.

"That's great, I didn't know you liked guys," Steve said.

"I didn't know that either of you liked guys, or I would have tried to set you two up a long time ago," Dustin said.

"Well, we didn't exactly know either," Steve blushed.

"We figured it out the hard way," Eddie said, slapping Steve on the back.

"I was always open to falling for anyone anyway, but it took Will kissing me to realize that I had been crushing on him for a while and that it also meant guys for me, too," Dustin said.

"It's just guys for me," Will shrugged.

"Both for us," Steve replied.

"Well, this is just great," Will beamed. "I always thought I was alone."

Will could feel Dustin smiling at him, and he turned to him, smiling as well. Will had opened his mouth when Dustin gasped.

"Does your mom and Jonathan know about you?" Dustin asked.

"Yeah, they're fine with it," Will replied and raised an eyebrow at him.

"I just realized that I'm going to have to figure out a way to get them to like me," Dustin said.

"What?! They already like you!" He exclaimed.

"Yeah, but I'm your boyfriend now, William, and the family never likes the boyfriend!" Dustin yelled. "I've got to prove to them that I'm not going to hurt you!"

"You've got nothing to prove!" Will laughed. "You're being ridiculous!"

"I need to come up with a plan!" Dustin exclaimed and started to run off.

"In the middle of an apocalypse?! Aren't there more important things to do?!" Will asked.

"No!"

Steve clapped his hand on Will's shoulder.

"He means well," Steve laughed.

"He's lucky he's cute," Will said in amusement. "Why is he so scared of them? Didn't Dustin kill a man? What's he got to be worried about?"

"Yeah, I think he's just excited," Steve said.

"Well, at least you don't have to worry about Eddie," he said.

"Not about that, anyway," Steve said.

Suddenly, Eddie gasped, grasping Steve’s shoulder.

"The kid is right, Steve. I have to win Robin over," Eddie said.

"What?! She already likes you! You've won her over!" Steve yelled.

"Not as her platonic soulmate's boyfriend, Steven!" Eddie shrieked. "I'm going to see if Dustin needs help."

Will laughed and clapped Steve on the back as Eddie ran off.

"Let's get some hot cocoa and talk about how adorably idiotic our boyfriends are," Will said.

"I just know that Robin's going to make Eddie jump through hoops just to fuck with him," Steve said.

"Luckily, my brother isn't that cruel," Will said. "Hopper, on the other hand. . ."

Will glanced over at Mike talking to Lucas, and he found that for the first time ever, it was easier to breathe when he looked at him.

[prettystary]

Alright, bear with me here (pun intended) as I dive into my thoughts/predictions on The Bear Season 4.

With the way Season 3 ended, plus the promos we’ve seen so far, I think we’re in for a major shift. We all know Carmy is still mentally trapped in that freezer, which has created a massive disconnect between him and everyone else. But something I haven’t seen discussed as much is how everything he’s doing is rooted in proving to *Sydney* that he’s a good enough chef to be her partner—ironically, something she never doubted in the first place.

From the start, Sydney has believed in Carmy’s talent. He made her favorite meal, which is why she wanted to work with him in Season 1. It’s also why she lied about being a regular—she didn’t want to reveal just how much she admired his cooking.

And then there’s the fact that lies were what brought them together in the first place-*her lie when they first met, and his lie about the alergy to be able to make the dish* A perfect bit of foreshadowing for their ongoing communication struggles.

Carmy, (not knowing that he’s her favorite chef), has only fueled his feelings of inadequacy after being trapped in the freezer and leaving Sydney to handle Friends & Family without him. Instead of embracing the future he was building with *The Bear* and working alongside Sydney, he got caught up in his past—what Claire represents.

So in Season 3, he goes into overdrive, trying to overcompensate by chasing a Michelin star—something he never even cared about before—just to convince Sydney to stay and sign the partnership agreement. But in trying to prove himself, he’s actually pushed her away. Completely.

She’s about to leave.

And I think she actually will. We have the alleyway leaks and the promo clips that suggest she quits after arguing with Carmy. In one of the promos, Carmy is holding her apron over his shoulder, staring toward the sidewalk, which feels like a pretty clear indicator.

Now, I’m trying to place *when* this happens in relation to Tiff’s wedding. If Sydney is Richie’s plus one, I could totally see her going before or after quitting. But a part of me really thinks she’s going to be *Carmy’s* plus one, which would place the wedding before she leaves.

At first, I assumed Richie invited her, but then I realized—why wouldn’t he take Sugar instead? If the wedding happens shortly after she gives birth, that could explain it. But then it hit me: Tiff was definitely who invited Donna, meaning she also probably invited Sugar and Carmy. If Carmy is at the wedding (which I could see them hiding in the promos), it makes perfect sense for *him* to take Sydney.

(Also, I love the idea of Richie taking Tina as his plus one. That would be so sweet. And i would love for her to be included in that)

One moment that really stands out in the promos is the hug between Richie and Sydney, where they’re in their wedding outfits. Maybe Richie is anxious, and Sydney steps outside to talk to him, which ends with her revealing that she’s leaving. That would definitely be a big enough moment to justify the hug.

And then there’s Donna and Sydney’s conversation—huge. Donna says, "Sometimes, your work family is closer to you than your family family." Sydney responds, "Sometimes I feel like your work family is like part of your family family."

That difference is subtle, but it’s important. Donna doesn't struggle with putting people above her family, seeing love as something that has to be earned. Sydney, on the other hand, loves more fully/openly, fighting for those she loves even if she makes herself sick in the process. For her it's easy to see those she loves being valuable, just like family.

I can’t wait to see how that scene plays out.

Now, I’m a little wary of Luca coming back—not in a bad way, but because I really liked his small, contained role as a mentor to Marcus. Then his presence at Ever’s funeral worked because it highlighted the contrast between his dynamic with Carmy and Sydney’s dynamic with Carm. Luca saw Carmy as a rival, someone to admire but also compete with. Sydney, though, wants to be Carmys partner—equals, side by side, pushing each other to be better.

But with him back, I’m wondering—is he Sydney’s replacement? Are there major changes happening at The Bear? Either way, I’m excited to see him and Marcus interact again.

Carmy definitely got a reality check in the finale, between his talk with Chef Terry and his boss. But is it too little, too late? After everything he put Sydney through, she’s leaving one way or another, and his reaction is probably not going to be great. He said, *"I wouldn't even wanna do it without you,"* and this is when things are really going to start falling into place for him.

His relationship with Claire was *heavily* romanticized this season, which was jarring considering how much it drained him in Season 2. Just the thought of her gave him panic attacks, but now? He’s romanticizing his past all over again, and it’s jeopardizing his future. Again.

That leaked argument between them seems to be about the whole "Carmy said he’s in love with you" thing that the Faks pulled. If that’s the case, it could finally put an end to that storyline. Also, it doesn’t seem like Claire’s actress has been involved in recent filming, so maybe she won’t have a big role this season? Fingers crossed.

I could go on forever, but I’ll stop here. I have a strong feeling *The Bear* won’t end up being full fine dining—it’ll probably land somewhere more relaxed, something reminiscent of *The Beef* but still refined. *A fusion.* And hopefully, that reflects where Carmy and the crew end up emotionally, too.

Oh, and obviously-SydCarmy canon.

[psycholattemacchiato]

Rescue Or Be Rescued. That Is The Question.

Pairing: Dominique Luca x male!Reader

Warnings: fluff, angst, trans m!reader, ftm reader, bodydysphoria, secrets,

Summary: Since you can think SWAT was your dream. But being Trans didn't help easing your way. Though you made it through SWAT Academy whole and are completely feeling safe with the team of 20 Squad, you can't jump over your shadow and tell them about your, well problem. So when it gets too much and you distance yourself from the people you were starting to call family they sense, that something is off, but give you time and space. But you are only falling down a deep, black hole, not able to cry for help without revealing your darkest secret.

Word Count: 2k Words

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SWAT has always been your dream. You know that. A couple year back, you wouldn't have believed that you'd be standing where you are right now.

In the conference room with your teammates. The 20 Squad.

It is just after a raid. And you are getting your daily dose of criticism from Hondo and Hicks. Though in today's raid everything went smoothly, the both of them still saw ways to improve, and you get that somewhere. But a part of you just wants to go home. Cry yourself to sleep or just stare at the wall for the rest of the night.

That has been your days recently. Stand up, go to work, snack a little, go home, shower and sleep or stare at walls in your apartment.

All because of some damn secret, you weren't sure, you could share with the team just yet. Even though you have been paired with the squad since two and a half years now.

The right moment was just never in reach for you to tell them. You wanted to, but how should you have done it?

'Hey guys. You know, I just wanted to tell you I'm Transgender. I hope this doesn't change anything between us.'

Because it would change everything. But lately it has eaten you alive, to keep that from your friends, hell your family. Because they mattered to you. Especially Luca.

He was always there, lending you an ear or giving you advice when you were a cadet training in the academy. Even back then you had a little crush on him, but you were sure it would pass with time.

Oh Boy, how wrong you were. That little crush you had was nothing compared to the simping you'd do whenever you could.

And he was asking you more frequently lately, if everything was okay, but you just shrugged him off, saying everything was fine. You didn't want to burden anyone with these problems of yours.

Fingers snapping in front of your face got you out of your thoughts.

"Ey Y/n! You comin' with us? We wanna grab some drinks." Luca asks you, once you blink twice to remind you where you are. "Nah, I'll pass. Thanks for the offer though"

Does it just seem to you or is a sad expression laid over Luca's face for a split second?

"Oh okay, good night then!" "You too guys. Have fun!"

You turn around and start walking t the locker room to get your backpack and keys.

In the locker room you are met face to face with Tan. "Hey, can I ask you something personal?" He asks. You alt in your movements and nod slowly.

"How come you never change your clothes here? I've never seen you come or go in your normal clothes?" You swallow hard. So they noticed.

What should you say? The truth and risk getting ignored? Or just some little lie.

"Uhm, I actually don't even really know myself. I guess it's just a thing I had going on since elementary school. I couldn't do that dressing shit while others were in the room. Insecurity I guess."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to invade your privacy." "Hell, I wouldn't have answered if you invaded my personal space." You grin and shoulder your bag. You wave him goodbye and walk out the door.

What a close call.

On your drive home you keep on replaying the scene in your head. Is it so obvious? That you evade getting dressed in public dressing rooms? Maybe. But they all could neither see the binders and tapes you are wearing to conceal your chest, nor should they see all of the scars on your body. The scars that you never were proud of getting. The scars you made yourself. All over your body. Your arms. Your legs. Your stomach.

And all those scars wouldn't be there if you weren't born in that fucking body. But you couldn't change it. And it bothered you.

It bothers you that you joined the police to help saving people, but you can't save yourself. Not without help of outsiders at least.

You hit the wheel of your car out of frustration. You know you can't continue like that. But you also can't do anything. It's like a carousel.

Once you reach home, you park the car and open the apartment.

You hop in the shower to wash all the sweat off, and fall in your bed afterwards. But you aren't tired. You are tired of keeping up a facade and your mind is tired too, but your body can't rest somehow.

When your alarm rings you didn't sleep a single second. You are relieved that you finally get to do something again. Get your mind off your personal problems. You dress up in uniform and exit your apartment.

The ride to HQ was quiet and there were luckily no traffic jams. In HQ the first person you ran into was Luca. "Hey, my favorite teammate! You're here early." You smile and answer: "Yeah couldn't sleep. Morning too."

"Hey, are you okay? Your eyes are really red and you have deep circles under your eyes. Have you been sleeping?" "I'm fine thanks." You try evading. "You know if there is anything I can do, reach out to me. Please. You're family." You nod, your lips pressed to a thin line.

With the mood now killed you excuse yourself and bury yourself the whole day in work.

On the end of the day Luca comes to you again. "Hey, do you want to crash at our place tonight? Maybe sleeping somewhere else could get you a cap of sleep. You really don't look so good. Please? For me?"

"Fine. Thank you" He nods and guards you to his car. You try to protest, that you have your own car but he insists on you two driving together. The ride was comfortable and you both were vibing to the music coming from the radio.

At Luca and Street's home, you are greeted with a happy Duke, who was eager to greet both of you.

"Hey, you know what, I'll make some dinner, and you can take a shower if you want."

That's when it hit you. "Fuck. I don't have any spare clothes with me." "Don't worry I'll lend you something of mine. Does Sweats and a Hoodie sound okay?"

"Sounds perfect Luca, thanks."

So after Luca hands you the clothes you go to the bathroom, and take a short shower, and slip into his clothes afterwards. When you get to the kitchen again, you get hit by a smell, so amazing it makes your stomach growl loudly.

"Wow, so hungry?" You smile sheepishly. "Thanks again." You say.

"Yeah no worries. Now eat up. I never see you eat at work, you must be really hungry."

"I don't eat at work, or after or before. Just some snacks in between breaks." You admit.

"A reason more to eat up." And with that he starts digging in too.

After the food the two of you sit on the couch and start watching TV. Until Luca suddenly sits up and turns to look at you.

"Hey, real talk right now. What's going on? You are mentally absent very often lately. You have deep circles under your eyes, I bet you don't sleep enough, and you don't eat regularly. And don't tell me everything's fine. Because it's not."

You are shocked for a second, but then all feelings hit you like a wall. They come crashing down on you and you just burst into tears.

"Hey, hey hey! Talk to me. Please!" Luca puts his arms around you and rubs your back in a soothing motion. You lean in the hug and start sobbing, finally letting your feelings out.

"I can't do this anymore." "What can you not do anymore?" "Keeping it from you. Everything"

"You know Luca. I became a cop to rescue people. But now I need rescuing. And I should have asked for help a long time ago. But I couldn't." You explain through sobs. "I always had a rough time. Always wanted to be like others. Wanted to be like the other dudes at the academy. But I just couldn't. Because of one difference. I was never born male. I was born as a female, but that never felt right. But wherever I went I couldn't fit in. I was too different. So I started punishing myself for something I did not even have power over." You sniff and pull the sleeve of the hoodie up, to show your scars. Scattered all over your arm.

"Oh Y/n! Why haven't you told us? We would have helped you through this. We are family. Remember?"

"But you will all see me differently now, won't you? Now that you know I'm trans?"

"That doesn't change anything. And I think I can speak for the whole team there."

He cups your face in his hands. "You matter to us. You are important to us. You hear me?" You nod. "Good." Then he pulls you even closer, for another hug.

"Thank you for your trust. And thank you for telling me all that." He says as he pulls away. Now come on. Let's get you to sleep. I'll show you my bed."

"And where are you going to sleep?"

"The couch."

"But-" He just shakes his head and you stop.

He guides you do his bedroom and tucks you in. Then he turns around to walk away. But you catch his wrist before he slips out of the room.

"Stay. Please?" You ask quietly.

"You sure?" He raises an eyebrow. You nod. "Alright let me change real quick and I'll come in a sec."

He returns a few minutes later and finds you sitting in his bed, waiting patiently for him.

"I thought you fell to sleep already." You just shake your head at that.

"Y/n can I ask you something?" "Sure thing" You answer as he makes himself comfortable and you turn around to face him.

"Do you maybe, maybe want to go and drink coffee or something tomorrow?"

"You asking me on a date?"

"Maybe? Don't know? Yes?"

You take a deep breath and close your eyes when you lean in, and peck him on the lips.

"That an answer?" You ask nervously.

"Depends. Should that have been a kiss? You gotta do it again then if your answer was a yes."

"Alright, you really gonna make me say it?" You sigh.

"Yup"

"Fine. I like you Dominique Luca! And I will go on a date with you."

"That's what I wanted to hear." And with that he grabs your face and pulls you in for a proper kiss.

A long and affectionate kiss. And when you part for air, he tells you: "You know you are the most beautiful man, I have ever met. I fell for you the moment you came up to me and asked me for advice in improving your skills at shooting, back when you were in the academy. But now sleep. Please"

"Only if you cuddle me."

Not even a second later you feel his hands wrapping around you, and his warmth embracing you.

"You know, I fell for you the moment I saw you too."

"Mhm. G'dnight Baby." He mumbles to your ear.

A minute later you hear a steady breathing from him.

That sound of him breathing steadily and his arms around you, were the things that lulled you to sleep after just a few minutes of listening to him sleeping peacefully.

[nobylerdoubt]

Ended up on the milkvan side of pinterest and i might be having byler doubt most of it is just season 3 because let's face it season 4 is obviously not a win for milkvan but then there were also cast responses and i am having mixed feelings

First things first - I've said this before and I'll say it again. The casts feelings are not an indicator how how the plot will go. It's not up to them to decide. I won't deny that they get input on their characters, but in the end it's up to the Duffer brothers and the producers. Also, what the cast can say in interviews is such a watered down give-them-what-they-want version of what's actually being said and what the actors actually feel/think/believe. Byler is under lock in key, because when it happens it's gonna be huge. It's the last thing they want people to insinuate or find out from interviews.

Moving on, Season 3, to me, is a huge indicator that Mileven is not endgame. I'll just list a few main points out, since you didn't leave any specific moments you wanted me to combat - but feel free to let me know if there's any specific moment that has you feeling anxious.

Mileven, even before El dumps Mike's ass, is very unhealthy. We see almost everyone mention this in season 3, but especially Hopper and Will. Mike spends all his time with El - so much so that Mike's friends comment on how he never has time to spend with them. Hopper comments that it's not normal, not healthy. Lucas jokes "Oh El, I wish we could make out forever, and never hang out with any of our friends." The only one who doesn't seem to have a problem with it pre hopper's "talk" with the two, is Max, who's not that close to either of them at this point. "It's romantic." "It's gross." "It's bullshit."

When the two do break up, I admittedly think that it has less to do with how unhealthy their relationship is, and more to do with Hopper's meddling and Mike's and Hopper's combined inability to just set boundaries and respect one another. The only thing is that Mike lies, which very much sets up his behavior towards El in season 4 as well. He can't seem be genuine with her. However what follows the breakup is what I think is more important.

The juxtaposition of Mike and El's breakup and Mike and Will's fallout is very telling. In the same episode that Max assures El that Mike will come crawling back begging for forgiveness - Mike mopes and whines but does nothing. But when Will storms off after their argument Mike comes rushing to him with apologies.

When Mike talks to El as they set up the "sauna test" he confesses Hopper "made him lie". El comments "what if he's right?" What if they do spend too much time together. What if the need to spend more time with their own species.

I think a moment that causes a lot of byler doubt is in Hopper's cabin when Mike says: "because I love her and can't lose her again". It's interesting to me that both at this moment and in season 4, mike can only say "I love you" during intense moments where he fears for her life. In the past couple responses I've posted I've noticed a bit of a theme. We have to realize that Mike really, deeply cares for El. Just not in the way he feels he should. Not in the way she wants him to.

After this first outburst of "I love her" Mike doesn't say it again until season 4. Even as he's trying to talk to El in the store he can't say it. "You know (blank) makes you crazy". Even as El coaxes him because she doesn't understand what he's trying to say, he can't say it. And here, he's not even trying to say "I love you" he's trying to explain himself. To brush it off.

Then again, at the end of the season El brings this up again, and Mike continues to try and brush it off, to downplay it. He says it was just heat of the moment stuff. When El says "I love you" he doesn't say it back. When El kisses him, his eyes are open. When she walks away, he's in a mix of shock and confusion.

Then the season ends with the Peter Gabriel cover of heroes - and the last time we've heard that song was in season 1 as Mike goes home to hug his mom because he thinks Will is dead. And again we see him hug his mom, eyes open in that same shocked confused look. He's lost people he cares about again. I think he feels that his love is leaving him - but does he know who it is?

Theres some other topics of note in season 3, but that's for another day. Again - let me know if theirs any particular scenes that give you byler doubt and I can do more of a deep dive on them.

(Sorry if the tone's shifted halfway through, I switched from typing on my computer to typing on my phone, and I feel like I write differently on different devices.)

[stranger-things-yapper]

fuck it, Madwheeler fanfic:

At some point after Max broke up with Lucas, Mike tries to talk to her. He says he wants to trades notes with her, since they have Spanish together and that class is kicking his ass. It's not a lie, but it is a pretext - he wants to check on her, too, since he's never seen Max be this serious about their breakups. It's been months, and she stopped laughing or smiling after that. Mike will never admit it, but he is worried.

Max, however, does not want to be checked on.

"Look, Mike, you don't have to do this anymore."

"Do what?" Mike asks, furrowing his brow in genuine confusion.

"Pretend that you tolerate me," Max answers, catching Mike off guard. "Me and Lucas are done, I don't intend to get back with him, so you don't have to act like you give a shit, okay? You won."

"I don't pretend to tolerate you," he starts, but Max scoffs.

"Oh please, Mike, you hated me since I moved here." Max says plainly, and Mike has a hard time refuting the claim. "You never wanted me in your party, and if it weren't for Lucas, I would have stopped talking to all of you way before," she looked at the floor, seeming very distant for a moment, "everything that happened. So just leave me alone, okay?"

She turns to leave, but Mike runs to face her again. "Wait, wait, wait. Can you just hear me out for a second?" Max crosses her arms in front of her, but doesn't leave. He takes this as his cue to keep talking.

"Okay, you're right, I didn't like you being with the party at first. But a lot has happened since then," Mike says, to which Max looks away again. He keeps going anyway. "And I know you might not like it, but you are the only other person that I know that had to deal with someone you cared about," he looks around and leans closer, lowering his voice, "being possessed by the Mindflayer." Mike stares at Max meaningfully. She holds his gaze, which Mike takes as a good sign. "We can't really talk about that with the school counselor, now, can we?"

Max takes a deep breath, rolls her eyes slightly and gives Mike a single nod. She's reluctant, but there's no denying it, he's right. He takes a step forward, voice still low.

"Look, I know it's not ideal, but we're the only ones who know how much that fucking sucks." Mike is staring straight into Max's eyes now. She stares back, unblinking, as if evaluating what he's saying. "So, it'd be nice to be able to talk about this with someone who understands, you know?" Mike shrugs. "We could take turns complaining about it, if you'd like. Or not. Either way, I'm here."

Mike deposits an awkward hand on her arm. She looks down at it, then back up to him. She didn't remove his hand, but her expression was indecipherable. They share that look for a moment too long, and Mike is suddenly aware that they are very close together. They've never stood this close before. He sees her eyes dart quickly from his lips and back, and his eyes do the same, almost like a queued response. Mike could be imagining things, but he thought he saw Max's expression soften just slightly. He felt his face start to burn.

He slowly removed his hand from her arm, taking a step back and straightening back up, trying to break the sudden tension between them. Not the best move to invade the personal space of a girl who admittedly hates you, specially when you are trying to convince her to keep talking to you. He saw Max's shoulders rise and fall in a deep breath before she finally spoke.

"Okay," she said, her voice serious, but without the sarcastic edge that was usually directed at Mike. A nice change of pace, if he was being honest. "I'll keep that in mind."

That relaxed Mike's shoulders - he didn't know they were tensed up until now. "Cool," he said, curving one corner of his mouth into a sympathetic half-smile. He said his goodbyes and rushed back to his sister's car, looking back to see Max skating to the opposite direction.

He hoped she would remember she could talk to him. And he tried not to think about how very blue Max's eyes were, and how close they had been just minutes ago.

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Day 21: Elmike Breakup vs. Byler Fight Scene . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Hi guys sorry I haven't done one of these in a couple days, I've been really sick and gross and super gross <3 yeah, but I'm back to give my mediocre analysis again today

DONT READ THIS POST IF U HATE LONG ESSAYS ABOUT BYLER HEEHEE

Today I wanted to talk about the parallels, or, as I like to call them, perpendiculars, between the mil*ven breakup scene and the byler garage fight in S3. The contrast between the two scenes shows the attitude that the writers take towards the two ships, and it honestly super obviously shows the difference between Mike's attitudes towards either relationship. This analysis won't just delve into the breakup scenes themselves as well, also the aftermaths, which are very telling.

The Breakup

The Lighting and Tone: for a scene that's supposed to be a breakup scene, the lighting is extremely bright here. It's supposed to be a sunny day, and the lighting is extremely even on everyone's faces. Things are bright, there's not upsetting music in the background. In fact, the music that plays after El breaks up with Mike is literally supposed to be funny because it's instantly: "she's as cold as ice". The lines have little meaning to them, for example, saying "i dump your ass" is played off as a joke or some kind of comeuppance, because it was what Max had said earlier.

Also, Lucas, Max and Will are also included in these scenes, making the tone less upsetting due to it being so busy, along with other mallgoers. This is very different to the tone in the garage scene, where no one is around, it's just Mike and Will, making it more intimate. This is in spite of the fact LUCAS was literally involved in the argument.

Also another thing about the lighting which I've not really seen many talk about. Everyone says that the day is a really sunny day, but honestly, it's not. It's super overcast and the clouds are grey, but here's the thing, this foreshadows the storm later on. This shows that something worse is coming for Mike. I.e. the garage fight in which the storm actually is happening.

Mike's Facial Expressions: I call this succession panicked, confused and annoyed. Because that's all he is. It's pretty much another case of the directors playing this scene off as a huge joke, rather than a serious scene that should cause any upset to the characters. It's just a transition scene from one side of the season to the other, aka from one side of El's arc to another. El being in a relationship with Mike feels like an incomplete part of her arc.

Okay I got a bit off track there, but I wanted to talk about Mike's faces he makes when El says: "You lie. Why do you lie?". I think the question here is supposed to be as if El is speaking for the audience. The audience is supposed to question the truth of why Mike is really lying, which, judging by this look is actually more than just Hopper telling him not to tell her the truth. If he was really that desperate to keep her, he would sacrifice having to go through with Hopper, but he doesn't see her as worth it. And, as you can see from Mike's face here, he really, truly doesn't know why he feels this urge to keep lying to her, to hide that something is wrong. He eventually does realise tho (at the end so S3 ofc heehee)

Then there are his faces when El finally dumps him, which did not have to be so confused and annoyed looking. Imagine watching him look annoyed and confused with sadder music over the top, it would be extremely jarring and wouldn't fit the tone. However, the music kind of matches his attitude, which is that he's kind of confused and doesn't take this seriously. Aka, the audience aren't supposed to feel upset that they're broken up. This is extremely different than when the byler argument scene happens, which you will see.

How It Makes the Audience Feel: Everyone in the GA talks about how S3 ruined Mike's character and the fact they no longer root for him. Well, well, well, maybe that's because you're not supposed to root for him. Especially not in this scene. The writers aren't stupid, they didn't just accidentally write a breakup scene where you're supposed to want the break up to happen. El looks extremely happy, and the previous scene is all about her finding herself and what makes her happy, so the breakup is the perfect ending for this scene of hers. So basically, in other words, breaking up with Mike makes El feel more 'her'. Which we are supposed to want. Ultimately, we see that Mike got what he deserved.

The music, the lighting, the facial expressions, the laughter, all of it makes the audience supposed to feel something. And that is happiness. Happiness at the end of a breakup scene? For the show's main couple? Wow. While it may seem like later on, they make the audience want Mike and El to get back together, it almost seems like a confusing journey, something that isn't truly what reflects El's wants and needs that she instinctively discovers here. Her first reaction is excitement.

The Aftermath: So after seeing El happy about breaking up with Mike, the audience who still root for Mileven may want a scene where El expresses some sort of regret or sadness that she just broke up with Mike. However, instead of writing that, the writers decide to make her look at other boys and have fun with Max, making her focus on the supernatural, familial-centered storyline that makes more sense for her arc.

Based on how El talks about Mike with Max, describing him as her "first boyfriend", I'm not sure that we can ever see her here as honestly ever being madly, obsessively in love with Mike. This will be a great contrast to Will literally saying that he thought him and Mike would just spend the rest of their lives together! Yeah, so, I wonder which relationship is supposed to be taken more seriously...

And obviously, we have to talk about the "he'll come crawling back, begging for forgiveness" thing happening in the same episode where El actually finds out what Mike and Lucas and Will are doing. The same episode where Mike chases after Will in the rain to his house across town to talk, banging on his door and apologising.

After El breaks up with Mike, he has no idea what he has done wrong, despite El spelling it out for him with the "why do you lie?" question. This further shows his denial and confusion on who he really is during this season, making his realisation at the end all the more gratifying. It's also interesting that he can easily, easily tell her truth now that they are broken up. The Hopper excuse is no longer valid. Her literally breaking up with him is what Hopper threatened him with if he told the truth. So now that they're broken up, WHY CANT HE JUST TELL HER??? This obviously contrasts with the fact that Mike instantly knows where Mike went wrong with Will, knowing how he needs to apologise and doesn't see himself as the victim in that situation despite Will's multiple insults of El.

Because El is the one to break up with Mike, ending their relationship, he says that she's acting on emotion rather than logic. This shows that Mike doesn't see his relationship through an emotional lens. He views it as the logical thing to do. I've talked at length before about how Mike sees being in a relationship with El and getting over Will as a vital part of growing up. He emulates his parents' loveless relationship, because that's a logical part of life, and to him, El just can't see that. So what does this mean? Does this mean that if Mike acted on his emotions, he would also break up with El?

This scene is also supposed to cast Mike in a bad light. As further emphasised by them not talking this situation seriously at all, resulting in them just doing typical 'boy' behaviour (burping and farting and laughing), rather than caring.

Basically, in this scene we see that Max's promise to El that Mike's hoping that El will take her back and begging for forgiveness, is false. And we see that El's reaction to that, is to laugh. She doesn't care, meaning the audience shouldn't either. The audience is, once again, not intended to root for Mike to get back with El, because a) she deserves better and b) she clearly doesn't care that much.

IN CONCLUSION: We are supposed to be happy that El broke up with Mike, laughing along at the unserious situation. Mike doesn't see where he went wrong, doesn't want to apologise, views his relationship with El as something logical and not emotional, and chooses to continue to lie to her despite not needing to anymore. El is happy and laughs about the situation, describes Mike as her first boyfriend, showing she has no real intention of getting back together with Mike.

The Garage Fight

The Lighting and Tone: Do I really need to say anything about fucking pathetic fallacy here? Is it really not that clear to some people lmao??? The fight happens in a literal storm, in the dark, which represents the feelings of the characters in the scene. This compared with the bright colours and weather of the breakup scene shows that it's supposed to be taken more seriously. Without realising it consciously, the audience are immediately focused on the fight and its impact, because the storm implies that this'll be painful (which it is jesus)

As well as the weather and dark lighting, we can see that Mike and Will are silhouettes in this scene, which are often used to make an image stand out to the viewer, to make it memorable and stick in their heads. The shot of them fighting in profile is shown multiple times, it's supposed to stick in the viewers' heads, it's supposed to create a huge impact for both characters' mental states.

The music is emotional and serious, very much contrasting to the music choice for the breakup which is supposed to be light and humorous. The music chosen for the scene is called "Not Kids Anymore", which begins me talking AGAIN about how Mike's always trying his best to grow up while Will just wants things to stay the same as it's always been.

Mike's Facial Expressions: Throughout this scene, we see frustration, regret and MORE regret! The first regret and the second regret are obviously different however. Overall, though, the facial expressions that both Mike and Will elicit in this scene are extremely painful--especially wills :(-- and this is greatly contrasted with the facial expressions in the break up scene. In the breakup scene we see confusion and annoyance, in this scene we see annoyance, yes, but it's immediately followed up by regret and sadness.

This is Mike's own reaction to himself saying the infamous "it's not my fault you don't like girls" line, because he immediately regrets saying it and knows where he went wrong, unlike with the other scene. Am I going to analyse that line? HAHA no no of course not, so many people have done it lololol--

Okay so Will had been talking about Dustin, which was the main focus during the argument, bringing about the topic that Mike never takes their friendship seriously anymore because he's focusing too much on a girl. Mike, despite being all nice to Will beforehand, suddenly goes on the defensive as soon as the legitimacy of his relationship is attacked, projecting his own denial about his sexuality towards Will. He sees Will's comment about El to be about him instead. The reason he regrets saying it so much is because he knows it hurts Will first and foremost, but also because he may realise that Will wasn't questioning Mike's sexuality.

THE SECOND REGRET comes after he mistakenly assumes that Will is going to agree with him that they should just grow up and get girlfriends. Instead, Will tells the truth that Mike is afraid to hear, which is that he did want to spend the rest of his life with him. So, we then see that Mike possibly wanted that as well, and just said that because it's the logical course of life that he's been internalised to believe in.

Another interesting shot to take note of is this one, which is after Will has left:

This is an immediate juxtaposition to the previous shots where Mike and Will are silhouetted together. In case you can't remember, silhouettes are meant to create a memorable image. So seeing this image where Mike is in the exact place he was, but this time without Will, is supposed to make the audience feel his absence in Mike's world. This shot is otherwise completely unnecessary.

How it Makes the Audience Feel: Does this image^ also make you feel deeply pained inside, even if you don't completely relate to Will's struggle in this season? Well, then it's a success for the writers! This scene's intention for the audience's takeaway cannot be more clear if it tried. You're not only supposed to feel terrible for Will, however, you're also supposed to root for the both of them to make up.

This is very unlike the Mileven breakup because the intention there was to root for El to break up with Mike, and feel happy for her once she's done it because Mike deserves it. However, in this scene, the lighting, the tone, the fact that they are both alone (despite Lucas being included in the prev argument), creates this intimately emotional moment that makes the audience feel pain instead of happiness. I mean, can it get any clearer?

The Aftermath: The two different aftermaths of these scenes are very different on both sides. They could not be more different if they tried. While El goes home, has fun, reads a magazine about another boy, calls Mike her 'first boyfriend', Will goes to Castle Byers, cries while reading a comic book and looking at pictures of him and his friends. The picture in particular is of the boys in their halloween costumes, which is the same day that Mike promises that they'll "go crazy together" (which symbolises love, hopefully you know that already). Will calls himself stupid, which is to say that he thinks he's stupid for thinking that those things could be any deeper than he thought they were back then.

Will then destroys Castle Byers, which symbolises him destroying the part of himself that he hates the most. After S4 canonised Will's feelings for Mike, this scene becomes more about his internalised homophobia manifesting itself. This is obviously a heartbreaking scene for so many audience members, and they obviously aren't rooting for Will to feel this pain. This is contrasted to the intention that we are supposed to be rooting for El's happiness without Mike, after seeing her happy with being with Max.

As for Mike, his reaction to the fight is super contrasting to the reaction to breaking up with El. With El, he has no idea where he went wrong. With Will, he instantly regrets what he says and says that he's been a jerk and is willing to apologise. With El, Mike takes the breakup less seriously and makes jokes with Lucas. With Will, he takes it way more seriously and bikes across town in the rain, bringing Lucas with him. Keep in mind this is from the same episode where Max promises El that Mike will come "crawling back to you", which ends up being proven wrong for her, but right for Will.

Throughout the show, we see that Mike has a hard time apologising and seeing where he has gone wrong. In season 1, Dustin has to force Mike to apologise to Lucas, and in s3, Lucas has to be the one to force Mike to apologise to El. With Will, Mike does not need encouraging, he does it on his own.

IN CONCLUSION: We, the audience, are supposed to feel both Mike and Will's pain during this argument. Mike clearly regrets everything he says due to his denial and confusion during S3, showing how much it hurts him to force himself to grow up. Mike sees where he has gone wrong and immediately is able to apologise. Will's reaction is the polar opposite of El's reaction, resulting in a self-destruction (in a metaphorical sense).

This post was my magnum opus. And broke my tumblr multiple times bc of its length so i hope ur happy with it <3

[sofixt0k]

OPINION ABOUT THE NEW MILEVEN DEFENCE VIDEO ( 9 )

Part Nine Her comments / My comments

"Another accusation they often make is that Mileven is toxic, especially in Season 3 and Season 4, so I'm going to talk specifically about things that happened in Season 3 and things that happened in Season 4. In Season 3, the first thing they say is that it's toxic because they break up after Mileven hears that Mike lied, and Max tells her to break up with him, and she does. They say it's toxic because they don't talk things out, but actually, they do talk things out and talk about everything. The fact that Mileven was influenced by Max's thoughts doesn't mean she doesn't want to talk things out. Eleven was simply angry because we know that Mileven defends to the death that friends don't lie, and if Mike lied, it's like, come on, you're going to lie to me? Mike lied to Eleven out of fear of Hopper, not because he doesn't want to be with Eleven, which is something I've also heard. And let me tell you something, the breakup in Season 3 is the most ironic and sarcastic thing in the series. It's not that they broke up because they had a problem in the middle and said, no, we can't be together anymore. The breakup in Season 3 was made to be funny. If it had been an emotional scene, they would have done it with just Mike and Eleven talking, emotional music, crying, and no, it's a scene like 'I don't trust you,' and I leave like the queen I am. It was simply something to give more liveliness to the season, not to be seen as something bad that happened between them.

It's good that you say this last part because I see that breakup as anything but bad. It actually makes me happy because it shows us many things!

First, that Eleven only sees Mike as her FIRST boyfriend. Second, that Eleven's attitude when breaking up with him and Mike's immediate reaction always made me think that at that moment, he thought she was pathetic, or to avoid using that word, let's say he didn't care because it was a "silly" attitude of hers. And that's it, he didn't care at all, at least until Lucas mentioned it, which makes me see the scene as something precious, not bad. Will smiling in the background. Just that. Like a slightly riskier initiation of this love triangle. That this will trigger one of my favorite parallels, which is Mike losing Eleven vs. Mike losing Will.

And finally, let's go to the 'I love you too' scene. The number of things said about this scene that don't make sense is incredible. Basically, at the end of Season 3, Mike goes to Eleven when she's trying to use her powers to bring down the bear from the closet, and Eleven slowly confesses that she heard Mike say he loved her to the rest of the group, telling him 'I love you too,' and kisses him. Many people say that Mike doesn't like Eleven because he was kissing her with his eyes open. Literally, Mike was surprised, first because she just told him 'I love you' to his face for the first time, obviously that surprises you. Second, because supposedly they were no longer a couple, she kissed him out of nowhere after three months of being separated. Remember that at the end of Season 3, between the Starcourt battle and the 'I love you too' scene, there's a three-month gap. So suddenly, Mike sees Eleven kissing him, and he's like, but why? And third, because Mike is trying to process while Eleven kisses him that he had said he loved her, and she heard it, and she's kissing him. Mike is processing 28,000 things per second while she's kissing him. Obviously, Mike is not going to respond immediately; he's going to be like, what the heck is happening? Not because he doesn't love Eleven. A lot of things happened in a second, and he has to process it all.

No, he was surprised because he thought he had finally gotten rid of her—just kidding (or not…). I've always seen it a bit that way, to be honest. Also, because he doesn't remember/pretends not to remember saying he loved her, and the contrast of how at first, it looks more like ElMike and is cute, and then it changes to Mileven and is awkward.

And another thing they say, which I find ridiculous, is that there's an indirect hint that Mike likes men because they're kissing in front of an open closet. What theories do they have?

People who say that… say it… because… in cinema… any detail… like colors… light… music… clothes… etc… are important. Let's say, LET'S SAY I let this one slide, okay, that open closet doesn't matter, but in Season 4, a sign that says 'One Way' literally pointing to the closet from which a celestial light shines on Mike???, please.

On top of that, when Season 3 ended, they started saying that in Season 4, they wouldn't be together because Mike is in front of an open closet, which is an indirect hint that Mike likes men. I saw them perfectly fine in Season 4, I don't know about you.

Well, my friend, what can I say? If lying to each other and committing a fashion crime like Mike did at the airport seems fine to you, then okay.

I saw them very much in love, and I didn't see any declaration that Mike liked men, even though they were kissing in front of an open closet. But that's how Byler shippers base their theories, on theories that don't make any sense.

Of course, it doesn't make sense to assume he's gay when in the first season, he's coded as such. It doesn't make sense to think he's gay when everything "romantic" he does in relation to her has to be pushed by someone else. It doesn't make sense to think he's gay when he tells Will, 'It's not my fault you don't like girls,' as if it weren't literally a projection since he doesn't know Will is gay. Is it a sin to think that an 80s nerd boy who is trapped in a highly heteronormative circle and is insecure about himself because he doesn't have the courage to be genuine is gay?

And now let's talk about the things people see as toxic in Season 4. The first is the argument they have in Episode 3, where Eleven reproaches Mike for not telling her he loves her. It's a scene that, despite being a fight or an argument, both of them approach in a very mature way.

'Very mature,' girl—

And it's not just me saying this, it's a psychologist. There's a YouTube channel that I'll leave you the name of, a psychologist who analyzes scenes from movies or series, not just Stranger Things but also Euphoria and more movies. He specifically analyzed the scene of the argument between Mike and Eleven, and let me tell you, he spoke wonders about Eleven because that argument wasn't a bad one. It wasn't a fight for the worse; it was an argument where Eleven brought her feelings to light, and Mike tried to absorb, process, and understand them. The only thing the psychologist found bad in that scene is that when Eleven starts saying 'from Mike, from Mike, from Mike,' Mike tells her, 'Eleven, you're being ridiculous.' That's the only thing the psychologist reacted to negatively, saying, 'Oh, that's wrong, you don't say that.' All the other things that could be bad about my ship, I'll admit, Mike's comment was wrong, but he didn't mean to say that Eleven is literally ridiculous.

Whether or not it's an allusion to the fact that Eleven is literally ridiculous to Mike (though we know our dear Michael, when making those kinds of comments out of nowhere, they come from the depths of his heart), seeing your girlfriend crying after having a horrible day, hearing that you make her feel like a monster, and implying that she doesn't feel loved, YOU, YOU CALL HER RIDICULOUS? THE PROBLEM HAS NEVER BEEN PROVING THAT MIKE IS A GOOD FRIEND; THE PROBLEM IS PROVING THAT HE'S A GOOD BOYFRIEND.

In a derogatory way, he called her ridiculous like, 'How can you think that way when I love you so much?' That's the only bad thing the therapist said about that argument; everything else was good, and he added, 'Okay, what don't I understand?' You can ask that same question with a different tone—'Oh, okay, what don't I understand?'—and it sounds completely different. But he's very humbly asking for more information, and that's freaking beautiful. After watching all the bullst and Euphoria videos, where everyone treats everyone badly all the time, and there's no maturity or responsibility, this is—now let's talk about Mike's monologue. I mean, people criticize the monologue all the time because they would love for Will to be the one listening to it.

Us? Wanting Will to hear THAT monologue? No, thanks. It's too cheap, forced, far-fetched, deceitful, senseless, with holes, etc. Besides, we already have our own monologue where no other character interrupts the scene, and Mike genuinely says things from his heart—and oh, that monologue helped save the world at the time.

And for it to be for him but it's not, the first thing they say is that Mike lied in the monologue because he didn't want to say 'I love you.' Because if Will hadn't said, 'You're the heart,' Mike wouldn't have set the stage to tell Eleven, 'I love you.' Byler shippers, did you watch that entire episode?

Yes, we've watched the series forward and backward, why?

Because there's a scene in that same episode in the monologue where Mike and Eleven are both eating pizza, and Mike starts giving hints that he wants to tell her he loves her, literally,

Oh, with the word literally again. Literally. Literally. Literally. Literally.

It's in that same episode, so if you watched the monologue and think that Mike lied,

Because clearly, when you love someone from day one, you also think about sending them to an asylum on that first day, unless it's helpful for—

Clearly, you didn't see the scene in that same episode where Mike was already trying to tell her he loved her without any prompting, without Will saying, 'You're the heart,' Mike started saying it because he felt like saying it.

Yeah, sure. He felt like saying it after about 28,738,372 conversations with Will where Will basically didn't understand what Mike was looking for, so he ended up doing what he thought was right.

And let's go back to Season 3, when Eleven had an injured leg from the Mind Flayer, and Mike was treating her. Mike starts apologizing because he was jealous of Max and behaved badly, and he's happy that Eleven has a new friend, etc. And in that scene, Mike again tried to tell her he loved her.

Oh, really, he wanted to tell her he loved her there? Don't tell me we can read minds now too.

It's like a feeling, like those old people saying to each other, 'What I want to say is that I know I...' I mean, Mike obviously knew he wanted to tell her 'I love you.'

This girl, I really don't understand how she doesn't realize that the one couple in the series that has a big problem saying 'I love you' is Mileven. You don't need to say it in Jancy, Jopper, Lumax, to know they do. That she thinks it's normal and that Mileven's plot is based on getting to say 'I love you' to each other really surprises me. Like... do you think Stranger Things is that basic and cliché?

He just didn't dare to take the step and say it directly to her face because obviously, it's scary to take such a big step with someone you love. But he was already giving hints that he was going to say 'I love you' last season. So him saying it in the monologue after Will told him, 'You're the heart,' doesn't mean Mike didn't do it on his own.

And here's when I say, if the boy was perfectly capable of saying it on his own, we didn't need the scene of Will giving the painting, we didn't need Will feeling miserable, we didn't need that untriggered lie from Will to Mike.

That lie literally made all three of them miserable.

Or he wouldn't have set the stage without Will telling him. Do you get it? Then in the same monologue, they literally say that Mike lied in the monologue because he doesn't love Eleven. Seriously, I swear, I ask you, does he look super excited to be able to say that he loves her?"

Seriously, I've never seen a TV character say 'I love you' with such a depressing face as Mike does in that monologue. It's not even a face of concern because she's in danger; it's more like, it really costs him to say those words, you know? IT COSTS HIM, BECAUSE HE DOESN'T FEEL IT—"

[guttedeggs]

OK so I have the flu so if what I'm saying doesn't make sense or if I misspell shit I am sorry

I really don't like the black and white narrative many people have about the Bakers overall as well as Mia and Ethans relationship because it's just more nuanced than healthy versus abusive. People seem to misunderstand a lot of the writings and words spoken to stear it wildly one direction or the other.

I don't think Jack is a bad father but I don't think he's a great father. He has anger issues, and there's evidence that he's a high functioning alcoholic. I see people point to the "fuck you" list for evidence of Jack's abusive behavior. Its an instance showing his worse traits, smacking Lucas across the face for checking his phone at the dinner table and drunkenly taking a bunch of Lucas's things and putting it into a red box. I definitely don't think Jack is in the right to hit anyone in his family under any circumstance. I also don't think that was a normal/consistent occurance within the household. If abuse was a common place, I feel like it would be a running theme within the notes. I also think Jack wouldn't have hesitated as much as he had during the daughters dlc. I don't think Zoe would've been as horrified by Jack's actions if it WAS commonplace for him to be physically abusive.

Joe and Jack's relationship wasn't great. It certainly wasn't healthy and had issues on its own. It's undeniable that they were close or at least cared a lot about each other but a lot of what's seen is 1. Siblings rivalry to the highest degree and 2. Joe having a similar sadistic streak that Lucas did. But the difference is, Joe could and did have the ability to physically act on those impulses. It definitely normalized violence for both Jack and Joe. Jack definitely carried that rough housing tendency over and I can definitely see him being far too rough with Lucas overall, with physically labor and pushing him over his limits.

Briefly touching in Mia and Ethan; it's not a healthy relationship. Mia takes advantage of Ethans blind trust of her far too much. The fact she can use the lie of a "babysitting job" instead of, idk, say it's a job with strict NDA or something, is insane. The fact he still keeps at it after that switch up because of the mold? Its so clear theres some kind of unhealthy codependency thay Ethan has on Mia. I love wife guys as much as the next tumblr user, I do. I also think that maybe there should be an acknowledgement to just how imbalanced and fucked up Mia and Ethans relationship is.

I'm content to have civil discussion about this since I do think about it a lot and I know I can miss things in media.

Edit for clarity before this gets far: I'm not trying to/don't want to undermine any form of abuse in any way. I'm much more here to try to talk about the gray area of how things are in the Baker family overall. Family relationships are complicated, and all the Baker family members are equally complex.