#and then i think maybe he doesn't know. because how else could mike look so innocent here

[gayofthefae]

"I should have explained myself because maybe then Eleven would have taken me with her, but - I don't know. I didn't know what to say."

That isn't what he said the first time.

"I should have said something. And maybe if I had said that thing, Eleven would want me there with her."

The sentiment of him being with her and knowing/ensuring she's safe is consistent. But he isn't actually repeating himself. There's no need for him to as a person and as a screenwriter, repetition should DEFINITELY be cut.

He's changing. He's brainstorming. He's starting to consider other angles of the "could have"s. The "what if"s.

He starts with "what if I'd just forced an 'I love you'". But I think he likely settles on what we can logically deduce for ourselves in that situation - "I made the right choice prioritizing with what I knew of the consequences at the time".So he changes. He changes.

He changes to "I should have explained myself".

"Explained myself" is NOT the same as "said that thing" and that is VITAL.

I should have just sucked it up and told her I loved her if it meant keeping her safe.

No, I did the best I could with the information I had

I should have told her the truth. Maybe she would have taken it better if I had just told her that I don't love her but it's my fault, not hers. Now she thinks it's hers and that I'm hiding it.

And, perfect timing, Will comes in with (in Mike's pov) "It makes sense why you didn't, though, don't beat yourself up. She was gonna get hurt either way and everything would have been a risk as to how much."

And Mike nods. And the next time we see him, he's saying

"Will she still even want me in her life if I can't give her the love she wants? All I can do now is to make sure she knows it isn't her fault, that's the selfless act I can do for her, but if I confess I don't love her, what other use am I to her? Will doing what's best for her by telling her it's not her fault, it's mine, instead of continuing to lie make me lose her?"

He says "explain". He starts with "maybe I should have changed the 'what'". Then he shifts to "maybe I should changed what she thought of the 'why'". Ironically, his question in the van once he's come to that conclusion is "how?".

The first pitch he makes is "maybe I should have told her I loved her" and Will says "don't worry, you'll have another chance", and he turns away and introspectively reacts with

aversion.

But then he says "maybe I should have just explained the real reason behind my actions instead of denying them all together" and Will says "that's a scary thing to do. It's a hard decision. You're doing your best", and he turns away and introspectively reacts with

understanding.

Honestly, being understood. And sometimes that's what you need to find understanding. He's been confused this whole time, that's been his whole thing, but he looks like he's starting to piece something together now - finally. Will put his own feelings into words for him to hear out loud so could finally get them and get them in a validated way.

Instinctively, he knew the first one was easier but wrong. He didn't want to lie to her. Both times Will said "if that's what you want to do, I believe in you", but only once did he agree. He knew it felt like the wrong choice the first time and you can see it. The second time was a new choice he was considering.

And you know what? While we're here. Telling her he loves her: aversion. Telling her the truth: understanding and drive. What happens next?

He expresses "what if when I tell her the truth, as I've decided is the right choice, she appreciates it but doesn't need me for anything else beyond that?" And Will says "she'll stay. You got this.", and he reacts with

Comfort.

He didn't know what to do. Then he did, but he was scared to do it. Then he wasn't so scared anymore.

He's thrilled to see her and forgets for a second but - much like El with Will on roller rink day - is reminded by seeing Will that now that she's actually here, it's real. He's committed to his actions and they're impending.

But he's not so scared anymore. Bravery, though, doesn't mean no nerves. He's hesitant and not happy looking when he talks to her about it first. He tries to lighten the mood - "the whole world went to shit and everything" - and he's watching her reactions like a hawk. It feels like less of a risk now enough that he can do it, but not so little that he isn't scared. Either way though, it's worth the risk for her to know the problem isn't her.

He didn't know what to do. Now he does. He was scared, but he's not as much anymore. Not too much to do it. They're interrupted. Okay, oh well, he'll find another time.

And now to break your heart:

Mike had an idea, Will said it was good, but Mike met that with aversion.

Mike had an idea, Will said it was good, Mike met that with understanding and agreement.

Mike was scared, Will said he had no reason to be, Mike met that with comfort.

(I'm sorry) Mike was scared for El - unrelated - and looked to Will for comfort - as he had every other time - when he tapped him on the shoulder, Will said he should tell her he loves her, and he reacts with

anguish.

This was not Mike's plan.

This was not their plan, so he thought.

Mike's reaction tells us everything about what he knew and what he meant for what's to come. This was not what he meant. That was not what he was going to say. This was not his plan.

And there's that part of you too that always wishes to go back to semi-ignorant bliss. Even if just panicked confusion. Because wasn't it nice: when telling her you loved her evoked this

And not this

Wasn't it nice when you knew...just a little less?

Wasn't it nice, in a way, when you couldn't see the happy ending so clearly?

Don't you sort of miss - when you couldn't taste it?

also fuck it for just for that list bit and the bridge of this song here's my illicit affairs edit linked because "you showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else"

[mind-intheclouds342]

A new ladder - Reader x Curly

Previous - Part 4 - Next

"I really hope Lin doesn't come to check on you, she'll kill me."

You said, sighing and gently applying cream to Curly's face, neck, and collarbone, as it was red from sun exposure after you had fallen asleep in the meadow until a light drizzle woke you up to return to the house. 

Curly: "I don't think so... She'll understand."

"Pfft, yeah right, I'm going to be horribly scolded by her if she finds out, she was always strict with me." 

Curly: "It seems like we're not talking about the same person."

"Of course we don't, you talk about the one who was your fiancée, I talk about my older sister."

Those words lingered in his mind, unwilling to understand that the woman he had met could be so different with him than with her own family. 

Curly: "...How have she been?"

"Mm... She has two children, Mike and Agatha, aged 20 and 15, they are good kids, she is married to Jake, he isn't home much because of his job, but he earns well, they all seem to be happy. Mike left home at 15 anyway, but he keep in contact" 

It certainly hit him hard to know the age of the eldest son, thinking there was an extraordinary chance.

Curly: "Let's say... Mike, how does it look?"

It piqued your curiosity when he asked that, until you put the pieces together. 

"Mike isn't yours, don't worry, he's an exact copy of Jake, even with the same allergies. Trust me"

Curly: "Then I should have been in cryostasis a bit longer... Isn't that right?"

"Didn't those capsules only last 20 years? They found you before the energy ran out."

Curly: "Maybe there was a miscalculation-"

"Lin said you had 2 months left in that capsule, if they found you later you would be dead." 

Curly: "Maybe someone-!"

You were startled when he suddenly approached you, you could see the nerves and desperation in his eye, along with his agitated breathing.

Curly: "If the boy is 20... That means she..."

"...I'm very sorry that... The person you thought you knew wasn't really as perfect as you thought..." 

You shrugged, looking at the ground, not knowing how to console him upon learning that his fiancée, while he was doing his delivery job, had been cheating on him with someone else, with whom she later married after he didn't return. 

In that instant, Curly realized something: all the effort, everything he had achieved, the ladder that had cost him so much to climb to the top, simply crumbled in a second.

You heard him start to laugh, or maybe sob, it was a strange mix of sounds he was producing. 

Curly: "I have nothing left... I can start over-"

"Okay, you're scaring me— I don't know if you're happy or sad—" 

Curly: "I don't know either!" he said, letting out a laugh. 

"I'll go get your pills and water." 

You got up from your seat to go get that, but you stopped when you heard someone knock on the door. 

You sighed, running your hand over your face. 

"It's like she have an alarm and it knows when I do something..." 

You knew very well that he was waiting behind the door, so you went to open it trying to put on your best face. 

Mike: "Hey, aunty" 

What a surprise you got when you saw your nephew with his mother; the boy took a step forward to give you a hug, which you reciprocated. 

"What are you doing here?"

Mike: "Mom told me you were back in town, so I came to see you, can I come in?"

Linda: "Come on, remember there's someone else here, I have to talk to (Y/n)"

The boy rolled his eyes without looking at his mother, as if to say "I didn't ask you" while he walked into the house. 

Linda: "I hope you're not doing the same thing Dad used to do and giving him his pills with chocolate."

You crossed your arms, looking at her in silence, you weren't going to admit that you almost did it once, but then you retracted and you gave him all his medications with a glass of water and maybe a candy if it felt too bitter in his mouth. 

Linda: "Of course," she ran her hand over her face, "You love giving people placebos, you always do the same thing."

"Just so you know, that's how your children learned to swallow pills without fear." 

Linda: "Don't you think what you're doing is horrible? The medications are wasted in your hands."

"I'm not stupid! I haven't done that in years! Stop treating me like a child!"

Linda: "Stop acting like one then!" 

She took you by the arm to pull you outside so you could continue arguing, closing the door so nothing could be heard from inside. 

Curly: "...I had never heard her scream..."

He mentioned sitting in the dining room with the boy in front of him. 

Mike: "That's how she is, she has a nice personality with people outside, but when it comes to family, she scolds you a lot." 

They both stared at each other for a moment, until the boy rested his face in his hand, smiling at him.

Mike: "So you are the famous Curly, it's a pleasure to meet you." 

Curly: "You must be Mike"

Mike: "The same, my mom used to tell me about you, saying that I was your son, that was a great story until I started having suspicions, and at 15 I found out I was the biological son of the man she is married to."

Curly: "Why would she lie about something like that?"

Mike: "Why? So they don't think she was slut, that she got married because she got pregnant, she lied to everyone saying it was your baby, and they believed her. When I was born and you didn't come back, then she could do and say whatever she wanted." 

The man fell silent, thinking about what kind of person he was going to marry, and how he couldn't see through her and notice her deceit. 

Curly: "I was... Used to seeing the image in general..." 

Mike: "At least you got saved, and I'm glad my aunt is taking care of you, she's great, right?" 

Curly: "She is... extravagant, to say the least." 

Both were startled when they heard the door slam open.

Linda: "Mike! We should leave now, darling." 

"Get out of here already! Don't even think about coming back!"

The difference in voices was very striking, one so calm and the other so agitated.

The boy said goodbye to Curly by waving his hand side to side and got up to leave with his mother, despite not liking the idea. 

Once again, the door slammed shut, and a muffled scream was heard; you had taken a pillow from the couch to scream into it and not make too much noise. 

Curly sat there, not knowing what to do or say about it, until he heard footsteps approaching the kitchen, leaving a glass of water and the pills for that schedule. 

You were standing next to him, your head turned in another direction, wanting to leave but knowing he couldn't take the pills on his own. 

You sighed, taking a seat and helping him take the pills. Then he could see it, the red mark on your cheek. 

"You just need to continue with some medications for a couple more months and then you won't have to keep taking all these horrible things." 

Curly: "When I am self-sufficient... What will happen?"

"I guess I'll leave," you shrugged. 

Curly; "Oh"

It was the only thing he said, he wanted to say many more things but, he couldn't, so he just decided to accept the solitary fate that sheltered him. 

[teambyler]

New Mil*ven footage: There's a reason they get interrupted (Byler analysis)

Whoever posted this new footage said they're "not breaking up" because El is smiling?

That's presumptuous of you ;)

Source

Maybe they're not breaking up in THIS scene. Or maybe they are, and making clear that things are alright between them. It's possible to be on good terms with someone you break up with. (Shocker!) And even crack a smile while you're wishing the other the best.

One really can't conclude either way. The body language does suggest honesty between them though. (Something not seen in s4.) But that honesty could be about anything.

WHAT'S MORE IMPORTANT IS THAT WE GET THE INTERRUPTION TROPE LOL:

If you ask me, this is CONFIRMATION that not everything's sunny in Mileven land. This is not a "will they or won't they?" interruption of a kiss, because they're already a canon couple. No, this is something closer to the Pineapple Pizza Interruption scene(TM) where SOMETHING the audience is WAITING to be said is NOT said:

In s4, the GA was supposed to think Mike was going to say "I love you." (Or perhaps he was going to call it off after thinking the painting was from Will? Can't say for sure.) POINT BEING: the Interruption Trope is a writing device to tease something, only to deny it. The purpose of it is to set up an IMPORTANT conflict/tension in the story that will be resolved later.

(EDIT: After writing all this I realize that there's another time interruptions happen: AFTER a scene achieves resolution. Will and Mike had one of these in 4x4 with "It looks like it'll be up to us again." "It always is, isn't it?" and Jonathan barges in. For Mike and El, the Painting Lie still needs resolution and is almost certainly related to this conversation. So everything I say here might actually not get interrupted and is actually SAID, leading to a new phase in their relationship. I just think it's less likely because any frank discussion of the Painting Lie makes a Byler conclusion too obvious. Okay, on to the likelier theory!)

Now what is this NEW unspoken thing between Mike and El? Season 4 was all about Mike being unable to say "I love you" to El. And now he has already SAID IT. On paper -- what Milevens call "canon" -- the Mileven relationship is fine and healthy.

So why prepare the audience for a NEW development in their relationship if it's not a breakup, or at least an emotional confession of some kind that threatens the last canon development that made everything "fine"?

The Painting Lie is Chekhov's gun. If this scene is indeed early in s5 (there are very few scenes with Mike and El together in the s5 teaser, perhaps she's with Mike only at the start of the season), then there's very little time for the writers to prepare something ELSE "waiting to be said" that is NOT related to the Painting Lie.

So what is being interrupted? Is it:

Mike asking if she commissioned the painting?

El saying she didn't commission it and telling Mike she thinks Will loves him?

Mike has realized the painting was from Will and is about to confess he doesn't know how he feels about him?

One of them is initiating a breakup?

WHATEVER IT IS, the Painting Lie challenges the stability of Mileven because it was core to the Pizza Freezer Confession(TM) that was supposed to tie up Mileven in a neat bow at the end of s4. The moment the Painting Lie is mentioned, this tells the GA that not everything will stay the same between Mike, El, and Will.

By the time Mike and El get interrupted, (1) the audience has already been made to expect something to come to light between them (likely related to the Painting Lie), and (2) resolution of this plot point will not happen right away and is IMPORTANT to s5.

That's because Stranger Things follows nearly 100% of all TV/movie writing in following a three-act structure. The start of each season sets up the conflicts and character motivations that drive the rest of the season. (Just as the first episodes of s4 set up El's "problem" of feeling like she's the monster and why she went on a journey of self-discovery.)

It's hard to imagine the writers setting up Round THREE of Mike struggling to say "I love you" to El. No, what's being interrupted is the next development, which has to do with the Painting Lie and its ramifications for Mike, Will, and El.

Add to this the fact that all the teasers we're getting suggest that El is separated from Mike and most of the others for some chunk of the season. What's left unsaid between them might remain unsaid. And we know that Mike and Will are side-by-side much of this season. (As promised, Mike said they will "be a team.")

Which begs the question: WHAT is interrupted between Mike and El, and what is it setting up plot-wise? Is it something whose RESOLUTION involves multiple scenes of Mike ALONE with the boy who canonically loves him and made the painting that made him feel so wonderful? Someone who Mike confessed he REALLY missed and Hawkins "isn't the same" without him?

The conflict's GOT to have something to do with Mike's feelings for Will. It FAR surpasses any other possibility, given how much set-up there has been for it.

Another plot point for season 5: on Will's end, he still hasn't come out of the closet. Doesn't part of his "emotional arc" have to include coming out to his BEST FRIEND? This is probably set up in the first episode, also.

That, together with the interruption of Mike and El, helps prime the GA to look at every scene with Mike and Will, reading every interaction and figuring out what will happen between these 2 best friends who have never lied to each other, until now. We'll even see a flashback of when they were younger. How their relationship changes after the inevitable revelations is central to s5.

The ENTIRE SEASON will be the Interruption Trope for Mike and Will, while they confront the full danger of Vecna together. It will be "the painting tucked away in Will's backpack" times a hundred.

-teambyler

(My own theory of how Byler will culminate, in case you haven't seen it!)

[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.

[saraakpotter]

i can't love you (Mike Wheeler x reader)

summery: he loves you, but you can't hurt your sister. genre: angst warnings:Brief spoilers for season 2 but it's really not a lot. tell me if i missed anything :) a\n: well, i hope you like it. maybe i'll do a part two, tell me if i should. btw the story isn't set in season two but you can imagine it when ever you want<3

"i sound crazy don't i?" El said as she laid on your bed and hugged a pillow.

"yes, yes you do" you said chuckling and laying next to her "but that's the point of love, isn't it?"

"wow....that was so cute"

"i know, i heard it on TV" you joked and you both laughed

"but seriously" she said as she stopped laughing and sat straight "i love him. i really really love Mike Wheeler"

"i still don't get why you won't just confess to him"

"confess to him?! are you out of your mind?" she said looking alarmed

"yeah, why not? i'm sure he will like you back" you said as you sat up straight.

"he would, probably like me back. there is a 50% chance he won't. no, no, no, there is a 70% chance he won't"

"can you stop with the numbers? you are being dramatic. he would...." but your speech was cut off by your dad, Jim Hopper's voice.

"girls, dinner!" he called and you took El's hand.

"c'mon, we can't talk about your complicated love life with an empty stomach" you teased as she rolled her eyes playfully.

✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

".....she is the most beautiful girl i have ever seen! she is smart, funny, hot, sarcastic, we have shared interests...." Mike said as they all sat in his basement.

"okay, Mike, we get it! we have seen her a million times before" Lucas said cutting him off

"yeah Mike, you should quit rambling" Will said as he chuckled

"i'm not rambling!"

"yes, you are. it's always: y\n Hopper this, y\n Hopper that" Dustin teased mocking Mike and then making kissing noises making everyone laugh except Mike

"yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. not that you guys would shut up about Suzie and Max" Mike said rolling his eyes

"hey! they are our girlfriend's. if you just tell y\n how you feel, we will stop teasing you" Lucas said making Mike roll his eyes again

"yeah like it's as simple as that"

"it is! look, Mike, y\n had been our friend since we were 5. telling her how you feel isn't that hard"

"yes, it is. it may ruin our whole friendship if i tell her how i feel and she doesn't feel the same"

"that's the most ridiculous thing i've ever heard" Dustin said "of course she likes you back!"

"you're supposed to say that because you're my friend"

"maybe, but deep down, we both know i'm right"

Mike knew he was right. he should just stop being scared and tell her how he feels.

✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

you were laying on your bed. weeks had past since the day El told you how she feels about Mike. she honestly didn't know how to feel.

you thought about the day your dad brought El home from the jungle. you were surprised. you and everyone else thought she was dead but she wasn't. you remembered how you really saw each other as sisters.

you can't ruin that. you can't break her heart. no. no matter how hard you've fallen for Mike Wheeler. you can't.

✶----------------------------------✿--------------------------------------✶

you heard a knock on your room door.

"come in?"

the door opened revealing the one and only, Mike Wheeler.

"hey, y\n\n"

you smiled widely but it quickly faded when you remembered the promise you made to yourself. you tried to bring back the smile.

"hey Mike"

he took a deep breath and sat next to you on your bed. he could practically hear hi own heart beat of how fast it was beating. he scratched the back of his head and exhaled before speaking.

"umm....y\n, there is something i needed to tell you. something that's been in my mind for a while"

"what is it?" you felt a little worried

"i.....well.....i....can you promise to not get angry? or think it's disgusting?"

"i won't, Mike, promise. just tell me what's wrong?"

"i.......i have feeling's for you. more than a friend, kind of feeling. I've been trying to find the right words, but nothing seems enough. I love you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember."

"you what?" you said not believing what you just heard. he can't have feeling's for you. he.....El loves him. and it doesn't matter if you love him because El does!

"i love you, y\n. i always have" he said looking for a positive reaction in your eyes.

you sighed. you wanted to say it. you wanted to say those 3 damn words back. but you couldn't. you couldn't hurt your sister.

"Mike, i....."

"Just tell me you feel the same, please" he said as you hide from his gaze. "do you feel the same?" he muttered. he already knew the answer but wanted to ask.

you wanted to kiss him. kiss him right there, not caring about what would happen next but you couldn't.

"Mike, I… I can't. Please, leave. just go" you said your voice barely above a whisper.

"y\n, please.....i......"

"mike, leave......please"

Mike sighed. he could feel his heart break and got up to leave but before opening the door he turned to you

"Why won't you let me in? I thought we shared everything. Why is this different?"

"Mike, please. things are not that simple"

"So, what? We just pretend this never happened? We just go back to being friends?"

"yes"

Mike sighed feeling tears as he turned back.

"This isn't fair. But if it's what you want… I'll go. But I'll always love you."

he walked outside the room and closed the door behind him. the door made a small noise as it was closed.

you didn't hold back tears anymore. they fell as you finally whispered: 'i love you too' to yourself.

(part two?)

[eggmode]

i keep seeing takes that are like "mike didnt do anything about the abuse everyone faced in the circus because he personally wasn't abused" which. just could not be more wrong

this information isn't displayed in the event story, so i can't blame people entirely for thinking this way. but as a hullabaloo/game 8/mike morton fan of several years, let's remember this:

1. mike was the reason that murro was able to escape the circus. mike actively helped murro, his brother, leave when murro asked for help.

2. mike's bombs were actively dangerous. one of his deductions is about bernard saying filling his juggling sacks with rocks was "too hazardous." but mike did that anyway, and made BOMBS out of ACID THAT LEAVES PERMANENT BURNS (r.i.p. joker's face) to juggle. and he did this specifically to get bernard's approval and attention. if a child feels as though the only way to get impress their parent is by Actively Endangering Themself for the sake of Cool Performance Tricks... there's something deeper going on.

3. mike, unlike everyone else in the circus, was raised at the hullabaloo since childhood. we have no record of mike's parents, one of mike's deductions is a photo of "a man with a mustache carrying a young blonde boy," which we can assume is baby mike and bernard. mike knows nothing except the circus-- he has no parents or other guardians to remember. the hullabaloo is all he had. of course he doesn't realize that the abuse his friends, his family is facing isnt normal, if he knew it was happening at all!

4. this one is a little more speculation than anything else, but it's still important to note. one of mikes deductions is a diary entry about how he touched bernard's skin with his cold hands, and bernard called him "dear mr mike morton." mike notes that he would give anything to hear bernard say that again, and that next time, mike will slip his cold hands down Bernard's collar. which...

mike is clearly lacking in a comprehension of physical boundaries one should have with their guardian here. not only is it sad that the only way to get affection out of bernard is to push those boundaries, but this implies grooming behavior on bernard's part. and, more unfortunately, it implies mike may have been sexually abused by bernard. maybe im looking too deep into it, but genuinely there is No 100% Completely Normal explanation for this deduction anyhow.

so. yeah, mike didn't hate it at the hullabaloo like everyone else. but its not his fault he didn't realize the abuse, because the abuse is all he's ever known. he's the most unreliable narrator to ever unreliably narrate, among the game eight members.

that's the tragedy of mike morton. he thought his only home was great and fine, but his world was shattered when he realized that it wasn't normal. the abuse wasn't normal. the only family he'd ever had was actively suffering even before the tragedy of the massacre.

mike's facade makes u think he's well adjusted, that nothing bad ever happened to him. but u gotta look closer to see it. just like how the hullbaloo looked alright from the outside, but behind closed doors it wasn't. and lets not forget that mike's hunter persona is Hullabaloo. he IS the circus!!

in conclusion. please do not misunderstand my boy he is just an unreliable narrator in a game where unreliable narrators (orpheus, alice) put themselves in the shoes of unreliable narrators (everyone else) to figure out their stories (which are unreliably narrated because netease is. netease)

[alcalystrasz]

This, is what I think is going to happen for BYLER in season 5:

1. They will get multiple heart-to-heart/intimate scenes together. As we already saw in season 4, they got 3 in total: the first on at Will's house, after El shmacked Angela's face, the second one on the car in the desert, after burying the Hero Unknown Agent Man's body, the third one in the van when Will opens to him. In season 3, we didn't get any, but in season 2 we had 2: the first one when Mike reassures Will about the Mind Flayer and they touch hands *so cute*, and the second one when Mike tells about the first time they met. So if we're being reasonable, it could be 4, I think we'll have 4 scenes in total.

Let me explain that... I see the first one being about Max and Lucas' mental state. It could be at the hospital, or at school, or at Mike's house. The second one could be some sort of fight. I remember one of the co-writers saying there will be an other rain fight. I don't really know if it will happen cause he confirmed it a long time ago but let's say it is. So an other rain fight, at Mike's house, but maybe this time it could hint Mike's sexuality instead of Will's like in S3. The third one could be where they try to reassure each other that it's okay they will win right after Vecna's back, more likely at Mike's house or someplace other. The fourth one could be in the Upside Down, because may I remember you that Mike never went in the Upside Down? That's what we call a first time, right Mike! So Mike and Will in the Upside Down could talk about everything they've been through and Mike could finally kiss Will and tell him how much he loves him.

For a final scene, a fifth but not really fifth, it could be when everything's over. They go to some sort of High School Ball to celebrate their final year and I see them finally breaking the "I'm scared" barrier and go in the middle of the dance floor and dance together like no one else is there with a Time After Time song playing on the background.

2. Their first kiss will be awkward from both their POV. What I mean is that when they kiss for like, what, 3 seconds, Will pushes Mike gently and Mike removes himself gently and they look at each other like they did something bad. Will stutters trying to say something but nothing comes out of his mouth. Mike could say something like "Oh, I'm sorry I- I didn't..." but Will could interrupt him like 'bitch wdym you're sorry' he could kiss him back but it is after the kiss Mike will admit he never liked El romantically. Buy yeah, awkward kiss, just like Rockie's one could be actually. Mostly cause they're older so it doubles the awkwardness.

3. Jonathan gets some hate towards Mike. I can literally imagine Jonathan always being mad, upset and distant towards Mike because he can't see his brother likes him. It'd be too funny I'm sorry ;-;

4. Will gets hurt by Vecna and Mike stays next to him at the hospital. It could be the opposite actually, Mike in the bed, but I prefer Will cause he's used to it now- I can see them being close and Mike being super worried but it doesn't count as a intimate scene because Jonathan, Joyce and Hopper are close.

5. Will shirtless makes Mike blush. Let me explain, LET ME. We saw in S5 BTS they swapped clothes for some stuff. Like, we saw Will has Mike's clothes on, logic, he left everything in California and they do the same cloth size (almost). So if we consider the fact that Mike lends his clothes to Will, we can totally imagine at one point Will, coming in Mike's room asking for a shirt because he doesn't have anymore. Mike brings him one and he says thanks, then he removes his clothes, his back facing Mike's face and he gets like flustrated it'd be HILARIOUSLY CUTE. He could stare through a mirror maybe, idk but that sounds nice right?

6. Mike will get hurt in the Upside Down. Of course he has to, he hasn't been hurt in the whole show, BRO'S FINE. So he gets hurt and Will of course would help him, they could rest a little and talk two times, one "normal" hinting a future kiss and the second time they kiss.

An upside down kiss. What a funny name. It isn't a Spider-Man kiss though (should be).

I think that's it, I'll reblog my post if I find anything else.

[miscellaneoussmp]

I miss my beloved cubito, aka happy pills Pac, so here's a fic! It's been a year, come back to me!!!!!!!!! (cw/tw: character death implied/mentioned, medical terminology, mentioned drug abuse).

This isn't the first time Pac has dug a grave. It won't be the last. At least it's not raining. At least he's wearing his own clothes. At least the blood in the room is his. At least there aren't bodies from him to cry over. Maybe that's worse?

His heart rate is rapid. Pac feels like he can feel his heart touch his ribs. Tachycardia caused by the pills? Maybe the withdrawals? His breathing is shallow. It's a cycle. The quicker his heart beat, the less time his lungs have to switch out carbon dioxide for oxygen. Pac bets if checked his blood pressure, it would be way higher than 120/80. That's why he feels like he's going to die. Or maybe it's the pills? Who could say? Maybe Pac needs to go to the doctor?

What is he doing? He looks down at the crudely dug hole. What is doing in the lab? What was he doing before this? One of the lab tables looks messier than usual, even in the dim room. Right. His notes. The cure. A possible cure. Pac isn't that good at chemistry or medicine. He isn't even really a scientist. He just pretends to know what he's doing. It worked well enough raising himself and Mike. There's a reason why Mike is (was?) better than him in every way conceivable way. It's because he stopped listening to Pac before it was too late. He wonders how long it'll take before everyone else stops listening. He hopes it's soon. There's crumbled up paper in his hands. Right, notes. Focus.

It's definitely worse not having a body to bury. There's nothing to cry over. An empty grave feels worse. Pac isn't even able to leave the lab to go look for the bodies of his best friend, his child, and one of his newest friends. Why is he in the lab? An antidote. Right.

Tachycardia has many reasons to happen. The heart doesn't need the brain to tell it to continue beating. It has its own nervous system, basically. The heart will keep the blood moving for as long as it can. Shortness of breath often goes hand in hand with tachycardia. The lungs try to keep up with the heart to perform gas exchange. There's many causes for high blood pressure, too. Ranging from genetics to diet to medication side effects. What is he doing again? There's blisters forming where his grip was tightest on the shovel. Pac is in the lab. Notes. An antidote. A cure. Right.

There's a black liquid in one of the bottles. It's bad lab practice, but he reaches for it, to drink. Pac stops. He can't do this. He can't. He wants the artificial euphoria. Pac can't face reality. He can't. What is reality if not something Pac can manipulate to his benefit? His reality. He drains the black liquid down the sink, washing it away with cool water. For a brief second, he thinks about trying to consume the small remainder of the antidote. That thought is chased away with the taste of plastic and artificial sweetners in little white capsules.

[kiirotoao]

HEYY YOUR SO PRETTY BTW AND I LOVE YOUR BLOG

the ask :

so, i wanted to get ur opinion on s3 mike. such as, what he was going through and his internalized homophobia. things like that!

maybe some things w/ him and his relationship w/ el too!

THANKS FOR ANSWERING IF U DO ANSWER :D

I’m gonna pretend that I’m fine after weeks of getting flustered just staring at this in my inbox! Thank you, anon!!! 🥺🥺 You’re making me blush! But, uh, anyways! Let’s talk about Mike Wheeler! 💙

I think that Mike in season 3 is the most interesting version of himself in the entire show because of how hidden his story becomes. In all other seasons, Mike cries openly with other people and expresses his sadness and fears over Will and El.

In season 3, though? Besides the finale, the tearful goodbyes narrated by Hopper, we never see Mike truly cry and explicitly talk through why. Sure, it can be pretty readily implied that it’s because of the Byers leaving, but we don’t hear that aloud. We don’t see exactly who’s on Mike’s mind as those cars pull away. We're left with silent and unsure stares, looks of seeming regret or something else unknown.

Season 3 is truly a huge turning point for Mike, he’s losing his girlfriend and arguably his closest friend in the Party, and it's so easily overlooked because it all happens at the very end of the final episode. Whereas El goes through hell and fights to connect to Billy and save her friends, where Max also feels the weight of his loss, where Will gets his heartbreaking scene at Castle Byers - all the Party members who are very linked to Mike get their emotional moments that season, and we know exactly why they cry.

But Mike dances around his emotions all season long. In consulting Lucas to deal with breaking up and making up with El, in trying to tell El that he loves her without ever saying it, in fighting with Will because "it's not [his] fault [Will doesn't] like girls."

Oh, Mike. I really don't think that Mike was out to hurt Will when he said that. Rather, it's a culmination of heteronormativity and the poor relationship that he has with El and trying to compensate for it. I interpret the outburst as him saying, 'it's not my fault that I'm in a relationship and you're not, so you wouldn't get it.' And by extension, Will being in a relationship would require, normatively, being with a girl.

But at the same time, for a jab that deep - I can't help but question more.

Mike could have said, "it's not my fault you don't like anyone!" or "don't bring her into this!" or even as simple as, "you wouldn't understand!" But no. Mike takes the direct train to sexuality station and brings up the fact that El is a girl. So it seems to me that Mike is very likely harboring something in his heart about why El being a girl is important for him to argue.

But we never know for sure. This moment is never addressed again due to the Mind Flayer’s sudden return. And so it’s up to us as the audience to decide what we think of Mike’s statement. And personally, as I’m sure many of you believe, too, I think that Mike is projecting and trying to hide the fact that he doesn’t like girls onto Will, pushing away his problems to someone he trusts who’s more similar to himself than he realizes.

Tied to his inability to say to El’s face that he loves her, to the fact that they've - reportedly from Hopper - kissed all Summer long with no mention of meaningful conversation, to the very surface-level relational mending his makes by calling El’s outfit “cool” and giving her candy, to the very end of the season where Mike once again denies saying that he loved El just before an open-eyed kiss and a face like this:

Mike doesn’t need to say anything about that kiss for me to know that that’s not the reaction of someone who’s perfectly happy to be back together with his ex-girlfriend. So do I wish that we had a moment of vulnerability for Mike where he expressed his heart in season 3? Yes, but his nonverbals spoke volumes.

So, yeah, I think that in season 3, Mike is very much gay, but he he acts cautiously and self-preservingly because trauma is drowning everything out.

And what is this trauma? I know that I’m working backwards, but I need to bring up that Mike was separated from El for so long in the time of season 2, and I think that that makes him so attached to her in season 3. Think about what else he says in that scene when he admits his love: “I love her and I can’t lose her again.”

As sweet as it is to be reunited to El by the end of season 2, it’s not a clean reunion for Mike. He’s in shambles when he learns that Hopper was lying to him and not letting El even tell Mike that she’s okay.

Not to mention that this isn’t his first but second time almost losing her to the monster that season.

Because of this unstable connection, I think that Mike has built a protective relationship with El, one that focuses on keeping her rather than knowing her, and we see how that all unfolds with his superficial “superhero” complex he has of her in season 4. Season 3 was just the beginning.

And so I think that Mike in season 3 stands as a version of himself that’s confused protectiveness with love. Even though he arguably behaves with that same mindset all the time, it’s at its highest during season 3 because of his never-ending insistence to help El even if she’s capable to do things by herself. Mike isn’t just clingy, he’s worried. Worried for her life. There’s no time to worry about where the problems in their relationship arise, there’s only time to fix them and go back to how they were at equilibrium - when things were normal.

Thus, Mike behaves rather stubbornly. He’s insistent and defensive, not letting a single thing slip through the cracks and risk any more hurt. In doing so, his personality is left far under the surface and unexplored. He only acts to stir up emotions rather than reflect on them, because any pausing to think will only confuse him more. He’s looking ahead, looking at the light, holding onto everything good he has with all the propriety of a 13/14-year-old who has a heart bigger than his head.

Simply put, Mike is a bit of an anti-hero this season. And I think that it's because of this that he starts to get most controversial for the audience.

I’m clearly a Mike apologist, but I genuinely don’t think that he’s out to hurt anyone when he argues with others this season. He’s just stubborn and loud about it, which can definitely be to his fault at times. But in the end, when it comes down to who he loves, I think that season 3 is the era of change, and that ending scene with Hopper’s letter paints the perfect setup for the next seasons to reveal that Mike has a lot more going on under the surface that’s causing all of this. Maybe some regrets, things he wishes he could “turn back the clock” on, regarding, say, Will and El and how he treats them platonically and romantically? Just a thought.

The question of the day for Mike in season 3 stands: is he being selfish or selfless? And I think that it’s a mix of both, blended in with some heavy confusion due to role changing (not needing to protect El) and uncertain affections (not knowing how to figure out what he has with Will).

So, yeah. All in all, I think that Mike is really closeted in season 3 and doesn’t realize it until the final episode, and I honestly love him for it. As someone who’s gone through similar hurdles of internalized homophobia as a teen, it’s really heartwarming to see him grow and figure things out, even if the journey is far from perfect. It’s a humble origin story. And if he somehow ends up being straight and Byler isn’t endgame, well. I’ll be upset at the writers, but the impact still stands.

[bugsbenefit]

seeing a "Mike is completely oblivious to his feelings and doesn't know he's in love with Will" take float on my dash from the wild and... i'm sorry i hate this interpretations so much. everyone can see things differently, but Mike having no clue of his own feelings makes absolutely no sense with what we see on screen to me. none

if this is ranty ignore little old me, i just need to complain today lmao

not only does Mike pause to look at Will's lips multiple times, which you could maybe argue he just doesn't realize anymore (doubtful since it's not something he's always done, it only started in s3 which is less than a full year away from s4 canonically)

there's also the whole fact that nothing else of his s4 conflict would make sense anymore. if Mike didn't know he didn't love El, what was he worried about telling her then, that she wouldn't like the truth of? it can't be that he loves her because he knows she would like that. Mike has to consciously be aware of something he knows he should tell El, but can't, because he's scared of how she'll take it

the same also goes for the sbp scene where Mike looks back at Will, shocked or conflicted, because Will is pushing him to confess to El. the initial shock would be inappropriate if Mike was already planning to tell El he loved her anyways and had no idea he actually loved Will

it also means that Mike didn't intentionally lie during the monologue with is almost more egregious because we saw Mike talk to the other's about sending El to Pennhurst with 0 concerns. he didn't know El overheard that so it might be something he thinks El could believe. but he himself would remember that he didn't "fall in love with her that moment", saying otherwise just makes Mike look like the dumbest, most unaware character in the whole show by far. not even just the show, it would probably make him one of the most oblivious characters out of Any show i can think of right now actually

it would also make no sense why we're completely barred from Mike's inner feelings during the monologue. if Mike genuinely believed what he was saying we'd be allowed to know his thoughts, since they wouldn't spoil anything yet. but alas, not only does Finn keep his lips sealed, even the rough drafts from three years ago skip over his internal feelings or thoughts completely which is extremely unusual for an emotional monologue of this importance and magnitude

everything else aside, the idea that Mike would just. not realize. he's queer and in love with his best friend is kind of bizarre to me. it really plays into the fanon version of Mike who is inhumanly oblivious and stupid. because canon Mike is actually not that bad with feelings, he can articulate himself if he wants to and he can pick up on and explain complex emotions he himself feels all the way back in s1. saying that Mike is genuinely too oblivious to realize his feelings isn't at all in line with his canon characterization

and besides it not making sense for his character. it's also a nonsensical choice from a writers perspective. if Mike would genuinely be unaware of his feelings for Will and his queerness; Byler would be rushed. i'm excited for Byler as much as the next person but this would be a horrible way to go about it. because s5 would then need to include:

Mike realizing he's not in love with El

Mike realizing he's queer

Mike dealing with the consequences of being queer in the 80s/coming to terms with said queerness to the point he feels comfortable acting on it

Mike realizing he's in love with Will

Mike and El finally breaking up

Mike and Will confessing to each other and getting together

that is an absurd amount of things to cram into a single seasons and essentially a character 180 in 8ish episodes. and all these points also need space and time to breathe to sit well with the audience. having Mike realize he's not in love with El and realize he's in love with Will would need a significant pause in between to feel good for the audience, but there's only so much time left. that will feel rushed no matter how well you write it. if they just revealed Mike being queer and in love with Will to the audience while having him already be aware of it we'd skip steps 1-4 on this list. the audience getting new information and recontextualizing things that already happened takes significantly less time than having a character go through the realizations first hand since that takes more development time

at this point, there's no way to write Mike realizing he's queer from scratch well with only one season left. there just isn't. especially with the amount of plot we need to cover in s5, the action, and all the other characters that need solid endings. opening a whole new can of worms for Mike is counterproductive. last seasons close character arcs, they don't kick new one's up that would take forever to properly flesh out

the thing that just really bothers me about this whole, "Mike doesn't know yet, he's oblivious" narrative, besides making little sense from a writer's pov and directly contradicting his canon character. is also that most takes just read extremely belittling. because a lot of people who say this seem to be aware that there won't be time to properly explore Mike's character or feelings like this. and they're fine with it because Mike will just be "Will's boyfriend", and only Will needs to come to terms with his queerness, Mike doesn't need an arc. and it's weird. the idea that Mike will have his whole queer realization in s5 hinges on the fact that Mike's character isn't important enough to get a fully fleshed out arc/time to naturally move from point A to point B, and that he'll just go from one relationship to the next with no problems

[gayofthefae]

Never over this moment of eye contact btw

"Please don't look at me" "Please never look away"

Mike is falling in love while Will is saying goodbye

[thebearme]

OH WAIT MY DUMBASS FORGOT TO ALSO ASK BTW IF YOU HAVE ANY HEADCANONS ON CAMERON OR GWEN

Imma just gonna start with Cam first, and let me just tell you Cameron I projected the most on because even after my "ihatehim no ilovehim" phase so idk maybe some of this could be out of character srry.

I imagine Cameron is south African, particularly Zimbabwean.

His a walking nerd emoji.

The only pass time Cam had was to draw bugs. So he's REALLY GOOD at drawing bugs. Only bugs. Everything else looks like it's from the diary of a wimpy kid.

Cam not that keen of physical touch but slowly getting used to it cuz of Mike. Mike also trying to remember that everyone is open on surprise hugs.

Idk why but with Zoey and Cam's relationship I just think of Carly and Freddie but without the crush.

Gwen and Cam would have art trades together.

Cam got the dryess hands in existence because of the amount of hand sanitizer he uses. OCD GAND RISE UP!

Im saying this now but Cam and B would TOTALLY VIBE TOGETHER!! i just don't know their intentions are yet so dont ask..

Lightning and Cam would have hangout if not for the cheating thing.

Duncan once asked Cam if he can draw a mural of his pet spider Scruffy.

Sam would take it as his personal duty to teach Cam in the way of being a gamer. By teaching him the Zelda timeline and the lore of FNAF. May god rest Cam soul after that.

Cam doesn't not do well with the more active people in Mike's system like Svetlana and Manitoba. They try to be gentle with him but they just don't know their strengths and Manitoba canonically eats dirt so there's only so much they can hangout.

Vito doesn't vibe with nerds but he does occasional try to back him up if he's getting bullied. ONLY if Vito himself isn't bullying Cam.

Cameron actually has the best relationship with Chester. He loves hearing history and old facts and Chester loves the excuse to chat someone's ears off.

Mal and Cam have more of a neutral relationship with each other but I can definitely see Mal thinking his just some weakling nerd until Cam shows him he knows how to make the Demon core.

Cam and Mike started a hate Scott club. Although Cam feels alil bad about, he tends to be reminded of why they started this club every time they go back to their cabin.

Cam once witnessed Scott use the bathroom without washing his hands. And never liked him since.

There was one time between season, Mike, Cam and Zoey were going on a little road trip. Z & M both ask what song should they play next? Cam said he doesn't know any songs so maybe just play the Ice cream truck theme. And that's when they find out HOW sheltered this boy is.

I would get into the nitty gritty but Cam's mom is NOT a good mom. Zoey and Mike have beef with her (Zoey trys to have the benefit of the doubt and said she just too over protective while Mike legit DONT like her.)

They both make sure that Cam gets as much outside time as possible and learn to have a life outside of his house.

When Cam goes to college is going aboard as an entomologist.

When Cameron first came on TD he didn't know what to wear because obviously he's never been outside so it a mixture of hot and cold clothes. Bro don't know fashion but it's his outfit changes in All Stars.

He's wearing a puffer jacket because it reminds him of a sleeping bag and makes him cozy + it has a cooling system inside thanks to B.

[crush-like-that]

byler ficlet, i suppose

in relation to this post

________

"You know, my mom told me that, one day, I'd fall in love." Mike startles out of his thoughts, blinking a few times before he looks at Will. The two of them are strewn across Mike's bed, all lazy and half asleep from the heat. Not unbearable heat, but the comfortable kind, the kind that feels like a pile of blankets fresh from the dryer. The light that pours in from the window is no help, either, all golden and honey like. Up until Will had spoken, Mike wasn't sure if he was entirely awake. He realizes that he's been quiet too long, staring too long, and he opens his mouth to reply. Will beats him to it. "I thought she was crazy, said I'd never do that." Will looks... sad. It's a hard emotion for Mike to understand, it's difficult to find one word for it. It feels like the loss of hope. The acceptance of reality. Something Mike can't really begin to understand, and he hates it. Mike knows everything about Will, he can pick up on the slightest of changes. He's spent so much of his life just watching. Reading Will is practically second nature. So when Mike can't understand him, it's unnerving. He hesitates again, looking for the proper words. "Did you? Fall in love, I mean." Mike doesn't know if that's the right question to ask. Maybe he's pushing a boundary, maybe Will is going to scoff and leave Mike here to rot in his own room. Will smiles. Mike knows he hasn't made a mistake, hasn't fucked up his friendship again. But it's not a happy smile and that's obvious enough. Again comes the look of loss. Loss, loss, loss. Loss of what? What could have left Will looking like this? "I did," Will says, and his voice sounds incredibly small. "I was already in love when I said it, but I just... I don't deserve it, I think."

Just a few words, and Mike is on high alert. He sits up straighter, leaning in just so he's closer to Will. Will knows how serious Mike is, he has to. "You do. You deserve love." Mike can't begin to explain why the idea of Will being unworthy of love feels so wrong. His mind is racing and, not for the first time, he lets the thoughts tumble out of his mouth. "You're great, Will. More than great. You're my best friend, okay? Like- no that's not right. I mean, you are my best friend! But I just mean that you are the best friend. You understand everything so well, you know what to say and when to say it, when to wait and when to push. You're smart in so many ways and you're kind of a nerd. You tease your siblings and your friends, but no one can ever be mad cause it's funny. You're sweet, Will, too sweet for your own good. Everyone loves you! I'm positive that you're going to meet someone who loves you just the way you deserve." Mike pauses before nodding and folding his hands in his lap. That's... right. It's all true and he hopes it gets his point across.

The room falls quiet again, air thick with some sort of tension. Mike's eyes stay on Will, the same as always. Watching, staring, waiting for the slightest change. So he notices the slight pink that creeps its way up Will's cheeks. He notices it and he knows he's not wrong because it certainly wasn't there a few minutes ago. "You really mean that?" The question catches Mike off guard and again, it feels wrong that Will is doubting. Mike would never lie to Will, certainly not things like this.

"Every word." There's a sort of certainty to his voice, a deep rooted confidence that he hasn't expressed in years. Mike has always thought highly of Will, but who wouldn't. Who wouldn't love Will? Will is... well Will is Will. There's no one else like him. He's kind and caring and quick with sarcastic comments. He has great manners and tends to be a bit shy in front of new people. He's soft and subtle, the same way the light is from the window. Mike doesn't think he'd connected that before. Will reminds him of early Saturday mornings, waking up when the sun hasn't yet completely risen, so the light comes in heavy waves. Heavy, heavy, heavy, the warmth and comfort is nearly enough to lull him back to sleep. But to sleep would mean to miss the beauty of it, all golden and bright with oranges and occasional pinks. It's subtle, such a contrast from the blaring sun at noon. Mike by no means knows anything about art, but that early morning golden light? It's a masterpiece of nature, there's no denying it. And Will is like that in every sense. Soft smiles with teeth that just barely poke out, bubbling laughter, moles that create the most perfect constellations, strong jaw and strong build that is in no way sharp. All warm, soft, subtle, and beautiful. Mike can't let himself think about it too long, lest he discover something new about himself.

Apparently, Mike has been staring too long, because Will fidgets with his hands and clears his throat nervously. Before Mike can fully process what he’s doing, he simply continues talking. “On top of all that, you look really nice. Objectively, I mean.” Will’s eyes go wide and suddenly he’s staring back at Mike but Mike can’t stop now so he just averts his gaze and keeps going. He gestures with his hands as he talks, desperately hoping that he doesn’t look too embarrassed. “I mean, you’ve got- shit. You’ve got a nice jaw structure. And you’re–” with one hand, he points to Will and, with the other, moves his hand across his own chest “-- broad, and I think girls like that. Your eyes are really pretty, too, they’re-” Mike pauses for a second, leaning in just a bit closer and squinting as he studies Will’s eyes. “Wow, actually I take back what I was going to say. There’s so many different colors going on there. It’s like a kaleidoscope, but with more natural colors. Does that make sense? And you’ve got a really addictive laugh, like once you hear it you’ll do anything to hear it again. And you just-” Mike lets the sentence fall flat as he finally looks back to Will, who looks about as red as Mike feels. He isn’t sure why he said any of it, but he did, and it’s out there now. There’s no taking it back. Mike doesn’t think he’d want to take it back, though, even if he could. Will’s cheeks are rosy and his kaleidoscope eyes won’t stop shifting, newly colored flecks appearing constantly. "You're just you, Will." His voice comes out too soft, too gentle, to honest. Too obvious. But Will has to know he's serious. "I don't know how anyone couldn't love you."

[tumbleringismycopingmechanism]

I love how on the one hand, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) is really good, but on the other hand sometimes it really confuses its messages. So here's my way-too-deep dive into the movie that noone actually asked for:

The parenting messages:

Showing that bad parenting will fuck kids up, with different examples for what counts as bad parenting and the respective different results of the bad parenting styles.

Showing that ultimately, the kids will be the ones to pay for the parents' mistakes in raising them. They are the ones who get punished, and if you apply it to real life, they are the ones who'll have to live with the ways they've been raised and how it affects them.

Showing that the parents are first and foremost the ones who need to learn, not the kids. In the end, the kids don't seem overly troubled or changed from the experience, but you can see the parents start to change their parenting.

Only half of the songs even mention that it's the parents' fault that the kid is like this. Mostly they just preoccupy themselves with shaming the kids.

The way Augustus gets punished makes no sense. That's mostly because they felt the need to push for a fatphobic message before anything else (more on that below). But being fat is not a character flaw. His character flaw is that he's greedy/doesn't know how to share. This is only shown very briefly unfortunately, but that's at least an actual flaw. Now, being greedy/unable to share doesn't necessarily mean not listening to anyone when they tell you not to do something, but that's basically how his punishment comes on. He doesn't listen to Wonka or his mother when told to go away from the chocolate river, falls in, almost drowns, gets humiliated for his body in front of everyone and sucked into a mashine that carries him off. Maybe instead you could have him wanting to try more and more of the things in the factory, wandering further and further along and getting lost. Or maybe he interrupts the Oompa-Loompas' work by selfishly putting the stuff they're reaping into his own pockets and is consequently punished in some way.

The way Violet gets punished makes sense because she's raised to be an over-achiever especially when it comes to chewing bubble gum. You can see after every action of hers she looks to her mother for approval, and her mother does cheer her on when she takes the gum that turns her into a blueberry. However, it also doesn't make sense because throughout the entire film until that point, Violet and her mother tried to make sure they were the best candidad for the special prize and they are acting against Wonka's repeated instructions here, which seems very counter-intuitive to reaching that goal. Also, once again the song completely misses the point and decides the punishment is for liking gum instead of their hyper-focus on Being The Best.

The way Veruca gets punished makes sense as a consequence for her upbringing. Her parents buy her everything she asks for, so she never learned how to deal with a No. So when she is faced with one regarding the squirrels, of course she ignores it, because she's used to eventually getting everything she asks for. Her being attacked is a logical consequence of that.

The way Mike gets punished makes sense. He has two fatal flaws: thinking he knows everything and extreme violence. His punishment is mainly for the former, not thinking through that if the chocolate bar gets smaller, he would too. However, I think the one that should have been the focus of his punishment would be the latter. Violence is a lot more harmful than being a know-it-all, and also he's actually correct about everything he says in the TV room. He figured out how to get a ticket with just Maths. I feel like he has a pretty good reason to think of himself as smart. The song here is once again unlogical, claiming that kids should stay away from TV and videogames because they make them stupid. But Mike isn't stupid. He's impulsive and aggressive (supposedly because of the videogames). That's not the same.

Wonka's position is contradictory in itself. On one hand, he seems to want to punish the parents so they get better at parenting. But on the other hand he hates parents who tell you what to do and do, you know, other good parenting stuff. None of the kids (except maybe Violet, who was not seeing that way) had a problem because their parents had too many rules or demanded too much.

After 4 depictions of how different forms of neglect of your child* have a bad influence on your child, the relationship of the Wonkas shows that the opposite (overprotectivness) can be just as bad.

(* Calling them all neglect is probably a misuse of the word, however I mean it in a way that there's always something lacking instead of too much of something. Augustus is never taught charitableness, Violetta is never taught how to deal with defeat or how to figure out what she wants herself (instead of just excelling in what her mother expects of her), Veruca is never taught how to deal with a No and never shown love outside of material possesions, Mike is never shown boundaries or taught how to deal with his aggression in a healthy way. Meanwhile Wilbur cares too much about what his son eats and is overly protective about Willy's dental hygiene.)

Depicturing capitalism:

The wealthy billionaire (aka Wonka) is completely out of touch with the real world.

The wealthy billionaire doesn't give two shits about destroying the property of people so poor they can barely survive, as seen by him just crushing through the Buckets' roof with his glass lift.

The wealthy billionaire employs cheap labour from workers who completely depend on him because it saves him money (in this case not (primarily) because he wants to keep workers' paychecks as small as possible, but because employing locals means his recipes might get stolen and if people can buy the same stuff from other stores, he doesn't control the market anymore and might lose revenue).

He doesn't care for the labour his factory provides. He used to have locals working for him, and by the size of his factory, a not small amount of the locals must have depended on their jobs there. He dismisses all of them overnight, single-handedly creating an explosion of unemployment in the area, without a care. Something that as we see with Charlie's family still has consequences even decades later.

It fuels into the narrative that billionaires deserve their wealth because they're actually geniuses.

It gives the illusion that billionaires actually give a fuck about the shit they produce. Wonka is really passionate about his sweets and even long after his succesfull take-off at the world market he still creates all the recipes. The only hint against this narrative is that he produces at least some products (like the bubblegum) simply for the money, despite not actually liking them.

He will test unsafe products on his workers and when there are unpleasant side-effects, they'll just have to live with it.

He's mad at Mike for cheating to get the ticket, but not at Veruca. That's because Veruca's way of cheating made him tons of profit while Mike's way of cheating gained him only one sold chocolate bar.

However, I think most/all of the points that actually show how bad capitalism is were unintentional in doing so. The movie doesn't try to say capitalism/billionaires are bad, it just happens to do so. Half of these points are either played for laughs, minor background moments or things you have to think about and put together to notice. Most noticably, the Buckets' poverty is framed as a hardship to overcome at best and a virtue that makes Charlie the most worthy of the children at worst. If the movie was actually trying to take a stance against capitalism/billionaires, I think this wouldn't be the case.

Other noteworthy stuff:

As mentioned above, the treatment of Augustus is insanely fatphobic. It starts with grandfather George predicting that the first winner will be "fat, fat, fat". The way he says it implies that fatness is moraly wrong - which it isn't. Also, what he actually means is that the first winner will probably really love chocolate, which does not need to correlate with body shape whatsoever. Then there's the scene in the factory where they make a proper pig of him, completely dehumanizing him, covering his entire face with food, putting him on the ground, even making him eat grass. And to really hammer home the fat hatred, he gets stuck in the tube and the Oompa-Loompas (at least in the German version of the lyrics, which are the only ones I've ever heared) sing about him being a "disgusting blob of fat".

The racism regarding the Oompa-Loompas. Of course their poor tribe just doesn't know how to make delicious edible food and has to rely on a random white guy teaching them better. Of course they will gladly do what's basically slave-work (as they are not paid except in cocoa beans), somehow made even worse because it's implied that if they ever wanted to leave the factory, it would be really bad for them because they can't deal with cold climate, so they're basically forced to remain in the factory. Paired with their love for singing during work it really seems like it's trying to portrait the slave trade through rose-coloured glasses.

It would have been nice to see what exactly makes Charlie's parents a perfect middle between too absent and too present, too uncaring and too controling. Because the way it's framed their parenting is good because... they're poor? I guess? Which is bullshit, poor parents are not automatically good parents.

[xoxo-sarah]

I Wanna Be Yours || Part 1

Series Masterlist | Part 2

↝a/n: my first Robin Series. Set in season 4.

↝pairing: Robin Buckley x fem!Wheeler!reader

↝ Warning:slightly proof read. Possible spoilers if you still haven't watched season 4, everything that happens in stranger things, slow burn, Vicky doesn't exist here, not because I don't like her, but because it's easier to write for Robin when she's not madly in love with another chick.

↝⎙ 6.24.23

Nancy jiggled her keys, annoyed with the mop headed boy. “Mike! Let's go.” She turned, looking at you with an irked expression. “This kid.” She opened the door, walking past you as you put your backpack on.

Mike rolled his eyes, hunching over the toaster, impatiently waiting for the pop tart to pop any second. “Jesus. How am I gonna survive a whole week without you guys?” You grinned as he walked past, handing you one of the warm pop tarts. “Besides you. You're cool.” He whispered before practically jogging to the car, where Nancy sat with her head thrown back in annoyance. You bid your parents goodbye before following him to the car, deciding you didn't have time to argue over who was getting in the front.

“So, Cali, huh?” Nancy glanced at you from the rearview mirror, a small grin making its way onto her lips. You two have tormented him for weeks over him going all the way to California for spring break. You did it more than Nancy though, only because you loved his grossed-out reaction when you'd turn around, acting as if you were making out with someone, hinting at the two.

“Yeah.” Mike grumbled, looking out the window from the passenger seat.

You nodded, not mentioning it for the rest of the car. At least, until you got to school.

“And then there's Heidi tomorrow night, but the problem with Heidi is that she's going out of state for college. So, it's like, do I really wanna start another relationship that has no point other than sex?” Steve continued to rant to deaf ears. “I mean, I don't know. Does that make sense to you?” He rubbed his forehead, glancing to his side, where Robin was putting on mascara, solemnly paying attention to the mirror and not to the man who was ranting for the whole car ride. “Robin, are you listening?”

“Uh, yes. I-I'm lis-”

“What did I just say?” Steve threw his hand up, shaking his head, unimpressed.

“Something about sex with…Linda.”

“No! I'm talking about Heidi.”

“Cut me some slack, please!”

Steve bit his cheek before rubbing his forehead again. “Well-”

Robin began to rant, “Your love life is one of labyrinthine complexity. And it is 7:00 in the morning, we have this stupid pep rally and I woke up looking like a total corpse.” She stretched her hands on the sides of her face, surely not looking flattering at all.

“Oh, you're worried about a pep rally? You expect me to believe that?” He glanced over again, his expression showing he absolutely did not believe that, not one bit.

“Yeah? So?”

“So, we both know what this is about. Okay, I'm not buying that bullshit. This is about Y/n.” He had met you a few times, when he was with Nancy and when you guys had to fight some ugly parasite looking monster. You were quick to catch Robin's eye in school, which, in turn, made her turn to Steve and tell him all about this girl. There were a few characteristics that led him to know she fancied you before she even told him your name.

“Absolutely not.” Robin couldn't help the blush that painted her cheeks, moving to do anything with her hands. She began applying lip balm, staring back into the little mirror in the visor.

“Yes it is. You know what else I think?”

“I really don't care-” Steve could go on and on. If you were to ask Robin what he said, she'd surely say blah blah blah with a roll of her eyes.

“I think you gotta stop pretending to be someone else when you're around her. You just gotta be yourself.” He had his hand out, motioning around absentmindedly.

“You're literally quoting me to me. You do realize that, right?”

“Well, maybe you need to listen to yourself. Ever think about that, smarty-pants?” Robin stared at him with a look that could kill. Was she this annoying when she scolded him, telling to get his shit together? "I listened to you and look at me. Boom. Back in business.”

“It's not the same thing, okay?”

“Well…"

Robin made a sound of disagreement at that, not letting him finish that thought. “You ask a girl out and she says no, big deal. Nothing happens. Maybe your ego is a little bruised.” Robin looked at him with false pity, before moving her hands around again. “But I ask out the wrong girl, and BAM! I'm a town pariah.”

Shaking his head, Steve understood where she was coming from, but disagreeing with how she was going about it. “Yeah, okay, I'd buy that, except Y/n is definitely not the wrong girl.”

“We just don't know that do we?”

"She returned Fast Times at 53 minutes, 5 seconds. Do you know who paused Fast times at 53 minutes, 5 seconds?”

“...”

“People who like boobies, Robin!”

“Ew! Gross! Don't say boobies!”

“Boobies. It's not a big deal, okay. I like boobies. You like boobies. Y/n likes boobies. Definitely.”

Climbing over the seat after Nancy parked, you patted Mike as he held the car door open. “Use protection at least.” Before he could reply or grumble, you were jogging towards the gym, finding some of your friends in the process.

“Got any plans for spring break?” Chrissy asked, trying to keep in stride with you.

“Not really.” You hadn't made plans, but you'd probably end up staying at one of your friend's house. After walking in, you turned towards her, grinning to ease her nerves. “Have fun. You'll do amazing.” She smiled back, giving you a quick hug before running off.

Turning back to the bleachers, you tried to look for an empty seat, which was becoming harder with the people trampling into the double doors.

Hearing your name being yelled, you looked around, stopping when you saw Steve. He motioned you over, making sure no one sat down beside him.

With the glare he could feel on the side of his head, he'd definitely be getting an earful from Robin.

He held his hand out, helping you step up the stairs with all the people walking around you to take a seat. “Thank you.”

“No problem.” He turned to face Robin, mouthing '53 minutes, 5 seconds'. She rolled her eyes before looking forward.

When everything started, he cheered with you as you not only cheered on your school, but your friends and all the work they put into the moves.

“And of course, I have to give a special shout-out.” Steve glanced over at you when he heard you scoff at Jason Carver.

“What? You don't like Jason?” His words were playful, already knowing you despised him for some reason, hearing it from Robin.

“I don't know. He loves Chrissy and shows it, but he's just a dick to everyone else.”

Jason continued to speak, “Chrissy…" He stared at her as they were the only two in the room. “Chrissy, I love you, babe.”

You made a gagging sound, only loud enough for Steve to hear it.

Jason went on to make another speech. “You know…I think I can speak for all of us when I say it's been a tough year for Hawkins. So much loss. And sometimes I wonder 'how much loss can one community take?' In dark days like this, we need something to believe in. So, last night, when we were down by ten points at half to Christian Academy I looked at my team and I said, think of Jack, think of Melissa, think of Heather, think of Billy.”

Both you and Steve looked down, searching for the red head you had seen climbing the bleachers to sit with your brother and Dustin. You both looked back at each other, taking pity on the poor girl.

Sure, you never got along with Billy. But you would've never wished that kind of death upon anybody, including him. Especially with the way it affected Max. You could tell she felt guilty. It wasn't fair for her; she was just a kid- a good kid at that.

"— Think of our heroic police chief, Jim Hopper. "

“You alright?” Chrissy almost walked past you in the hall, looking a little uneasy.

“Yeah, people died so they could win a basketball game. That's the reason.” You rolled your eyes, grumbling as you glared at the man screaming into the mic. “For a stupid trophy.” Sure, you will still congratulate Lucas if they do, indeed, win the trophy. But to say many people died for that was just ridiculous. Honoring the people who have fallen is different, but that's not what he's doing. Maybe Lucas would play in honor of them, but not Jason.

She blinked a couple of times before trying to smile. “Yeah-yeah. Of course. Just had to go to the counselor. I'm alright.” You slowly nodded, before wrapping an arm around one of hers and walking towards class. She had been acting weird lately. So you made sure to stay close to her, making sure she didn't do anything. “Would you like to do something for spring break?” You brought back the question she asked earlier.

“Like what?”

“I don't know. We could hang at your house-”

“No!” You looked at her, confused by her outburst. “Why would we do that when we have your house?”

“I mean, Mike's not going to be there, so sure.” You gently smiled at her, squeezing her arm affectionately when she stopped by the bathrooms. “I'll talk to you about it later, yeah?” She nodded before pushing the door open.

You began walking towards class, trying to wrap your brain around what was going on with her. She obviously wasn't okay.

•2021-2024 by xoxo-sarah on Tumblr•

•My work is not to be translated, copied, modified, and/or reposted on any other site without my permission. [!I don't give permission!]

[willel]

Points of interest (for me)

Really trying to figure out how the hell Will is just gonna be back in High School like it's no big deal. Does the government not care about the Byers or Mike who were obviously associated with El, anymore??? Much confusion. Like, I know Will needs to go to school but....???? The government is being incompetent again.

So it looks like they'll be exploring tunnels again. Makes sense. Smart to bring a ladder this time. But for what reason would they go tunnel exploring? Is it easier to get into the Upside Down via tunnel? Is something hidden in there? Or is it just another point of attack again? The government claimed they filled in all the holes but did they really?

Crazy stuff happening at the Wheeler home. Holly?'s room reminds me of Poltergeist. Minus the evil closet of glowing doom. Also, does her hair seem a bit wet? I wonder what she's so horrified by. A monster?

Team meeting in the woods. But major problem here. WHY would you be making plans in the woods. Maybe I'm overestimating the amount of danger they're in but going to such a secluded location with monsters potentially popping up seems unwise???

Then we have them on a different day and Will is having a daze and the others don't notice. 100% callback to the beginning of season 2 with Will walking right out of the arcade unnoticed. Since no one else seems to notice anything, then I'm guessing Truesight is indeed making a return?

I took this picture trying to figure out where Vecna is but I can't really tell. It is definitely a building because the floor is flat, right? From the looks of things, the floor isn't tiled and it doesn't look like wood. Looks like straight up just a flat floor. Either they'll fill it in later with CG or this is a place with a floor like that. Hm.... ohhhhh this place is kinda like that

At first I was thinking the school or the lab, but the school is too shiny and the lab is tiled. Could still be the school I guess.

I took this picture soley because it brought up memories of public school. I guess they'll be giving presentations on projectors. Maybe whatever plans they're coming up with.

Will falling down a tree. Or falling into the Upside Down. Either way sucks. If he does just fall out of a tree, one wonders why he climbed the tree. To hide from the Demogorgon? I guess we haven't seen them climb necessarily, and they don't seem particularly observant enough to look up.

She's fighting something, but I wonder what. I wonder if they'll be clashing with Vecna the entire time? Or maybe she's just fighting whatever new monsters pop up. Also questionably if she's in the Upside Down or a corrupted part of the right side up. But I'm guessing the Upside Down?