#eventual lumax

[angeldreamsoffanfic]

An excerpt from my upcoming fic where Steve and Max are thrown into an alternate universe after their untimely death, and they get to be the siblings they both deserve <3

-

Steve Harrington is quiet as he took a slow sip of his hot cocoa, the rich kind made with milk instead of water, topped with whipped cream and sprinkled with marshmallows. The sky above him is darkened, storm clouds rolling in quick, and Steve can’t bring himself to move from his spot on his back porch.

Even if he knows that he’ll definitely get drenched when the rain actually starts.

The back door squeaks open and Steve tilts his head slightly, catching sight of Max stepping out onto the porch herself. Her red hair is still held in the two French braids he had managed, just a bit more mused by sleep. Max tugged on the collar of his sweater she was wearing, the bright red one that Steve knows everyone likes to “borrow”, and she slides onto the step next to him.

Steve is completely silent as he passes the cup to Max instead.

Max is completely silent as she takes a sip, before she passes it back.

“I never really understood why you acted the way you did, if I’m being honest.” Max admits softly, her brows furrowed almost taut as she cast a look toward the swimming pool. It’s empty now, but it won’t be for long. Steve knows this, knows that the closer it gets to Will disappearing— that his father will tell him to call someone to start filling it again. “I thought maybe you were just a mother hen, but…”

“But?” Steve repeats, turning his head to catch Max’s eyes. Her blue eyes are almost watery with tears, and Steve diverted his eyes as one of her hands came up to wipe them haphazardly away.

“You did it so we could just be kids.”

Steve is silent, and instead chose to pass the mug back toward Max- who took it and cupped it in between her palms. Steve shifts so he can face Max, and pauses to prop himself comfortably against the pillar of his back porch.

“I grew up like this,” Steve explains softly, his own brow furrowed as he waved a hand around him. “I just… all of you were so young when it first all started, and if I could give you a little peace…”

“Who gives you peace?” Max asks with wide eyes, and Steve smiles as he cast her a look with slightly raised brows. Max’s eyes immediately widen, and Steve lets out a soft sigh of a laugh at the incredulous look that immediately spread over Max’s face. “Me?”

“You,” Steve nodded with a small smile, especially as Max takes another sip of the cocoa- whipped cream just above her upper lip before she licks it away. “And Robin, the rest of the brat pack too.”

“Really?” Max’s voice is soft, even as she raps one of her fingers against the mug. “But me first?”

Steve shrugs, even as the sky overhead lets out a rumble. Max extends the mug back toward Steve, and he takes another sip before he sent Max a small smile.

“I’ve always wanted a sister, y’know?”

Max allows herself to let out the softest giggle she’s ever heard, even if she’ll vehemently deny it if Steve ever attempted to bring it up. Max smiles, tilts her head back to face the sky, watching as the rain starts to fall.

“I’ve always wanted an actual brother.”

[gayofthefae]

Jopper: You can find love again after being divorced.

Duzie: Love isn’t about social status and the validation of having a partner but rather things like common interests and love of each other’s company.

Stobin: Your “true love” doesn’t have to be a romantic one and you can be entirely fulfilled by a best friend.

Jancy: Love and family does not need to be the focus of your life. You can have those things while still being career driven and oriented.

ElMike: Romantic and platonic love are not hierarchal. Sometimes one relationship is closer and better as friends than as lovers. (similar to Stobin but rather than exchanging a friend for a romantic partner, shifting the nature of one relationship)

Lumax: A loving and supporting relationship is more important than the social disapproval that may come with it. (similar to Duzie but with higher stakes of racist consequences rather than just a lack of societal approval, an active disapproval)

Byler: Queer people are just as deserving of love and romance and do not need to settle for platonic relationships if they want more.

[strangerwheelerthings]

The funniest thing about Hawkins Gang's future kids is that all their parents are going to have the strangest quirks and truama responses, and the kids are gonna have no idea how weird it all is until they're in like college or something. Think about it, the gang all remain close friends. Their children are close as a result, and there's enough of them that they have many examples of similar behaviors throughout their entire environment.

[thefabelmans2022]

i kinda think of the canon stranger things ships only lucas and max would actually stay together after high school.

[inconspicuousdreamgirl]

I've said it once and i'll say it again robin and vickie is a lazy pairing.

okay so maybe its because i ship ronance but aside from that let me explain why this pairing is so extremely lazy and lacks what other relationships have.

aside from the show being sci-fi and monster/battle focused something it does really well is developing friendships and relationships between characters.

example one: jonathan and nancy's relationship has been developing since season one. we see them pine over eachother in season one and season two until they eventually get together. even in season three and season 4 we see how their relationship develops and how the deal with issues in and outside of the relationship together. this is good character pairing. it has that establishment in season one, the team up and tension in season two and well yeah its just very good writing.

example two: byler. whether you agree its romantic or platonic thats your choice. But we see how much will means to mike in season one and how he is so focused on finding will, in season two we learn more about their friendship and we see mike being super protective over will. and since then there has been this underlying tone of homosexuality for their relationship. if they do end up together the build up and tension over the seasons will make it a really good relationship that once again is established and developed. the same can be said for lumax, elmax, jopper and even the friendship between dustin and steve.

now vickie was just placed into season 4 as robins crush and thats literally it. we see them interact in the first epsidode, which oh my god lacked what I was hoping would be good chemistry and tension. right off the bat this ship/pairing became so uniteresting. to me it feels they only placed her in as a crush and nothing more. also there was literally no establishment or development over the season which is why its lacking. It also is very hard to picture her character in season 5 as they didn’t set her up well or gives us a really cool new character.

from a ronance standpoint it would make alot more sense if they ended up together. we see them interact in season three which establishes their relationship. its also worth mentioning nancy is mentioned in robins coming out scene (this would’ve been the start of good development) we only then see them again when they team up to solve vecnas curse. we see them have to work with eachother closely which leads them to being friends but has alot of tension and angst. this would be a excellent lead up to them being together.

robin is the first openly confirmed queer character which is why the vickie pairing is so disapointing. if they wanted the relationship to have the effect that the other ones do they needed to develop it more. they could have mentioned her in season three while robin is talking to steve, have her walk in the video store when robin and steve are applying to the jobs. but instead they placed the most boring character with no previous connection to robin as her supposed love interest. It just feels super out of place and almost awkward!!

I think all sapphics and gays can agree we actually want to see a well thought out and developed relationship, especially a queer one!!

But who knows my opinion could change when season 5 comes out!! Let’s hope they fix their chemistry and actually make it interesting

[miwiheroes]

Dropping Byler Evidence Every Day Until Season 5

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ Day 4: Parallels with Jancy . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

(im probably gonna do parallels with lumax and jopper and rovickie as well at some point maybe even next)

I think that to some extent, the Duffer Brothers do these kinds of parallels on purpose, and I'll tell you if I think they are on purpose as they come up. If they aren't on purpose, this still proves byler endgame: the fact that there are a set amount of tropes for romantic couples means that they are applying these romantic tropes to byler for a reason.

Let's list em babyyyy

1. Hand touching !1!!!!

fun fact: these are in the same episode. i don't think the fact they're both touching hands is on purpose though, but i think that the coincidence enough proves that holding hands-romantic tropes can be applied to both of them. HOWEVER,,,, the jancy scene is literally THE SCENE AFTER THIS ONE HAHA

2. The lip glance

Now.... this one is too insane not to be like,,,, intentional. Tbh i think i'm sceptical on it being totally intentional, but the fact that it's coincidental actually proves byler too, because they literally did the same thing??? and jancy is a canon couple??? girl

(also fun fact noah liked a tiktok that was showing off this parallel lmao)

3. Teaming up

This is one is just theoretical, but there could be a highly intentional (being that they are both byers and wheeler siblings) parallel to Jancy through teaming up to find Holly like Jonathan and Nancy team up to find Will.

4. THE CAR TALK

This one. Intentional as hell. What do you mean the siblings are in the same exact places???

5. What about us?

I don't think this one is fully intentional, but I think it's a very common thing to put romantic couples (pre-relationship) in this situation where they have to ask about the status of their relationship or it's not as compelling of an arc, so yeah

6. Both standing on the hill

Highly highly intentional. The whole point of this is to SHOW that they could eventually be a couple due to them being shown alongside other couples that are already together, like duh. If anyone denies byler through this image, they may need to be checked for heteronormativity disease </3

[thesapphicsoldier]

Having the teenage couple get engaged right after they graduate high school is lame as hell I’m sorry. Even if it was a ship I loved like lumax, I’d still think it was cringe. Obviously I want my ships to get married eventually, but not when they’re still teenagers! It baffles me that a s5 wedding is such a common theory among m*levens, like why would you even want that??

[nothoughts-onlywomen]

proof that lumax is NOT bones

ok look, i know we’re all freaking out a bit right now (see here for context), but i feel i have tangible proof that lumax will have a satisfying ending come s5.

1. she was listening to his game

i don’t know if we fully acknowledge how meaningful this is. max doesn’t go to lucas’ game because there’s a big crowd and she’s very depressed. BUT she knew the game meant a lot to him. even earlier in the episode she was the one who explained the tournament to the boys. she doesn’t care for sports (except skateboarding obviously), but she cared for lucas enough to know what was going on. and she cared enough to listen to the game on the radio even after the fact.

2. her letters

tell me she didn’t write some sentimental shit to him in that letter. we have yet to see what was in it, but my guess is that whatever’s in it, max will get a chance to say some of those things aloud. like if she wrote “i love you” or something to that effect, it’ll show growth for her character to say it aloud to lucas. which brings me to…

3. the cemetery scene

the entire point of this scene was to show that lucas doesn’t only want the good parts of max. he wants ALL of her. even the sides of herself she views as ugly. and even as max is struggling to just TELL lucas how she feels, lucas is letting her know it’s okay. he just wants her to talk to him. all this is the crux of what i believe will be one aspect of max’s arc next season. learning to SAY how she feels. especially to lucas.

4. THIS moment

another reminder that LUCAS IS THE ONLY PERSON WHO MADE MAX SMILE OR LAUGH LAST SEASON. this is another aspect of the lumax arc that i think is important. lucas makes max FEEL things, which is why the whole thing terrifies her. one of max’s reckonings in s5 will be with her own feelings. and if she ends up permanently blind or disabled, those feelings might explode out.

5. “i see you now. i see you.”

apart from the cruel irony we’ll get if max ends up permanently blind, this again echoes the idea that lucas sees max for exactly who she is and loves her completely. even in her darkest moments.

6. rv scene

lucas is the impetus of max’s HAPPIEST MEMORY. i mean writers don’t do that shit on accident. her happiest memory is KISSING HIM. that won’t change overnight.

7. cute as shit notepads

they have mutually agreed to go on a date again. you think the duffers would leave us hanging on that? have they ever let us down before? mike told el in s1 they would go to the snowball, and they held onto that shit until the end of s2.

8. fuck vecna

here’s my prediction for the “going left” that caleb mentions. while i don’t think they’ll break up or not be together in the end, i do think that vecna will possess her and use it to physically attack lucas. like i get the feeling they’re going to pull a mockingjay on us. this scene foreshadows that. she’ll be clawing at him and he’ll just be holding her off looking devastated. cue waterworks

9. i don’t even want to talk about this scene

why would they have max die in lucas’ arms if we WEREN’T getting s5 lumax in some capacity? lucas’ trauma from that will have ripples in s5, leaving him vulnerable to vecna’s attacks. because he now has that something haunting him.

10. and finally…

ok COME ON. the duffers even posted a bts picture with this in it. combine that with the other bts we’ve gotten so far? i'm not worried.

max's arc in s5 will be about connection with her loved ones. namely, her finally being able to break through her own walls to tell them how she feels. and both her and lucas' arc in s4 will lead up to that eventual conclusion. which is why we're getting our damn endgame.

[misterfibbly]

If Mileven is supposedly endgame, then why do we get ZERO moments from them together this season?

There are absolutely no scenes of them together, just them alone, having a moment or being couple-y in a way that doesn’t have either of them faking or lying to each other.

The first thing we see with both of them is El writing a letter to Mike, telling him about her life in Lenora, lying to him about it (what a great way to start off the season!! /s). Okay, but let’s give El the benefit of the doubt, maybe she’ll tell Mike as soon as they see each other, right?

Wrong.

Now, let’s get back to my original point about how they don’t have any scenes alone.

There’s a couple of scenes where we get them greeting each other, kissing (notice how Mike’s wearing sunglasses. Who’s to say he doesn’t have his eyes open under those? It certainly wouldn’t be the first time).

Also I’m not sure if it’s just me who sees this, but why does it seem like they’re trying to be as far away from each other as possible during that kiss?? Like lean into it a little if you really want it to seem like you like each other.

Oh look! We immediately see Jonathan in Will in the background (and Argyle in some frames) in a scene that’s supposedly a romantic reunion between Mike and El.

Mike is literally being DRAGGED right now, if he’s the one who got out of the car first, shouldn’t he be walking a bit more in the front? Oh and, of course, Will is in this scene too.

Will standing next to them as El lies to Mike about her friends. Will trailing behind them as they skate. Will eating with them. Will, Will, Will.

But wait — there actually is one scene where Mike and El are alone.

The fight! The only scene with just them, and the only scene where they show strong emotions for each other. Except it’s just El being angry at Mike, which she has every right to be, and she’s sad too. Mike seems distressed but he’s not nearly as upset as she is, and he’s showing absolutely no remorse either.

Even in the “love confession” scene, Will right there, and he’s the one who tells Mike to say “I love you” earlier in the van, Mike didn’t come to this conclusion himself, something he would have done if he really meant it and wanted to say it.

How the other couples are different

Jopper - Joyce spent the whole season looking for Hopper, Hopper spent the whole season missing Joyce and hoping she’s okay. Their reunion had emotional music playing they hugged for a long time and they kissed eventually too. The look in their eyes alone showed how much they care about each other.

Lumax - even though they were broken up for basically the whole season, they never stopped caring for each other and being there for each other. Lucas made sure Max was okay and continued to protect her. Max started to let Lucas back into her life and expressed that she needs him.

Even Jancy - they were separated for the whole season but we still got some lighthearted moments between them. They ranted to their friends about each other, and their meeting at the end was genuine and full of love.

Meanwhile, Byler…

They fought, too.

But they quickly made up.

I would add more pictures if I could, but my point is, Byler spent the whole season rebuilding their relationship. Mileven spent the whole season ignoring their issues. Byler had multiple heart to hearts, they continued to listen and understand each other, they worked together “as a team”.

[plinfaaa]

STRANGER THINGS SEXUALITY HEADCANONS BECAUSE ITS MY GOOD RIGHT 🗣️🗣️🗣️ + YAPPING!

I am so tired rn. I'm having a German exam on Friday and my ass is sitting here writing down shit for yall because WDYM I ACTUALLY HAVE PPL READING MY SHIT? TYSM FOR THAT BTW 🫶🫶🫶 THIS WILL ALSO BE A SHIT TON OF YAPPING BTW!

~~☆

Mike: Okay, so I guess atp we all know that this guy is just a closeted Homosexual. He tries so hard to hide the fact he's gay, he's failing miserably. And he is VERY confused by his feelings thorwards Will.

Will: Openly gay. I don't have to say anything else. We all know he is yearning for Mike. We all know he always had been.

Lucas: Bi. As a preteen he was kind of simping for a random basketball player. Later in life he realized that might've been a little more than just that.

Dustin: Straight Ally to bi-curious. He is pretty sure he is into girls but he prolly wouldn't say no to trying. ALSO CAN WE PLS APPRECIATE HIS AND SUZIES RELATIONSHIP? Bros live SO FAR away and try EVERYTHING to communicate with each other.

Eleven: I am actually SO TORN. I am 100% she is Asexual. Kissing, cuddling, holding hands, being cheesy is a 100% yes for her. But anything more is gross. Also I am a Lesbian El truther. Cuz Lesbian and Gay pairings are ALWAYS fun (Syd and Stan IANOWT). But also just because I personally think that she was just so incredibly attached to Mike, she didn't even rlly knew what love even means. Mike was the first boy her age she got to know. Ofc she had to be with him. Now the hard part. I am unsure wether Aromantic or Demiromantic El. I do belive in independent partnered El. BUT ELMAX. God they got me going FERAL. Either way she's on the spectrum!

Max: 100% Bi too. I love Lumax and Elmax, both is PERFECT. Max never thought about her sexuality much. She fell for Lucas, realized girls where cute too and just vibed with it. She and Robin probably had a talk about that when Robin outs herself. And they are very casual about it!

Suzie: Straight Ally! The sweetest and kindest soul. She will listen to everyone's pains and relationship struggles, sit there akwardly and then yap to cheer them up. She is probably bad with comforting. (Actually I just realized as I'm writing this that Autism makes sense for her! And now I'm HAPPY about that.)

Nancy: Bi panic in person. Her relationship with Steve was merely to fuck around (haha literally.) and be rebellious. Her relationship with Jonathan wad more and really serious. But you are on my blog and therefore you KNOW what I'm gonna scream for. RONANCE. After sorting things out with Jonathan, they both decided to part. She was akward around Steve but only because she started falling for his bestie. And god she loves Robin sm. She was so afraid of getting attached but SUPRISE SUPRISE. She did.

Jonathan: Straight Ally(???) I actually never thought much about him even tho from season 1-3 he was one of my ultimate favs. He just decided to be single for some time after Nancy and him broke up and he's happy about it. He goes back to California (after thinking about it for a long time because he wanted to be there for Will. But after Byler sorted it out he could leave peacefully.) Anyways, he and Argyle just keep vibin, he gets a photography job and maybe eventually after a break another girl.

Argyle: Pan. Oh GOD I LOVE HIM. I just know he and Jonathan did things when they were high. (Jonathan actually told Nancy and apologized like 500 times but she didn't mind a lot). He hooks up with random at times. Not in a bad way. He is a mindful person and makes sure everything is safe and protected. He has a few girlfriends from time to time. Some boyfriends here and there. Just happy to be there! He just wants someone who doesn't care about him being a stoner.

Steve: Bi panic in person #2. This man was convinced he was straight until he met Robin. She talked to much about herself that Steve probably realized at some point that guys are actually kind of hot. And some of his 'idols' where maybe small crushes. I am not OBSESSED with Steddie. But I don't hate them. I don't really care about them. But Steve will be happy, doesn't matter if a girl or guy!

Robin: Canon Lesbian. God I love the way she found out in rebel Robin. And over the time, when she grows closer with all of the party she eventually gets less closed up and pretty loose with the topic of her being a Lesbian. The second person she outed herself to was Nancy (under tears and sobs because she's so in love with her.) And then strangely enough Mike because she noticed the akward pining for Will and decided to talk some sense into him. Her first real crush and gay awakening was Tammy, which is canon. She liked Vicky in a way. It was a complicated in between after she met Nancy. But since she was with Jonathan, she tried to get rid off her thoughts with focusing on Vicky, But as the upside down got worse and she spend much more time with Nancy she was convinced she wanted her more. And luckily these feelings where mutual. Also rip Robin, you would love Chapell Roan and Billie Eillish.

Eddie: I think we all are convinced that he is gay. He cared about Chrissy but didn't know her close enough. He always liked boys and was okay with it. He immediately knew what Robin is and was honestly just vibing. He had a girlfriend (which made him realize he likes boys) and a secret boyfriend before. And once the party is so comfortable and Robin outed herself to all of them he followed to make her feel less akward which leads into everyone outing themselves. Because fruity people attract fruity people.

Vicky: I honestly don't know enough about her atp. I think she's Bi. Or maybe a little confused about all this esp when she met Robin? I like Rovicky. Not more than Ronance, but it's cute and I honestly only want Robin to be happy ):

Joyce: Straight Ally but like the biggest in history. She kissed Karen before (cuz I say so.) She always knew that Will was gay because of the way he interacted with Mike. She is so gentle and careful about it. Educating herself, asking questions if confortable. She just wants to protect. That's why she is also do incredibly nice to Robin, because she knew her parents won't give her unconditional love so someone has to.

Hopper: Straight Ally but very confused about everything. He doesn't get the whole lgbtq thing. But as soon as Will officially outed himself, Hopper made such an effort into educating himself to not say anything wrong. And when El outed herself he spit out a very smart sounding scientific definition and El giggled.

Murray: Gayest character in this show. Bro is like gayer than Will atp. He wanted Alexei. He loved him and sobbed for months straight. Thats it. A miserable sad gay man.

Special Guest: KAREN!!: I am very deep in this fandom since August 2023. ADHD does fun things and made me read too many things. And from all these times on Ao3, Tumblr, Pinterest or the part in Rebel Robin where Robin realized that everyone is just trying to fit into society and be perfect in a way, I've been growing VERY fond of the closeted Lesbian Karen headcanons. She liked girls so much, she know she did. And she decided to not embrace it or even try to. She just adapted into that sad tradwife life and decided to make everyone satisfied. She was very happy when Nancy brought home Robin and Mike brought Will. She is so proud of her children expressing themselves unlike her. Also how tf did she pick Ted? The laziest, stupidest and most gross mf ever???

So uhhh- Robin is projecting... If you have anything you want to see from me. If you want moodboards, drabbles, OS, headcanons or whatever, PLEASE REQUEST THEM. I'm so desperate. I do all Finn Wolfhard and Maya Hawke fandoms cuz that's my thing >:)

[paladinsbrainrot]

in light of an imminent teaser......

it is very important that everyone acknowledges that the marketing team will largely base a teaser on what they think the general audience wants, because they're trying to build hype for the show, and will want to draw in as many viewers as possible.

this post said a lot of what i wanted to say but the main gist of it is that you shouldn't expect much of a will focus in the teasers to come -- but mayyybeee we'll get lucky in the trailer. my point is: because of how swept under the rug will was in s3/4, the GA probably doesn't care much about him. he's not super important in their eyes. they'll likely be more drawn to something with characters they're more familiar with, like eleven. this doesn't mean will won't have a main focus in the actual show, because we have proof of that from the duffers' interviews, it just won't be what the marketing team particularly wants to pander too.

noah schnapp has also been a veryyyyy controversial figure as of late, and this will only add to this idea of keeping will's focus on the down low until the season comes out. i don't like to talk about him on my blog bc i personally don't support him but i think it's just important to note. just think about when ross posted the will bts picture for the first time and everyone on twitter was flaming him, and how every bts picture of him that has come out since has been met with negative reactions from the GA. he will be criticized no matter what, if it is a will-centric teaser or not, but having a heavy focus on him in the teaser won't make those who don't support him and his beliefs want to tune into the show. this is just simply coming from a marketing perspective -- his reputation puts the show under hot waters. this is also likely why he wasnt in the tudum special that the show put out in september, while finn, gaten, and caleb were. i just want everyone to be realistic and temper their expectations so that they aren't disappointed when the eventual el-vecna centric teaser comes out. praying tumblr won't be a dumpster fire then.

additionally, -- while i'm not counting on any ship-related clips in the teaser, maybe in the trailer -- it is important to note that we shouldn't take any mlvn/byler clips at face value or put so much importance on them. the duffers and teaser editors will want to include clips that most excite their general audience, and that, unfortunately, may mean a few mlvn clips here and there, because it is what the GA is familiar with. but it doesn't necessarily mean that the scenes will be positive, even if it looks like it in the trailer. the teasers like to screw with us. think of the 003/creel house teaser where they picked clips where lucas was rolling his eyes at max, and max looked upset in response. i remember lumax shippers on tumblr freaking out because they thought their ship was dwindling. these clips were never shown in the actual show and their interactions in the creel house ended up being very positive, unlike how the teaser suggested. in the first s4 trailer we got, we got a short clip of mike and el holding hands while roller-blading. while it looks sweet in the context, when you actually look at the scene, you see that mike and el are being portrayed in a negative light as they were both putting on fake personas to impress each other, and that the whole scene ended up zooming in on will and focusing on him anyway. my point is, don't immediately feel disappointed if we get a mlvn clip. the duffers will only share what they want us to see!!!

so in summary just don't expect much. i really hope they prove me wrong and we get a will centric teaser because i am soooo interested in his arc this season but i'm not getting my hopes up.

[spicybylerpolls]

All of the teenage relationships are sexualised from the get-go. Stancy's introduction was all about the trope where bad boy Steve just wants to try getting good girl Nancy into bed. Jancy is also immediately sexualised when Jonathan takes the spicy photos of Nancy. And Steve and Robin make booby jokes before Vickie is even introduced. Meanwhile for Stobin, we only really got Steve thinking that he and Robin would be a cute couple but no sexual innuendos whatsoever, hinting that the relationship will not happen because there is no sexual attraction there.

It is initially a bit different for Mileven/Lumax/Byler because they are actually kids at the start of the show. But Season 3 makes such a big fuss about them not being kids anymore and it is coincidentally also the time some of the characters start to make innuendos themselves. Which also means that who they liked as kids is not necessarily who they are eventually attracted to as teenagers.

In comparison to the other teenage relationships, Mileven seems to be a relationship free of any sexual implications. In Season 3 Hopper wants the door certainly not open because he is afraid of them kissing - however, Mike and El never overtly express a desire for sex, neither with each other nor for other people. Milevens like to say "Oh, this means that Mike and El only have eyes for each other" although the sexual implications are completely absent from their relationship.

Of course you could argue that the characters may be demi/ace, but I think especially in Mike's case it is made clear that he is not acespec but a repressed queer (with the Season 4 Episode 1 montage as biggest proof). Some people also insisted (and still insist) that Will is ace too because they are subconsciously so afraid to see any sort of queer attraction on screen. (As a person on the acespec myself, I really long for the day where asexuality is finally done justice on screen. But Stranger Things is clearly a show where they actively contrast lack of sexual attraction and actual sexual attraction with each other. Unfortunately, 99% of media does not include intentionally-accurate representation of asexuality, so right now Stranger Things is not under the obligation to be the show that is suddenly an exception)

This is all so true! People try to argue that Mike and El "making out all the time" is evidence that they have interest in sexual exploration, but A) the show very clearly draws our attention to the fact that he takes his hands off her when they're making out, B) Mike doesn't express sexual interest in the Phoebe Cates, the hot girl of the day, like his friends, C) the show draws our attention to how unnatural it is by having Hopper comment on it, and D) this doesn't progress or increase in any way. In fact, it decreases. In S4, they have one fairly awkward kiss and never show any signs of desire for each other. Instead, the emphasis is on Mike not being able to say ILY to her.

For a ship that's allegedly the main ship, this is all pretty unusual. When was the last time you saw a ship with teenage characters who "only have eyes for each other" yet never show even the slightest sign that they want to explore the physical side of things, even if only 2nd base? It's like Mike got to 1st base and immediately wanted to abort mission and backtrack and never do anything straight again.

Some Milkvans will say it's because Mike is a gentleman, but... come on. Lucas is a gentleman with Max, and the show goes out of its way to emphasize his sexual desire multiple times. Dustin and his girlfriend aren't even in the same state, and she's a devout Mormon, and still there's no doubt that Dustin would round all the bases multiple times in a heartbeat if he got the chance.

Meanwhile, everything between Mike and El looks like a weird, unnatural performance. And they don't even kiss in the desert!

Especially considering the fact that Mike and Will, who are allegedly just platonic friends, do show signs of physical desire. This is what they're like JUST touching arms ever so slightly. Get a room.

[pretty-emo-dad]

Gonna make a homestuck shipping chart for the party (minus Erica bc the age gap)

[seashoresprite]

Elmax, for the ship ask game?

cute / adorable / perfect

ELMAX. Let me talk about a great enemies-to-besties relationship. And they are not escaping the fruity allegations. I think the show will definitely go the Lumax route, so I don't think romantically anything will happen for these two, BUT! They are right on the EDGE of it. I mean, watch these "completely platonic" friends interact:

I definitely support the Lumax bi4bi theory. Max is a little fruity, I think, though I don't expect the show to explore that. For me, jury's still out for El. I think she needs time to truly discern where she falls on that spectrum.

But I love them so much. And if what I've read about the upcoming season is true, we're getting some great Lumax and Elmax moments. Their eventual reunion once they find Max (wherever her consciousness is) is going to bring on the waterworks for me. I just know it.

[delphispoeticals]

THE SUMMER OF ‘89 MASTERLIST

dancer!steve harrington x fem!reader

blurb: you decided to go off on a whim and spend the summer with your cousins at some bougie resort in the hamptons called Herring & Co. known for their phenomenal smoked red herring dish and their beautiful new york coastal sights. thinking that you were going to be surrounded by a bunch pretentious assholes, you kept your excitement to your yourself. but, on this expense-free-trip your expectations are exceeded rather than met with the undercover raunchy nightlife and the people you meet along this month-long trip. but that’s not all… when the partner of the resorts hunkiest dance instructor makes a dramatic fall, your trip begins to get a whole lot more interesting.

warning: +18 minors dni — vulgar language, dirty dancing relations, bumping n grinding, sexual tension, eventual smut, steve being patrick swayze level sexy, slight classism, tommy h, lumax, and erica sinclair’s mouth.

note: i watched dirty dancing and my mind went to immediate WORK. it’s not going to be exactly like dirty dancing but it’s heavily inspired. HEAVILY!

now playing… Johnny’s Mambo

COMING SOON!

001. Bodies, Bodies, Bodies (Bumpin’ and Grindin’)

002. —

003. —

(and more)

[brionysea]

Question for you: How do you think a one-on-one convo between madwheeler pre-s4 would go from Mike's pov?--like how do you think he would treat/talk with Max, who's isolating herself/depressed? Because I've seen a lot of fics with that premise, but it always seems to be them only talking about their relationships (whether it be Byler or Mileven in Mike's case, or Lumax with Max. Which I don't have an issue with, it's just not always the main focus I want on Madwheeler), but rather how Mike perceives Max post s-4. Sorry if this is rambly and doesn't make sense, I'm struggling with getting in Mike's head, and you're obviously very good at interpreting his character.

answer for you: according to the one (1) season 4 episode where max and mike were both in hawkins, the dynamics with max and the party pre-s4 seem to be as follows:

lucas chases after her at school and tries to get her to talk about her feelings and/or go to his basketball games. she's not into it, but she listens to the games on the radio at home anyway

dustin chases after her at school and tries to get her to hang out with the group (hellfire) (max doesn't seem to like eddie) (it's a d&d group - a game she had no interest in before she lost all capability to care about the things she previously enjoyed). she's not into it, makes fun of him for missing her sarcasm, and skates away

and mike, instead of doing any of that and making her feel cornered (or worse, pitied) when high school is already bad enough, leaves her the hell alone.

some people (non-madwheeler understanders) would think that means that mike just doesn't care or their friendship isn't Like That. those people would be incorrect. bothering each other and cheering each other up while they're in the Mental Health Trenches is what max and mike do. just look at the skateboard scene

madwheeler always have their Friendship Moments when no one else is around. the gym scene, the conversation in the byers kitchen, when mike called max's house and nobody else could hear both sides, when max radioed mike at the sauna, watching el get a coke can out of the bin together, after they both got knocked out by billy. it's a very private friendship, so playing into the "there's more here than meets the eye" concept and having them possibly share things with each other that they otherwise wouldn't share with anyone makes a lot of cohesive sense - even if it's just in a "distracts you from The Horrors until you blurt it out in a fit of annoyance" way, like what happened when max first heard about el from mike

people just think it's all fighting because that's all they see, but even that is always in an attempt to make each other better. and it always works eventually (although if we're being technical, the dynamic is max trying to make mike better, while mike tries to keep max safe). mike wouldn't fight with max when she's depressed though, i believe that's only a yearly occasion for the single week we jump back into these people's lives when tensions are high as a kite. if he was around during season 4 he would have fought with max over her willingness to self sacrifice (you know, like a hypocrite)

simply put, mike doesn't push because he gets it, which is exactly why max tolerates him more than the other two - she pushed through the crowd to stand next to mike at the pep rally while she ran away from the others when they seeked her out later - and might even open up a little. s2 mike and s4 max, both dealing with the trauma of witnessing a death (where the person's last words were directed at them) and feeling responsible for it while the world moves on and nobody else seems to care, are the same. mike knows that max doesn't want to hang out like everything's normal or talk about her feelings and admit that it's not. especially not with lucas, who has plenty of reasons to hate billy, and max is selfless enough to not want to add her own messiness into it. max's mother's distance would resonate with mike too

the thing about mike interacting with any of his friends is that he's the most persistent person who's ever lived. he called el every day for a year; he probably did the same for will after the byers moved; he wouldn't stop radioing lucas in season 1 until he answered; he would not shut up about trying to get in contact with dustin in season 3. mike doesn't give up. what this means for max, is that once he's sure she won't mind him being there (and even if she does, a little bit, but that might just be the Performatively Hating Each Other part before they get back to enjoying each other's company, so he's gonna stick it out regardless), he'd kinda just... be there. and continue to be there. they might talk, they might not, but he knows that it sucks to be alone like this and he's not gonna let that happen to max if he can help it

this last bit is kind of just a headcanon of mine, but i like to imagine that if mike ever searched for an Activity that max actually enjoyed (dustin's got the right idea, but at the same time the wrong idea), he would try to bug her into teaching him how to skateboard. their conversation in the gym was heading in that direction before el interrupted, so there's the connection to the Mental Health Trenches and implicitly returning the favour of that kindness and moment of connection (even though mike really wasn't doing great pre-s4 either, but whatever), and something about the "bambi on ice" line in lenora makes me think it could be something max said to him when he fell over once