#mike's hidden arc

[teambyler]

Mike's hidden arc that he doesn't need to put away "childish things": D&D, games, and his relationship with Will

During the promo build-up for s4, Finn Wolfhard said that Mike was struggling to be "as normal as possible and keep on a normal path" during this season. Which can only really be read as his relationship with El: the other thing he pursues in s4, D&D with the Hellfire Club, is NOT something that makes him fit in with the crowd!

Throughout the series, we see a tension between Mike and his conservative, emotionally-distant parents who do not understand him and insist he "grow up." They scold him for getting into trouble, they take away his Atari, and make him get rid of his children's toys. Mike doesn't want to let go, however:

And in s3, who represents holding on to "childish things"? His best friend, Will.

Mike gets wrapped up in his relationship with El and ignores D&D. He tells Will, "We're not kids anymore. I mean what did you think, really? That we we're never gonna get girlfriends? That we're gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?"

And Will says, "Yeah, I guess I did."

To which Mike has instant regret. And we find out by the end of s3 that he still wants to play D&D after all - Mike didn't fully believe what he was saying. It reflected his parents' pressure on him to "grow up."

And of course, in s4, he's in the Hellfire Club and he's all about D&D again.

What changed? El, who Mike got preoccupied with in s3, is far away in California. He was with El for only a year, and much of that time was apart. For the rest of his 15 years, he was a Mega Nerd, and now he ends up with "the freaks" in Hawkins High. This arguably is the "true Mike Wheeler."

And we see what Mike's struggle to be "normal" in s4 is. He wears a garish outfit he normally would never wear, that Argyle calls "a knockoff." He's awkward with every idea El proposes: burritos in the morning, and of course, roller skating!

Many viewers in the General Audience have complained that Mike's character takes a nosedive starting in s3. This is when he enters the relationship with El, which is also when we see less of who he is - "the heart" of the Party who kept the Party together. What makes him a "hero" is something that society might look down upon in a young man: his AFFECTION for his friends, especially Will. That side of him recedes into the background when he is wrapped up in his relationship with El.

But by the end of s4, Will reminds him of who he is. He tells Mike that he's "the heart." And Will says HIS dream (while illuminated by the sun), something that Mike deep down wants, too:

For Mike, Will represents happier times and his own lost innocence.

Because of Will, by the last episode Mike is going back to his hero self: he's helping El while piggybacking, and grabbing Will's shoulder and making clear they'll kill Vecna together.

There's a very famous quote from the Bible: "when I became a man, I put away childish things." And there's an even more famous response from C.S. Lewis:

Mike is struggling to find out who he is, which includes what (and who) he loved as a child.

Will's painting is the final clue as to where Mike will end up by the end of the series: being the "heart" of the party again (Finn has confirmed there will be "leader Mike" moments), playing D&D, and probably being with the person who loves playing D&D with him and loves him for everything he is: Will.

This is a show that says to hell with society's expectations. From the beginning, it has contrasted the bullies and abusive dads with our heroes: the nerds, the "freaks," and the outcasts.

Lucas' whole arc in s4 was going back on his decision to try to fit in with the popular crowd. Mike's arc is to embrace the fact that he doesn't have to abandon who he is to "grow up." He doesn't have to worry about what society wants him to be. He can love his nerdy hobbies; he can fight for his friends. And he can dare to love the boy (a BOY!) -- the same one he, many years ago, with the clarity of child, proposed to in kindergarten.

-teambyler

[gayofthefae]

Also the 3x08 hug was, to Mike, going to be while he and El were still broken up. So he probably just gave himself permission given the situation/didn't go back on his previous plan to hug him last minute just because he suddenly wasn't single anymore.

But that was his last allowance to himself because then he was taken again and the next thing we see is 4x02.

(and the way he still hugs everybody else. See: Hellfire 4x01)

interesting how mike stopped putting his arm around will, holding will’s hand, or even tapping will’s shoulder while checking if he’s okay once he started dating el.

that’s why him reaching into the light to grip will’s shoulder (and questionably delay letting go despite being interrupted) is so important for them to return full circle- and then some (a lot more of “some” if yk what i mean)

[miwiheroes]

Mike Wheeler and his Promise

"It means something that you can't break. Ever."

A huge part of Mike Wheeler's hidden character arc is set up in season 1, episode 2 with this scene right here. It's pretty much the motivation behind many of his actions towards El and Will, can be a partial explanation for his internalised homophobia and explains why he seems like to have a saviour complex.

Narratively, promises are made to be broken. When writers decide to make a promise 'important' and emphasise that this promise cannot be broken, ever, it will always come back to bite that character in the ass. Promises are either made to be broken in stories like these, or they are made to make a character feel trapped. Promises are rarely ever used in a romantic fashion unless the character cannot keep their promise or they feel like they are forced to.

What makes it really seem like Mike and El are a doomed couple to me is that the writers chose Mike to say: Ever.

No word is misplaced in writing a script. There is no such thing as an unintentional line in Stranger Things tbh, and this word in particular means two things:

Mike will always keep his promises throughout time.

Mike will keep his promises no matter if circumstances change, no matter if his feelings change.

There is no reason for this line to be in there other than to foreshadow the fact that Mike will eventually have to eat the words from his naive 12-year-old self. He will eventually regret promising something, but he'll feel like he can't go back. Ever.

The domino effect Promise begins:

*Smiling* "And we can go to the Snow Ball."

*Smiling* "Promise?"

*No longer smiling* "Promise."

This promise was made in order to foreshadow that it doesn't come true right? Because that is often what happens to promises narratively, and of course, it can't come to be because they get separated and Mike thinks she's died.

But.... the promise does come true.

So instead, this promise was made, narratively, to trap Mike. While this seems harsh of course, this young Mike has no idea that what he has just promised to himself is not only to go to the Snow Ball with El (which was a promise made to comfort her here, to make her feel like she will survive). He doesn't necessarily seem happy about making this promise. He seems more... indifferent. Knowing that this is something he just has to do.

Yeah, because this is definitely the actors' expressions and lighting and scenery you want for a first kiss, right?

So not only has Mike promised to go to the Snow Ball with her, he has also promised to save her, he has promised to be with her. And he can't break this promise, ever.

Even when his feelings change:

The writers separated Mike and El and put Mike with Will in season 2 for a reason. They used it to build up a good development of Mike and Will's dynamic of course, but it was also to change Mike's feelings.

It eventually becomes apparent to the viewer that Mike has resigned himself to not finding El. In season 2 episode 2, the last time we see Mike on the walkie, he walks away. Music swells and El looks onwards. Instead of looking happy, she seems disappointed that her bond with Mike is not as strong as she thought.

Mike, after his talk with Will in the same room, has begun to give up.

And over time, he figures out that maybe... maybe finding and choosing to Will's friend is the best thing he's ever done instead. Once he figures this out, he cries, he's not loud, he's not angry. But it's at least the thing to bring Will's message forward.

Then El comes back, and Mike feels like a liar.

I've never really figured out why Mike shouts 'LIAR!' many times towards Hopper when he's clearly projecting as he starts to cry. Until now. It's the guilt that he didn't keep his promise. The promise he had made back when El had almost died, back when El had clearly thought promises could never be broken. EVER. Even when feelings change.

Of course he'd felt pissed at Hopper. Hopper was the one to keep El safe, not Mike, which is not the thing he had promised.

When El returns, Mike says:

"I never stopped looking for you."

Woops, Michael, that's a bald-faced lie, and you know it. But he also knows what a promise is, something that can't ever be broken.

Mike is now committed into this relationship. He's ready to keep El as his girlfriend for many reasons, but the next commitments he makes (i.e. saying 'I love you') are not intentional.

In season 3:

Saying 'I love her' happens on accident, she's never meant to hear. The next time he's asked about it, he fumbles and wants to deny ever saying it. But when El says it back, he realises... oh shit. I really am in this now. I can't escape, even though I know my feelings are different.

In the famous words of Hopper. "I don't want things to change." "[I want] to go back to how [we] were."

Throughout summer, before the Mindflayer, his relationship with El was easy, it was fine. He could deal with this because he can still go to movie theatres with Will and his friends and El can't go out in public. His relationship isn't real, and the fights they have are just 'silly, stupid fights'.

But then she says she loves him too and now what? He realises this is real, he can't go back on what he's said again. Because no matter what, a promise can't be broken.

Now:

He has to reject childish things and pretend to be 'normal' (but only around El).

He has to keep away from Will, who has the potential to break his promise to El forever.

He still can't say 'I love you' because of this great big commitment, this potential for change, and El clocks him, despite his best efforts to keep up the same relationship he was trying to have in season 3.

When he no longer has the threat of this great big PROMISE looming over him, when he feels that El has no broken up with him through that note signed 'From, El', he now suddenly has the ability to act close to Will. When he's confident that El's safe and that they just need to get back to Hawkins, he's able to express how he really feels.

He can finally, finally work with Will without feeling guilty.

That is, until El's in danger again. Until Argyle reminds him of the ramifications of his girlfriend being missing, reminding him of the promise that he's always made.

That's when this intimacy with Will suddenly feels taboo again:

The next time he needs to make a commitment towards her, it's through pressure. The bottom line is, Mike likes being a hero, he wants to be a saviour, but he was never ready for it to feel like this.

When Will reminds him that he's the heart of the Party in Surfer Boy Pizza, he believes that it could never be Will that needs him, but that Will's telling him that it really is El that still needs him. And that she always will.

So he holds her hand, exactly like he did back in season one, and makes his Promise again, this time, knowing that he's trapping himself.

Now, instead of a naive kid, he's a teenager, he's changed, despite not wanting to. He's resigning himself to a life without truly being able to express his feelings. He's not just some kid going to the Snow Ball with a girl that he cares about, he's promising to love her, knowing he's trapped himself in this promise again.

After all, he's already promised to save her, and if he thinks saying 'I love you' will save her, he's gotta do it no matter his true feelings right?

In season 5, someone, someone needs to tell this poor boy that he does not need to keep his promise. El needs to tell him about her growth, what she has learned from her time at the lab---that is, that she does not need Mike to love her, which she seems to have understood. She has already accepted that her lover won't arrive at the train station.

And Mike should realise that saying 'I love you' did not in fact save El. It was the reminder to fight, that Max is in trouble, that there are more important things, bigger than their relationship, that allowed her to escape the vines.

So when Mike hears that he no needs to keep up this promise, that he no longer has to hate himself for being a 'liar' to someone he cares so much about, that he can open himself up to happiness and understanding again, he'll probably feel pretty complete.

What do you think?

[greenfiend]

Are we ready to have an honest discussion about Will and El’s dynamic and possible ending yet?

Two characters sharing a similar narrative in this story. How will things end for these two?

It hasn’t occurred to me until recently just how little we discuss these two.

Over the course of the show, the development of Will and El’s co-existence has less to do with their relationship but more to do with Will’s character arc.

In the beginning (seasons 1 and 2), Will is so hidden that El takes over. Will “hides” in the upside down, and is again hidden when he is possessed. El takes the spotlight in his place.

Then in season 3, Will is physically present but in the background. He’s the side character. El is the leader. They barely interact.

In season 4, Will is starting to come out of his shell. He’s still a side character, but he’s closer to being on an even playing field with El. He’s not in the background as often, and is actually seen conversing with El, and he even confronts her on her lies to Mike. Which is also foreshadowing his lies to Mike later on in the season.

I’m going to be quite frank: El and Will are not actually very close in canon. The “wonder twins” idea is beautiful but very fanon. These two had so many opportunities to grow closer, especially since they were separated from the others in California… but they just don’t? They both seem lonely and disconnected in the other’s presence. But yet, they are connected another way: El is Will’s saviour/protector. She is like his security blanket. I mean this literally (textually), and a sub-textually. Obviously she helps him while he’s trapped in the upside down and when he’s possessed- making her a textual, and literal saviour.

But… what do I mean by a sub-textual saviour? Well, she protects him from having to take the spotlight. He is able to hide behind her in many ways.

For one, she takes the brunt of the bullies in Lenora. Will is able to go around unnoticed even as a GNC guy that he is. Back home at Hawkins, he is, unfortunately, very visible to bullies. Visibly different, visibly gay. But in Lenora? Bullies are too distracted by the girl who’s different instead.

Now when it comes to Will’s love life… El also is protecting him in a sense. He desires Mike, romantically, sexually, and intimately. Due to the rampant homophobia that surrounds him, these desires scare him. El is a safe barrier from these desires. Will is also able to safely express himself through her.

If El weren’t in the picture, Will may have been more bold in expressing this side of himself to Mike. He may just let his feelings slip out more. Perhaps he’d let his eyes linger a tad longer, or he’d be tempted to be a bit more tactile with the boy he’s overflowing with affection for.

El shields Will from having to confront many aspects of himself. That’s the problem. Because of her protection, he isn’t able to challenge himself and grow. This is why whenever El saves the day, it never lasts. She merely puts a “bandaid” on the wound. But this wound will grow and fester if the source of the problem is not addressed.

El’s Possible Origin

This is the first time in the entire show that El is mentioned. The context of this sounds like they’re implying that El also “came from” the upsidedown; precisely where Will was at the time.

Now, I’m aware this is a fairly unpopular opinion, but I do believe El was created from Will in a supernatural sense. I suppose in a similar way to how Eve was created from Adam, minus any romantic undertones.

Our very first sighting of El is of her emerging from the forest, barefoot, in a hospital gown, with very little hair on her head, and a limited knowledge of the English language. Not unlike an infant child. Now, please don’t take this the wrong way… I’m not implying that everyone with limited language skills are babies, there are many possible reasons for it. But within this show, it is implied that her lack of language skills are due to her experiences within the lab, and lack of experiences outside of it.

I do have to ask though, why do the other “lab kids” we have seen have no obvious language difficulties? Unless… El actually was an “infant” in a way…

This quote is interesting for multiple reasons. One I’m focusing on here is the mention of life starting that particular day. Of course I’m not referring to Mike’s life starting that day- I’m talking about the person we are shown in this particular shot- El.

Now, I know what everyone is thinking: how does El have memories that predate this day then?

Well, what I’m arguing is that many of her memories could be an altered version of Will’s memories. I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility that his memories could have been transferred to El.

This “fake” script of the episode Papa tells us that Will recognized Brenner. There’s a history there! Will likely could not quite pinpoint how he recognized him.

It’s important to note that Will only vaguely recalls aspects of his childhood. There’s gaps. Just like there’s gaps in El’s memory as well.

El’s Possible Ending

I’ve always been surprised just how little people dig into El’s possible ending in the show. I feel like people are somewhat aware of this possibility but choose not to give it any further thought. Truth is- El doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere.

I need to remind everyone of this last shot in ST4. Yes yes the couples, we have heard it a million times already… but look where El is standing. She’s on the other side. She’s in the upsidedown. Where she initially came from. Now, I’m not saying she’ll end up in the current unpleasant upsidedown- she will likely live on in a peaceful version of it. An entirely new environment one that exists…

[In Will’s mind.]

I do think this is an important foreshadowing quote- but not in the way most people think. They won’t work together as twins- they will work together as one person. What I’m saying is…

They will combine. Just like what this hug visually foreshadows… El and Will will become one again.

I can honestly make a whole separate post regarding references made in ST to other media involving two characters being one. There’s a lot…

[daflangstlairde-art]

lightning in our fingertips today

Work 1 of DFL's Whumptober 2024

Summary:

Donnie and Leo get hit with a wayward body swap spell. You could say it gives Donnie a new perspective on the matters of his dear twin. When was Leo going to tell them that his Ninpō hurts him?

—

Chapter 1

It was an autistic nightmare, sure. While yes, Donnie felt like a god in physical form on good days, on bad days, he barely dealt with his own body. Especially after the Invasion. He shuddered.

And now–

“Duudeee, you seriously have to take this thing off more!” his own voice teased in Leo’s cadence, and the softshell turtle body let out an exaggerated sigh as he put down Donnie’s battle shell. 

Donnie stared at him, as he moved over to take his battle shell. Dang it, it shouldn’t just be put down in the living room, he has a specific place for it.

“Man, this is still totally boggling Raph’s mind,” Raph commented. He hadn’t stopped looking between them and addressing them incorrectly the whole way back from the mission to their Lair. 

“Eh, I’m sure it’s got an easy fix or something,” Leo shrugged with Donnie’s shoulders, unconcerned. 

Donnie stared at him, holding the battle shell close. Fingers flexing with a phantom memory.

“Oooohh, maybe I can magic you up!” Mikey wriggled his fingers in their general direction. 

“No way Mikes, let’s leave this up to Draxum, huh?” Leo countered. 

“Yeah Mikey, your hands are still recovering,” Raph reminded, and Mikey let out a dejected-slash-annoyed grunt.

Oh, perfect opportunity, Donnie cleared his throat. 

“Right, Mikey’s hands,” he started smoothly, and eugh it was weird to hear Leo’s voice from his own mouth– “speaking of, uh, Leo, can we–”

“Oh, truuee!” Leo grins with Donnie’s face, and starts doing carpal tunnel stretches in the middle of their living room. “Now I can finally prevent you from ruining your own!” 

Donnie huffed at yet another change of topic. Was Leo seriously unaware? Or was he doing this on purpose? 

Donnie tried to bring this up several times ever since the Hidden City mission that caused this whole Freaky Friday situation (on a Tuesday, no less). 

Some overly-confident-but-otherwise-clearly-inexperienced wizard with a staff violently going wild. It wasn't even the mage herself that was the culprit; the staff seemed to be firing off on its own. Not really important. They just grabbed the staff from her. 

But not before Leo jumped to block a wayward spell, causing him and Donnie to get the ol’ switcheroo in the middle of the whole thing. And sure, at first, it was jarring! Then, at second, it was kind of fun, actually. Leo laughed and rolled with it, and amidst the action and all, it gave Donnie the thrill to also roll with it. They are twins after all, much as he denies it for The Drama. 

And then... at third... 

Donnie stared at the sight of Leo, in his body, retreating to med bay to inspect for injuries. 

When they got switched, Donnie had been in the middle of a swing with his bō, a Ninpō construct of a hammer at the end. 

When they got switched, Leo continued the arc of the swing, smoothly. This gave Donnie, ever the curious scientist ready to experiment within new circumstances, an idea. 

And he swung Leo’s sword. 

And that is when he felt it. 

Mikey’s hands, hah. Ironic. Donnie flexed his fingers again, shuffling the battle shell to one arm. He looked at his free hand—Leo’s hand. Like there would be any indicatory, enlightening wounds, which of course, there were not. He rubbed the fingertips together, remembering the feeling. It's like it lingered still.

When was Leo going to tell them that his Ninpō hurts him?

—

Well! One positive of this body switch thing: Donnie could be sure Leo would check them both over for injuries, and do it well. Since one was Donnie’s body and the other was, currently, Donnie’s perception. 

As Leo was doing now, in med bay. Standing in front of Donnie, in Donnie’s body. Donnie sat on the gurney, going along with the examination. Leo clicked off the light, and Donnie blinked to clear his vision. 

“No concussion,” Leo commented, and oh, that’s good. His shell—an actual, hard-scute carapace—and his right shoulder were a bit achy, but if Leo found nothing wrong, it was probably regular fight aftermath and would all be gone by tomorrow.

Donnie had never before questioned whether Leo treated himself medically as well as he did with them. But, well. 

Donnie looked back down at his hands—Leo’s hands—rubbing the fingertips together, frowning.

“Alright, you’re good to go,” Leo said, in Donnie’s voice but in his own manner, very odd. The words lilted all the wrong directions, down instead of up. They even spoke with slightly different registers. He patted Donnie on the shell, getting up. 

Donnie had never questioned Leo’s care of himself before, but this situation made a lot of new queries pop up. 

Did Leo’s mystic powers hurt him? Or was this a consequence of Donnie being in his body? Or, if it was a regular thing for Leo—since when? Since always? Since they unlocked their Ninpō? Or was it some sort of recent development?

And, more upsettingly, if it was a regular thing... why did Leo never say anything? How did they never notice? Donnie wracked his memory, but not a single peep about it arose. No complaining, no jokes, no flinch or wince, no stutter when summoning up a portal (except back when his portals were at their most... faulty), nothing. Not a single thing. 

Perhaps– perhaps Donnie really was just making far-fetched assumptions. Classic Donnie overthink! It was most likely just a side effect of the body swap—their Ninpō was a reflection of themselves, it was unfitting and unnatural to use someone else’s, surely. He wasn’t even sure why he’d considered the option! 

(“Casey, when I get to the other side, you close that door–”

Staring upwards, shellshocked. 

Color and light and debris hurling as a portal snaps shut.)

Donnie’s breaths were shallow and perfectly measured, and he–

“Dee?” his own voice questioned, and Donnie blinked, clearing his throat and pushing himself to his feet. He was faced with his own questioning eyebrow arch. Man, that really did look great. What an occasion, to truly witness oneself from an external point of view. Fascinating!

“I’m good, I’m good, no concussion,” he affirmed. 

“You’re spacey,” Leo pointed out, arranging his stuff in med bay. Which was hilarious, considering he left a mess literally everywhere else. But med bay? Always stocked up and organized. 

...Well. Hm. Thinking about it... Leo’s room was... cleaner recently, too. Or perhaps that wasn’t the most precise of descriptors. More... neater. Far less clutter. 

Far less trinkets and colorful posters. Odd.

Anyway. Wow, Donnie’s face was expertly skeptical. 

Donnie rolled his eyes. Leo’s eyes. The eyes that were currently under his temporary ownership, responsibility and control. 

“Yeah, I was... thinking,” he said casually. 

“Uh, yeah, when aren’t you?” Leo joked, his lighthearted grin cracking over Donnie’s face. 

Donnie generously ignored that, because he had questions to dig out answers for. 

“Hey, you kinda used my Ninpō during that fight, right?” he started. 

“Sort of, I guess,” Leo shrugged, closing the cabinet and leaning on it relaxed to face Donnie.

“Did it hurt?” 

“No.”

And then. 

“Yeah, a little, now that I think about it,” Leo tapped his chin, casual, easy. No tells whatsoever. Donnie scrutinized him. Absolutely zero deviation from his regular mannerisms. Heck, he somehow made them sit comfortably even in Donnie’s body.

But. 

But Donnie had caught that. The immediate denial. He narrowed his eyes at his twin.

There were two options: 

Leo had not felt the pain, and it was specific to Donnie using Leo’s mystic ability; 

Or Leo had felt the pain, and his immediate reflex was to lie about it. 

Donnie had absolutely no clue which one was the truth. At his sides, he rubbed his fingers together, reflecting. 

It was sharp. Like a shock. But a... shock from a very tiny blade. But if a small blade could cover the entire surface of his hands. His fingertips and palms, gripping the katana’s hilt. 

“Did you?” Leo asked, approaching and reaching a hand to take Donnie’s current ones, probably to check them over. 

Ack. Welp, can’t really get out of this one. 

“Yes, a little,” Donnie said, offering his—Leo’s—hands for inspection. Oh, wait, this was a perfect opportunity! Leo was actually engaging the conversation instead of deflecting! “Does it usually–”

“‘Course not, imagine that,” Leo laughed, gently rubbing and prodding his fingers and palms. No pain. 

“...Huh, I... guess it must be from the switch,” 

“Oohh yeeaahh yeah yeah yeah!” Leo nodded, “Totally, you’re so right,” 

...Very weird to hear that from Donnie’s mouth, but, okay.

—

All things considered, dinner was pretty normal. Sure, Donnie’s body felt... weird, and their brothers kept getting them confused, prompting a quick mask switch. Donnie also took his goggles and arm brace. 

Seeing Leo’s blue bandana on his own face, and with no additional eyebrows, was incredibly... well. Donnie never quite understood the feeling of “uncanny valley”, but he was now getting a Bachelor's. Maybe he'd experienced something similar when seeing humans for the first time? But he’d been so young, it had been easy for his mind to adapt and roll with it. They're mutants and they engage with all manner of other sapient and non-sapient and of-questionable-sapience beings—he doesn't pick up on facial expressions on all of them equally. 

Not the point.

Point is, he was watching his body, with Leo’s cut mask and Leo’s mannerisms, across the table. But Leo appeared... unbothered, really. Behavior: standard. Which seemed to be putting everyone else at ease. 

Donnie wondered how he looked from the outside. He tried to imagine Leo’s body with his own posture and expressions, and it just felt... uncomfortable. They're twins, so a lot of their attitude often overlaps—to the point where their brothers call it creepy sometimes. But when it differs? It differs. Kind of like when Donnie messed with their brains and accidentally overdosed them with his personal brand of Neurodivergence™, but... in reverse. Mmmmkind of.

But! Right now, they were just eating pizza, with Mikey showing them videos of a new Youtube channel he got into. Uhh something about scrapbooking or journaling?? And Donnie actually felt quite hungry, so he was just... eating.

Everyone was just... sort of alright with the current situation. It's just a thing that is. Draxum will fix it. And if he doesn't, they'd find a way. Compared to the world ending due to an alien invasion, this seemed banal. 

“Hey hey hey, dudes, watch this,” Leo caught their attention, waving his hands and getting up. Then, with Donnie’s voice and way too accurately in Donnie’s style, he leaned back and crossed his arms, saying “Eugh, this pizza has cheese? That is way too much flavor for moi’s precious taste!” 

Oh so that's how it was going to be, huh? 

“That's not how you use moi,” Donnie said dryly. 

“That's not how you use moi,” Leo parroted, in Donnie’s voice, just as dry. With just a toooouchh of mockery in it, and their dual-trademark smirk. Raph and Mikey, the traitors, giggled and cackled.

Donnie leaned back, a hand to his plastron—Leo’s plastron—for The Drama™. 

“Well I, your lea-dur, say it isn't flavorful enough!” he stated with a swooping tone. “Put some kiwi on there! Throw in a couple marshmallows too, for good measure!” he declared, making their other two brothers laugh. 

“I prefer mine with radiation,” Leo said primly, sticking Donnie’s snout up, making Mikey chortle.

“Careful, it may mutate you,” Donnie warned kindly, trying to mimic Leo’s way of speech from memory, “And then you might actually gain a second brain cell,”

It... hm. Yes, they teased each other, yes, it was banter. Raph and Mikey wooped, they started placing bets, and Donnie and Leo did increasingly stupider impressions of each other, and it was fun.

But it didn’t... feel right. Now that Donnie was seeing everything through a new perspective—quite literally—Leo was acting... odd. Unusual, as in, outside of what Donnie grew used to being Leo. He was only noticing it now, when Leo’s face and his voice couldn’t deceive him that it’s still Leo, of course he’s acting like himself.

Leo didn’t escalate it. Not really. He didn’t go for the throat. He didn’t go Full Silly. His entire demeanor felt... dampened, which was really, really weird for their Always Full-Max Silly brother.

...Oooorrr Donnie was just being weirded out by watching his own face and body move externally and out of his control. 

— 

Donnie felt nausea upon going to bed, but that's alright. Stomach upset sounded like a reasonable side effect of being body swapped. The pizza sat heavy. 

His shoulder and shell were still cramping, too, even after he'd done some stretches. Eh. Not like he isn't used to some cramping or whatevs. 

It just... felt like he couldn't get comfortable in his bed. Maybe it was the hard carapace, he'd theorize, but it's not like he hasn't slept in his battle shell before which, sure, wasn't exactly snuggly, but he'd still been able to sleep. 

He tossed. He turned. His eyes—Leo’s eyes—felt a little buzzy, like the melodic hum of electricity all around, so it's not like he wasn't sleepy. And it felt like there was a... some sort of weight on his chest. He couldn't decide whether his blankets were too warm or not warm enough.

Donnie sighed, rubbing his face. Leo’s face. Weiiirddd. 

He turned on his side yet again, to check the time on his epic purple analog clock. 

00:23 p.m. 

Not even that late. And yet it felt like the night was stretching endless. A liminal space. He turned to lay on his plastron. Leo’s plastron. The weight there persisted. Hm. Hopefully Leo wasn't having lung issues. Just in case, Donnie inhaled. Long and deep, feeling the air pass through his nostrils. Until he felt his lungs stretch and strain. 

Nope. That felt like a pleasantly deep inhale. No whistling, no obstruction, nothing. 

Strange thing: Donnie’s room smelled like... him. It smelled like Donnie. Which... shouldn't be surprising. But usually you can't smell your own scent, due to being exposed to it constantly, and therefore being entirely desensitized. 

Donnie couldn't smell Leo’s, right now. Yet he could smell what he could only, logically, deduce was his own scent. Or at least that of his room.

Metals and plastics and other materials. Soldering. Ever so slightly—pen and marker ink. The bed sheets. Something specific he could not quite describe.

It... wasn't a bad smell, he was pleasantly surprised to note. He could see how this smell could be comforting, even. Familiar and homey and secure. He pulled the blanket a little tighter around himself, curling into himself. Yawned. Buried his face—Leo’s face—into his pillow. 

...

Simultaneously, the weight in his chest both loosened, just a little, and ached more. His shoulders—Leo’s shoulders—felt too wide, his thighs too thin, his back... weird. He curled his toes.

Donnie wondered if... there was something he needed. Something the body needed, that he just couldn't analyze and figure out. Water? Food? 

...No, no it didn't feel like any of those, even though he was not an expert on the matter. He’d practically just eaten, too. Maybe it was the ache in his shoulder and his shell that was off-putting? 

...You know what! There could be a simple, obvious solution to this. Donnie grabbed his phone. 

The smarter twin™: I can't sleep and I feel weird

The smarter twin™: Is there something I'm missing for your body

It was immediately seen.

Yapper boy™: lol

Yapper boy™: cmere

The smarter twin™: ???

Yapper boy™: youkl see

The smarter twin™: SIGH

Donnie sighed, for realz, rubbing his eyes. He hated it when–

...Hm. Well, actually. Thinking about it.

Leo hasn't really done the very annoying “not telling them the plan” that he used to do. Not since the Invasion. Only really for silly stuff. 

Huh.

You could say this situation was giving Donnie a new perspective, zing. He was really seeing the world through different eyes, ha! 

He grinned a little, wrapping the blanket around himself. Time to go tell these to Leo and then gloat how he had been the one to think of them first, because he is hilarious. 

Leo immediately opened his arms upon Donnie’s arrival, smirking, and huh.

Huh. 

The press of another’s body helped tremendously with that... weight. With the odd sensation of misplacement. Like everything slotted into place as easily as slotting into an embrace. Literally. 

This wasn't much like Donnie. Sure, it's not that he hated physical contact—was quite the fan of it, really, unless he was actively upset. Or if it was from somebody who wasn't his loved ones. He wondered what brought on this new craving. Leo’s body?

...Strange.

Leo never came to them to snuggle. 

Even though he was a huge cuddle-bug before. But not anymore, evidently.

Donnie, ever-so-discreetly, frowned at that. 

...When did that happen? 

—

When he woke up, the light pain in his right shoulder and that one crick at his shell—Leo’s shell—remained. 

Donnie grunted, rolling sort of on his side, sort of on his back, digging his heels into the mattress and rolling his shoulders. Pushed himself up, smacking his lips, blinking. Rubbed his eyes. Yawned.

Eugh, his breath was rancid. 

“Do you ever brush your teeth,” he muttered, jarred to hear his voice sounding so different. Right, right. Body swap. 

He was a little surprised to hear an off-tone chuckle, and he properly cracked his eyes open. Oh huh, Leo—in his body—was, in fact, still here. He looked to have been awake for a bit. He was scrolling on his phone, but clicked it off and put it to the side now. 

“It's a waste of time, I've got so much leadering to do,” Leo joked, also pushing himself up and stretching. 

Donnie rolled his shoulder, trying to rub it a little to see if that’d relieve the persistent ache. It didn't. He yawned again. 

Leo got up, snatching a hoodie to put on.

“My battle shell is–”

“I know, D,” Leo cut him off. “I’ll go get it in a mo. Your shell just feels weird bare,” he shuddered theatrically. “Like a lizard,” 

“Yeah, well, yours feels like a badly fitting box,” Donnie fired back. “Box boy,” 

Leo gasped. “My curves! You wound me,” he dramaticized himself out the room, and Donnie chuckled. 

That just left him. Still sitting in Leo’s bed, in Leo’s body.

He should get up. Right.

It just. Felt... like... mmm. Not fun? 

He... doesn't usually have this pause before getting up. Usually he's itching to get out of bed and get back to whatever ongoing project he has. 

He stared at Leo’s room, still sitting there on Leo’s bed. 

...Dang. Leo’s room... was cleaner. Hm, well, again, maybe not cleaner. 

...

Emptier. Where did his many posters go...? Now there were only two left. One of Lou Jitsu, and one of Jupiter Jim. 

...Welp, Donnie wasn't going to judge his brother’s turn to the light (tidiness)! 

Now he just had to get up. 

...Except... there was a new weight. Was it Leo’s shell? Was he not used to the weight of a natural, irremovable carapace? Weird. 

That didn't ring very plausible, because the weight wasn't at his back. It was... it was... 

Chest. Legs. Everywhere. Making it difficult to break the position he hunched over in the longer he remained in it, a vicious cycle. 

He just had to get up! Go and brush his teeth so his mouth didn't taste foul. Get water to drink. Coffee, perhaps breakfast, even though he did not feel that hungry. Maybe. He wasn't sure. There was just a prodding in his stomach. 

Ugh.

Thinking about it all made the weight worse. It felt like standing on that rooftop, looking up at the Technodrome. Raph lost. No plan, no direction, no hope. Nothing. And now, no Leo to turn around with a crazy idea that nonetheless inspired some desperate hope within. 

Just weight. Just... dread. Anticipatory exhaustion at the awaiting cardio. 

Why was he feeling like this?

In the end, Mikey called him for breakfast and that aided in kicking his buttocks out of bed. 

—

Donnie didn’t feel much like eating this morning, so, he wasn’t eating much. It wasn’t unusual for him. Mikey knew not to be hurt by it. Donnie was focusing on some fruit. 

Leo was eating normal as ever. He was smiley and fresh as ever. Which were strange observations. Not things you’d pay mind to. But Donnie was. He wasn’t sure why, but he was paying a little more attention to Leon after their switcheroo. 

Leo was hurt after the Invasion, but he’d bounced right back up. In fact, he’d bounced back up faster than any of them. In fact, he’d bettered himself.

Case in point, 

“So when’s Draxum coming by with his magic whatever-there?” Leo said, in Donnie’s voice, slurping on a smoothie. 

Readily asking for Draxum’s presence. Donnie would bet it was for his sake, not due to Leo having a sudden change of heart about the man. 

“A little later!” Mikey answered. “Why, is something bothering you??” 

“Nah, not really,” Leo shrugged. “I just want to go back to feeling happiness looking at the mirror,” he teased, and Donnie rolled his eyes. “Plus I’m sure D can’t be enthused about this,”

“Meh,” Donnie shrugged. “Honestly? It is not as abhorrent as you’d imagine,”

Leo looked at him, just for a second. Over too quickly for Donnie to pay proper attention to it and to then analyze it. 

“Wanna know whose body would be super cool to warp into?” Leo brought up. 

“Oh! Oh!” Mikey waved his hand up like he’s in a school classroom, grinning, “Lou Jitsu?”

“Lou Jitsu, babeeyyy!”

It was half an hour later that Donnie realized just how smoothly Leo had diverted the conversation. 

(And only later would it occur to him it might’ve been intentional.)

That half an hour later just so happened to include Donnie’s alarm blaring.

“Oohh, a crime,” he stated, checking the info to rattle off the relevant code. 

“Alright team, let's roll!” Leo exclaimed easily, his energy immediately bouncing off the rest of the team, everyone going off to grab their weapons. 

...Wait. 

Their... weapons, oh, boy, uh, well Donnie had leagues more experience with a bō, buuut they never tested if they can access their own Ninpō like this, ah, dang–

That question was quickly answered by Leo skidding to his lab. 

“Dude, you would not believe this–”

“You can't access your Ninpō? Yes, me neither,” Donnie agreed, already holding his bō out for Leo to take. “You know how to use it?” 

“...Well if I don't, I'm about to learn real quick,” Leo was grinning with his face, “Portal us in, leader in purple!” he tossed his katanas to Donnie, and Donnie scrambled to catch them by the hilts and not roughly in the middle i.e. where he would catch a bō staff. 

Hoo boy was this about to be an experience. 

At least like this Donnie needn’t relay the location information to his portal-able brother, because now he was the portal-able brother. 

Now all he had to do was make a portal. A proper one, with concentration. 

And with that same shock-burn to his hands. 

Hhhngh. Well! At least getting lightly (or medium-level) electrocuted wasn't a new experience for him! Honestly, Donnie wasn't sure why it was so hhhngh to him. It should be familiar as anything. 

Perhaps he was overthinking it. Classic. But judging by his scanners, they had to get to the scene now. 

So as Mikey and Raph joined in on their huddle, Donnie sucked in a breath and slashed the swords through the air in one of the ways he's seen Leo do. 

“No, you gotta put more juice into it,” Leo commented oh so helpfully upon the nothing that took place. 

“Ah, thank you, such constructive critique,” Donnie deadpanned, hands gripping the hilts. Ugh. He'd already struggled with one set of mystic powers, now he had to figure out another?! 

...Hmm, y'know, that might be a good idea. Donnie thought back to his own arduous mystic journey. 

He never quite managed to get the hang of “just do it”. It didn't come naturally to him, not in the same way it appeared to with his brothers. 

But Donnie focused on the same feeling that helped get his Ninpō thrumming. Acknowledging the facts: that this was something he could do for his family, to help them, to boost them, and he liked helping and boosting them. Even now it pushed this not-unpleasant tightness at his chest that made him want to shake his hands and chuckle a bit. 

In the same rhythm, a glow crawled up the blades. 

“Oh, uh, also you gotta think about exactly where you wanna go,” Leo mentioned, and now that was actually useful guidance. “And where you are and the distance between the two. And, y'know, the size of the hole you're shredding. Ooh, and also the angle and where it's facing, and–” 

“Jeez, do you seriously think about all that when making portals?” Mikey was staring at their– well, their current soft-shelled brother, which, huh. Good point. Now they were all looking at Leo, who shrugged, nonchalant as ever.

“Donnie, portal,” Leo snapped his fingers, and right! Right, crime! 

(Another diversion Donnie only caught later, when he thought back to it.) 

“Right!” he slashed the blades through the air, and then once more with the crackle of mystic energy and–

Donnie yelped as the electricity-like pain bit down on his hands, immediately dropping the swords to the ground. Gah! It was worse the second time around! 

Leo snorted and clapped his back, hopping into the portal that hung before them. And he did need to hop, it wasn't particularly large, oh boy, Donnie sure hoped Raph would be able to fit through.

[love-byers]

btw they knew will was going to have feelings for mike when they wrote

Do you remember the first day that we met? It was...it was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody. I had no friends. I just felt so alone, and so scared--but I saw you on the swings, and you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself. So I just walked up to you and I asked--I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes. You said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done.

why the fuck would brilliant writers like the duffers give a character such a beautiful touching monologue, make the recipient of the monologue in love with them, just for it to mean absolutely nothing in the end.

if s5 ends with mlvn endgame and will accepting mike doesn't share feelings and moving on then all of that amounts to nothing. it literally means nothing. it'll be as if it never happened.

if the narrative of will and mike's arc is "gay boy falls in love with straight best friend because of straight best friend's adoring behavior and he just has to accept that some people are just straight" i will be absolutely flabbergasted. literally nobody besides mlvns want that.

part of stranger things since s3 is that some people ARENT straight. we think robin is straight and has feelings for steve in s3 because the writers allowed the heteronormativity, just so they could flip it on our heads later on. and they do a similar thing with vickie in s4, giving us hope that she shares robin's feelings, just for us to be devastated when we see her with her boyfriend. then they DOUBLE flip it on us by revealing vickie does indeed like robin.

the writers are literally teaching you to not just assume people are straight no matter how it may seem. we saw vickie flirt with her bf and kiss him and look happy when he kissed her neck and GUESS WHAT?? NOT STRAIGHT AND HAD FEELINGS FOR SOMEONE ELSE!!!

in almost all the most beloved couples, we've seen them appear happy with someone else before. like, genuinely happy. but we know that doesn't mean anything, because they can appear happy and still have issues/have hidden feelings for someone else. nancy told steve she loved him to his face and not even a week later got with jonathan. murray literally says you can genuinely like someone and be attracted to them and have real love for someone else at the same time.

not everything is what it seems. wizards of waverly place literally prepared us for this like come on

[craziertogether]

i hate mike wheeler hate.

as a former mike lover turned mike disliker turned mike wheeler defender for life. i have to say it, mike hate is SO forced.

they’re are so many worse characters in the show to hate on but for some reason the GA loves to claim that mike is amongst the worst character’s in the show and their argument is like 3 things.

1) mike is poorly written post season 2. okay so you actually missed the entire point but okay! whether or not mike is queer, which lets be honest, it logically makes the most sense for that to be the case. the duffers did NOT just drop/forget about one of the greatest main characters in netflix history. if we remove mike’s queerness from the equation, the duffers logically forgetting about mike who played the most integral part in the first 2 seasons would be the biggest fumble of the CENTURY. mike was the most loved for his bravery, commitment to the party, and unfortunately being el’s boyfriend. but it’s so clear that mike and will are definitely favored by netflix over dustin and lucas. thus, this decline in mike’s character absolutely MUST mean something huge has to happen for mike’s character. and if we look logically at his blatant queer coding, mike is queer. this is where his story is headed. not down but up as he starts to have self realization. logically this also aligns with will’s story of self acceptance, he knows he loves mike romantically, he doesn’t need any more acceptance of his sexual identity, he needs to either have his love reciprocated or rejected. (likely reciprocated otherwise m*leven is the most lame ending to the show’s ending)

2) mike has been a horrible boyfriend to el/doesn’t deserve her. what gets me about this argument is that it’s actually mostly from actual m*leven shippers who hate mike but like the ship. i’ve already been on a whole ass rant about this here:

but firstly, your perception of love is seriously warped. but also how can you HATE one part of the relationship and still expect them to work out in endgame? this is clearly not a couple worth rooting for as it has a character that you believe mistreats his own girlfriend and lacks depth. and you still think they should stay together for the sake of… what exactly? being together bc they were together from the beginning, hate to say it but your first partner will almost never be your last. i’ve also heard the argument that, they hate him post season 2-3 because he became distant but they know the duffers will magically rewrite depth to their relationship and make them endgame. again hate to say it, but the duffers then suck at writing. why wait 5 whole seasons to give your characters in a relationship actual depth and complexity when you managed to give it to lumax IN ONE? it’s illogical to start doing it now unless you could make mike genuinely a god and somehow manage to not make it feel out of place. (whole rant about this on my page already, but will and mike aside from narratively making sense have so much built up tension and feelings that would literally manage to resolve the errors in m*leven as a couple and the weird behavior of mike for two whole seasons)

3) he’s just so annoying for not being able to choose between el & will. oh my lord. this, THIS is the one that gets me. if you’re able to acknowledge byler and still somehow hate mike. YOU ARE DONE. do you hear me. that is genuinely the worst argument for hating mike by FAR. mike is a 14-15 year old boy canonically in the show. in what universe would it make any sense to manage to force mike to just resolve his entire character arc in 10 seconds. mike’s entire character arc revolves around his queer attraction/feelings, internalized homophobia, & forced conformity. mike’s a survivor, had the most insane case of survivor’s guilt AND internalized homophobia in the show. (robin coming out scene & will admitting his own feelings before mike BEFORE GTA6 is insane work). mike has done quite literally nothing except try to be there for those around him, he’s a brat and has an attitude but if you’re saying you’ve never had one before you’re a liar or you’re a liar bc mike is literally a cutie patootie, he’s got unpacked trauma from years of fighting monsters, society pressuring him to be masculine and straight, his own family making him feel worthless and weird for his relationship with will, watching his love of his life best friend being dragged out of a quarry, chard by federal agents? a girl he tried to save being a annihilated in front of him and she didn’t return for over a year, watched billy die, and so many people i. his town go missing bc they’re not human and are actually just melded pieces of flesh for the mindflayer’s body, shot at by government agents, literally had to bury a dead body, watched his own girlfriend over and over fight for her life and fail to save people and tried to be there for her, saw a completely deformed max fighting for her life, saw YET ANOTHER person come back from the dead (hopper). and you’re telling me you think he should just find time to reject the girl who makes him think he is normal for the person who actually makes him feel that way when everyone and thing around him has been telling him that’s the wrong choice. you think he has time to genuinely just make the choice to drop everything because his heart wants it, he’s not the brave 12 year old he was in season 1, he’s not running after will because this time will is not dead. he’s accepting himself which is scarier to him than will being dead.

in conclusion, STOP THE MIKE WHEELER HATE. he deserves grace equally as much as will does. i love you mike wheeler, if you have 0 fans i am dead.

(p.s. i don’t want to see “mike deserves to suffer the most during s5” content. i.e. making him lose will in real life and/or lose el. i love angst, make him get vecna’d, make him maybe get injured but death/losing will or el or nancy is CRAZY. mike wheeler deserves happiness too.)

[megamhafan]

Great! Here's some of my fav Mike posts.

S4 Mike long form analysis:

Mike's s4 arc analysis - Brielle

Mike's hidden arc - itsacleanmachine

s4 Mike explained - greencrocs

Mike is invisible in the wheeler household - thefirstiloveyou

S1 Mike loved Will through El - gayofethefae

Mike Wheeler's promise to El - miwiheroes

Mike's priorities in S4 - lovelylionheart

Rink O Mania from Mike's pov

Photo essays:

Shared looks

'You could not let him go' correlations El/Papa and Mike/Will - greenfiend

'You made me look for him' - El/Will parallels - greenfiend

Mike's smitten face in the van

Mike in the Upside Down

Simple dumb luck

You'd have to stop the world just to stop the feeling...

Peripheral light

Mike's gay ass bedroom

Lenora airport cinematography

s3 comparing the two 'breakups'

Mike's Will dancing??????

Small and lovely posts/gifs/videos etc:

Mike and letters

Mike's crush in Dear Billy

Mike tried to call...

THE smalltown boy agenda gif

Looking at Will in the van!

Losing Will over and over (cinematography)

Mike's s3 confusion

s5 and theories/leaks/pics:

Nancy and Mike

The party at high school

Mike with Robin

Mike + music!

Homophobic bullying in s5

Mike and a sword in s5

Mike's costume design

opening credits

Mike and Will on bikes BTS leaks

sunset byler

Beautiful art:

'Mike Wheelie' by Kidovna

The basement kiss / flickergate

Smoking by the barn

Finn liking a byler art 2019

Beautiful Mike yearning

landing in lenora

Lover's Lake by drangues

Fun posts and videos:

I can do it with a broken heart...

The byler commandments

Mike's scowl

Mike is *that* bitch

Know your roots! early byler:

Tweets predicting byler from 2016

Mike sassing El at the quarry

Mike pushes troy in s1

Byler predictions from 2018

The cast talking about Mike:

Finn at Stranger Con 2023

Finn begged for a specific thing for Mike...

Mike values the truth

Finn W. at Paris Con 2025 (YT)

thank you so much, i needed these so much

[samwitcch]

mike's problem solving skills

as much as we shit on mike for his obliviousness towards romance, its really interesting how good mike is at deciphering the upside down mystery and puzzle solving in general. typically, mike has the best judgement calls when it comes to getting shit done and general intuition. at the top of my head, i can recall several times where he was able to encounter a problem that the entire group was having and fix it instantly. some examples:

understanding that el was the key to finding will in the upside down, thus employing her help for all of s1

first to recognize that will would have died were they to close the gate with the mf still inside him + understanding how the mf worked and knew how to problem solve to overcome it (putting will to sleep so he couldn't spy, knowing that they needed a place that will didn't recognize)

came up with the entire sauna test plan, plus led billy towards the trap

found out that the number was hidden inside a dried up pen from the agent + knowing that they would have needed a hacker to get it done and using suzie's help to do it

a small one, but them overturning the car using the leverage from the linerope holders was mike's idea when they couldn't use el's powers ("told you. physics")

and so on...

i'd also like to point out the fact that in s4, the only times we get mike's POV is when he is being a leader (suzie's house, discovering the pen, etc). when it comes to the romance aspect, specifically his relationship w/ el, we get no clues from himself about how he actually feels about her (only from will and el's povs).

i'm not the most avid follower of nancy's storyline, but i'm pretty sure a lot of her judgement calls are also basically always correct (s1 w/ barb's disappearance, s2 in revealing barb's death, s3 rats, s4 w/ victor creel).

personally, besides the fact these two are smart as hell, i think that its a small way to show that the wheeler siblings were mainly taught to think with their head, and not their heart, which is why their arcs are both tied into ridding themselves of societal expectations and to go with their hearts instead. while nancy's is more tied to her independence and wants as a woman during the 80s, mike's is intrinsically tied to queerness and understanding what he wants, rather than what would make him normal.

[pinkyjulien]

▶ Johnny, Mikoshi, and SPI AIs

Years ago I bought some of the original TTRPG sourcebooks and only just recently started to really read through them 👀 It's a blast and I recommend every cp77 fan to get them!

I'm mainly focusing on the Cyberpunk RED era - it's set during the 2040's (2045) and exist as a canon, direct bridge between the Cyberpunk 2020 pen and paper, and the Cyberpunk 2077 game;

"[...] In addition, RED allows us to create something unparalleled in gaming history—a tabletop RPG that serves as the perfect onramp for the expanded and far future of the Cyberpunk 2077 arc. With threads looping forwards and back through the timeline, my partners at CDPR (Patrick, Adam, Marcin, Amelia—let's face it, the whole damned 600+ crew at the CD studio) and our crew at R. Talsorian Games have given you a deep, complex gaming experience you can explore on both the tabletop and the video screen." - Mike Pondsmith, Cyberpunk RED (2020)

In the Cyberpunk RED sourcebook, we get to read through the real events that took place in 2013, the kidnapping and "death" of Alt

"He's coming out of the Hammer, about midnight, and he sees them. Three punks,mohawks bright and bristly with reflected neon, wearing high-collared jackets; gang colors." - Cyberpunk RED, page 5

We also get to read the Arasaka bombing event, how Johnny really died- and who's responsible for getting him soulkilled... 👀

"On the other side of the room, Johnny crouches under a desk, fighting with his past between bursts of gunfire. I left Alt last time. Just abandoned her. Not again. Never again. Better to burn out, says the Hand. Yeah, Johnny says to himself—and he knows what he has to do." - Cyberpunk RED, page 121

I'm obviously not going to post the whole chunks here and DEADASS ENCOURAGE YOU TO CHECK THEM OUT FOR YOURSELVES - especially if you love Johnny, Rogue, Alt and the entire old crew, it's a real treat!

Anyway, the reason why I'm making this post is because I got further into the book and into the parts about AIs

We know our Johnny, the engram stuck in V's head, isn't a reliable narrator; we learn why and how in the previously mentioned stories on how these events went down - We also know that, well, our Johnny isn't really much of Johnny - He, and everyone who has been Soulkilled, are known as "SPI" AIs

"Soulkilled Pseudo Intellects (SPI) are AIs that were originally actual people but have had their consciousness digitized and now exist only on computers in the NET. The process is often not voluntary — Soulkiller programs produce this type of AI. Otherwise indistinguishable from Symbolic Analysis AIs, these "ghosts" were created in huge numbers as Arasaka put its infamous Soulkiller program to work targeting enemies and rivals alike. The majority of these SPIs have gathered in sanctuaries around deserted mainframes and city systems abandoned by Corporations or (as in the case of a number of bio-plague attacked cities along the Asian Rim) totally abandoned cities. Most of these "ghosts" just want a safe place to live; rumor has it that Alt Cunningham, the creator of Soulkiller and a digital ghost herself, has created a number of "ghost towns" in hidden places all over the remains of the Old NET. They pretty much want to be left alone." - Cyberpunk RED, page 263

We learn about other types of AIs in this section as well - but obviously this one grabbed my attention because, well, that's the Johnny we know - and that's also who, what V becomes after Mikoshi (talking here about the canon game events in some of the endings ofc)

It is so interesting and almost comforting in a way to read about this, to have a proper name and description of what we see and experience in game

I'm late to the party of course, I bet this was already a known thing - but wanted to share it here cause again, it was really really interesting to read and made me feel things hHHHH a lot to think about

[cosmos-night]

Ok so, we have this image of Will being the most sensitive one and emotional. But there is a reason why his introverted nature is a mystery to us. There is a lot about Will we still don't understand, but there are some interesting hints regarding to his other quality - intelligence. Not only he calls himself Will the Wise, he especially chose a wizard class whose main attribute is Intelligence.

It all started for me with this tweet from stranger writers account:

Will as Iron Man? Sure they have share some similarities (Abusive, drinker father, PTSD in the movies, Visions of upcoming apocalypse) but other then that they seem different. Among mentioned characters Iron Man has the biggest IQ score from all the heroes. But it doesn't end here.

In comics we are shown that Will is actually pretty smart. The still haven't meet Dustin here so they are about 11 years old here.

There is a Teenage mutant turtles crossover comic with Stranger Things characters (4 chapters long) After each chapter there is a illustration of certain characters playing DND together and Will is paired up with Donatello (considered the Brain of the Team) Others go as follows:

Mike - Raphaello

Dustin - Michalangelo

Lucas and El - Leonardo

Ghostbusters reference in season 2. Mike and Lucas want to be Vankman the leader of the team. Dustin is Ray - the most nerdy and fun character and Will is chosen as Egon. Again the Brain of the team the most intelligent one. Who somehow attracts all the girls and has no idea how to cope with them.

Will's Hero in season 4? Alan Turing - one of the most intelligent scientist in human history:

Sure there is a lot other reasons perhaps for Will choosing Alan (his sexual orientation, his crush on childhood best friend, his horrible treatment, depression and suicide) But being a Genius could also be one of them.

Being born genius could alienate you as well as being born gay. Will is pretty quick to find patterns, explaining things with drawings, he is a quiet thinker type, he has trouble expressing his feelings and he's pretty bold in his statements. He berates Jonathan for not having friends, and for using drugs to cope. He says to Mike "If you keep staring at that, its not gonna change, you know?" when Mike is looking at El's letter. You can see Mikes discomfort afterwards. He calls Eleven "stupid" and I actually think he meant that. In season 4 we are shown how bad Eleven grades are. How bad is her writing. He might be as well be stating facts. Will may come to others as insensitive. Choosing "Boys don't cry as his theme song in season 4 is also interesting" because it is also a song about admitting mistakes in relationships:

"I would say I'm sorry If I thought that it would change your mind But I know that this time I have said too much Been too unkind"

Will did not care about Mike's heart problems in season 3. He did not contact him when staying in California. Will feels pretty comfortable being alone painting. Mike is loosing his head because his friend is ignoring him. Mike is following his heart - falling for El, not thinking if they are compatible or not. Will is following his head - everything telling him that he and Mike should not be together. Will is shown not caring about his looks, while still being pretty pedantic (his Bowl cuts are perfect while El's and Jonathan hairstyles are lacking - is Joyce actually cutting all of theirs hair? Or is Will cutting his by himself?)

In Stranger Things tarot deck Will appears on the King of Cups card. A wise and emotionally balanced king.

Also all those Will=Brenner theories suddenly make a little more sense once you start considering Will being a hidden genius, trying to repent for mistakes he made (Like the whole Tony Stark arc in the movies) Season 5 will tell.

[thestobingirlie]

ted wheeler is the hero of st

an explanation of the critical role ted will be playing in the final season of stranger things

everything from the past four seasons has been building to this point, and season five will bear witness to the culmination of ted wheeler’s incredible five season arc. showcasing, finally (it’s been a long wait tedheads!), that the ultimate hero of the show is the unimportant, average dad from indiana!

“But one unlikely hero might soon be rising: that’s right, Ted Wheeler (Joe Chrest) could be the hero Hawkins needs.”[1]

let’s get right into it!!

season 5 is the season of the wheeler’s

if you’re in this fandom, then you have to know that “The Wheeler family will take centre stage in Stranger Things season 5, stepping into more significant roles.”[2] Obviously anyone that’s been watching the show knows that nancy and mike, and to an extent karen, are already fairly relevant within the story. and with holly going “missing” and karen being pretty badly hurt, what new wheeler can rise to a level of importance that they haven’t previously held? that’s right baby. ted wheeler. dad of the year.

not only do we know from the duffers that the wheeler’s are stepping up in season five, we also know from multiple interviews that “a lot of the cast, pretty much from season two, have been encouraging the Duffers to get Ted more active in the show”[3]. we have inside support! for almost a decade, the cast of the show have been actively trying to uplift ted wheeler to the role he deserves. the role we all want him to take.

subverting tropes and expectations

we all know that the duffers like their unexpected narratives, they like taking tropes that the audience is used to and understands and flipping them on their head. what possible better character, that has been well-established at this point to be removed from the narrative, to be unaware of what’s going on around him, to be fairly useless and unhelpful in the times of crisis, could step up, could save the day, could break the conventions and shock audiences, other than ted?

protective father instincts

the child that ted is canonically closest with is his youngest child, holly wheeler. “Ted was being a really good father to Holly, the youngest child”[2]. the obvious route here for the final season is that after his own child goes missing, ted will finally be pulled into the mystery of the upside down, and the disappearance of his favourite child will awaken his protective instincts. as joe chrest said: “he’s a man who will always fight for his family” (chrest) [3]. he may not always understand his loved ones, he may enjoy a good nap on his chair, but ted will do anything for his children.

not to mention, we all know the importance of fathers in stranger things. ted may not be hopper, but he’s got hidden depths within him we’re yet to see (though if you’re media literate of course we can all see them lying dormant lol).

let’s get back to the great joe chrest, who’s stressed in multiple interviews: “I would love a chance to get out there and defend the kids. Ted really loves his family and would do well in that Upside Down scenario. It’s the ‘80s, too. It’s a chance for Ted to fight for his country. I’m sure he served in the military. The dude’s a patriot, for Gods’ sake.”[3]. military ted, we all know what that means right??? nancy got her beloved gun talents from her father.

did anybody order ted wheeler shooting at monsters and government officials in season five? because that’s what we’re getting baby.

the love triangle

now, we all know one of the biggest plots in the upcoming season is the culmination of the love triangle between steve, nancy and jonathan. you might be wondering how ted factors into this, but it’s very obvious with just a little close reading of the show.

nancy’s views on relationships are inspired by her parents marriage; her dad’s perceived uselessness and her mother’s apathy. i mean she says it straight up in season one!! screw that!

in order for nancy to step happily into a relationship, free from doubt and regret, those issues have to be resolved. what better way for them to be resolved than for ted wheeler, father of the year, to step up for his family and demonstrate his love and devotion for them by protecting them from the upside down and the government, and becoming an active father figure.

ted vs steve harrington

not to make everything about my little guy, but well. it’s me.

i swear though, this is a solid point!

now, in the first and second seasons, there were some pretty heavy parallels between the characters of steve and ted that were obvious for even the most casual watcher to see.

joe chrest: “…With our characters, we felt like they were almost the same guy… That [Steve] was Ted back when he was in High School.”[3]

some haters would have us believe that these parallels are just there to show stancy as unsuitable. they’re wrong.

what these parallels are actually foreshadowing is the steve harrington redemption arc that we will watch ted experience in the final season!

in the first season we’re supposed to understand ted and steve to be on the same path, if steve deviated from that path, why would his parallel character not do the same? if steve had it within him to step up, to be brave, to make a choice outside of what is expected of him, then ted has that strength within him too, he’s just never had a reason to truly unleash it.

stranger things is a show all about how the ordinary can actually be extraordinary, and who better to showcase that than ted wheeler?

dedicated to shan, one of the biggest tedheads i know 🫶

[fallinglikethis]

2025 TBR

I was tagged by @allwaswell16 @evilovesyou and @chaotic-bells to do this. Thank you for including me!

Honestly, there are so many books I want to read I’m not sure where to start. I guess I’ll go with what I am Currently reading:

27 Hours by Tristina Wright- only just started it but I know it was meant to be a series that was never finished.

FantasticLand by Mike Bockoven - borrowed from a friend. It starts off a little dry and wordy for my taste and is described as Lord of the Flies (which I hate in all it’s incarnations) meets Battle Royale (which I haven’t read, but enjoyed the movie for). We’ll see if I finish it.

The Forgotten Earth by Brilynn O’Neal - An ARC I got from the author. It’s enjoyable so far, without being too heavy on the world-building. Officially on sale February 5th.

Rock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney- Reading for a book club. Not typically my kind of book because I don’t usually enjoy wanting to slap every single character for their dumb decisions the entire book. It’s not too bad yet, I’ve only had thoughts of drive-by-slappings twice.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult - Reading for a different book club. This book club runs on themes. This time we’re all reading different books by the same author. Jodi Picoult usually tackles extremely tough subjects. This book is about a death pact gone wrong. It felt the least traumatizing option of the ones I have to talk about, so that’s why I picked it.

In Every Generation by Kendare Blake - Takes place in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer universe but with kids from the next generation. Oz is back to care for his werewolf nephew, Spike is a Watcher, Buffy might be dead, and Willow is a mom who’s daughter is the next slayer (and also a witch). It’s basically fanfic, which we all know I love.

Otherworld by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller - takes place in a VR World, but the stakes are higher. If you’re into anime, it kind of reminds me of Sword Art Online.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner - this one’s a re-read. I read it ages ago but I have to remind myself what I read before I can go further in the series. They made Thomas a little more likeable in the movies. (Or maybe I’m just biased because it’s Dylan O’Brien.)

Hidden Figures (Young Reader’s Edition) by Margot Lee Shetterly - I did not pick the young reader’s edition, it’s just the one I found in a bargain bin. Maybe a different version will read better, this one reads kind of like an encyclopedia article. Still interesting though.

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard - Sequel to Red Queen, which I enjoyed. It’s kind of strange because when I put it down, I don’t really look forward to picking it back up, but when I am reading it, I always get easily drawn back in.

Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen- This is my first Sarah Dessen book despite owning at least three (maybe 4). I love the cover, and it’s got this feeling that all my favorite fic writers are so good at conveying maybe without even meaning to. There’s this kind of coziness that kind of lingers in the pages, even when it’s talking about something difficult. Idk what it is, but it keeps me excited about going back to it.

A Million Suns by Beth Revis - Sequel to Across the Universe. This is kind of like Glass Sword where it doesn’t call me back to it but still sucks me in when I’m reading. But with more sci-fi.

You may be asking, why do you read like you’re running out of time? Well, my friend, that would be because my actual TBR is never-ending, and I want to read them all. I get so excited just looking at my bookshelf, knowing there are so many worlds I get to explore.

I tag @laynefaire @londonfoginacup @seananmcguire @movieexpert1978 @gaycousinlarry @somethingwittyorother .

And if you’re wondering, here is what this chaos looks like (the actual bookshelf is three stacks deep, with piles of books on the floor on both sides):

[ven0moir]

breaking my silence, the painting reveal isnt going to be this cute moment of mike and will confessing to each other all lovingly and with pink bubbles around them ...

both mike and will's entire point in their s4 arc is that they regressed BIG TIME. im pretty sure pre s4 mike himself was at least heavily considering breaking up with el AND then confessing to will ... and they concluded the season being forced back into the closet.

so s5 byler is going to be dealing with ... checks my list

an apocalpytic hawkins ... in the 80s a 'satanic panic, its the gays fault this all happened' mass hysteria bs from the residents of hawkins mike dealing with wanting to fix things with el (he wants her in her life as a friend) and will wanting to be there for his sister. dealing with suppressing his feelings for each other yet AGAIN after coming so close to not only accepting them but ACTING on them (honestly how far out the closet mike was pre-s4 will dictate how severe his IH is going to be portrayed in s5. its necessary to bring out the rest of the stuff in the subtext that they have likely been saving by keeping mike's sexuality and feelings for will hidden until now. and from what it seems from the line of 'it's not my fault you don't like girls' its going to be quite layered) Byler was kept in the subtext til s5 bc they fully intend to explore both will's and mike's romance arc together, and when i say 'romance' i mean like ... all of it. so its not going to be as simple as them finally confessing. EVEN after the painting reveal there is still so much danger both from Hawkins AND the UD that they need to consider. and vecna is going to take full advantage of that

so yes Byler does play quite a central role this season ... for better or for worse man

[castlebyersafterdark]

Random opinion/headcanon of mine but since they gave Will the Marty McFly inspired red puffer jacket in s1 and gave him the exact same JVC camcorder from the film in s2, i think it’d be funny and cool if in s5 they had Will wear the same underwear that McFly wore in that one scene. Yea I know they somewhat already referenced that scene with Jonathan in s3 but I think Will should take it a step further

Ok... you're so onto something here. His wardrobe very obviously has references to Marty and while we got a similar dressing scene for others - Will deserves one!! It's almost like a signifier of growing up. Mike is now a high schooler. Jonathan in in a relationship and has a job. And while Will's arc and theme has been about his repressed, hidden sexuality it has also simultaneously been about how he's a bit more held back, fighting the loss of childhood - well, season 5 protagonist, coming of age. Grown up now. It's just a good storytelling framing.

And I want to see it for shallow reasons, too. He's a hot guy. Imagine THIS framing below with Will in side profile pulling his pants on, oh wow. And light purple briefs??? Inspired. That's honestly sooooooo WILL. These are some iconic underwear. It would be amazing if they did this little homage to the Marty outfit and the role Will might have, something with time, as well as showing him as a character we should be thinking about in a new light - because this is also for the admiring and ogling to be truly honest. Flashing some skin? Why deny that? Every scene matters.

[madwheelerz]

Rambling coming-

So I keep seeing Will is the created everything/is behind everything, and I just wanted to add my perspective as to why I don't personally see it that way.

I think from an audience perspective that if one of the kids is making things happen, it would've probably been a kid that had been there from the beginning. From an audience perspective those kid's are Mike, El, Lucas, and Dustin. Will exists in season one, but he's more of a presence than an actual person.

Will is actually pretty hidden in the background in almost everyone season except for season two, where he was possessed. I think going from a character we, the audience, rarely see to the BIG BAD is an insane jump and, frankly, not one I think would make sense.

I also think if they were going that route, Will being basically restricted to interacting with either his family or Mike would be such a weird choice. Like obviously if he's doing the bad stuff people will have thoughts about that, but if he never interacts with anyone you can't tell if their interactions change because of it.

I believe that Will has powers, but not necessarily that the big reveal will be that he is behind everything because upon rewatch it Will's plot would literally be

S1: Missing

S2: Possessed

S3: Background

S4: Background

S5: Behind Everything

Idk I feel like it would be such a giant leap of his character arc, particularly because season one exists like that.