#the love and attention of el confused mike

[craziertogether]

soooo close! you’re wrong actually.

**no hate intended to original creator**

i swear the GA is actually watching the show with their eyes closed and on mute. the OG creator in that tiktok stated that byler getting together would be cringe/awakward and out of place BASICALLY fanservice. i feel like this comes from such a misconceived notion that there is ZERO buildup and that them getting together would be as CRINGE as m*leven getting together like a sudden will kissing mike and then they just hold hands and walk into the sunset. or that will pulls some CORNY ASS “i like you mike and i always have and ik you’re with el but i just.. i err. i love you and i want you to dump her and get with me right now” and mike responds with some corny “eureka you’re right will, i hate eleven and i always have and it’s always been you.”

while i’m sorry that we lost a byler because they let the GA mindset take over. chat please be so fr rn. that is it what anyone wants, it’s not fan fiction, it’s not gonna even be a straight up “i like/love you will” in public. what i really believe will happen is it’s going to a silent realization of feelings from mike and when it comes down to an intimate and private moment, it’ll just be known between them, there won’t be a grand confession because they’ve always known they loved each other, just not in the way they’re realizing it now. i actually hope there is NO “i like/love you” from either will or mike so that the GA/m*leven shoppers CAN’T say we’re trying to BS it or that it’s fan service. it’s always been there you just haven’t been paying attention. byler’s build up has been too long and well for a cheesy get together, they’ll be natural and themselves, which dorky sure, but it’ll be just a quiet love like it’s always been.

i’m so sick of anti-byler rhetoric. if you can’t see queer relationships happening just say it. but honestly that’s on you, this ship is TRUE queer representation. it only seems “forced” and “fanservice like” because YOU have been conditioned to think that queerness is surprising and rare. it’s the same reason people have to “come out”. mike and will’s tension has been insane for years, their chemistry reads, shared looks, & straight up admiration for the other is not found even in any of the other ships in the show. because they ARE the show. they’re the core of what makes stranger things a show for outcasts. like if you don’t want them together fine, but jesus christ don’t act they wouldn’t make any sense when the show has done NOTHING but cater to them.

(side note this rant came bc i got into my first fight with a m*leven stan in tiktok comments and they just ended it with “i’m not reading your long comments to my one short comment” and the comment was “well mikes always been there for eleven” (first off dead naming is crazy) second, no one said i thought that mike didn’t love el at all, he’s just been confused on what kind of love he has. )

[butter-bubbles]

Why Not Making Byler Canon Would be a Massive Mistake...

Okay, so clearly the Byler brainrot has been getting to me. But this post will be about how Byler would fundamentally improve Mike (and Will's) characters, and making them canon would be an insanely easy way for the Duffer brothers to prove their masters in story crafting and writing.

Unlike a lot of people on this sub, I'm not one to believe Mike was secretly in love with Will the whole time and was using El as his beard to conceal being gay. I think there's enough evidence to prove that he was in love with El, probably for all/most of S3. I'm also not one to just ship two guys because I'm a "teen girl who likes f*tishizing MLM" like a lot of (honestly mainly misogynistic) believe.

I ship them for one simply reason: Mike, especially, becomes an infinitely more interesting, complex, and likeable character by doing so. I loved S1 and S2 Mike, and was so deeply invested in his character, his eventual reunion with Eleven, and his friendship with Will when I was younger.

And I never understood what happened to Mike between S2 and S3. Being a good friend was his defining trait of S1/2, so what happened that made him such a selfish and self-absorbed character? It never made any sense to me, and I just chalked it up to him being a cringy preteen.

But no one else has trouble maintaining a relationship and their own sense of identity/selfhood, even the other preteens on the show. Hell, El's whole arc is about moving away from this sense of dependence on others for her identity.

Now I don't think he was secretly in love with Will the whole time; there's just not enough evidence to say that he wasn't in love with El (atp) and I do think his feelings were genuine. What there is evidence for is that he fused his identity/self with being El's boyfriend, to the detriment of his friends, his girlfriend, and ultimately himself. He could think of nothing and no one outside of El, which is age appropriate but also deeply unhealthy.

There's also evidence to suggest that he feels playing with his friends and otherwise indulging in hobbies/anything outside of his girlfriend is a "kid" thing based on his fight with Will. In fact, he intentionally distances himself from Will, which to me indicates that he viewed Will as "childish" and too far from heternormative boyhood to fully indulge in a friendship with.

At the end of S3, we see the infamous awkward make-out session that was one of the first indications that Byler could be real to me. Because it just didn't make sense to me; I get struggling to say I love you, especially for an adolescent boy (even if they really mean it), but after El affirms her feelings shouldn't he look happy? Instead, he's just confused.

In S4, I believe that this is when Mike really begins to fall for Will (without even knowing it). He's so obviously jealous over who the painting is for, which just doesn't have a heterosexual explanation; he's paying close attention to Will when he should notice his girlfriend's struggling; he, for some reason, is still having issues with saying I love you even though there's been no explanation for why he can't; all he does is fight with El and seems more "in love" with (the idea of) her when she's absent.

I think what's happening here is he's realizing that everything he wants in his relationship with El, he gets from Will. Self-assurance: emotional intimacy: mutual understanding: and especially a need for him that validates his protective instincts. And I don't think he's even conscious of it, but he just can't hide it from his face (or his actions) at all.

I've been on the fence about canon-Byler because of David Harbour's comment about Mileven being firmly at the forefront of S5 and that moment in S4 at the pizza parlour where Mike almost confesses to loving El, which seemed incredibly sincere. And ultimately, I still don't know if they have any chance in S5.

But what I do know is that Mike and Will complement each other the most out of anyone in the show. They can complete one another, recontextualize all of Mike's incongruous behavior, and illustrate that the Duffer brothers are thinking about their story beyond basic (and outdated) tropes about teenage boyhood and douchey male behavior that emerges post-puberty.

So even if Byler never becomes canon, I will maintain that they would be one of the best things to happen to Stranger Things. I'd be content with another love interest being introduced for Will, but I honestly don't think anyone else could do this much for the writing and story as making Byler canon (at least not in a single season). Only time will tell.

[supermarketbae]

Hello!

Could you do a cute Billy Hargrove x fem reader were they are secretly dating and the party are slowly figuring it out. Like max is confused why Billy is being a lot nicer. Eddie, Steve, and robin wants to know who keeps calling reader when they hangout at her house.

You can write the end however you like! Love your writing! Have a great day!

OMGGGG THANK U SO MUCH LOVE!! (also i'm back taking class courses again so sorry if I've responded late. bAcK To SchOOl FolKs *nerdy goth noises* this can be read as a part three but its fine on its own.

Billy Hargrove x fem reader

What's Best?

Naughty and not so nice the series

The sun had just set, leafless trees casting long shadows around the warm room as their spindly woven branches wafted softly against the windows a sound accompanied by joking and stupid dares. Your friends were oblivious to the sun starting to sink below the horizon. Everyone was happy to finally find some time to hang out together. How late it was getting was a small, trivial matter that was forgotten in the spirit of laughter and much needed relaxation. Max was thoroughly appalled when Billy made no objection in bringing her along to your house, and you thought she had keeled over when, instead of leaving he walked right in with her.

Robin glanced at you questioningly through the night. But you paid it no mind. Billy was starting to be roped into your little group of misfits, and there was nothing you would rather have more. "Soooo what's this talk I hear of my little baby having a boyfriend?" Eddie drawls smacking your butt playfully as he grabs a coke from the counter "Never thought you'd have it in you doll." he continues smirking sarcastically. Your heart shudders for a beat as you subtlety make eye contact at Billy from across the room, you scowl gently as you see his shoulders shaking in silent laughter "Bitch." you say pointedly turning back to Eddie to slug him in the shoulder.

"Wonder who he is, since you practically skip when the phone rings." Eddie smiles grabbing at your hair musing it up. "I do not!" you say wide eyed a light blush settling on your cheeks. You don't dare to look at Billy again to see his reaction. But to your relief, your embarrassment falls on deaf ears as the others continue enjoying themselves. You lean back on the counter as you watch the sight before you; Nancy and Robin talking together on the couch, Robin blushing lightly as she talks animatedly, Nancy grabbing her arm. Dustin, Mike, El, Will, and Max geeking out about some intricate thing. You find yourself smiling softly, blissfully unaware of Billy's approach behind you, that is until strong arms wrapped discreetly around your waist.

"What's up doll." his gravelly mumble tore at your chest causing your heart to constrict. "Nothing much, handsome," you whisper back voiced honeyed but still drooping low. "hands to yourself while you're at it too." you chide teasingly, pinching lovingly at his forearm. Your giggle echoes louder when Billy nips at your shoulder. The sound traveled sharply, catching the attention of your observant friend, Max glances up briefly surprised at the sight of you. She cocked her head in elegant confusion noticing Billy's usually scowling face in a radiant grin. Even more so that he was that close to you.

You caught her eye. A silent promise lay in them.

A soft smile.

She wanted what was best for him too.

And as she watched his face crinkle in laughter as you kissed his cheek secretively, she knew that you were, inevitably, what was best.

--------------------------------<3----------------------------------------

AHHHHHHH im sososososoossoso sorry i started up classes and OMLLLLL @unamused-boss thank you so much for requesting and I hope this brought your idea justice mllll thank you darlingggg

[willbyersabyss]

Mike is gay

Disclaimer: This is my personal interpretation and is not meant to start discourse. Anyone who calls it discourse will be blocked, thanks!

The biggest reason why people believe Mike is attracted to girls is because of his relationship with El, especially in season one. I don’t think he was genuinely interested in her at all. I think Mike was and has been experiencing a lot of compulsory heterosexuality. That’s not to say that Mike has been intentionally deceiving El all this time, a lot of his behavior was subconscious! That’s how socialization works! We aren’t always aware of the expectations being forced on us and this is especially true for heterosexual socialization. Now let’s see how the show hints at Mike’s relationship with El being a case of comphet:

We are supposed to believe that Mike fell in love with El when they met, but when we watch the first week they spent together, it’s pretty obvious that that’s not the case. Mike showed simple kindness to El when they first met because she was clearly scared and traumatized. Mike is a very protective person, as we learn throughout the show. He wasn’t being kind to her because he’s romantically interested, he’s just a protective person. 

El is the only girl in the show that Mike shows “interest” in. It’s established before Mike’s crush develops that El looks like a boy to outsiders! We are also reminded of this after there are romantic hints between mlvn (when Troy is talking to the police). She doesn’t even look like a girl! So the only girl we see Mike with in a romantic context looks like a boy. Yeah that supposed attraction to girls isn’t looking great right now.

Mike and Dustin are discussing how El got her powers when Lucas starts accusing Mike of having a crush on El. Mike didn’t say anything remotely romantic about her, he was just correcting Lucas that it’s okay to be weird! Also it’s interesting how they only compare El to male superheroes. Not only that, they compare her to the X-Men! Lucas believes Mike is interested in El right after they compare her to men? Okay.

Edit: Despite the deceiving name, the X-Men are actually not all men! There is a woman superhero with telekinetic powers that they were likely comparing El to. The choice to use the name X-Men rather than the actual character is an interesting choice, though!

Side note: I feel like Mike had similar views to Jonathan on normalcy in the beginning of season one, but that changes as people lead Mike to be with El. He thought it was okay to be different, maybe even cool, until his friends and family told him otherwise. Anyways!

Mike seems genuinely confused during this scene. This isn’t the typical “What? No way!” reaction that an embarrassed 12 year old would have when discussing a crush, Mike genuinely doesn’t understand why Lucas made this assumption. If you watch the scene, Mike’s tone isn’t defensive or embarrassed. If Mike had a crush on El at this point, why was he confused by Lucas’ assumption? This is definitely where Mike starts to mix up admiration for love. Lucas has a huge influence on how Mike views relationships. Since Lucas thought Mike had a crush on El, Mike must like her right? Mike starts viewing El in a different light after this interaction, beginning his comphet journey. 

Mike only starts to show signs of a “crush” on El after Lucas implies that he should. A boy being nice to a girl? Must be love! This is a huge sign of heteronormativity. Mike starts acting on these heteronormative expectations. He gives El a makeover to make her look like the ideal girl, he calls her pretty while acting out the “guy sees girl all dressed up and is shocked!” trope, and gives her special attention. Honestly I’m trying to find more romantic mlvn moments in s1 to help my point and there just… aren’t any. That’s it. He calls her pretty a few times and then they kiss at the end. 

This line sticks out to me. El is the first girl that isn’t “grossed out” by Mike and this is why Mike likes her. He doesn’t like El, he likes the concept of El. Mike is a very insecure person who has been called ugly by bullies his entire life. When El, a cool superhero, shows interest in him, he feels like he must be cool by association. He’s been told that girls being attracted to him is a marker for importance and he finally has that. Mike doesn’t want girls to be interested in him because he wants a girlfriend, he just wants his insecurities to be relieved. Mike admires El’s super powers because she’s similar to the (male) superheroes he admires. His relationship with El is based on admiration and the desire to be desired rather than actual attraction. This is a common symptom of comphet (from personal experience). 

Later on, El asks if she’s still pretty without the wig. Mike reassures her that she’s pretty and then he makes a face. What is this facial expression? Why does he look grossed out after calling El pretty? El starts to lean in towards him and he just stands stiff. He does this in later seasons as well, but I’ll get into that later. El is trying to kiss him (?) and he’s frozen. Why isn’t he leaning in too? It seems like he doesn’t want to kiss her. Interesting. 

Mike and Nancy have a conversation about their new love interests. Nancy assumes Mike was acting weird because of Will and Mike thinks she’s been weird because of Steve. The thing is, they were right. Nancy was acting weird because of Steve! She was performing a big act of conformity at the beginning of the season. What was this conformity? Ditching her nerdy interests and trying to grow up by getting a boyfriend. Sound familiar? That’s a surprise tool that will help us later. Mike was being weird because he was grieving and looking for Will. Everything he was doing was to find Will, even hanging out with El all the time. They’re both right in their assumptions here while implying that they were wrong! 

Nancy, like Lucas, has a big influence on how Mike views relationships. When she assumes he likes El, he acts grossed out because Nancy denied his accusation that she likes Jonathan seconds earlier. He’s mirroring her because he admires her, whether he wants to admit it or not. We see him find her cool for breaking the lock just before this! He wants to be like his big sister. So now two people Mike looks up to have tried to get Mike to see El romantically. Mike is definitely internalizing these assumptions. Everyone thinks he likes her, so must like her, right? 

It’s interesting how Nancy implies Mike’s behavior around El is weird. It feels similar to…

Another person who finds it weird that Mike is hanging out with a girl. Is this just Mike’s family teasing him about being nerdy, or is he lacking an interest in girls in their eyes? The people closest to Mike (Lucas, Nancy, Ted, and Karen) all find his behavior around El to be weird. I don’t necessarily think they suspect that Mike is queer, but from the audience’s perspective, this may be hinting at him being gay.

This conversation is extremely queer coded as well. Karen talks about being more open while Mike is literally hiding someone in his closet! Mike is hiding a girl (who looks like a boy) in his closet. Is he hiding his lack of attraction to girls in the closet?

“All this that’s been going on with Will, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you.” Is the beginning of this conversation. So what was going on with Will? Obviously that he was missing, but what exactly did the town think happened to Will? They thought he was killed either by a homophobe or another queer person. Karen seems to be fairly popular in Hawkins so she probably heard these rumors. On the surface, this just seems like a conversation about grief, but when you look closer, is Karen trying to spark a deeper conversation with Mike about these rumors and how they make him feel? If so, what does Karen believe Mike is hiding here? She obviously knows how special Will is to Mike and she might suspect that he is queer too. Maybe in the same way Will is...

Anyways, back to what Nancy said. So after Lucas teased Mike for crushing on El, Mike started to see El differently than before. He feels like he has to develop feelings for her because his friends are expecting it, so he starts to force his behavior to change around her. Instead of just showing basic kindness, there’s more of a tenderness in the way he treats her. He’s testing out Lucas’ theory! Once Nancy accuses Mike of liking El, Mike’s act of conformity gets pushed to its limit. He only tries kissing El after his conversation with Nancy. When El seemed like she was going to kiss him before, he wasn’t into it. Mike is trying to hide his lack of interest in girls by pushing himself towards the only girl that has shown interest in him because everyone is telling him that’s what he should do!

And here we are. What is this? This is just… weird. Why did they have this said about what’s supposed to be a romantic couple? This isn’t the first time either. The boys said she was Mike’s cousin earlier. I know there’s a trope where characters call each other friends before getting together, but this is just a whole other level. 

El expressing that she sees Mike like a brother right before they kiss is not a good sign! Mike says that his relationship with El is different, but starts to backtrack. “It’s different… or I guess it’s not.” Um? I don’t think Mike views his relationship with El as familial at all, of course not, but this tells me that he only really sees her as a friend. If he was actually attracted to her, why would he even imply this at all? This also shows how he’s letting other people change how he views his relationship with El. He’s trying to say that he likes her until she implies that they’re more like family, and then he changes his mind. Mike is easily swayed by other people’s opinions when it comes to relationships (at least in season one). 

So I believe Mike mixed up admiration for El with romantic feelings and this was heavily influenced by others pushing him to be with her. Since El is really the only girl he shows interest in in the show (which I’ll get more into in a bit), this points to him being gay! Mike wasn’t purposefully using El to hide being gay, I don’t think he was aware of his queerness yet, but he was conforming to the expectations placed on him. 

Now that we’ve established that Mike’s feelings for El were not genuine, let’s get into the other evidence of him being gay:

Boys only! This line feels like it has similar implications to Will’s “free of girls!” line. If Will wanting to be free of girls is a hint that he’s gay, then Mike’s “boys only!” serves the same purpose. The same goes for Will’s cluelessness about girls (Girls don’t play video games. Girls go to science camp?) Mike is clueless about girls the entirety of s3 and even agrees with the video game line Will said in s2. They’re clueless about girls because they’re gay. Of course, real teenage boys are often clueless about girls, but I’m thinking about this in the context of a TV show. What does this tell us about Mike? It could just be for relatability but I think there’s something deeper there.

And here are a few shots of Mike looking disgusted or angry at the thought of showing attraction to girls. The first scene is where Dustin tells Mike he is going to flirt with a bunch of girls. Why is Mike making that face? Flirting with girls confuses and disgusts him, apparently. The fourth scene is where Lucas tells Mike to talk to El with ominous music playing in the back. Why is scary music playing when Mike is thinking about talking to a girl? That’s kind of gay. 

Mike, like Will, showed no interest in winning over Princess Daphne while Dustin and Lucas fought over her. But Mike staying quiet doesn’t mean he’s disinterested, right? Nope! Princess Daphne foreshadowed Lucas and Dustin fighting over Max. Mike showed zero interest in Max. Even Will was (platonically) intrigued by her, but overall he was indifferent. Mike and Will have the same reaction to Max. They aren’t showing attraction to her, unlike Dustin and Lucas. Again, Mike and Will having similar reactions to girls points to their sexuality being the same. Mike’s reaction was actually more extreme compared to Will! He was trying to kick Max out!

"Awesome? You haven't even spoken a word to her." Funny coming from the person who claims to have fallen in love with a girl at first sight. But that's a topic for later.

Mike didn’t want Max to join the party because he didn’t like the idea of his friends moving on from their more nerdy interests to get girlfriends. They were ditching Halloween to impress Max. Mike’s behavior towards Max in s2 is the same as Will’s behavior towards El in s3. Will didn’t want to move on from DnD for girls! We know Will is gay, so what does this entail for Mike? If Will’s annoyance towards his friends hanging out with girls was a sign that he’s gay, then we can assume Mike’s annoyance in s2 was for the same reason. Obviously, both Mike and Will have multiple reasons for their behavior, but one of those reasons has to do with them being gay.

El tries to kiss Mike and, for a second time, he stands still. His eyes are wide and he almost looks scared? He’s not looking at her lips or showing any attraction towards her. Why is it that every time El tries to kiss Mike first, he’s like a deer in headlights? It’s almost like he needs to talk himself into kissing her and that’s why he doesn’t like when she does it first. Seems pretty gay to me!

I feel like Mike started to pick up on his feelings for Will here. They felt the spark for most of the season, but the Snow Ball is when it really clicked for Mike. He started mirroring the actions of his friends and family from s1 by pushing Will towards a girl. Everyone did it to him so Mike thought this is what he was supposed to do! So why does it feel so wrong? Mike starts putting the pieces together and he’s scared of what he’s feeling. He complained about his friends growing up and moving on to get girlfriends the entire season, but at least he had Will, right? Then this girl takes Will from him too and now Mike is left in the dust. He feels like he has to do the same so he runs into the safety net of El to try and push his newfound feelings for Will away and be normal.

This kickstarts Mike’s behavior in s3. He’s going after a girl to try and be normal so he can be safe! He’s scared to acknowledge his feelings. Why isn’t Will doing the same? Mike is scared for both himself and Will. Mike has heard what everyone thinks about Will, so why isn’t Will trying to prove them wrong? I feel like Mike’s outbursts at Will are not only because of his repressed feelings for him, but also because he’s confused why Will can be so loud about not caring about girls while Mike is trying everything he can to force himself to like girls. They’re supposed to be “growing up” and getting girlfriends, but Will doesn’t want that and neither does Mike. Mike is trying to conform so he doesn’t face the same fate that Will has faced his entire life. It gets so bad that Mike starts to contribute to the struggles Will faces for not wanting to conform.

The rain fight makes so much more sense in this context. Why was Mike so frustrated that Will didn’t like girls? He wanted Will to be conforming the same way he was because conformity is safe. Otherwise, Will was putting himself in danger. I’m not saying that Mike knows that Will is gay, but Mike has watched Will get bullied for exactly that so he expects Will to conform to avoid the bullying! Mike was advocating against getting girlfriends until Will seemingly got a girl at the dance, so when Will didn't even stay with that girl, Mike’s effort was for nothing. Mike thought he had no other choice but to force himself to like a girl and when Will shows that that’s not the case, Mike wishes that he could do the same. Mike takes his internal frustration out on Will because he wants Will to be safe instead of chasing after the things they both want but can’t have (playing games for the rest of their lives). 

And so we come to the conclusion that Mike was projecting onto Will during their fight. “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” Is Mike’s internal struggle being taken out on Will. “What did you think, really? We were never gonna get girlfriends?” And Mike thought exactly that in s2! He thought the party would stick together for a bit longer until Dustin and Lucas ditched them for girls. This tells us that Mike was projecting here because he had the same thought he’s accusing Will of. So if these lines are projections, that means that Mike doesn’t like girls. He has to be gay.

Let’s use that surprise tool I mentioned earlier! Nancy ditched her nerdy interests to get a boyfriend (Steve). That’s where Mike initially got it hammered in his head that growing up means getting a girlfriend and moving on from “childish” things. Nancy’s relationship with Steve is an act of conformity and we know this thanks to Barb who calls Nancy out on her behavior. Will is doing the same to Mike! The argument Nancy and Barb have (this isn’t you) is a small parallel to the rain fight. Mike is conforming because he has witnessed others do it and has been told to do so. He can be like his straight sister, right? 

Once again, we have El initiating a kiss with Mike standing completely still. That’s the third time this has happened! If Mike was just surprised, why didn’t he start to kiss back? Or at least close his eyes? He had plenty of time to react. When El leaves, he has a strange expression on his face. The way his eyes dart around show that he’s realizing something, a realization in front of the closet with a lightbulb over his head. Mike thought that if he kissed El enough times, romantic feelings would eventually develop and his feelings for boys would just go away. This moment in Will’s room is when Mike realizes that those feelings are not going away. 

If this realization was just about Mike figuring out he’s attracted to boys, why is it happening after kissing a girl? Why is he standing in front of a closet while kissing El? His realization is not about liking boys, it’s about not liking girls. If Mike was realizing that he likes both boys and girls here, it would have happened after his talk with Will, not his kiss with El. He feels the need to hide in the closet because his repression is not working.

The Hopper’s letter sequence supports this as well. Mike is shown during these lines:

 “I feel like you’re pulling away from me or something.”

“I don’t want things to change.”

“So, I think that’s maybe why I came in here, to try to stop that change. To make things go back to how they were.”

El isn’t the one pulling away from Mike. We just saw her tell him she loves him! This line is foreshadowing events between seasons. Will doesn’t try to call Mike and they don’t have any contact. Mike tries to call, Will is pulling away. How is Mike changing? Of course, things are changing because the Byers are moving, but I sense a double meaning here. These scenes parallel the night they found Will’s body at the quarry. Mike feels like he’s losing Will for a second time because things are changing. Mike’s feelings are changing.

And this leads us into s4. Mike still attempts to repress his feelings by staying with El and it’s getting easier since she’s across the country. He doesn’t have to face his feelings for Will when he can’t see him!

Now let’s talk about his room decor. He has a couple of buff men (well one is a dragon but still) and one woman. This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don’t necessarily think that room decor is always an indicator for sexuality. Nancy has posters of women in her room and as much as I love to hc her as sapphic, I think it’s more likely that she’s meant to be straight in the show. So, in my personal opinion, the woman on Mike’s poster isn’t hinting at his sexuality.

I do think the one way sign is important, though. I believe this serves a double meaning. It’s pointing at the closet, but it’s also hinting at Mike’s sexuality being one way. This sign points in the same direction as Mike’s triangle pocket that’s over his heart and always pointing at Will. Mike’s heart is not split between El and Will, it goes one direction. Will! A boy!

Speaking of split, let’s talk about this. This line is commonly used as bi evidence, but I don’t interpret it that way. I think this was more foreshadowing who Mike pays attention to throughout the day. Yellow is Will and purple is El! We see Mike noticing all the details about Will being upset, but he doesn’t even pick up on El looking uncomfortable when Angela shows up. He was focused on Will more than he was El! If this line was about sexuality, why didn’t they make it blue and pink (the usual colors for gender) instead of yellow and purple? This feels more person specific rather than an overall read on Mike’s sexuality. And this could just be a double meaning but again, this is my personal interpretation.

Also this line is in past tense. “I kinda did a 70/30 split.” If this is a double meaning for his sexuality, it’s in the past tense. He tried to do a split and it didn’t work because there’s too much yellow! His attraction to boys overshadows his (nonexistent) attraction to girls!

And now onto this load of bullshit. Mike lied. That’s pretty much a fact at this point. “I’m sorry I don’t say it more.” And he’s literally never said it to her face. “It’s not because I’m scared of you. I’ve never felt that way.” Lie. He was definitely scared of her a few times in s1 and possibly when she hit Angela in s4. But the most important lie here is that he fell in love with her at first sight. Hours after they met, he wanted to send her to a mental asylum so they could find Will. He only started to really care about her when he found out she was in danger and when she said she could help find Will. He called her a weapon and yelled “what’s wrong with you?” multiple times. That’s not love. If Mike ever had feelings for El, why would he feel the need to lie about when that happened? He could’ve said the Snow Ball or some other significant moment in their relationship (there are none), but he lied! He couldn’t name the actual moment he fell in love with her because it never happened. So if Mike never had feelings for El, that means he’s gay. Mike doesn’t show attraction to girls otherwise!

The climax of the monologue is the “you’re my superhero” line. Mike doesn’t even view calling someone a superhero as romantic. He calls his friends superheroes multiple times. Why the hell is that the climax when he doesn’t see it as romantic? And what kind of superhero? Every time Mike refers to El as a specific kind of hero, it’s a male hero. The X-Men and Superman. Other characters are perfectly capable of calling El “supergirl” or saying she’s like Wonder Woman. Why does Mike seem incapable of acknowledging his girlfriend’s femininity? Gay!

I didn’t really talk about how he shows attraction to boys because if you’re reading this, I assume you know that already. I’m just going to leave this here and it should be enough:

And with that, I’m going to wrap this up here. There’s more evidence I could address, but I wanted to focus on the evidence that’s most significant to me! Mike has not shown genuine attraction to girls and his relationship with El is a form of compulsory heterosexuality. Also, yes the show will confirm his sexuality in some way. Mike doesn’t exist just to be a love interest. His journey through queerness is just as important as the currently confirmed queer characters. I think they’ll confirm it in a similar way to Will and Robin where it’s not explicitly said, but still obvious. Michael Wheeler is gay!

[gayofthefae]

Wanted to keep this out of the original post because I want it to exist solely about El but this is also all why it is so important that she be in this place before Mike and Will get together. I understand people's concern for El's reaction because they are picturing 4x03 El, the entire point of season 4 being though that she is NOT that person anymore, but I understand the confusion. It is her most recent reaction to not being loved by Mike, and they are thinking of her hating a lack of love from Mike specifically, so they don't think of her growth from that being demonstrating when she rejects Brenner's.

But the fact that she has is so important. Because I see it. She was desperate for Mike's attention, her body still viewing it as life or death - an incredibly dangerous thing to not achieve and maintain a man's attention. I do not think she would have in any way hated her brother. Unlike season 2 Max, she has an existing relationship with him. But it WOULD have been far more difficult for her were she still desperate for his love like she was.

Because it isn't just about El believing herself lovable without Mike loving her. It's also about El believing herself safe if she isn't loved.

She loves herself now. But she also knows that she's safe. So if Mike leaves for Will, she will still be lovable, and she can trust that Mike will not discard her, because he loves her independently of her "earning" or "maintaining" it. Love is not something to be failed at because it is not something you can succeed at either.

She finally knows that to be loved is a passive thing and that not to be loved is a safe thing. And they made sure she knew that before she and Mike separated.

In that post, I outline how she is not fighting for Mike's attention, but attempting to relive and rectify the love she could not earn from Brenner. It is why there are Mike/Brenner parallels from season 1(, why there are Hopper/Brenner parallels when she needs his love in season 2) and why the climax of her "love" arc in season 4 is leaving Brenner with absolutely no relation to Mike. Because the plot had no relation to Mike in the first place. He was just a man to project onto. Now she has processed the actual, deeper need, and let it go. As always, characters are wrong about what they need. In this case, she was wrong twice: what she wanted vs who she wanted it from, and what she wanted vs what she needed.

To resolve it with Brenner El realized that it was about Brenner. She has detached it from its projection on Mike and now, in regard to those stakes, he is just as Will, Lucas, Dustin, and Jonathan's love are to her.

She is free. Mike is just Mike to her now. For the first time in the series, Mike is just Mike. (also very helpful for his arc to be loved this way now). From here, anything can happen. The stakes are gone, because they were never about him to begin with.

Before, if he left, her body felt it like her abuser abandoning her all over again every time. Now, if he leaves, it's Mike leaving. Hurts. Sad. But that's all it is.

[dwobbitfromtheshire]

Will stomped to Melvald's, a rather large cloud of frustration hanging over his head. Mike and Lucas were too worried about their stupid girlfriends to bother playing D&D. . .again. He doesn't get it. What's so great about having girlfriends? He didn't get the appeal. He wished Dustin were here. He always understood. He burst into the store, not really paying attention to where he was going. He didn't realize that Hopper was in there talking to Joyce.

"I can come back," Will said when they looked at him.

"No, honey, come on in," Joyce said. "Is there something wrong?"

"Mike and Lucas blew me off for their stupid girlfriends again!" Will exclaimed.

"Hey," Hopper said. "I get that you're upset but that's my daughter."

"Sorry, you know that I don't think that El is stupid, just that Mike is spending all his time with her," Will said, and Joyce snorted.

"Hopper was just complaining about the very same thing," Joyce said.

"It is stupid. . .they're always together, and they're always kissing," Hopper said, scowling. "They're only 13!"

"Always?" Will asked.

"Yes, they never seem to come up for air!" Hopper yelled.

"That doesn't sound very healthy," Will said.

"See? The kid agrees with me," Hopper said, clapping a hand on his shoulder.

"Emphasis on kid," Joyce teased, and Hopper glared at her.

"Don't they know that other people exist, too?" Will asked.

"Doubt they can see anything else," he scoffed.

"They're young and in love, this phase will pass," Joyce said. "Sometimes, they do this when they're infatuated. It might seem like forever, but they'll find a balance eventually. You just have to be patient."

"Yeah, right," Will and Hopper both said, crossing their arms and rolling their eyes.

"I just don't like girls," Will frowned.

Hopper and Joyce went quiet as they shared a look.

"Oh, well, sweetheart," she said, taking his hand. "That's okay, that's more than okay. You know, I love you, right? Nothing is ever going to change that. I don't find anything wrong with that, I'd be hypocritical considering what I did when I was younger and still do now. You're not alone, baby."

"I love you, too, mom," Will said, smiling.

What was she talking about, though? He shook his head mentally. He didn't want to know what she did when she was younger, and he wasn't sure what it had to do with him not liking girls.

"Do you want me to leave?" Hopper asked.

"What? No," Will said. "Why? Did I say something wrong?"

"What?! No, of course, not!" Hopper exclaimed. "It's alright to like whatever you like. . .never got why people would be so upset by it. . .you know, some people like different things. Some people like oranges, you know, just oranges, and some people just like bananas. . .you know there are some people like both at the same time. . . Some like a variety. . .it all depends. Hell, I'm not good at this. . .anyway, like your mother said, I would be a hypocrite, too. She knows that more than anyone."

"People eat oranges and bananas at the same time?" Will asked.

"Well, it depends on how talented a person is," Hopper smirked proudly.

"Hopper!" Joyce scolded and then laughed.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Will asked in confusion. "I'm lost. I thought we were talking about the fact that I'm never going to find a girl I like."

Joyce and Hopper's eyes met again as their eyes widened like they realized they had messed up.

"We were just trying to make you feel less awkward about not finding a girl you like," Joyce said. "And that it's okay if you never do."

"Mission accomplished, I guess," Will laughed. "That was even more awkward than my thing."

"Well, you know, you can always be honest with us about anything, you know that, right?" Joyce asked. "I mean, when you're ready. . .I'm happy with whatever makes you happy."

Will stared at his mother. Should he tell her? Oh, he should. Will took a deep breath.

"Mom. . .," Will said, and she gave him a look of encouragement. "I hate the bowl cuts you give me. There, I said it."

"What?" Joyce asked in surprise.

"I'm sorry, but mom, they're terrible. They make me look like a mushroom!" Will exclaimed, and Hopper howled with laughter.

Joyce gave him a look, but she couldn't help but laugh with him.

"That's it? Oh, honey, how long have you been feeling this way?" She asked.

"A while," he admitted.

"I'm not hurt, although it hurts me a little to know that you were so miserable," Joyce said, chuckling. "Next time, don't be so afraid to tell me something like that. We'll figure something else out."

"If you want, I can cut your hair, and I promise not to make you look like a mushroom," Hopper grinned.

"Thanks, Hop," Will said.

"Whenever you're ready. . .in the meantime, maybe I'll never play the game, but I wouldn't mind hearing what it's all about," Hopper said. "Who knows? Maybe I can figure something out. If it sounds like fun, I'll give it a try."

"You want to hear me talk about D&D?" Will asked.

"Yeah," Hopper said, smiling softly at him.

Will beamed. Lonnie never wanted to hear about his game or even try to play. Mom and Jonathan always loved to hear him talk about it. Even though they didn't play, they listened to him like Hopper was trying to now. Will bit his tongue. He so badly wanted to say "thanks, dad" because Hopper had always been more of a father than Lonnie ever had been. Will didn't know what else to do except to throw himself into Hopper's arms, hugging him tightly.

"Aw," he heard Joyce mutter.

Will led Hopper to a couple of chairs up front and started pulling out his notebooks along with his manuals. Will fired off immediately, talking rapidly and passionately about his character. He could feel eyes on them both, however. Will glanced up briefly to find Joyce staring fondly at them both, her eyes drifting more towards Hopper. She didn't even notice when a customer came in.

"Mom?" Will called out. "Mom?! There's a customer!"

"Oh!" Joyce exclaimed and cursed when she knocked something off the counter.

Stupid, Will thought affectionately. Maybe love made you do stupid things, and he thought about Nancy sneaking out of Jonathan's room so many times, nearly making them late for work. . .yeah, Will never wanted to fall in love. . .he never wanted to be that stupid. It was cute on his mom and Hopper, though he wished they'd stop being so dumb. He wished they would get together. They were already practically a family. Stupid, Will thought again.

[gotigersiguess]

Just had a thought.

If we're meant to believe Mike's line about him feeling that he loved El the moment they found her in the woods, does it mean Mike equates feeling protective of someone with romantic love? That's genuinely what seeing her alone in the woods would evoke in a character like Mike.

And I knew somehow then -- in that moment -- that I loved you

Kind of makes me wonder why, actually. Huh. That would reframe the monologue and explain some things. The way he behaves with Will, his confused feelings and his inability to say I love you to El. Like, he maybe feels that it's love, but there's also a little gnawing feeling that maybe it's not, because that would make him ask some questions about the way he also felt about Will. Especially if there are also now some new, more grown-up, feelings for Will that he is missing in his relationship with El.

Mike is consistently shown to be someone who doesn't want to lie. He lied to El in s3, I would like to think that it taught him a lesson about being truthful with her.

Also, I don't think he would lie about something like that. Why would he need to say it in the first place? He could've omitted that piece of information. Was it just him trying to be romantic like people in the movies? That would make sense for him as a character, but it sends a a confusing message to the viewers. Like, here's what needs to be percieved as a geniune confession, but we're going to put something that could be questioned by an adult viewer that 1. Paid attention in s1 and 2. Doesn't believe in love at first sight.

[sara-yuna]

Imagine how strange it must have been for Will to wake up in the hospital after literally dying in the Upside Down, only to find out that your best friend (whom you’re in love with) somehow got a girlfriend during the week you were missing—but now she’s gone for some reason. And you’re just like: “Oh. Okay. ???”

Will doesn’t know all the things we, as the audience, do—like Mike jumping off the cliff, fighting the bullies, and relentlessly trying to find him. And who knows how much everyone actually told him about that time? They’re probably afraid of triggering Will’s trauma, so they avoid talking about it altogether. (I hope they talk about all of this in Season 5!!)

So from Will's pov that must have been so confusing. Like: 'Mike I was gone for a week and you found someone else??? What are we??? So we are just friends???'

Then there’s Season 2, and suddenly Mike only has eyes for Will. He’s always by his side, always worried about him, always looking at him like he’s the most important person in the world. So, naturally, Will’s hope starts to go up again. Maybe there’s a chance. Maybe I didn’t imagine it.

But then El comes back. And just like that, Mike starts acting weird again—distant, distracted, like his attention is being pulled in a different direction. So now Will is confused all over again. 'What are we? What am I to you? Why do you only seem to see me when she’s not around?'

It’s like this constant push and pull, leaving him in this painful limbo where he’s never sure where he stands. 😭 Then the airport hug which surely broke his heart 😭

It's a rollercoaster of emotions for him 😭

No wonder he doesn’t catch on that Mike has fallen for him so hard in Season 4.

Give my boy the happy ending he deserves 🙏💙💛

[la-plum-sefue1]

ok this might be a little out of touch but

i’ve already read a lot of posts and fan fiction in which mike and will get into an argument/mike gets mad because will lied about el comissioning the painting. maybe i’m just not getting it, so this post is for the purpose of someone PLEASE explaining to me, why would mike be mad? i really don’t think he’d make that big of a deal about the whole fiasco, i don’t even think he was really thinking straight when will told him el commissioned the painting. even if he was paying attention to when he said that, i think that if el tells him she doesn’t know about the painting, he’ll just be a bit confused, not mad. it would be more of a “Diana, what letter? DIANA, WHAT LETTER?” situation. he would go to will, probably, to talk to him about it or more realistically, in a later conversation, bring it up as nonchalantly as possible. maybe he won’t ever mention it, and he will just dearly hold on to the thought, ever so further making him fall more in love with will. but it’s like, i read a fic and it’s always them getting into a pointless argument because of that and it’s just really frustrating because i don’t get it. so someone PLEEEEASSSEEUUHHH explain why people have this appeal/are obsessed with the idea of mike getting mad over will lying to him about the painting.

[bylerpining]

mike's "blank makes you crazy" speech

I just got to this scene in my rewatch of s3 and wow, there's a lot to be said about it in terms of parallels/foreshadowing. something I noticed is that everything mike says in this scene is basically describing how he acts and feels toward will in the beginning of s4.

"it's just... being broken up, it's been hard."

in the time between s3 and s4, the show basically treated mike and will's separation as a breakup. they had a weird, unspoken falling out, and didn't keep in contact much, yet both missed each other. their goodbye was ten times more emotional than his was with el--I always found it so telling that when they're driving off and show mike looking back sadly, it doesn't cut to el, but to will crying. because of this, when mike comes home and hugs karen, crying, it's established to the audience that it's will's absence he's crying over. the sad "break up" that's happening here isn't between mike and el, but mike and will. also very interesting that right after he says this line, the walkie talkie's static interrupts him and distracts him momentarily. maybe calling attention to the fact that what he's saying to el isn't entirely true? their breakup in s3 didn't really seem "hard" for him at all; he more so treated it as a minor inconvenience and complained to lucas about it. it was treated as comedic. either way, it seems like it's there to call attention to that line.

"it's just... I was jealous, at first. and angry. and that's why I said all that stupid stuff. and, it's like, I wanted you all to myself."

mike's immediate attempts to distance himself from will, pretending to ignore will when he's around el, lashing out and blaming will for el lying to him, trying to nonchalantly ask about the painting and then acting like he doesn't care... it all screams jealousy and anger over being confused about his feelings. because he does want will all to himself. it's shown to us time and time again: in s2 when max joins the group at halloween and mike feels betrayed that will didn't tell him and seemed fine with it, at the snowball when he stares sadly at will dancing with the girl, and again in s4, when el says in her letter that there's a girl will likes and mike proceeds not to say a thing about it when he sees him, for some reason feeling like it's an affront to their relationship.

"and now I realize how unfair that is, and selfish, and like... I'm sorry."

this is very reminiscent of mike's apology to will in s4 after he realizes how he was treating him. "I was being a total self-pitying idiot," and "I deserved it." "no, no, you didn't deserve anything."

"it's just like, I've never felt like this... you know, with anyone before, and... y'know, they do say it makes you crazy."

this whole speech he does here is meant to tell us that the reason mike was acting like that is because love makes you crazy, whether or not it was particularly true for his feelings toward el. this scene comes at the end of season 3, so it's not far-fetched to believe that it's telling us "hey, remember mike's behaviour here when he acts the way he does next season toward someone else." it's literally spelling it out for us. 

and of course, we have the iconic parallel between this scene where el doesn't get what he's saying at all and s2's "crazy together" which tells us all we need to know.

[thebylertheory]

One thing that always makes me tilt my head in confusion is when someone says M*leven have been together for 4 seasons because...have we watched the same show? No they haven't lol.

If you really look at the timeline of Mike and El's relationship, you will see that they actually have not been a couple for that long. They have less episodes together as a couple than Jancy does. They kissed and got together in the last 5 minutes of season 2. Then they broke up after one episode in season 3 and didn't get back together until, again, the last couple of minutes of the season. And then they had a dubious break up in season 4 during the second episode where no one was sure if they were even still together or not. And then Mike "confessed his love" during the last episode and they didn't talk to each other once after the fact. We're still not sure by the end of season 4 if they are even really together or not because they didn't speak to each other to acknowledge any of the issues they're having or Mike's monologue.

So, the total amount of episodes where they are a confirmed on screen couple is about two and a half, give or take some minutes. Two and a half-ish episodes out of 4 seasons. And you guys expect me to believe they're supposed to be the main "it" couple? Not going to happen.

And this is why it's funny to me when people say they won't break M*leven up after all this time and make Byler canon. Like babe, they have already spent more time broken up than they have spent as an actual couple. And when we HAVE seen them as a couple on screen, they're almost tearing apart the party or they're lying to each other and making each other feel like crap. I think it's totally plausible for the Duffers to break them up for good and go through with Byler, which they HAVE been building up since season 2 whether you want to admit that or not.

It has just become glaringly obvious to me that a lot of M*levens don't actually pay attention when they're watching the show.

[lunabug2004]

I want to preface this post with the fact that I find Mileven completely adorable in seasons 1 & 2. They were truly at their peak and I adore them. I also absolutely love Dustin and Lucas. Now onto the post:

Dustin and Lucas make me so mad in s1 on behalf of Mike. Them telling Mike that he's practically obsessed and in love with El just because he missed one (1) day of school to help a kid who is their age and obv scared/in need of help, then kept her around because he thought she could help them find their missing friend... is insane to me.

I understand that they are kids, and that's why I don't really hold this against them... but it's so frustrating to watch from both a Mileven perspective and a Byler perspective. Mileven because they (or Mike at least) didn't get the chance to come to this conclusion on their own, he was basically forced to confront his newlyfound feelings in the middle of one of the worst times in his life. Byler because if Mike really does suffer from internalized homophobia omg did this mess him up even more. Like "oh, they think I like her so it must be true, right? Maybe I'm not so weird after all." type thinking was probably occurring.

Plus just the forced-ness of it all in general makes me uncomfy.

Watching Dustin say "all you ever wanna do is pay attention to her" as if it's a completely bad thing is so saddening to me, because yes, Mike really does care for El, but he's also so deadset on keeping her around and believing in her at that point because he knows she has a direct connection with Will.

Also Lucas's "El, will you marry me?" and Mike being so genuinely confused and annoyed by it is so telling to me. He was definitely not focused on his feelings for El, romantic or not, at that time! I don't see how he could be! His best friend is missing, he's known El for a couple days at least, and we know the Duffers don't believe in love at first sight (which doesn't mean they can't write it but still).

Idk, I know I'm not alone on this, but the whole situation just feels weird and slightly forced w/ romantic Mileven in s1.

[thefandombringer]

Whats the issue abt making love lowercase

The fact that they made the L in love lower case is not how titles of songs are generally written (all key words within a title are generally capitalized in standard English) so the fact that the L was lower case is very clearly an intentional choice that is meant to symbolize something. Making the love, of all words, lower case, draws attention to the possibility that there is something odd about the “love” part of the scene. That motif combined with the fact that Mike is staring at El with the most confused, open eyed kiss ever just goes to show how off this scene is if it was intended to be a genuine romantic moment for the audience to perceive as such.

[isthatmyjacket-covenofchaossq]

So, I was watching this scene again, and not for the first time, I noticed Mike and Will's expressions as Lucas tells them what happened to Max. (I won't focus on El so much now, but look at my baby girl! She's devastated.)

Mike's gaze alternates between El and Max, lying in bed, unconscious, and then back to El. (I didn't put here, but you can watch the scene if you want to and will see it)

And then we have the way Mike and Will communicate through their eyes, and the way they look at El afterwards with nothing but concern.

They know that Max probably won't survive, and that if she does, things will be hard for her. They also know that El feels guilty.

Maybe Mike knows that El has feelings for Max. And maybe that's part of why they're still together; They are both confused and scared (not because the have feelings for Will and Max respectively), but I think their biggest fear is what will happen if they let these feelings out.

They fear they will lose the people they truly love. And in El's case, she's probably already lost. (I don't want Max to die, and I don't think they brought her back just to kill her again, but still)

"I should have done more. I should have done it sooner (get Max's heart beating again). I should have stopped Henry."

But I think that in part, Mike still has hope for El (I say that because of the little smile he gives when El sits on Max's bed and takes her hand. you miss it easily if you're not paying attention, but it's there).

He knows El will do everything in her power, and more, to bring Max back once and for all. He knows El, knows how determined she is, how fierce she is, and that she doesn't give up easily.

[izzy2210]

saw your message! Here was my comment again! :)

1. May I be tagged for all your prompts? And 2. Can we see a Steddie fluff fic were Steve gets embarrassed by the amount of pet names Eddie calls him? Bonus if others start teasing him about them too such as Corroded Coffin, The Party, etc? Do it if you’re comfortable! :)

have a great whatever time of day!!!!!

ofc ofc! here you have it! this is my first request done, so if you have feedback, please tell me :)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Sweetheart, Let me just..” Steve is standing in the kitchen, planning on making cheese nachos for the Party, when Eddie decides he needs attention. He shimmies through the small passageway between the island and the cabinets, and stops walking when he’s next to Steve. “Hi Eds. Just making some food for you guys.” “Mhm.” Eddie sits on the counter, his thigh touching Steve’s arm. “You take good care of us, sunshine.” Steve’s face reddens. 

“Sunshine?” “Yeah.” Eddie has a huge grin plastered on his face, but Steve is too focussed on his tomatoes to notice. “Okay.” “You don’t like it, sweetheart?” “Sweetheart..” He chokes out, and the red has reached his ears now. “So you like it?” “Y-yeah, I do.” “Good, fair-haired boy.” Eddie hops off the counter, and before he joins the Party in the living room, he gives Steve’s ass a good squeeze. Steve is speechless.

“Coming through! Get your hands off of eachother!” Robin comes into the kitchen, her hand in front of her eyes. Eddie barks out a laugh, and pats her shoulder when they pass each other. “Steve. I just- Steve?” “Yeah?” His voice sounds high pitched, and he’s still bent over his cutting board. 

“What’s wrong?” Robin squeezes past just like Eddie just did, and decides to sit on the counter as well. Steve thinks that his two friends are more alike than they think. “Nothin’. Really nothing, it’s great, even.” “Yeah? Sure?” Robin nudges his arm with her knee, raising her brows. “Yeah. I’m sorry, can you just finish these for me?” He points at the tomatoes. “I just need to do something.” She nods, her brows still raised. “Thanks, Robs.”

“Sweetheart, what is it?” Eddie is sprawled out over the couch, and Steve immediately turns red again. The Party is looking at each other, Will at Mike with a confused look, El and Dustin with a knowing one. “Can you come real quick?” “Come for you? Of course Stevie!” “Shut up.” Eddie laughs, but follows him up to Steve’s room. Well, since Eddie’s trailer got ripped in two pieces, their room. 

The Party stares at them while they go up the stairs. “They’re gonna fuck, aren’t they?” Mike sighs. “Mike!” Lucas and Dustin shout at the same time. “What?” “You don’t just say that?!” Dustin screams. “I just did.” He shrugs. “Ok, little goblins, shut up!” Robin shouts from the kitchen.

“What’s wrong, honey?” Eddie’s sitting next to Steve on his bed, who has his hands covering his face. “That! Exactly that.” “What, love?” Eddie’s still smirking. He knows what he’s doing. “Just, the nicknames. I can’t-” “You don’t like ‘em, baby?” Eddie moves his hand from his lap to Steve’s. “Fuck.. I do, I really do, that’s kinda the problem.” “Mh?” Eddie’s hand moves to Steve’s back, rubbing, soothing. “You really want me to say it, huh?” He chuckles, and Eddie chuckles with him. “Yup.” 

“You calling me sunshine and love and baby, it turns me on more than it should, okay?” He runs his hand over his face. 

That is not the answer Eddie expected, and his hand comes to a stop on Steve’s back. “I thought you were gonna say it made you flustered.” “No, it turns me on. And it makes me flustered but I don’t think that’s the important bit.” Eddie chuckles, and Steve looks at him. “Sorry.” “No, it’s fine. I can see how that’s funny.” He chuckles as well, and before they know it, they’re laughing. “I’m so stupid..” “Hey fuck off, you’re not.” Eddie’s hand started moving again. 

“You’re just saying that, man.” “Hey, no, I’m not.” He’s taken Steve’s face in his hands now, cupping both cheeks. Steve doesn’t even have the time to register it. “You are by far one of the smartest people I know.” Steve huffs. “That's definitely not true. Dustin knows all about your little nerd game, and El is so good at English, and I’m just kinda here with all my concussions and barely successful courses.” Steve’s eyes begin to fill with tears, and he tries to blink them away. It isn’t working. “Hey fuck that, man. You can’t do shit about those concussions, and the so-called bad grades were ‘cause you were pushed into sports by your dad.” 

“I know that, but still. I’ve surrounded myself with people who know more than me, and.. Just.. I dunno. It’s shitty to be dumb sometimes.” Now it’s Eddie’s turn to huff. “Listen to me clearly, ‘cause I’m saying this just fucking once, you, Steve-whatever your middle name may be-Harrington, are not stupid. You are a darling, and you’re so pretty, and I really wanna kiss you, but you’re not stupid.”

“Wha-what?”

Oh fuck oh fuck oh fuck, he said that out loud. Well, shit. No way back now. “I said you’re pretty. And I said I want to kiss you.” They stare at each other for a while, and then Steve opens his mouth. “Well fuck, you already have my face in your hands, do I have to do it for you, or will you do it now?” “The mean girl in you never stops, huh?” Eddie murmurs, bringing Steve's face even closer than it is. Steve closes the gap, and it’s a soft, sweet kiss.

“Nope..” He breathes, pushing Eddie down a little. Eddie’s not amazed by how good Steve can kiss, of course,he was King of Hawkins High, but he is amazed that he’s experiencing it. “Stevie.” He mutters, moving his hands from his back, down, until he’s groping his ass. Steve lets out a squeal, and Eddie laughs. "Eds, I like sunshine better.” “Okay then, sunshine.” He gets another kiss, a bit more urgent this time.

“Steve? Eddie? If I come in, will I see you on top of each other?” Robin's voice sounds through the door. “Fuck..” Steve gets off Eddie, and rakes his hand through his hair. “No.” The door opens, and Robin comes in. She takes one look at the both of them, and sighs. “What?” Steve’s confused. She leans on the side of the door, arms folded. 

“Fucking finally, you’ve figured it out. Happy for you, really, I am, but the goblins downstairs are not so patiently waiting for their campaign to start.” Eddie decides to ignore the first comment, and stress over the second. “Oh shit, yeah I’ll come down.” Robin turns around, walking away. “You better.”

When they’re alone again, Steve stretches out his hand. Eddie takes it. “What the fuck just happened?” He asks. “I think we kissed. And I think you grabbed my ass. Twice.” Eddie snorts. “Yeah sorry ‘bout that.” “Kinda liked it.” He shrugs. Eddie raises his brows, and chuckles again. “Okay, I have to do a campaign right now, but when we’re done, I’ll come upstairs, ‘kay? And we’ll.. We’ll finish what we started, ‘kay sunshine?” Steve’s still breathing heavily. He nods. “Yeah. Yeah, let's do that.” Eddie stands up, pulling Steve with him. “You coming, baby?” Steve smirks. “Come for you? of course Eds!” They laugh, and Eddie hits him with his pillow. “Seriously, Stevie?” He pulls him closer, and they kiss again. “Yeah. Seriously.”

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Stranger Things Rewatch "The Vanishing of Will Byers" (Part 2 of 2)

Disclaimer: This is NOT a traditional review/analysis, but a collection of observations, brief commentary, favorite moments, and so on that I'm noting as I go through these episodes. All of these are just my opinions and/or theories, and can be subjected to change as the rewatch continues.

Observations:

I was under the assumption Brenner used food as a means of getting El to act the way he wanted her to, and would starve her as punishment if she dared to disobey him (hence Benny's comment here about El not being fed enough). This is the same guy who was willing to deprive Kali/Eight of sleep in Suspicious Minds when she refused to tell him something he wanted to know, so I wouldn't put anything past Brenner when it came to the abusive way he treated these kids.

It's hard to tell how much of El's behavior with Benny here is because she's having a hard time processing and understanding what's he's saying, if she's reluctant to trust him because he's the first person she's met outside of the lab, or if she's been conditioned so thoroughly by Brenner to not talk about who she is or what she does with other people who aren't him (or the Orderlies/Lab Staff) that she still can't overcome that mental block despite having escaped.

Also, major props to Benny for being the first adult to show El any kindness. I like to believe that when El killed Connie Frazier in the season finale, she was thinking of avenging Benny in that moment.

The idea of Lonnie dating girls who are underage (or that Joyce seems to think he would) is just.......🤢 🤮 As if this show didn't give enough reasons for why he's a loathsome creep. 😒

I'm curious if the dog was able to sense the presence of the Upside Down, or if it's continuing to bark at the shed because that was the last known location of Will and the Demogorgon. Or maybe he can sense that Will is there somehow, but not physically present, which is confusing him.

Canonically, from this conversation, this is the first time Mr. Clarke and Hopper introduce themselves to one another. They apparently had the same science teacher growing up (Ms. Ratliff), but never interacted with each other while going to school. Hopper explains his distaste for science that Mr. Clarke doesn't share. There's also the implication that social status during their school years played a part in why these two didn't interact prior to this point. Mr. Clarke would likely have been a nerd growing up, and dialogue indicates Hopper was a ladies man and likely popular during his heyday (similar to Steve).

Speaking of Steve.......

This entire interaction between Mike and Steve speaks for itself. 😂

RIP Benny Hammond. You deserved better! 😢

I've questioned the logic of Connie killing Benny, especially because of how it drew unwanted attention (especially from Hopper of all people) when that's likely the last thing Brenner and Hawkins Lab wanted. At this point, Benny was fully cooperating with Connie, and was about to give El to her since he believed Connie was from social services. There's nothing in his conversation with Connie prior to his death that would've made her suspicious that Benny saw something he shouldn't have, or that he believed there was something abnormal about El.

It's also notable that El doesn't run when she first sees Connie at the door with Benny. She runs AFTER Connie shoots Benny. That implies that Connie was someone El hadn't seen before, meaning Connie could have gotten El to come with her without fuss (and without arousing Benny's suspicions) and then later hand her over to Brenner before El realized what was happening. If Connie had been ordered to kill Benny just for seeing El and wanting to keep her existence a secret, then at the very least, she should have waited until after they had El in their custody so that she wouldn't be able to run away. Connie really screwed up here.

I love the song choice of "White Rabbit" by Jefferson Airplane for the scene where El escapes Benny's restaurant. The lyrics to the song were inspired by the book Alice in Wonderland, and the natural curiosity Alice has when she explores Wonderland (similar to El's curiosity about the world outside of the lab). However, it was also about the type of drug-induced "trips" you take when you get high on psychedelics. Grace Slick, frontwoman for Jefferson Airplane, argued Alice in Wonderland contained metaphorical drug references, like the catepillar on a psychedelic mushroom smoking opium, or Alice eating something that causes her to become "too big for the room." The song itself was written and released in the 60s when psychedelics like LSD were being used, and those same psychedelics were taken by El's mom, Terry Ives, during the experiments she did at Hawkins Lab while pregnant with El. This factored into El obtaining the abilities she has. Symbolically, the song does a great job describing El's situation and how she came to be.

Another song choice I liked was "Africa" by Toto for the Steve and Nancy scene. There's always been a debate about what the lyrics mean (and from what I've heard, the band meant for the song to actually be about the continent of Africa rather than as just a metaphor), but when I first heard the song years ago, I interpreted it as about a man being enamored by a woman, anticipating the moment when they get together, and wanting it to be a special moment. Given Steve's interest (and flirtation) with Nancy in this scene, as well as his insistence to her that he doesn't just see her as another notch under his belt and is truly invested in her, both he (and Nancy) want it to be a special moment as well.

For the people who complained in S4 about how OOC it was for Joyce not to notice that Jonathan was high, they establish from the first episode that Joyce can get distracted when she has other stuff on her mind. Whether it's working to provide for the family, or trying to come up with a convincing cover-story for her kids so she can go to Russia to rescue Hopper. It doesn't mean she doesn't care for Jonathan or Will (not that I should have to say this to anyone who's been paying attention to this show).

Finally, this iconic moment still stands out after all these years:

The moment Mike claims he fell in love with El. And the moment where El met the first people she could truly call her friends.

On an unrelated note, today it rained, similar to how it rains in this episode. That detail is irrelevant to this discussion, but I thought it was a nice coincidence! :)

Thank you for reading my thoughts on the rewatch! :)

Coming Soon: Stranger Things Rewatch "The Weirdo on Maple Street."