#will to mike: you're my leader my inspiration you can do it

[gayofthefae]

I just realized. Mike reused a bunch of speeches but do you know what we haven't talked about? The beautifully improvised

"You're my superhero"

Immediately following him hearing "you're the heart". He tried it. He tried saying something like it. It didn't hit the same.

because

You're the heart

You're my superhero

Mike thought it would work on El because it worked on him

When Mike thought to himself "What does it feel like to love someone?" he could only think of Will. The first day we met. You're my hero, my inspiration. He reused but he said to Will but we rarely talk about how he reused what Will said to him.

And now that I think about it, what he said to him seconds earlier in full earshot of El. He reused something she heard Will say.

That means she knows when Mike repeated it he meant "what Will just said to me? I saw it as romantic"

[love-byers]

DM-GATE (a st/byler theory)

if you saw this last night, strap in. because this post is about that

so me and @reo-bylerwagon were talking about how weird mike's dialogue is in s4, specifically in his monologue. it's so....corny. his monologue just doesn't sound like stranger things. mike just doesn't talk like that ever. characters who are overly dramatic and corny are made fun of by other characters. the show just doesn't train you to accept something as corny as mike's monologue, especially from MIKE. mike just isn't that kind of character.

we also pointed this dramatic dialogue between mike and will in the van. will's monologue to mike is very sweet but the dialogue is kind of corny too. will compares mike to a knight in shining armor, leading and inspiring as the heart of the party.

and i, in a moment of completely oblivious genius, said "honestly in the monologue he uses the same voice he does when he's dm"

if you don't know what dm is, it means dungeon master. the dungeon master is the one in dnd who leads the adventure, the organizer.

this is the role mike has in season 1 when they're playing dnd. will is also dm in s3 when they briefly play, right before the byler rain fight. eddie is the only other character we see be dm.

dms have to be eccentric, they have to act. they have to be convincing. they have to lead and guide.

in the painting will gives mike, the party are depicted as their dnd characters. so no one can even say this isn't connected to dnd.

"See how you're leading us? You're guiding the whole party, inspiring us. That's what you do.

See your coat of arms here? It's a heart. I know it's sort of on the nose, but that's what holds this whole party together. Heart. Because, I mean, without heart, we'd all fall apart."

in the monologue when will calls back to their conversation in the van, this is symbolic of mike reverting back to his role as dungeon master, as leader. if mike has to lie in the monologue, of course he would pull from a role he's played where he makes things up and sounds convincing.

@reo-bylerwagon gave the best line ever, "he's being the mike in the painting"

and the craziest part is that's CANON. mike is inspired by what will says, he takes it to heart. he feels more confident. he tries to be the mike in the painting. it should be easy, to speak from his heart to el, but it's not, because he's not in love with her. in the monologue, mike is doing the same thing he does when he's dm. he's performing. he's trying to be convincing. he's trying to guide, to inspire.

also, @reo-bylerwagon said that will pushing mike to giving the monologue is giving "MIKE YOUR ACTION!!" WHICH IS SO FUCKING TRUE😭😭

after this realization i went back and watched the scenes where mike is dming. the VERY FIRST LINE OF DIALOGUE we hear in the show is mike dming. "Something is coming, something hungry for blood." and the second line?

i could never put a finger on why mikes language in the monologue seemed so weird. it's because he's talking like a dm. he's using the dramatic language dms use during a dnd session.

@reo-bylerwagon also pointed out that mike and will are piggybacking off of dnd to save el. everyone in the final fight was piggybacking.

will set the stage, mike executed. 

also, i mentioned the only other character see be dm besides mike and will is eddie.

and what is eddie's big moment in s4?

Master of Puppets.

MASTER. OF PUPPETS. DUNGEON MASTER. DUDE.

and another thing

we've all seen this, but it's not only that mike and will's characters are on the book.

it's a dungeon masters guide.

with mike and will's characters on it.

mike and will. the only party members we've seen be dungeon masters.

COME THE FUCK ON.

AND ANOTHER THING

"Dude, that's the donation box."

"I know, I'll just use yours when I come back. I mean...if we still wanna play."

"Well yeah but...what if you want to join another party?"

"Not possible."

this is a dm i got like 2 years ago that changed my brain chemistry:

this is NOT a reach. everything in st is compared to dnd. the duffers are massive dnd nerds. it is not unbelievable that they'd connect this to dnd as well.

[ice-sculptures]

oh my god, I am so sorry for these not all being in one ask. More parallels/ideas keep popping into my brain. I'm literally just keeping this open in a tab so I can collect my thoughts before I sleep instead of you receiving a million more asks.

El in the Red Room* instead of Brenner's lab? P A I N *

Even though this would be funny with either El or Max, the idea of Max being the one teasingly suggesting ladies to date feels very on brand for her.

El as Sharon Carter/Agent 13 is particularly funny if Mike is Cap since Sharon and Steve are supposed to have a romantic relationship. (I hear it's way more fleshed out and awesome in the comics, though I haven't read them myself). But also- Sharon/Natasha = Elmax vibes?

Dustin deserves to be here. My brain is too tired to figure out where to put him. At the very least, I can see him as one of the agents who stood up to HYDRA agents and helped out Cap. He's too good and pure to be Arnim Zola. For whatever reason, my other idea is Dustin as Ant-Man even though he isn't even in CA:TWS.

Lucas is the best, and so is Sam Wilson. That's it. That's the bullet point. Really though, both are SO loyal, skilled in combat/strategy, and has a good head on his shoulders but also is gutsy enough to follow Steve/The Party when they decide to do stupid shit. -I just imagined Lucas in the scene where Sam fights the Hydra Agents using just a knife and his broken steering wheel during that freeway scene???? I'm sorry, I need to lie down.

TROY AS THAT ANNOYING PRICK BROCK RUMLOW. Troy doing some shitty monologue and Lucas shutting him down, as he should!

In my mind, Will = Steve/Cap and Mike = Bucky/Winter Soldier is more obvious, but there are a few things where I could see it the other way around:

Will=Cap & Mike= Bucky

Will has light hair and has that pure, good heart like Steve. He's grown up with a single mom, a poor family, and an abusive father. He's also very artistic and intelligent. Will has a strong bond with Lucas that gives me Steve and Sam vibes (esp if you also ship Byclair). Also, seeing Will lose his shit at the Bucky/Mike reveal??? and the ELEVATOR FIGHT SCENE?????

Mike has that dark, wild hair like the Winter Soldier. He is fiercely protective over Will, taller than Will when they were kids, and has mastered the art of wrapping an arm around Will's shoulders and pulling him somewhere else. Also, Mike's and Lucas's bickering feels similar to Bucky and Sam's in Civil War. Except Wheelclair get along better than Bucky and Sam do.

HOWEVER

Mike=Cap & Will= Bucky

Mike is the receiver of the Megamind meme: No bitches? Besides El and of course Will himself. Will loved him from the very beginning, like Bucky. Mike is the leader and a good strategist. El could be Peggy, but also I don't want her to be dead XD Mike had the survivor's guilt when he thought that he failed to save Will from dying, and when he found out that Will was ACTUALLY alive? No one and no thing was going to stop him. Not the government, not the military, not shadowy organizations, and not whatever was messing with his best friend's head. He, like Steve, is also due for a complete breakdown.

Will is the one who disappeared after an unsuccessful campaign and came back irreversibly different. He's been mentally manipulated and had his body used for killing people without his consent. Will gets all the girls. Will canonically knows how to use a gun, just like our favorite sniper <3**

Thank you for being patient and reading my ramblings if you've gotten this far! I clearly love both movies/shows, and also you were the first ST fanblog I followed, which made me even more excited! I hope you're having a good time whenever and wherever you are! May your new year be filled with inspiration!

-

*Especially since I think comics!Natasha has some experimental "replicated" super soldier serum = El's powers. It's a reach, but isn't that what brainstorming is about? **I'd give the sniper position to Lucas if this were a Cap 1 fic with the Party as the Howling Commandos. I need to sleep before my brain decides wreak more havoc with a CA:TFA/ST crossover. I've been adding to this for almost two hours now XD

i'm sorry i never answered it when you first sent this but i want you to know i typed up a gigantic response in my notes (along with my plans for an honest to god byler stevebucky AU, as well as a full list of byler and stucky parallels) and then had it all erased when my dumb ass spilled water on my laptop 💀

[treeremovalpensacola]

LMs advisory board shares what changes you can make to unlock growth

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[lesbianelphie]

Having thoughts about Mike and El's similar approaches to self-worth and how it both informs and fractures their relationship. El concluded, both from Brenner and from her interactions in the outside world, that her value depended more or less on her ability to use her powers / save people. And Mike's self-worth is similarly informed by his ability to be a leader and support other people. So Mike affirms El by telling her how good she is at being a hero ("you're not the monster because you saved me", "you're a superhero") because that's the kind of thing HE wants to hear (and ultimately then gets from Will with "you're the heart"). El then in turn attempts to reinforce her own self worth via being useful and saving others, unintentionally reinforcing for Mike that she does not need him and that he is inconsequential in relation to her. While they both do attempt to show how much they matter to each other, their attempts (El saving him and telling him she loves him/is excited to see him, Mike attempting to protect her in return) fall flat because it's not really what the other needs (for El, being seen for who she is outside of her powers; for Mike, affirmation that he has value as a person without powers). And in the end El gets what she needs from Hopper ("I know you can fight but right now I need you safe, I miss spending time with you and doing our bonding activities together") and Max (giving her space to explore her unique authentic identity outside of the men in her life). And Mike gets what he needs from Will (specific reason why his loved ones need him, what he has to offer, actively refuting the notion that he is a "nobody").

So really what Mike and El need to truly understand each other and repair their broken relationship is explicit recognition that their insecurities and identity stem from the same need to be needed. Which ideally ends with them breaking up and developing secure self-worth outside of their dependence on each other, but also could theoretically save their romantic relationship if executed properly.

Which is all to say that Hopper's "I know you can fight but right now I need you safe" is one of my top El interactions period please s5 scene where this man re-affirms for his daughter that she would be deeply loved even if she was supernaturally useless. I'm also gunning for mike having an issue in s5 where he is feeling too disheartened to give ppl pep talks and finally just breaks down bc he's supposed to be the Heart but what good is he if he can't even give motivation leader speeches anymore and will has to buckle down again and be like "we love you for yourself not your inspirational speeches dumbass <3" and after both having this sense of inherent self-worth knocked into them el and mike can finally address this with each other and repair their broken ass friendship.

AND AND. Thinking s5/post-series elmax. Disability metaphor (El learning that if she can wholly love a Max who is blind and paralyzed then she can love a herself who doesn't have powers anymore). El learning self-compassion and self-acceptance via observing her own / the party's unconditional and unchanging love for a disabled Max.

(This post sponsored by highlights from a convo w @birdbrainless)

[morganee]

hiiii 💟 what do you think mike and will’s favorite things about each other are? what are YOUR favorite things about the both of them? 

omg me?? you're asking me?? I feel so honoured, I never get these asks :') (but I love them)

Let's see. I think that Will's smile is one of Mike's favourite things. Like, I can totally see him melt in a puddle of happiness whenever Will smiles at him (because Will's smile is just so contagious!) and just forgets what he's saying because Will is smiling. I think he also really likes when Will talks to him and tells him stories. He gets lost in them - and definitely takes inspiration from his tales - and it's a side no one else gets to see because Will only gets this comfortable around Mike.

Trivially, I think that one of Will's favourite things about Mike is his hair. He likes to stroke them when they're relaxing on the couch but he really loves to draw them for two reasons: he can practice drawing curly hair and he gets an excuse to draw Mike more often. Then, a bit less trivially, I think Will really loves and appreciates Mike's creativity and would be one of the only ones encouraging him to keep using it.

Now, my favourite things about them: I love Will's selflessness. Sometimes I think he's a bit too selfless because he would literally put his happiness aside as long as the people he loves get a happy ending. He's so pure, I love that about him. And I love Mike's determination. I really think he's a natural leader (he lost that a bit in s3 and s4, I hope we get it fully back in s5) and he'd do anything to save his friends and family. While it might not always be a good quality, I like how determined he is (like, never giving up on Will <3).

Well, this was fun but also hard! Thank you for this ask anon!!

[gayofthefae]

Mike has never described how he feels about El in the entire series - and this was somewhat acknowledged in season 4. He always took an out: his out in season 1 was kissing her. He got lucky in season 3 when she came back to him before he had to.

But in season 4, volume 2, we are lied to. We are told that he is telling her how he feels about her......So let's go through it, shall we?

So we have 4 categories:

Shorthand. He has established in 3x07 that he cannot define "I love you", so we know it is an out for him. In this category: "I love you" "And I knew right then and there, in that moment, that I loved you. And I've loved you every day since. I love you on your good days. I love you on your bad days. I love you with your powers, I love you without your powers. I love you for exactly who you are." "I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods."

Statements. These can be emotionally delivered, but the words are simply facts or claims. Facts that would be true regardless of feeling or claims of how he feels with no elaboration on the experience of feeling that way. In this category: "But the truth is, El, I don't know how to live without you." "You were wearing that yellow Benny's Burgers T-shirt. And it was so big, it almost swallowed you whole." "And I can't lose you. Okay? Do you hear me? I can't lose you."

Compliments. These focus on her positive qualities, but positive qualities are more reflective of admiration than love. He shifts the focus from himself and what loving her feels like to the logical reasons 'one' should love her. In this category: "You're my superhero." "You can do anything. You can fly. You can move mountains. I believe that; I really do."

Apology/Explanation. He regrets not saying he loved her before because he regrets making her sad. He wants her to know the reasoning behind it is not that she is an unlovable monster or because she is without her powers. In this category: "I'm sorry I don't say it more. It's not because I'm scared of you. I'm not. I've never felt that way. Never." "But I am scared that one day you'll realize you don't need me anymore. And I thought if I said how I felt, it would somehow make that day hurt more."

Adjustments I would make:

Describe "how" he feels instead of just "when" or in which situations he feels it. Will uses a good example of this in saying that Mike gives him courage.

Elaborate on claims. A great way to do this is to use contrast. You're scared of losing her, well then what does being without her feel like? Your life started that day, what was your life like before you met her in contrast? Will does this by saying that without Mike, he feels like a mistake, but that that feeling goes away when he's with him.

Keep the focus on himself and his feelings. Logical reasoning keeps the focus logical instead of emotional. "She is amazing" that is a biased statement but it is still a statement. There is a difference between "you're a superhero" and "you make me feel safe". Will does this when he says that Mike leading the party is "inspiring". That is a feeling that Mike's leadership evokes, as opposed to simply calling him a leader.

These are helpful and heartfelt but they are not romantic. They are the closest we get to romantic emotional descriptions. Yet, they still aren't. Being scared of losing her is not even categorized by him as a definition of love, it is part of his apology. He is not explaining "how" he feels about her, he is explaining "why" he acted the way he did. Instead, a romantic modification would simply be to keep this but add a description of love in the other categories. Will includes an explanation as well in saying that pushing Mike away was just because he was scared of losing him. This works in his speech but not Mike's only because all other content of his speech is romantic. This is simply an explanation of behavior, not a description of emotion.

Will uses Mike's tactics only once in that van scene. "Of course she needs you, she'll always need you, Mike." A baseless claim before he adds story and proof to it. This claim does not work. The only tactic of Will's that Mike properly uses is the only one that failed on him.

Every confession he makes boils down to "I have every reason to love you. I should love you." But he sticks to logic in description every time without fail.

Women are "emotion, not logic". He does not feel romantic emotions for her. He feels romantic logic. That it makes sense for him to love her.

Mike states that he loves El. But Mike never describes himself as loving El. He only ever describes El as being lovable.

See here: Mike's speech is a beat for beat recitation of Will's but without the emotion