lillie98

[lillie98]

I find something Holy in Floyd Collins’s final vocalizations. He understands he will die in his cave, and faces the truth with nothing but joy.

He ventured into the Great Sand Cave to find his fortune and provide for his family but, in the end, he found something much more valuable: Himself.

He found Love from his family, memories of beautiful moments spent together, and strength to face his next adventure head-on. Floyd may never have made it out of the cave (though his body was eventually excavated), but he inspired generations of adventurers and dreamers to do the impossible.

His final vocalizations represent his acceptance of his fate and the joy that comes with knowing you accomplished your mission. No one may have enjoyed the Great Sand Cave in the way Floyd originally envisioned, but his memory lives on in the people moved by his story and the kindness shown to him in his hours of need.

Well done, Floyd. You found your fortune after all.

[lillie98]

It's crazy how for Mike "spending romantic time with my girlfriend" has to involve kissing and making out while for Lucas "I'm spending romantic time with my girlfriend" doesn't have to and is rather more casual such as having a movie night at the mall although they are accompanied by two of their friends.

Then when they're all in the cinema, Lucas and Max are next to each other and Mike and Will are next to each other. So if for Lucas, spending romantic time with his partner is a casual thing like going to watch a movie, then for byler it was also romantic time.

Mike has to be explicit about his "love" towards El.

[lillie98]

I've said this so many times already but I NEED a scene where Will seemingly dies in front of Mike's eyes who lets out the most agonizing scream and crawls over to Will's body, shaking him, desperately trying to wake him up, sobbing, blaming himself... and when Will wakes up eventually I need the most gut wrenching hug of relief between them both. GIVE ME THE ANGST, THE PAIN, THE TEARS! No for real I need Mike to CRY for Will.

[lillie98]

Aftermath [Steddie]

Eddie has lost so much blood his skin is ashen, and Steve stomach is in knots after he notices the apprehension on the doctor’s face when she sees Eddie’s limp body.

“I’ll do whatever I can, but I can’t promise you anything,” she whispers to Nancy, Steve and Robin, taking care not to alarm the kids gathered around Dustin on the waiting room.

“Just try to help him, please,” Nancy, ever so strong and reliable, says. Her hands are shaking though.

The doctor nods. “Of course.”

It’s a close call, but they do manage to save Eddie’s life. The doctor doesn’t know how long it will take for him to wake up, he took some serious internal damage. They did their best to help him, now it's up to Eddie. All they can do now is wait and let Eddie heal, the doctor says.

Easier said than done, Steve’s never been good at waiting.

He spends the first night staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, exhausted after the hell they went through that day, but unable to sleep. He wanted to stay with Eddie, but he’s not family and he can’t just say he needs to be there because a couple of hours ago Steve had to drag Eddie, unconscious and still bleeding heavily, all the way through an interdimensional gate and Steve is still afraid that all this effort is going to be for nothing; that they’re going to lose Eddie anyway if Steve’s not there to make sure he’s okay.

They’d probably give him a one-way ticket to Penhurst if Steve said something like that, so it’s smarter if he doesn't.

When morning comes, he finally gets out of bed and goes to the hospital. Eddie’s uncle is still there, eyes hollow and tired. He nods at Steve when Steve enters the room and sits on the chair beside him.

Steve does the same thing the next day.

And the next.

And the next.

Eddie doesn’t wake up. Oddly enough, seeing his chest rise and fall with each breath is the only thing keeping Steve’s anxiety in check.

He spends every second of free time in that hospital room. He knows most of the Party is gathering in Nancy’s house, or Hopper’s place, making plans on how to deal with the aftermath of defeating Vecna, but Steve can’t bring himself to join them, doesn’t see a reason to. Steve’s done his part, he helped Nancy, fought whatever monster he had to, brought Eddie back and now he’s done.

Whatever’s gonna happen now that it’s over is nothing Steve can really help with. He doesn’t have superpowers like El, he’s not a genius like Dustin and he’s not a trained cop with knowledge of military secrets like Hopper. He’s a Family Video employee and a babysitter when needed and, right now, Eddie is the one who needs him the most.

With Vecna defeated or not, Hawkins is still in chaos and there are still people who believe Eddie Munson is a satanic leader who should be dealt with. So Steve leaves the planning and whatever else to the Party and Nancy and Hopper and does what he does best; he babysits.

Wayne’s got the night shift covered, but even with Hawkins deep in madness the man still gotta work. Steve stays with Eddie when Wayne can’t, sometimes he stays even when the older man is still there. They don’t talk much, just some pleasantries and a little bit of small talk here and there when the silence becomes stifling.

Because, really, what can Steve say to Eddie’s uncle? Until a couple of weeks ago Steve Harrington had no ties to Eddie Munson whatsoever. All he knew about the guy was what people around town loved to gossip about.

He’s a drug dealer.

He worships Satan.

He’s dangerous.

Bullshit, all of it. Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit.

Okay, maybe not the drug dealer part, but that’s not the point. The point is that Eddie Munson almost died to save Hawkins. He almost got eaten alive by a bunch of demon-bats and Steve had to carry his broken, bleeding body all the way back from that hellhole and most of the time Steve can still feel the ghost warmth from Eddie’s blood against his skin. Sometimes he still looks down at his hands and expects them to be red and dripping.

He’s spiraling, he’s almost sure. He can’t sleep at home, where the silence is too much, and he can’t sleep here because he needs to watch over Eddie. He’s bound to break at some point, no one can go on for long when they’re barely getting any sleep and surviving on bland cafeteria food and vending machine snacks, but Steve’s gonna deal with that when the time comes.

Until then, the doctor said he had to wait and wait he does.

For two whole weeks, Steve sits on that uncomfortable chair beside Eddie’s bed and waits. From morning to night, he sits there and watches Eddie breathe quietly, hears the machines attached to him beep loud and clear, and waits.

It’s early afternoon, on the fourteenth day, when Eddie finally opens his eyes. Steve is there, distractedly flipping through a magazine and not realizing what is fucking happening, when Eddie wakes up.

“Hey there, big boy,” Eddie says, hoarse and low, but conscious, and Steve almost chokes on his own spit.

He wants to cry, he wants to laugh, he wants to run down the hallway and yell for the nurse to come here right the fuck now and check if Eddie is alright. He does nothing of the sort.

“You look like shit, Munson,” Steve says instead, voice tight, hands trembling as he folds the magazine and takes the few steps towards the bed.

Eddie smiles up at him, his lips chapped and face so, so pale, but his eyes are alive and with that hint of amusement Steve became familiar with during their little adventure against interdimensional monsters.

“You’re not any better,” he replies.

“Fair enough.”

Careful not to disturb all the stuff attached to Eddie, Steve sits on the edge of the bed and, for the first time since Eddie was admitted there, takes his hand. It’s warm, clean, nothing like it had been before.

Steve really wants to cry right now.

“You’re gonna make me swoon,” Eddie teases.

“Shut up,” Steve chides, but doesn’t let go of the other man’s hand.

He’ll call the nurse to check on Eddie, of course. Eventually. But right now he just wants to bask in the relief of having Eddie there, alive and talking and looking at him with those bright eyes Steve sometimes thought he’d never seen again.

After all the waiting he did, Steve earned this.

[lillie98]

I feel like I've cracked a code.

The reason Mike's fighting with everyone in Season 3 is simple - he's fighting with himself.

We see him frustrated with pretty much everyone. Max, Lucas, Hopper, El, Will. He pulls faces, he feels entitled, he doesn't want to admit he's wrong with the El situation, he lies and picks fights, and this is where pretty much everyone in the ga agrees the Duffers 'ruined' his protective character. To me, as someone who studies psychology at a degree level, this is pretty clearly displacement of anger and anger as a defence mechanism.

We see it as a defence mechanism during the garage fight when Will confronts him and questions the integrity of his and El's relationship ruining the party. It could be said that Mike's angry at Will for doing this, but to me, he feels threatened. Externalised anger can come out as a response to feeling threatened, in this case displacing some of Mike's anger at himself onto Will. In the first part of the season, before the garage fight, we see a build-up of this displacement - mostly focused on Hopper who also makes Mike feel threatened, because he's questioning his relationship with El. Mike knows it's wrong, he knows he's pretending a little bit. So when he's questioned by Will, who is the subject of his shame and pain, his anger comes out at full force, truly showing exactly WHAT he is mad about. At himself.

Being queer <3

Examples of displacement I usually use to describe it are: Someone might lash out at a coworker after a stressful day because they are actually angry at themselves for not managing their time or workload effectively. A rich mean girl targets and bullies those at school who have it worse than her, because she has a bad home life, which she feels shame about.

Mike is using displacement to direct anger at people who make him have to confront how he feels about himself, since he's not ready to focus his anger or mind onto the real target, which is too shameful and painful to think about for him. That real target is not liking girls.

So when Will exhibits what he views as the same behaviour he wants to show, then he displaces the anger at himself onto Will.

If he's not allowed to feel good about not liking girls, then nobody is.

He does it again:

If Mike feels like someone else is ruining the integrity of his relationship with El (Will), then he wants El to know that she shouldn't be letting anyone ruin them.

He does it in season 2:

If Mike blames himself for El's disappearance, and feels like he's been lying, then he wants Hopper to feel like he hasn't protected El, like he's a liar. (He's literally crying because he's guilt-ridden you fools).

If he doesn't feel content, then nobody should be.

[lillie98]

I have a strong feeling Will has been dead this entire time. The entire story is a Comic Book series he and Mike started together, but Will never got to finish. Mike takes each book and crafts it into a new reality where he and Will are the Heroes. Will always survives, Mike always saves the day, and their friends and family live happily ever after. Unfortunately, Story!Mike doesn’t know this manipulation is happening and keeps screwing up the plot (hence the monsters) and putting himself and everyone else in danger. Real!Mike must step up and become the leader and set everything back the way it was supposed to be…even if it means letting Will go.

He’s [Will] connected to the Upside Down. He created it, so he must die with it. As much as this story revolves around Will coming into himself and his manhood, it also revolves around Mike and his survivor’s guilt. In order to break the loop and set everyone free, Mike must let go of his guilt and self-hatred. He must look Will in the eye, accept their shared fates, and realize NONE OF THIS was his fault. He did EVERYTHING he could to save Will—even rewriting reality, but sometimes, you can’t save those you love. No matter how hard you try. Will doesn’t resent him for what happened, and he never will, because without Mike, he never would have experienced such an incredible adventure.

Mike gave Will the ultimate gift: Time. He gave Will time with his friends and family, time to experience the joys and horrors of adolescence, and time to live. He can never repay Mike for this gift, and he wishes more than anything that he could stay, but he can’t. That’s why everyone (especially sweet Noah) sobbed during the final Table Read. The Duffers finally peeled back the last frame and revealed the true message of Stranger Things: Unconditional Love.

I love all the religious undertones of Stranger Things and I thought of this verse from Romans 8:38-39:

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

NOTHING—not even Death itself—will separate Mike and Will from each other. NOTHING. Even if they no longer inhabit the earth together, their love endures as a testament to unending faith. I also associate “Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story” from Hamilton with Byler, particularly Eliza’s lines:

“Oh, you could have done so much more if you only had time”

and

“I can’t wait to see you again, it’s only a matter of time.”

Mike is telling us Will’s story. He’s using this show and the books they wrote to bring awareness to Homophobia, HIV, and the horrors of staying trapped in the past. He can’t bear the thought of anyone else experiencing the grief and heartache he and Will experienced, so he tells their story as a Cautionary Tale. Tell your people you love them, make a move, and advocate for them before it’s too late. Don’t wait until “The Perfect Moment” or “When Life Gets Easier.” It’s never going to get easier, you have to act now. Otherwise, you may be too late. Think about Robin and Tammy. Robin was head-over-heels for her, but she never made a move. What happened? Tammy moved away and was gone forever. Robin told that story for a reason (beyond her Coming Out). She’s paralleling Real!Mike and Will’s experience and warning the audience to not make the same mistake. If you love someone, tell them while they’re here. Every moment could be your last, and do you really want to live the rest of your life regretting the one move you didn’t make? We only have so much time on this earth, and we must use it wisely.

Henry/1/Vecna is obsessed with clocks and time for a reason. It’s the one thing Will needs that he can’t get. Mike will be on time this season, but only because he wrote it that way. He wrote himself as the Hero—the VICTOR—that swoops in and saves the day, right at the last second. Will’s KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR. The Duffers have made it painfully clear the story we’re seeing is not what actually happened. It’s an Allegory (story rooted in symbolism) for a horrific event in history that claimed far too many lives. So, the next time you sit down to rewatch your Comfort Show, remember: It Was Always A Matter of Time.

Ps: I also believe the choppy message STWriters posted comes from Mike’s letter he reads at Will’s grave—just like Max. Except, this time, he leaves the letter (and possibly the finished Comic Book) at the gravesite, symbolizing the end of their journey and his final attempt to connect with Will. Maybe Will smiles from Above, accepting the letter and beaming with pride, knowing his story will inspire the world forever.

Long Live William Byers

What Letter to Willy tells us…

Two scenes. One song. How both scenes tell us a lot in hidden details…

Letter to Willy… interesting title, no? Not “letter to Billy”, no, the “W” needed to be added to clue us in on how this is about Will.

Not just about Will, but about November 6, 1983.

To begin, let’s talk about both of these scenes. The first one is of Max in the episode Dear Billy. She’s seen at his grave reading her letter to a deceased William. She reads out her feelings and regrets.

The second scene is in the next episode The Nina Project. The song begins playing when Mike and Will catch each others’ eyes while digging and have a heart to heart on top of a car. During the heart to heart, Mike expresses frustration and regret.

Both scenes feature someone who has passed away and their headstone.

Both scenes feature characters dwell on the “what if”s.

Here’s where things get interesting…

Mike referencing someone giving a number… notice how both scenes here involve a car? In fact, it’s almost like we’re viewing the scene on the left from a different perspective (through the car) on the scene on the left. Don’t believe the callback here? Well…

Look at what Mike is holding. 7up. Yup. This is absolutely intentional.

It seems like to me that they’re showing us Mike’s guilt over what happened to Will that night. He has regrets. Possibly because Will actually did die. At least in some timeline.

A little hint to that here too. Associating the “last day of life” with “Mike Wheeler’s basement”…. Can’t really get more on the nose than that. Mike Wheeler’s basement… aka the last place Will was before he “vanished”?

As a writer, he likely wished he could explain himself through writing… in a letter… to Will. Perhaps hoping that an explanation could somehow prevent a tragedy from occurring?

This line makes me suspicious that there’s some sort of time loop 🔁 on the day of Will’s disappearance.

And of course… this all leads back to…

And of course, another possible Back to the Future reference.

For those unaware, Marty saves Doc’s life by writing him a letter and giving it to him in 1955… preventing his death in 1985

What I’m getting at is this: this letter is more significant than you might think. Yes, it is a love letter, but it also is what likely ends up saving Will’s life.

[lillie98]

What Letter to Willy tells us…

Two scenes. One song. How both scenes tell us a lot in hidden details…

Letter to Willy… interesting title, no? Not “letter to Billy”, no, the “W” needed to be added to clue us in on how this is about Will.

Not just about Will, but about November 6, 1983.

To begin, let’s talk about both of these scenes. The first one is of Max in the episode Dear Billy. She’s seen at his grave reading her letter to a deceased William. She reads out her feelings and regrets.

The second scene is in the next episode The Nina Project. The song begins playing when Mike and Will catch each others’ eyes while digging and have a heart to heart on top of a car. During the heart to heart, Mike expresses frustration and regret.

Both scenes feature someone who has passed away and their headstone.

Both scenes feature characters dwell on the “what if”s.

Here’s where things get interesting…

Mike referencing someone giving a number… notice how both scenes here involve a car? In fact, it’s almost like we’re viewing the scene on the left from a different perspective (through the car) on the scene on the left. Don’t believe the callback here? Well…

Look at what Mike is holding. 7up. Yup. This is absolutely intentional.

It seems like to me that they’re showing us Mike’s guilt over what happened to Will that night. He has regrets. Possibly because Will actually did die. At least in some timeline.

A little hint to that here too. Associating the “last day of life” with “Mike Wheeler’s basement”…. Can’t really get more on the nose than that. Mike Wheeler’s basement… aka the last place Will was before he “vanished”?

As a writer, he likely wished he could explain himself through writing… in a letter… to Will. Perhaps hoping that an explanation could somehow prevent a tragedy from occurring?

This line makes me suspicious that there’s some sort of time loop 🔁 on the day of Will’s disappearance.

And of course… this all leads back to…

And of course, another possible Back to the Future reference.

For those unaware, Marty saves Doc’s life by writing him a letter and giving it to him in 1955… preventing his death in 1985

What I’m getting at is this: this letter is more significant than you might think. Yes, it is a love letter, but it also is what likely ends up saving Will’s life.

[lillie98]

Skull rock…. Designated student make-out zone…… Located near Lovers Lake…… That’s kinda suspicious guys idk…….

[lillie98]

WHERE DID THE TIME GO IT'S STARTING TO FLY

[lillie98]

There will NEVER be another Stranger Things. I’m honored to witness this adventure in real time. Long Live the NERDS.

[lillie98]

"mike would be a black cat" wrong. have you seen his eyes? that's a dog, a puppy if you will

loyal and devoted? loves his friends? physically affectionate? has a sixth sense for his loved ones? can be possessive and jealous? protective? dog

[lillie98]

I’m reading “With All My Heart” by mogiah and I have never read something so achingly beautiful. You can feel their deep understanding of the story and all the little details collated from hours of research. The new Gold Standard of Fic writing. Well done.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/46196527

DO NOT SPOIL!!!

[lillie98]

Steve spends the summer after they defeat Vecna teaching El how to make noise

It starts one day in his kitchen, when she catches him whistling. Brows furrowed as she tries to copy him, she asks him how to do it. For a minute, Steve is surprised; what kid doesn't know how to whistle? And then he remembers - El hadn't gotten to have a childhood. Not really. He thinks about all the normal kid stuff she was denied, and his chest aches just a little. He forgets whatever he'd been doing and spends the whole afternoon teaching her how to whistle

Once she has a pretty good grasp on whistling, he asks if she wants to learn how to do it really loud, and teaches her how to whistle with her fingers

Showing her how to snap her fingers is easy, and after she masters that, he shows her how to make a popping noise with her fingers tucked under her chin

He spends one afternoon showing her how to make a hooting noise with her cupped hands, and another how to whistle with two blades of grass. Sometimes he'll find something the other kids in the party don't know how to do, either, and he'll gladly show them, if they'll listen long enough

He draws on every little trick he'd learned growing up, from his friends, from summer camp, from his time in the Scouts. He learns that El has never gotten to play a kazoo, so he makes her one with wax paper and a comb, the way his grandad had shown him so many summers ago, and lets her go to town

By the end of summer, Hopper is ready to murder Steve - except El looks so happy, so pleased with herself, making popping noises with her lips, snapping her fingers, giggling as Jonathan and Will try and fail to copy the bird call Steve showed her. For that smile on her face, Hopper guesses he can put up with it

(He gets his revenge by teaching El how to whistle the Andy Griffith theme song and unleashing her on Steve. It takes a week for Steve to get the tune out of his head)

[lillie98]

what if — in season one — mike was starting to realize that he liked will (as more than just a friend), but then will goes missing and all of a sudden there’s a bunch of monsters that exist, and he thinks that all of the stuff happening is “punishment” for what he’s feeling.

i might cry

[lillie98]

Jack Wolfe. That’s all.

[lillie98]

i feel like what a lot of people miss about will's character nowadays is that he's literally a LOSER. pathetically so. like this guy dresses up as a wizard and sings show tunes in the desert like he is NOT the cool nonchalant guy everyone makes him out to be. he is such a cringefail. please remember the nerd we're talking about.

[lillie98]

Jason also says he wants to call lightning at one point, but he hesitates because he doesn’t think Percy’s heart can withstand the electricity (This is after Tartarus).

i want to write some disabled fics so here's some random thoughts

Percy canonically has breathing problems from tartarus

Nico with mobility aids (crutches he uses daily, leg braces, a wheelchair he uses sometimes but one he can control himself because he is an independent man and he deserves that autonomy)

Leo, who has a problem with self harm (burning mostly)

Frank with his equilibrium thrown off after shapeshifting. sort of a bruce banner kind of thing, like crouching when theres plenty of room, or stretching when he can reach perfectly fine lmao 🩷😭

DEAF WILL. DEAF WILL. DEAF WILL. DEAF WILL?!?!?! and Nico learning sign language so he can still communicate if he doesnt have his hearing aids in.

cant think of any more but i mostly write for Leo, Perce and Nico <3