#i think he's also at a point where he feels that he can't trust mike by sharing his true feelings anymore (not like he could back in s1-2)

[chaoticmunsons]

mornings with mike

pairing: mike schmidt x afab!reader

warnings: smut !! DNI if you're under 18 !! ageless/blank blogs will be blocked !! includes daddy kink, pervy!dom mike, watersports (spit/piss kink), heavy emphasis on the piss kink bc it's not for everybody, light impact play (just some light slapping), throat fucking, breeding kink

authors note: this is the first smut i've written in MONTHS and it's messy and nasty so i hope yall like it. also i couldn't think of a good title

word count: 2123

You could sense his exhausted presence entering the house before you heard a long heavy sigh and the slamming of the front door.

"Rough night?" you look up from the laundry you were folding and give him a sympathetic look. He tosses his jacket on the nearby chair and looks at you through lidded eyes. The dark circles under his eyes are getting worse, you notice.

“Did Abby eat?”

“What do you think?”

He rolls his eyes before heading down the hallway to check on Abby. You watch as he opens her door slowly, entering as he uses his soft gentle voice to wake her up for school.

You continue folding the laundry as you hear Abby start to wake up and immediately start to fight with Mike about going to school.

“I said I'm not going today,” Abby whines.

“Abs, we’re not doing this today. you’ve missed too many days, come on, get up.” You could tell in Mike's voice that he was trying desperately to keep his composure.

“No, I'm staying here with you and y/n today.” Abby digs her heels in and stands her ground.

“Abby, get up. Now." Mike's composure doesn't last long as he pulls out his stern voice.

You notice your stomach flutter, but attempt to ignore it as Abby reluctantly gets up and starts getting ready for school.

“And you-,” you were too lost in thought to notice Mike exiting Abby's bedroom until he was right in front of you.

“Me? What did I do?” you ask.

“I know you’ve been up all night waiting for me.” His voice remains stern.

“How can you tell?” Damn, you think to yourself, didn't even try to deny it. Mike's face softens as he places his hand on your cheek, rubbing his thumb along your own dark circles.

“I just- well I can see how tired you are in your eyes, sweetheart. I know what tired looks like, trust me.” he smiles softly at you. “Now go get some rest,” his stern voice returns.

“Yes sir,” you say playfully as you roll your eyes at him, heading for yours and Mike's bedroom. As you drift to sleep, you faintly hear Mike attempting to get Abby to eat breakfast.

***

You’re woken up a few hours later by Mike sweetly kissing the top of your head.

“Did you get any sleep?” you ask him as you take a sip from the water glass he just handed you.

He sits on the edge of the bed next to you and puts a strong hand on your hip. “Uhm, yeah,” he sighs. “I napped a little after I put Abby on the bus.”

“Mike, I'm worried about you, you look like shit.”

“Yeah, well, so do you. I'm tired of you waiting up all night for me and not taking care of yourself.” There goes the stern dad voice again.

Yeah well, the call is coming from inside the house pal, you think as you roll your eyes.

Without warning, Mike's hand shoots up and places an iron grip on your jaw, forcing you to make direct eye contact with him.

“You really think I'm gonna put up with that kinda crap right now?”

You feel that familiar flutter in your stomach again. You love when he gets so pent up to the point where he can't help but get demanding with you. He's always so tired of Abby not listening to him and he refuses to have you not listen as well.

“I- I’m sorry,” you muttered.

His grip tightens. “I'm sorry, what?”

You hesitate, feeling butterflies in places other than your stomach. “I'm sorry, Daddy,” you whimper meekly.

“Atta girl.” He smiles sweetly, moving his hand to place it back on your hip. “Shirt off, now.”

You're quick to sit up from your spot in bed and lift your shirt above your head, revealing the absence of a bra. You hear Mike groan slightly as you toss your shirt to the side.

“Good. Stick your tongue out for me, baby. The way I like it, you know,” he commands, a devilish smirk wiped across his face.

You do as he asks with no hesitation, sticking your tongue out and pairing it with your puppy dog eyes. Within a few seconds, a string of saliva is dripping from your tongue and onto your bare chest.

“Fuck- good girl,” he growls before swiftly grabbing your jaw again as he sucks your tongue into his mouth, encapturing you in a sloppy kiss. He loves how messy you're willing to be for him at the drop of a hat.

Your hand reaches over to feel his hard cock under his pants and you hear him whimper into your mouth slightly before pulling away and returning to his demanding demeanor.

“Shit- baby, you know how much I love when you touch my dick, but I'm here to tire you out, okay?”

You smile and nod as he goes to slide your pants, along with your underwear, ever so slowly down your legs. Without any hesitation, he splits your legs open for you and aggressively spits directly onto your already dripping cunt. He wastes no time prying your hole open with two fingers, smearing his spit all over.

“My messy, messy girl. So fucking pretty.” His groans come out so deep and gravely, his eyes blackened with lust.

As he pushes his fingers in and out, he relishes in the squelching sounds you make for him, letting out breathy chuckles and moans at every single sound. Your whines ring in his ears, causing him to be just as blissed out as you are, drunk on you and the way your sloppy pussy clenches around his fingers.

“You wanna cum, huh?” He chuckles as his fingers pick up speed and you nod your head rapidly.

“Yes, yes, Daddy, please!”

“Mm, whiny little pup, go ahead.” He watches your face contort with pleasure as you reach your first orgasm of the night, or so you thought.

Mike pulls his fingers from your dripping cunt as you cum, letting you clench and convulse around nothing while he sucks his fingers clean. He relishes in your cries, loving the look on your desperate little face.

His hands grip your hips tight, holding you against the bed to ground you as you come down from your ruined orgasm. Your breathing slows and he reaches over to grab the glass of water he brought you earlier.

“Here you go, drink up, angel.” He uses one hand to tilt your chin up slightly while he uses the other to pour the water down your throat. He makes you swallow all of it and if you weren’t so fuzzy-headed, you might have been able to guess where this was going.

He sets the empty glass down on the nightstand before standing and stripping himself completely, and he motions for you to come to the edge of the bed.

“Lay down on your back, head hanging off the edge, got it?” he demands and you nod happily. Before you comply, he gives you another sloppy kiss, your tongues mashing together.

Mike’s thick cock hangs above your face as you lay yourself down. You stick your tongue out to lick the precum from his tip, but he stops you, grabbing your throat and putting slight pressure on the sides.

“C’mon, be patient baby.” You whimper and squirm under his grip, your brain empty and filled with only thoughts of his cock inside you. Finally, his grip tightens slightly as he slowly slides his cock past your lips. You can feel your mouth stretch as you adjust to his size. He’s always been average in length, but his thickness is what always ruins you.

“Fffuck- god this tight throat, you’re so good for me, letting me do this to you,” he’s babbling now, going absolutely delirious with the way your mouth feels around his cock, his strong hand clenching around your throat, holding you steady as he fucks it like he would your pussy. “What a good slut, so so pretty, takes this cock so well, god.”

Your hands fly to his hips urging him to go deeper even as you gag on his cock, the tip of your nose making contact with his pelvis. Saliva pools in your mouth and despite his already tight grip on your neck, your throat gets even tighter from the lack of air as you breathe solely through your nose.

“You like when Daddy takes allll his stress out on you? Being Daddy’s little toy? Fuck- I love it.” You make an attempt to respond to him but anything you try to say just comes out muffled. “God, as much as I wanna cum right down your throat, I wanna save it all for that pretty cunt, what do you think, baby?”

He pulls out of your mouth in one swift movement and you gasp and sputter for air. You sit up and face him, salvia all down your chin and mascara running.

He smiles at you adoringly before reaching out to smear your spit all over your face and giving your cheek a nice slap, gentle but firm enough that you felt a slight sting. “What a pretty girl, huh? You ready to take Daddy’s cock?”

“Um, I have to pee first, Daddy,” you mumble, about to head to the bathroom.

“That’s okay, darling, don’t worry about it.” He smirks before climbing on top of you, forcing you down under him. You’re too braindead to understand what he means and a puzzled look comes across your face, but before you can protest, he’s stuffing his cock into your soaking cunt.

“Oh my god, baby, fuck- this pussy feels good,” he groans obscenely.

You put your hands on his chest. “But- Daddy, please, I really gotta go!” you beg.

“Go then,” he huffs. “You’re my messy little baby, aren’t you? W-want you to piss and squirt all over me, mkay?” His voice wavers slightly as he pounds into you, feeling himself get a little lost in how good you feel once again.

You whimper as you nod slightly, the pressure building in your stomach as well as your orgasm. He places a hand on your lower abdomen and presses down, silently encouraging you to let it out. You’re absolutely embarrassed at the thought of pissing all over him, but you know he likes you a sloppy mess for him, and you want nothing more than to give this man what he wants.

You hold it until you physically can’t anymore, your orgasm hitting you as you release all over his cock. The sounds were absolutely obscene, skin sloppily hitting skin, slamming into your cunt as you splash everywhere.

“Holy shit, angel, so fucking wet, god I love it,” he moans. “It’s my turn now, right baby? You want me to piss inside this soaked cunt? God, please.”

You could barely respond with your orgasm still running through you. You attempted to say yes, but you’re not really sure what came out of your mouth, probably just more incoherent moans.

Before you could even process, you could feel the warmth of his piss spreading inside your stomach. You could feel it dripping out of you as he stilled inside you. It felt so good on top of your continuous orgasm and you loved every second of it. You could see the blissed out joy across Mike’s face and you could tell he loved it too.

After a few seconds, he picked up his pace again, to your surprise.

“Daddy, please, I-I can’t ta- no more, please!” you whined, breathlessly. Every single nerve ending of yours was shot, way too overstimulated to continue.

“C’mon, just one more baby, gimme one more, Daddy just need to breed this little cunt and then we can be done okay?” He reassures you as he pounded into you mercilessly.

In almost no time at all, you felt another orgasm build in your gut, and you squirted any fluids you had left onto his stomach.

“Good girl, baby.” He smirks before moving his hands back to your hips to hold you down. “Just need to- fuck, oh my god, I’m gonna cum, gonna put a fucking baby in you, shhhit-” The warmth spread through you again as you feel him pump you full with his cum.

You’re both breathing heavy as his dick twitches inside you, his head hanging over yours and him smiling down at you.

“You did so good, baby.” He slowly pulls out of you and you whine at the empty feeling in your cunt. “Took everything I gave you so well, let’s get you cleaned up, alright?”

[kiirotoao]

HEYY YOUR SO PRETTY BTW AND I LOVE YOUR BLOG

the ask :

so, i wanted to get ur opinion on s3 mike. such as, what he was going through and his internalized homophobia. things like that!

maybe some things w/ him and his relationship w/ el too!

THANKS FOR ANSWERING IF U DO ANSWER :D

I’m gonna pretend that I’m fine after weeks of getting flustered just staring at this in my inbox! Thank you, anon!!! 🥺🥺 You’re making me blush! But, uh, anyways! Let’s talk about Mike Wheeler! 💙

I think that Mike in season 3 is the most interesting version of himself in the entire show because of how hidden his story becomes. In all other seasons, Mike cries openly with other people and expresses his sadness and fears over Will and El.

In season 3, though? Besides the finale, the tearful goodbyes narrated by Hopper, we never see Mike truly cry and explicitly talk through why. Sure, it can be pretty readily implied that it’s because of the Byers leaving, but we don’t hear that aloud. We don’t see exactly who’s on Mike’s mind as those cars pull away. We're left with silent and unsure stares, looks of seeming regret or something else unknown.

Season 3 is truly a huge turning point for Mike, he’s losing his girlfriend and arguably his closest friend in the Party, and it's so easily overlooked because it all happens at the very end of the final episode. Whereas El goes through hell and fights to connect to Billy and save her friends, where Max also feels the weight of his loss, where Will gets his heartbreaking scene at Castle Byers - all the Party members who are very linked to Mike get their emotional moments that season, and we know exactly why they cry.

But Mike dances around his emotions all season long. In consulting Lucas to deal with breaking up and making up with El, in trying to tell El that he loves her without ever saying it, in fighting with Will because "it's not [his] fault [Will doesn't] like girls."

Oh, Mike. I really don't think that Mike was out to hurt Will when he said that. Rather, it's a culmination of heteronormativity and the poor relationship that he has with El and trying to compensate for it. I interpret the outburst as him saying, 'it's not my fault that I'm in a relationship and you're not, so you wouldn't get it.' And by extension, Will being in a relationship would require, normatively, being with a girl.

But at the same time, for a jab that deep - I can't help but question more.

Mike could have said, "it's not my fault you don't like anyone!" or "don't bring her into this!" or even as simple as, "you wouldn't understand!" But no. Mike takes the direct train to sexuality station and brings up the fact that El is a girl. So it seems to me that Mike is very likely harboring something in his heart about why El being a girl is important for him to argue.

But we never know for sure. This moment is never addressed again due to the Mind Flayer’s sudden return. And so it’s up to us as the audience to decide what we think of Mike’s statement. And personally, as I’m sure many of you believe, too, I think that Mike is projecting and trying to hide the fact that he doesn’t like girls onto Will, pushing away his problems to someone he trusts who’s more similar to himself than he realizes.

Tied to his inability to say to El’s face that he loves her, to the fact that they've - reportedly from Hopper - kissed all Summer long with no mention of meaningful conversation, to the very surface-level relational mending his makes by calling El’s outfit “cool” and giving her candy, to the very end of the season where Mike once again denies saying that he loved El just before an open-eyed kiss and a face like this:

Mike doesn’t need to say anything about that kiss for me to know that that’s not the reaction of someone who’s perfectly happy to be back together with his ex-girlfriend. So do I wish that we had a moment of vulnerability for Mike where he expressed his heart in season 3? Yes, but his nonverbals spoke volumes.

So, yeah, I think that in season 3, Mike is very much gay, but he he acts cautiously and self-preservingly because trauma is drowning everything out.

And what is this trauma? I know that I’m working backwards, but I need to bring up that Mike was separated from El for so long in the time of season 2, and I think that that makes him so attached to her in season 3. Think about what else he says in that scene when he admits his love: “I love her and I can’t lose her again.”

As sweet as it is to be reunited to El by the end of season 2, it’s not a clean reunion for Mike. He’s in shambles when he learns that Hopper was lying to him and not letting El even tell Mike that she’s okay.

Not to mention that this isn’t his first but second time almost losing her to the monster that season.

Because of this unstable connection, I think that Mike has built a protective relationship with El, one that focuses on keeping her rather than knowing her, and we see how that all unfolds with his superficial “superhero” complex he has of her in season 4. Season 3 was just the beginning.

And so I think that Mike in season 3 stands as a version of himself that’s confused protectiveness with love. Even though he arguably behaves with that same mindset all the time, it’s at its highest during season 3 because of his never-ending insistence to help El even if she’s capable to do things by herself. Mike isn’t just clingy, he’s worried. Worried for her life. There’s no time to worry about where the problems in their relationship arise, there’s only time to fix them and go back to how they were at equilibrium - when things were normal.

Thus, Mike behaves rather stubbornly. He’s insistent and defensive, not letting a single thing slip through the cracks and risk any more hurt. In doing so, his personality is left far under the surface and unexplored. He only acts to stir up emotions rather than reflect on them, because any pausing to think will only confuse him more. He’s looking ahead, looking at the light, holding onto everything good he has with all the propriety of a 13/14-year-old who has a heart bigger than his head.

Simply put, Mike is a bit of an anti-hero this season. And I think that it's because of this that he starts to get most controversial for the audience.

I’m clearly a Mike apologist, but I genuinely don’t think that he’s out to hurt anyone when he argues with others this season. He’s just stubborn and loud about it, which can definitely be to his fault at times. But in the end, when it comes down to who he loves, I think that season 3 is the era of change, and that ending scene with Hopper’s letter paints the perfect setup for the next seasons to reveal that Mike has a lot more going on under the surface that’s causing all of this. Maybe some regrets, things he wishes he could “turn back the clock” on, regarding, say, Will and El and how he treats them platonically and romantically? Just a thought.

The question of the day for Mike in season 3 stands: is he being selfish or selfless? And I think that it’s a mix of both, blended in with some heavy confusion due to role changing (not needing to protect El) and uncertain affections (not knowing how to figure out what he has with Will).

So, yeah. All in all, I think that Mike is really closeted in season 3 and doesn’t realize it until the final episode, and I honestly love him for it. As someone who’s gone through similar hurdles of internalized homophobia as a teen, it’s really heartwarming to see him grow and figure things out, even if the journey is far from perfect. It’s a humble origin story. And if he somehow ends up being straight and Byler isn’t endgame, well. I’ll be upset at the writers, but the impact still stands.

[pinkeoni]

El's Superhero/Monster Dichotomy

El's monster conflict starts in season one, when she blames herself for the gate opening and for Will's disappearance.

This conflict seems to be "resolved" when she kills the actual monster, the demogorgon, making herself a hero and not a monster. This is even suggested earlier by Mike, who innocently tells El that she isn't the monster because she saved him.

Although this "resolve" is actually quite tragic. She proves herself to be a hero which does offer a conclusion to this conflict within this season, but she sacrifices everything for this.

This conflict comes back in full for El in season four. She no longer has her powers, and she's in a new environment where she's alienated and bullied. On top of everything, her boyfriend can't even say "I love you" to her. It's not a stretch to say that she feels monstrous.

This is only reaffirmed for El after her incident with Angela. Now, obviously this wasn't a good thing for her to do, but El also completely disregards all of the pain that Angela made her feel, perceiving herself as this violent monster who attacks innocent girls unprovoked. We know this is what she's thinking when she says as much to the cops.

I don’t think El wanted to kill Angela, which is why she says “I don’t know,” but she’s unsure because she’s unable to trust her own judgement. At this point she sees herself as a killing machine, so she must have wanted to kill Angela, even if that goes against her true reasoning.

Now, of course we the audience know that El isn't the monster, and everyone close to her knows this as well. But what matters isn't how others perceive her, it matters how El perceives herself.

Her argument with Mike doesn't absolve any of her feelings either, which is of no fault to either Mike nor El. El was too in her head and it wasn't something anyone could talk her out of, and she also wasn't aware of Mike's own internal conflict which was informing all of his responses. Mike can't say "I love you" to El because of his own issues, but to El, he can't say "I love you" because she is an unlovable monster.

Mike really means well when he says "You're a superhero," but it makes things much worse in El's mind. Instead, it creates an unreasonable expectation—

El believes that if she can't save the world, then she must be a monster. She doesn't allow herself to be neither— a human being.

NINA doesn't do much to alleviate El's dichotomous thinking, if anything it only encourages it. She only shifts the monster label on to someone else, that being Papa, and since she wasn't responsible for the massacre like she, and even the audience was led to initially believe, she's able to cleanly reclaim her superhero status. She was the one who defeated the perpetrator, in a moment that visually echoes the end of season one. She's the hero again!

She marches into her battle with Henry with a new sense of high confidence. And she loses.

This isn't El's fault, but she blames herself for Max's condition anyway. Will points out that Max wouldn't even be alive if not for El, but it doesn't matter for her.

To El, getting her powers back doesn't make her a superhero. And if she's not a superhero, well, then she must be the one who destroyed the world.

The resolve of El's conflict wasn't to get her powers back, she just believed that it would fix her problems. But the core conflict is still there— her black and white way of thinking.

So what does this mean moving forward?

Ironically, I think that El can actually learn something from Henry:

I don't think that El's arc in the coming season is going to be about becoming the hero again, but rather unlearning this train of thought. The world isn't made of monsters and superheroes, the world is made up of human beings who all make choices, her being one of them. She isn't responsible for the decisions of others, and it isn't her responsibility to take care of the mess that others create. She's a brave girl who decided to use her powers to try and save her friends, and her failure doesn't make her guilty for the fallout.

I wouldn't be surprised if El pushes herself to be the superhero who saves the world once again, although, the show has already revealed to us what happens when she does— it destroys her.

[pholiabanna]

Mike and expressing feelings

Maybe this is controversial, but a very popular take in the stranger things fandom is that Mike has trouble communicating his feelings. Melvins use this as an excuse for him not saying ily to El, but some bylers also seem to believe he does have trouble.

However, basing myself on what I've seen portrayed on the show so far, I don't think that's the case. Ever since season one, Mike has been very vocal about expressing his discomfort or disagreement. From confronting his own dad ("I'm the only one who cares about Will") to screaming at Hopper (when he hits him and calls him "liar", he didn't precisely struggle with letting him know how frustrated and angry he felt). He also has no trouble standing up against authority figures (Hopper when he said they couldn't look for Will, Owen's agents who he didn't trust enough to stay on lockdown...).

My point is, him rarely opening up about his feelings hasn't been established on screen for his character either. Since he's the leader of the party, that role can only work if he expresses how he feels about plans or situations, which he does in all seasons.

The only feelings he's having trouble communicating are his love for Will and his lack of (romantic) love for El. But in my opinion, this isn't because he's a person that normally struggles with voicing how he's feeling.

It's a really hard situation for him because to begin with, being in the process of accepting your queerness in 80s America had to be terrifying, so things like being scared of El's or Will's reactions definitely come into play.

Also the guilt. He can't tell El he doesn't wanna date her, because seeing her cry in front of him while asking him why he doesn't say he loves her, knowing what she's gone through, breaks his heart. He's a compassionate person, and even if he's not in love with her, it doesn't mean that he doesn't care about her, and given she's going through a terrible time with the loss of Hopper, he puts her before himself and tries to be the best boyfriend he can for her. But the heart wants what the heart wants, so he can't say "I'm in love with you" because he isn't. He can't express his romantic feelings for her, but not because he's a boy that struggles with expressing his own feelings, but rather because those romantic feelings don't exist. And his true nature would be telling her the truth (and in my opinion, all of his talks with Will in season 4 were about him building up courage to eventually tell her that, because again, he's a boy that likes to be vocal about his opinions and he's trying to overcome the fear of rejection in this particular case, which is what's holding him back from his natural state).

He's also not opening up with Will at the beggining of the season for this particular reason. He's coming to terms with the fact that he loves him, and he seems like he's bursting with it. That's the thing, Mike has always been very vocal about his feelings, and with Will particularly. This has been portrayed on the show many times ("I'm gonna stay by you no matter what, we'll defeat the mind flayer together, meeting you is the best thing I've ever done..."). He opens up his heart to him with no problem. His behavior in season 3 and the beggining of season 4 was about him not acting like his usual self. In those scenes where there's clearly something that he's not telling Will, it's been established that he's acting as someone he isn't. So when he's not expressing what he's feeling, that's not his normal self. That's not his core trait, he's acting out of character. And that's because the feelings he wants to scream and yell are being affected by external reasons (fear, self acceptance, internalized homophobia...). Still, after spending some time with Will in season 4, he slowly goes back to his real self, and he starts to let him know what's worrying him ("El and I fought, it was a bad fight, I feel like a random nerd"). He has no trouble opening up with the right person. He's in the process of reverting back to his true self, the guy who has no problem being vocal about his thoughts. The reason why he still hasn't been fully honest about his romantic feelings with both Will and El is because of the misscommunication trope, the painting fiasco and the fact that season 5 is planned to be a continuation of season 4, so they dragged the storyline for a bigger payoff, where Mike being completely honest about his feelings will make him come full circle, and go back to being his true self, once all the obstacles are overcome.

So in conclusion, Mike is not "so in love with El but he has trouble telling her because he's a boy who has always struggled with communicating his feelings". Instead, Mike is a boy who's always been blatantly honest until growing up and his own personal battles have made him stop himself from doing what he wants more than anything (being honest) and his journey consists of overcoming those obstacles, because his honesty wins over his fears.

Anyways, that's the way I've always seen it. I'd love to hear more opinions in this topic and I'm completely open to discussion! Let me know what you think.

[louisupdates]

[Translated from Spanish]

In his fleeting passage through the country, Louis Tomlinson received BioBioChile weeks after his return to the national stages and days after a commented show in Mexico, a country to which this year he will take his own festival, "Away from home". "I want to bring it where they want me to have. To be honest, it was a point of conversation today (in Chile)," confessed the former One Direction.

After an explosive passage through Mexico, where he was one of the protagonists of the Pal Norte festival, Louis Tomlinson went down through South America to Chile in the run-up to what will be an imminent reunion with local fans, who alone in the country are counted in thousands.

The former One Direction will present the "Faith In The Future World Tour 2024" on May 24 at the La Florida Bicentenario Stadium, almost a year after the start of the world tour and almost two years after his successful debut in Chile, when in 2022 he sold out three shows months in advance.

"The experiences I have had, since quite young, have always been quite good here. So I am very excited to be able to bring the "Faith in the Future," and I feel very fortunate to be able to do this alone," he said in an interview with BioBioChile when remembering his first visit with One Direction, also in May but 2014, 10 years ago.

Since then, the subsequent visits to Chile of the former members of the group have repeated the frenzy of their alma mater. This week, the flash arrival of Louis Tomlinson caused crowds on the outskirts of the Mandarin Hotel, and spontaneous attempts to follow his Santiago route.

"I think it's vitally important (not forgetting the fans). It's as simple as if no one buys the album and no one comes to the tour shows, we can't do what we do. It is vitally important to make people feel represented from everywhere. I have always had a good relationship with the fans, and I have always been incredibly grateful to have the fanbase I have. So it's a lot of love and gratitude that I can give you. They are always important to me," he acknowledged.

Louis Tomlinson, a flag and his gesture in Mexico: "I've only done it once before"

While at the Pal Norte festival, Tomlinson made a gesture that caught the attention of his followers: he took a Mexican flag and posed with it for the audience. A very unusual maneuver in his presentations that the native of Doncaster takes today with humor.

"I saw that the fans were talking about it online and I think I've only done it once before, and I think it was in Mexico too. Those shows are where they are usually very excited and euphoric, there is no other reason. At that moment I take the flag and get wrapped up with it. Which is very great," he said about the code that his fans deciphered.

For "Faith In The Future", the Englishman worked and collaborated with important names in the international industry, such as Theo Hutchcraft (Hurts) and producer Mike Crossey (The 1975, Wolf Alice), in addition to Nico Rebscher (Alice Merton) and Joe Cross, among others.

After the success of "Walls" in 2020 (whose tour brought together more than 500,000 people in more than 80 concerts around the world), the singer was satisfied with the result of his successor album, where he shows another facet.

"Yes, I am very proud of this album. When I reflect on 'Walls', there are things that with perspective I would have done slightly different, and that comes from a place of trust. But when I think about 'Faith in the Future', I think the proof is in the live shows. That album is designed for live presentations, and from the experiences I've had on the tour with Faith in the Future, it feels very special to have that for fans. So yes, I am very satisfied," he said.

Faith in the Future: An optimistic album after family tragedies

Tomlinson, who in less than two years suffered the death of his motherJohannah Deakin due to leukemia and his sister Felicité due to an overdose, shows in "Faith in the Future" part of his own family heritage: optimism.

"I would say that (that optimism) comes from the family; it's what I've always known: seeing the glass half full. Optimism, yes, comes naturally to me in the way my mother raised me, of trying to see the good. I wanted to bring that to light in this album, and I hope you can feel a little of that.

(P): In "Common People" you paid tribute to Doncaster, your hometown. Tell us about her.

(LOUIS): I'm very proud to come from a place like Doncaster, although I don't spend much time there anymore because I live in London, I go when I see my family. But there are great people, I have a lot to thank Doncaster for how I am today, so he still has a very special place in my heart.

(P): Are you working on a new album?

(LOUIS): I have written a couple of songs, but when I was writing them I was not thinking that they would be for a new album, they were written to be able to write and not put pressure on those songs. But I think I will start the composition work for a new album at the end of this year.

Louis Tomlinson, pop superstar and festival producer

(P): In addition to a musical star, you are a festival producer...

(LOUIS): Yes! I like that, it sounds good.

(P): You recently announced the arrival of "Away from home", your festival, in Mexico, after a successful passage through Spain. Is there any possibility of bringing that show to Chile or South America?

(LOUIS): I would love to. I want to bring it wherever you want me. To be honest, it was a talking point today. And the shows have had an incredible energy, so it would be an incredible place to be able to bring the festival.

(Q): What does Louis Tomlinson hear on his hearing aids during his trips and tours around the world?

(LOUIS): I have to push myself a lot to listen to new things, like everyone else I stay in a loop of continuing to listen to the things I grew up with or I get stuck with an album and I only listen to that. The last album I've been listening to a lot is Paolo Nutini's new one, he is perhaps my favorite male singer, he is an incredible vocalist and incredible composer.

(P): You are a very active artist, who travels a lot in the year. Would you like to spend more time at home, in England or in Doncaster?

(LOUIS): Yes, that's almost the only thing I've known in my adult life, certainly. So yes, of course I would like to be able to spend more time in Doncaster. But since I don't do it, every time I go there it feels very special. So I currently have a very nice relationship with my home.

(P): What do you miss the most about your time at One Direction? Do you miss anything from those days?

(LOUIS): Yes, definitely. I think what I miss the most is companionship, navigating the music industry together. It is a very immersive experience, and being able to navigate with people who are going through the same thing is a definitely good feeling. Or even lose sometimes, but do it collectively. But I will say that as a solo artist, I have said it before, there is more stress, but I think the reward is greater. But there is a difference. That was that, and now it's something else.

(P): What are your plans for this year?

(LOUIS): I have a lot of tour, I'm playing at many festivals, which is exciting because it's something new for me. I'm very excited about that, Mexico was a great experience. So more tour and then at the end of the year is when I will start writing the album.

[will80sbyers]

I get emotional if I think too much about how perfect for each other they are with Will needing someone to remind him that he's better for being different, someone that makes him feel like he's not a mistake, he's special and he deserves love too, and Mike needing someone that sees him and how compassionate and how amazing he is and that makes him open up, never making him feel like he can't be honest and just listening and caring about him with all he has... Will is making Mike feel secure just naturally with his love

they are written to complement the other one exactly like all the other good couples in the show, we also see how they learn from the other by interacting and kind of change for the better because of the other

Joyce starts the show with anxiety and being called crazy by people, Hopper is the only one that believes her and helps her deal with that and she becomes more and more badass in the seasons after that, Hopper has problems with his emotions and with talking about his feelings and being in touch with them and Joyce is a master at doing exactly that and she helps him and supports him to the point that he now willingly writes letters for his daughter and has emotional talks with people and even a random man in Russia with a great son named Mikhail...

Nancy starts the show with people not listening to her, undervaluing her because she's a woman that wants a career and she finds Jonathan that supports her dreams and thinks she is so capable that he's afraid of bringing her down without meaning to... and Nancy is the first person that sees that Jonathan is not just "a freak", he's caring and compassionate and Nancy is so capable on her own that Jonathan never feels like he has to take care of her in the same way that he had the responsibility of his whole family, he still supports her emotionally but Nancy is already responsible for her own life and can let Jonathan just be himself!

Lucas and Max complement each other too, in the first seasons Lucas was the one to treat her like a friend before everything else and Max needed that and she needed to feel included in something and Lucas gave her exactly that by trusting her with the truth about the Upside down... and especially in s4 where I think, to deal with her grief, Max needed someone as deeply loving and caring and open emotionally as Lucas is and at the same time Lucas needed someone that is never afraid of being different like Max is, she embraces her own differences in the show and Lucas this season was trying (even with good reason) to kind of hide his passion for d&d and "be normal"

[eightfifteen]

what I find interesting about the core 4 is that they're introduced to us through the absence of Will.

We get the first scene where we get a feel for the group dynamic and how they all interact with one another, but from that point on, we're introduced to Mike, Lucas, and Dustin's personalities through how they react to Will going missing.

Dustin

Dustin is the curious, optimistic and smart one - trying to a, pretend it's not happening or not as bad as it seems (getting into semantics about Mirkwood, getting caught up in El being a girl, joking at the funeral) and b, by trying to take control of the situation (always smartmouthing, getting snappy about the compasses etc). This amps up the more shit happens - he gets closer to Steve because they can joke around, he starts getting snappier and more know-it-all-y (as steve and eddie point out), and kind of disappears when shit starts happening again by getting caught up in other things/distracting himself (focusing on Max in s2, getting caught in the russian mystery in s3, etc).

Hell, even his girlfriend is long-distance and not involved in any of it so he can escape Hawkins by talking to her. Also reflected by them singing neverending story in the s3 finale like they aren't battling a huge gore creature. This is why next season is going to be so interesting, because this time, Dustin saw Eddie die. There's no escaping that anymore, the horror caught up with him and it's going to be so interesting to see how he's going to cope with that now.

2. Lucas

Lucas on the other hand, gets frustrated and angry. He just wants things to go back to the way they were so he's really focused on getting Will back and wants to get it over with as quickly as possible - snapping at Dustin when he tries to derail the conversation, getting annoyed at the El drama when they just need to find Will, etc. He matures the quickest through all of this, I feel, which is also why he's the quickest to let go of DnD, tries to find himself through other interests like basketball etc. He can't pretend it isn't happening, but he's trying to right everything as quickly as possible. He actively fights back against it.

Caleb mentioned in the s4 aftershow that Lucas' happy ending is if none of it had ever happened so his happy ending is just finding a place for it and being able to move on - and i think that just perfectly encapsulates Lucas. Like, obviously that would be the best for everyone, but Lucas specifically is already trying to let everything that happened behind him as quickly as possible. He gets a girlfriend and wants to grow up quickly, just like Mike except successfully, and in s4 he tries to reinvent himself in High School, leaving all the trauma behind as much as he can. Which is also probably why he struggles with being there for Max at first, before realizing that he'd rather go through the horrors again than lose Max. Really excited for tired and fed-up Lucas next season.

3. Mike

Just like we get to know Dustin and Lucas through Will's disappearance, because that really is just the center of the show, we learn about Mike.

We immediately see that he's the most quiet and withdrawn one while learning about Will's disappearance, while also being the one to realize he's not at school in the first place. He's really trusting to the point it's naive, but he also gets frustrated easily especially when distraught (as we also see in s2 with Max while he's missing El). He's so stubborn, especially when it comes to his friends. He clearly 'gets into his own head' (Finn's own words) a lot, and especially in these moments of tragedy (like during the police interview, after finding Will's 'body', in the hospital, immediately after El disappeared etc).

As soon as he actually has something to do, like find Will in the woods or use El's powers to save him, that's when he thrives and takes on this leader role. Which is in my opinion, another reason why El and Mike don't really go together, and why Mike will always feel useless or like he's not getting it right - when he's with El, she's the one in control, she's the one fighting, and he just has to stand to the side. He can't break out of his own head.

But when it's Will, even though he can't actually do anything, he can still be there for him and help in meaningful ways just by being there. He knows Will needs him and he knows how to be there for him, and that's when his mind is clearest. Even in s4 we see that - he's blinded when he's with El, can't do it right, doesn't know what's going on, but when it comes to Will, he immediately finds clarity and knows how to talk to him and open up about how Will is feeling but also how he is feeling.

4. Will

Similarly, we learn about Will through his absence. We learn that he's open and genuine, that he's smart and strong and happy. The group is out of balance without him, and we can tell that Will used to be their mediator (confirmed in s2 during the argument about Halloween costumes). He's unafraid to talk about what he likes with the group and to be himself, even if the group doesn't agree (that 'weird song' that he likes, begging to play DnD even though Lucas and Mike clearly don't want to, etc). And we learn that Mike used to have a more caring role towards him, that he was the focus of Mike's need to care and watch over and protect, as this hole gets filled the moment they find El.

4. Season 5 - the return to core 4

I'm really excited to see the core 4 in season 5, because it will be the first season (not counting the battle of starcourt) where they're all working together. the group has always been split, so it's going to be really interesting to see how they all get along together. Especially now they've all changed so much.

[ceranovis]

Some musings to do with this celltw pic

As a fandom I feel like we could be doing So Much More with Other Side Elements being canon + all the connected Ordem worldbuilding it introduces by association.

Canonically, Cellbit chose to align himself with the knowledge element. So I hopped on over to the ordem wiki page for Knowledge to look for things to put in the paperwork on the table. Then I realized there's a memory alteration ritual (accidentally pulled the wrong ritual circle image for the art though oTL ...let's just pretend Cellbit identified the right one at some point).

The [Change Memory Ritual] can erase all or only some specific memories of the victim. In both cases, if the victim comes into contact with people, places and certain objects that were part of this past erased, it will begin to gradually recall some elements and have quick flashes of some moments, being able to recover its memory completely after a while.

Now listen. If there's one thing I think of as core to q!Cellbit's character, it's that as far as he's concerned the ends always justifies the means. This includes doing things he knows people he loves will hate him for because he thinks it will be better for them in the long run.

In the regret arc letters, he told Tazercraft he loved them, that Cell was dead & he didn't want them to think he was reverting to that type of monster. While there were a few moments where he brought up clearly unresolved feelings of anger and betrayal/abandonment regarding how things went with Fuga, I do think at that point he cared for the Favela crew as a found-family, and was making decisions he felt were in their best interest (usually without consulting them, or like...running those ideas by anyone else ever...)

If he discovered a way to erase specific memories, I could fully see him using that to 'make things better' for Pac. I doubt he'd try to erase all the Fuga memories (especially as he'd have to also erase Mike and Felps) but I also don't think he'd feel like he had to go that far anyways.

Earlier on in the Quesadilla timeline, Pac seemed to think of Cell as basically dormant and was relatively comfortable with having a fairly close and positive relationship with Cellbit. He only grew paranoid about Cell re-emerging when he saw signs of Cellbit snapping, and he first responded by actively trying to keep Cellbit in a headspace that wouldn't lead to that. There have been multiple instances of Pac extending a bit of grace, an unspoken offer not to forgive or forget but to move forward. He wants Cellbit to be a good man, not a monster.

So I think Cellbit would use the ritual to smooth over events that put a strain on their current relationship. Things that made Pac scared he was turning back into Cell. And he'd probably justify it as 'helping' Pac, but there's also a selfish element there too, of him desperately trying to keep hold of this new start and family he probably doesn't deserve but somehow got anyways.

It's small things at first-- just wiping away little instances that put Pac on edge around him. Pac is prone to glossing over Cellbit's red flags anyways, so even if other people remember what Pac doesn't, it wouldn't set off immediate alarm bells. Nobody would catch on to the manipulation.

Pac himself would write off most of the weird, vague flashes he gets sometimes. It feels sort of like deja vu but with an extra helping of uneasy dread. He's not very self-confident when it comes to his brain; he's just being unreasonably paranoid because of his memories of Cell-- those half-memories are so foggy because his brain is panicking and conflating the past with the present, right? More importantly, wants to trust Cellbit.

Now, there's a clip of Pac (which I can't find now but it lives in my head rent free) where he implies that, if Cellbit and Roier hadnt been introduced, he and Cellbit would have been together.

There are a few points in the canon timeline where guapoduo could have been derailed. Cellbit may never have even gotten to that point with Roier if he and Pac were already a little bit closer. If he was fucking with Pac's memories in a way that made Pac less cautious of him, I think it's entirely possible their relationship would have had a chance to develop in place of guapoduo's.

Cellbit didn't start erasing memories with the intention of getting Pac to fall for him though. He wanted the olive branch Pac extended. He wanted Pac to not be terrified of him. But it never occured to him that Pac might be capable of falling in love with the man who ate his goddamn leg. So it completely blindsides him when Pac does, in fact, very deliberately step over the line between platonic and romantic in their relationship.

It feels a lot more morally dubious to be manipulating Pac's memories once that happens. But he's in too deep. He knows Pac would hate him if he found out the truth. But isn't it better this way anyways? Pac, somehow, impossibly, wants to love him-- it's not like he's forcing Pac feel anything about him, right? He knows how terrible betrayal feels-- and he doesn't have to make Pac feel that way, doesn't have to hurt him like that! All he has to do is omit the truth. It's not even a lie, really.

He wants Pac to be happy, wants to preserve the warmth Pac looks at him with now, and if holding his tongue is what assures that... well he can swallow down the guilt gnawing at him and bear that mental burden for both of them. Theres so much in their history for him to feel guilty about anyways, what's one more thing?

Unfortunately for Cellbit, he's never used the ritual on people prior to this, and the books he got it from were light on details as to how it works. He has no idea that the locks on Pac's memories start to slowly erode as soon as he encounters a trigger. And since all of the erased memories are of Cellbit, their time together is just speeding up that process.

Eventually, Pac regains a memory he can't just brush off. And he has to come to terms with the fact that something is very, very wrong between them even if he doesn't understand exactly what's happening to him. He'd figure it out eventually, go through Cellbit's notes in secret and piece things together. When he does he's horrified and angry and heartbroken. But he's torn too because it's not like he can just forget the relationship they've built either, even if he now knows the foundation is half rotted.

He still loves Cellbit, despite every fucked up thing Cellbit has ever done to him.

The question is really whether Pac loves himself enough to pull the plug on this unhealthy dynamic.

[spicybylerpolls]

I agree the preferences are definitely relative to will, but also just who byler is? as a switch byler enjoyer I understand anon's points, and ultimately people can hc what they like, but I think it's worth noting that byler specifically have particular personalities that lend themselves to a dynamic which shouldn't make it surprising that it's what people prefer or notice in canon and work with. the writers have written them a certain way, and I personally don't feel a need to "subvert expectations" - personally. same with how public personas don't always =  you are different in the bedroom, that's not the experience for everybody AND there's different ways to view it. for example will being softer in his daily life means to me that he may be a slut in the bedroom, not a raging dom. also, dom/sub is not all that sex is or can be. byler can be neither to a degree.

I don't even think that it's just his Assets that make people see will as a bottom. if this was a ship between two more balanced masc men I'd get how switchvers debates are pointless, but they tell us explicitly that will is not masc and doesn't want to be and his acceptance is learning that he doesn't have to be, and accepting his visibility because he can't change that. wanting to see mike fucked like a bratty bottom uses will as a tool in ways I wouldn't want to because he doesn't like being aggressive (but this is now making fandom deeper and smut fic is usually fantasy, which is why I don't complain I just simply don't read those fics because will is unrecognizable, it's not my cup of tea but it's fine! I'll read eddiemike instead or something) and puts will/byler on the back burner

does the bratty bottom vision go beyond mike in s3, and somewhat s4 though? I see where people get it from 100% but I would gather mike mellows out as he matures, so I don't see that for his long term relationship with will. if it was another more masc guy, or eddie or whatever yeah I could see it better! less bratty, more cheeky and challenging. it's okay that will isn't the partner people might want for mike physically.

they're basically both bottoms in ways, but I agree with you spicybylerpolls, that if will weren't in the picture mike might be more of a switch or bottom with other guys. will is allowed to be a stereotype, which is the other thing people find hard to grasp, but it's fine for him and we can embrace that. even in sfw things.

the point brought up about will topping as a reclamation of control/power has always felt more like an excuse to me? maybe not excuse, but an easy explanation that's never explored. because topping is not only about power, or the only way to have control during sex, that's... really uneducated if people think so. will can find so much power and control in bottoming, he gets to set the pace AND it's with the most trusted person on earth who already loves to provide and protect him. that's a perfectly fine stereotype and not boring, and wanting to see mike get fucked doesn't erase how that initial dynamic is good in its own way 😭 and people have no issue with a top having no power when it's sub top mike, but will bottoming = bad because he has no power as a sub? it's just not how that works 😅

I enjoy switch byler so much but the way in which people insist mike is the subbiest bottom and get quite rude about how people could possibly see otherwise, when - like you said op - it's clear when will is right there why people enjoy the canon dynamic, and how these are not balanced macho male personalities (no matter how much puberty noah went through that changed will's physique. I rewatch s4 and will is still the softest guy, he's just taller. they purposely tried to hide his growth because that's not their vision for will. finn is also growing bigger too, so) is so unnecessary and shocking to me. byler are not st3ddie, it shouldn't be shocking that a lot of people are fine with a soft will and assertive mike because... well that's in the show? those are the boys we all love? I'm able to enjoy all dynamics while understanding what the creators like for them.

I don't intend to make things deep here, because we all know it's just preference and what we like for our faves, but speaking definitively like "at best"  doesn't make something true so I wanted to offer my two cents!

These are all interesting points! Thanks for adding to the conversation! I fully agree that certain things just are Byler, and as you said, "byler specifically have particular personalities that lend themselves to a dynamic which shouldn't make it surprising that it's what people prefer or notice in canon and work with." 100% true!

And yeah, subverting expectations is not always necessary. Because like you said, "byler are not st3ddie, it shouldn't be shocking that a lot of people are fine with a soft will and assertive mike because... well that's in the show? those are the boys we all love?"

Sometimes people role switch/subvert expectations - not just with the spicy side of byler but with all sides - and it ends up not even looking like them. Especially when the argument is rooted in Will's muscle gain and "buff Byers" which, like, you said is not the original vision for the character. Arguing that Will would top because he's physically stronger than Mike completely loses the plot.

But to play devil's advocate, I say that Will being the soft/gentle/less assertive/sensitive/INFP that he is doesn't necessarily mean he can't also fantasize about to fucking boys/Mike, just like Mike being the assertive/leader/knight in shining armor/more masculine one in canon doesn't mean he can't fantasize about the opposite.

(Like in the same way that a straight guy wanting to fuck his girlfriend also doesn't mean that he can't be soft/gentle/less masculine/less assertive/INFP/sensitive/etc. Even if this isn't in a hyper-masculine/aggressive way like other alpha types, it's still considered "normal" and even expected in straight contexts since, well, that's how straight sex typically works). So why is it different in a gay context? Horniness isn't always 2+2= 4, although it can be.

It honestly seems like a lot of these nuances of this discussion/debate are more about who is more dominant and who is more of the sub rather than their specific positions. One could argue that dom Mike/sub Will would closely link to their canon dynamics.

But even so, I remember one of the earliest polls on here had a high number of people who viewed Will as "domming from the bottom" and Mike as "subbing from the top" which is really interesting and somewhat throws a curve ball in this analysis. Maybe that connects to lots of people using the word "bratty" to describe Mike?

All in all though, when discussing gay sex, especially in fandom, there's always this huge emphasis on binary roles and positions that isn't really present when discussing straight sex, but really is that really fair? Will being more feminine ≠ automatically bottoming and Mike being more masculine ≠ automatically topping because these things aren't necessarily gendered or aligned with personality traits, where one is "the boy" and the other is "the girl" during sex, or at least they don't have to be. They sometimes are, but not always.

Through this lens, even if you view top Mike as more canon compliant, it's hypothetically possible that top Will/bottom Will wouldn't even really be role-switching. It could just be what they naturally gravitate to in the bedroom while still keeping all other aspects of their personality. BUT, like you said, if Will is indeed a bottom, it's 100% true that, "Will can find so much power and control in bottoming, he gets to set the pace AND it's with the most trusted person on earth who already loves to provide and protect him."

What does everyone else think?

[dailytomlinson]

Alone with Louis Tomlinson in Chile: "What I miss most about One Direction is the camaraderie"

In his brief visit to the country, Louis Tomlinson received BioBioChile weeks after his return to the national stage and days after a talked-about show in Mexico, a country to which this year he will bring his own festival, “Away from home." "I want to bring it wherever they want to have me. To be honest, it was a talking point today (in Chile)," the former One Direction confessed.

After an explosive time in Mexico, where he was one of the headliners of the Pal Norte festival, Louis Tomlinson went down through South America to Chile in advance of what will be an imminent reunion with local fans, who in the country alone number in the thousands.

The former One Direction will present the “Faith In The Future World Tour 2024” on May 24 at the Estadio Bicentenario La Florida , almost a year after the start of the world tour and almost two years after its successful debut in Chile, when in 2022 sold out three shows months in advance.

“The experiences I have had, being quite young, have always been quite good here. So I am very excited to be able to bring “Faith in the Future”, and I feel very lucky to be able to do this alone,” he commented in dialogue with BioBioChile when remembering his first visit with One Direction , also in May but 2014. 10 years ago.

Since then, subsequent visits to Chile by the group's former members have repeated the frenzy of their alma mater. This week, the flash arrival of Louis Tomlinson caused crowds outside the Mandarin Hotel, and spontaneous attempts to follow his route to Santiago.

“I think it's vitally important (not to forget the fans). It's as simple as if no one buys the album and no one comes to the tour shows, we can't do what we do. It is vitally important to make people feel represented from all sides. I've always had a good relationship with the fans, and I've always been incredibly grateful to have the fanbase that I do. So it's a lot of love and gratitude that I can give you. They are always important to me,” he acknowledged.

During his time at the Pal Norte festival, Tomlinson made a gesture that caught the attention of his followers: he took a Mexican flag and posed with it for the audience . A very unusual maneuver in his presentations that the Dancaster native takes today with humor.

“I saw that fans were talking about it online and I think I've only done it once before, and I think it was in Mexico too. Those shows are usually where they are very excited and euphoric, there is no other reason. At that moment I take the flag and wrap it around myself. Which is very cool,” she commented on the code that his fans deciphered.

For “Faith In The Future” , the Englishman worked and collaborated with important names in the international industry, such as Theo Hutchcraft (Hurts) and producer Mike Crossey (The 1975, Wolf Alice), as well as Nico Rebscher (Alice Merton) and Joe Cross, among others.

After the success of “Walls” in 2020 (whose tour brought together more than 500,000 people in more than 80 concerts around the world), the singer was satisfied with the result of his successor album, where he shows another facet.

“Yes, I am very proud of this album. When I reflect on 'Walls,' there are things that with hindsight I would have done slightly differently, and that comes from a place of trust. But when I think about 'Faith in the Future', I think the proof is in the live shows. That album is designed for live performances, and from the experiences I've had on tour with Faith in the Future, it feels very special to have that for the fans. So yes, I am very satisfied,” he commented.

Tomlinson, who in less than two years suffered the death of his mother Johannah Deakin from leukemia and his sister Felicité from an overdose, shows in “Faith in the Future” part of his own family heritage: optimism .

“I would say that (that optimism) comes from the family; It's what I've always known: seeing the glass half full. Optimism, yes, comes naturally to me in the way my mother raised me, of trying to see the good. I wanted to bring that out on this album, and I hope you can feel a little bit of that.

(Q): In “Common People” you made a tribute to Doncaster, your hometown. Tell us about it.

(A): I'm very proud to come from a place like Doncaster, although I don't spend much time there anymore because I live in London, I go when I see my family. But there are great people, I have a lot to thank Doncaster for who I am today, so it still has a very special place in my heart.

(Q): Are you working on a new album?

(A): I have written a couple of songs, but when I was writing them I wasn't thinking that they would be for a new album, they were so I could write and not put pressure on those songs. But I think I will start writing work for a new album at the end of this year.

(Q): In addition to being a musical star, you are a festival producer…

(A): Yes! I like that, it sounds good.

(Q): You recently announced the arrival of “Away from home”, your festival, to Mexico, after a successful time in Spain. Is there any possibility of bringing that show to Chile or South America?

(A): I would love to. I want to bring it where they want to have me. To be honest, it was a talking point today. And the shows have had incredible energy, so it would be an incredible place to bring the festival.

(Q): What does Louis Tomlinson listen to in his headphones during his trips and tours around the world?

(A): I have to push myself a lot to listen to new things, like everyone else I stay in a loop of continuing to listen to the things I grew up with or I get stuck with an album and only listen to that. The last album I've been listening to a lot is the new one by Paolo Nutini , he is perhaps my favorite male singer, he is an incredible vocalist and incredible composer.

(Q): You are a very active artist, who travels a lot during the year. Would you like to spend more time at home, in England or in Doncaster?

(A): Yes, that's almost the only thing I've known in my adult life, certainly. So yes, of course I would like to be able to spend more time in Doncaster. But since I don't, every time I go there it feels very special. So currently I have a very nice relationship with my home.

What do you miss most about your time in One Direction? Do you miss anything from those days?

(A): Yes, definitely. I think what I miss most is the camaraderie, navigating the music industry together. It's a very immersive experience, and being able to navigate with people who are going through the same thing is definitely a good feeling. Or even lose sometimes, but do it collectively. But I will say that as a solo artist, I've said it before, there is more stress, but I think the reward is greater. But there is a difference. That was it, and now it's something else.

(Q): What are your plans for this year?

(A): I have a lot of touring, I'm seeing people play at a lot of festivals, which is exciting because it's something new for me. I'm very excited about that, Mexico was a great experience. So more touring and then at the end of the year is when I'll start writing the album.

[disfrutalakia]

yeah it's like how the guards back when Pac and Mike were jailed cared about the guard who got killed during their prison break... but they didn't seem to care much for Tazaercraft's wellbeing or even a worker like Walter Bob ( who we now know was sent to that prison to be punished)- they were complicit to the terrible treatment those guys were undergoing.

And Fred was involved with the experimentation done on Pierre, now we don't know the full extent or his feelings on that matter but it's still major point of suspicion... It's also interesting to contrast the way Fred talks to Tubbo vs the rest of the players...

Honestly overall I think when it comes to the faceless guards/workers it's more complex then them being good or bad/fully fed supporting or not but when it comes to higher ranks I'm much more wary of trusting them to not use or trick the residents to the federations benefit. I really am curious about what their whole deal is, where do these guys even come from...

Yeah, despite my feelings about the workers they are truly interesting and are probably the closest we will get to federation lore for a good while.

Like Walter Bob was a different case, he was actively being punished and we know the lower ranks are considered disposable, so how much do the higher ups truly care for them you know?

Fred also seems to be the worker with the most different personality until now, might not understand the full array of human emotions but its clear that they are starting to (friends what were Fred's pronouns? I literally can't remember if it was ever said)

Also i think it's interesting to remember that those two guards on the prison during Tazercraft's stay there, very clearly cared for each other and one directly harmed Pac to get revenge on Mike, thing that maybe wasn't authorized by the feds

[mantisfriendd]

FNAF MOVIE NOVEL REVIEW

I just finished reading the FNAF movie novel, and id like to give some thoughts on it

This post will contain spoilers for both the FNAF movie and it's novelization! continue at your own risk!

Overall I would say this is a pretty good adaptation of the movie, and it actually provides some additional context for some of the weaker plot points of the movie. A prime example being Aunt Jane's motivation for wanting custody over Abby. In the book there is a trust fund for Abby set up by her grand parents, Jane wants to take this money for herself and sees getting custody of Abby as the ticket to that money.

Some scenes in the book play out much differently then in the film, but generally things end in the same spots as they do in the movie.

being inside the characters heads allows us to get more characterization out of everyone, and for the most part I really like what they did here.

EDIT: The section on Doug is no longer relevant, Scott has announced that book Doug is non cannon, and new prints of the book have entirely rewritten his character, I don't have a newer print so I can't tell what's changed, maybe I'll buy one eventually to see.

The only character who I think is a direct downgrade from the film is unfortunately Doug. In the film Doug comes off as a hapless lawyer who is being held hostage by his client who is clearly in the wrong, and he still comes off like that in the book but with a clear difference. In the film we feel sorry for him, clearly he's not a bad guy, he's caught up in something he doesn't want to be in. In the book he is barely spoken about, and when he is described he is described as being spaced out and nearly catatonic. Other then not wanting to be there his only other trait in the book is being a creep. The Sparky's Diner scene is seen from Max's perspective in the book, and we get some amazing characterization from her, expressing her discomfort with the entire meeting with Jane and the plan her brother hatches. At some point in the scene she catches Doug staring at her breasts. (sidenote I think this might be the only time the word "breasts" appears in any FNAF book, just a strange inclusion for a series about murder pizza bears)

This is strange characterization for a fan favorite character in the original film, and nothing in the film would lead you to expect this kind of thing from him.

Sidenote here in the book Ness (Matpat's character) is said to be the son of the owner of Sparky's and the book describes him as an "Auburn-haired teen" which is a funny thing to call a man in his 30s.

Minor nitpick aside I think both the movie and the film are acceptable ways to experience the plot, some of the things I thought were weird could just have been my knowledge of the films events changing my perspective.

I also enjoy the reinstatement of some of the elements from earlier screenplays and earlier cuts of the film that we know about from various cast members. The father son relationship of Hank and Carl and Garrett appearing in the archway before The Yellow Rabbit appears being some examples.

The book is also way more gorey then the film was, to my surprise. I was almost shocked at the end of the book where both Vanessa and Mike are in a pool of their own blood, the FNAF books have always gone a little harder with the gore then the games have but I guess I wasn't expecting it because of how much of a blockbuster the film was. You know with all the eyes on everything FNAF movie related, but I'm happy to say the FNaF movie novelization keeps with the tradition of surprisingly bloody Scholastic published books.

I quite enjoyed my time with this book, if you haven't read it and wanna give it a go after watching the movie, I'd say it's a worthwhile read. I also read it pretty quickly, but it might have something to do with me already knowing the plot so I didn't have to let it sink in as much

[duck-in-a-thrift-store]

Alright, ik it's been a little while but now it's time for room/character closeup #3

~Max & El's room~

Right off the bat I think it goes without saying their room is quite a bit more *fun* than some of the others; it was heavily inspired by the early s3 aesthetic (before everything went to shit that is), like when Max was helping El try out a new style, so I hope that shows in the colors and patterns I used for the wallpaper/rug/beds

(Also- this isn't character specific- it just makes me happy how the chair matches the wallpaper and the bedspread matches some of the colors in the posters)

Speaking of the posters

I remembered Max introducing El to comics at their sleepover (also s3) so I wanted to use posters that had that comic book/pop art feel to them, hence the pieces over the beds

Max is on the left. I felt like the sheer *attitude* it conveyed was something she would appreciate, that it suited her

El is on the right, and there's like a whole tangent to that one* but it's also another call-back to that s3 moment of Max showing El her comics and telling her who Wonder Woman is (listen I just really loved their dynamic and interactions in s3 ok)

*You might be wondering "duck why would you put a superheroine poster over El's bed are you really taking such a cliche/obvious approach with the decor here"

Listen babe. It's nuanced, okay?

First of all, yeah basically. I'm fine with being cliche. I do what I want and it fit the general vibe I was going for

But more importantly, remember how I mentioned in... one of the other notes posts for this au I honestly don't remember which one at this point- how a recurring theme here will be characters reclaiming things? At least I think I posted that, I know I wrote it down somewhere-

But anywho, yes, this is one of those instances

So I think, before now, El would have gotten to a point where she really resented "superheroes" -or more accurately, being compared to them

After everything. After being taken from her mother and having her childhood stolen from her in order to train her into a mini super soldier. After always having to be the strong one and fighting every battle. After always having to be the superhero for everyone else and still feeling like she can't ever seem to hit the bad guys hard enough to keep them down for good, to keep her friends safe. After having all those expectations and all that pressure on her for years when really she just wants to move on and be a normal kid and get to live her life

And yeah, maybe also after Mike's weak ass speech at the end of s4. I'd probably feel pretty icky if my boyfriend tried to encourage me by reminding me that my value comes from being a sword and shield rather than a person, if I kept getting put on this suffocating pedestal of always having to push myself to keep everyone else safe, and if I believed that was the very reason I was loved

[Don't take this the wrong way I love Michael Wheeler he's like a son to me but I do think that his and El's relationship was very unhealthy and that he didn't handle things very well]

So uh. Yeah. El hated superheroes for a little bit. I'm not sure when they put that poster up but it wasn't when they first moved in

However

After getting away from the place tied to so much of her trauma, so many of her burdens; after getting out of the situation that kept forcing her into the superhero role, I think her views on superheroes just as an objective, fictional concept would start to soften

And also I think the way Max handles it- treating her like she's awesome and strong and special but not dehumanizing her, trusting her but not pressuring her, encouraging her to be and embrace herself- that has something to do with it as well. It teaches her that she can be a superhero if she wants to be, but she doesn't have to. She does have superhuman abilities, but she herself gets to decide what, if anything, to do with them

When they all ditch Hawkins and move into the new house, El doesn't have to fight anymore. They've left the Upside Down and all its monsters, the empty lab and all its ghosts, behind them. For the first time in... well, pretty much her whole life, she doesn't have to fight, she doesn't have to use her powers, she doesn't have to play the hero. She gets to just... be a kid. A person

And everyone still loves her. Everyone still treats her like a part of the family, like she matters

So maybe she doesn't have to be a superhero. And maybe she doesn't have to hate them, either

But the concept is still something tied to her identity, something floating in the back of her mind; it's an identity in which she found value and strength, at a point in her life when she didn't really know who she was yet

So she still thinks about heroes. And she slowly comes to appreciate them in media, like the comic book heroes Max tells her about. Distinctly separate from herself and from her reality and past. From that safe distance away, they're admirable, captivating, impressive, compelling. And, yeah, maybe a little relatable

And... she finds that she's ok with that

She finds that she likes it, actually

Until eventually El has a strong appreciation for heroes, for their strength and what they stand for, because she understands them- but she doesn't have to be one of them anymore. Removed from the dangers and the expectations, she can see heroes- and herself- simply for what they are, instead of through that lens of pain and resentment and obligation

In the place she has found herself in life, she comes to terms with the fact that she is badass, she is important, she has value, and that those facts remain even when she isn't fighting anything

And in knowing it isn't required, that the people around her see her and love her for who she is rather than just what she can do, passively being likened to a hero doesn't feel so crushing anymore. Maybe she even starts to casually refer to herself as a hero from time to time, maybe jokingly, maybe ironically, maybe sarcastically, but deep down she does still feel that tie, that connection, in some ways- only now it doesn't hurt

And now she loves superheroes, enough to put one on her wall

[Btw, this whole analysis thing was heavily allegorical for my relationship with gender and I hope that shows. Superheroes=womanhood/femininity. If you get it you get it]

That ran away from me a little bit. Um. Moving right along, I guess

The third poster isn't that deep tbh I mostly picked it because it matched the wallpaper colors lol but I do think "good things are coming" would be a nice message to wake up to for two people who have been through so fucking much already at such a young age, remind them that they still have a wonderful life ahead of them despite the horrors in their past, y'know?

And then there's Max's skateboard, at the foot of her bed

It's symbolic it's important it matters that she brought it with her

She got hurt pretty damn badly at the end of s4, and nobody knew for sure if she was even going to survive, let alone whether she'd be able to skateboard again

But she did survive, and her body got pretty fucked up but she was in recovery, and maybe she'd never be quite the same again but she wasn't going to let that stop her, she wasn't going to give up

Her legs aren't as strong and her balance isn't as good as it used to be but she's determined to use that skateboard again no matter how many times she falls over relearning how to do it (and someone is always there to help her get back on her feet, if she wants them to. Yes it's Lucas how did you know)

Anyway I just think Max Mayfield is an incredibly strong brave person and she gets what she wants and what she wants in this case is to be the zoomer of the household

I don't suppose there's really much more to say about the room, so... guess that's a wrap for this one

[thranduel]

mike, will & el: lies vs truth

*these are my own personal opinions based on what i’ve observed. it’s fine if you disagree!! i’m tagging byler, mike and will so it shows up in their tags only, so if you happen to come across this and you don’t like byler, don’t bother reading because this heavily focuses on how close they are and how strong their relationship is ☺️

mike and el

el has always known mike doesn't like being lied to and it’s one of the first things he teaches her (see screenshot above), but after they start dating, she lies to him a lot (including in all her letters in season 4) because she doesn't feel comfortable telling the truth or being herself around him. mike also lies to el a lot, and even when confronted, continues to lie, because he also can't be himself around her either. lying has only hurt both of them and the people around them, and although they may find it difficult to open up because they have their own struggles, it just shows that they don’t understand each other and being in a romantic relationship (that was extremely rushed for two children) isn’t helping them.

also, none of the other characters have fully approved or said anything positive about their relationship, and it’s not really surprising considering mike and el force themselves to act a certain way around each other and exclude everyone around them when they’re trying to be lovey dovey (which isn’t romantic or healthy). obviously they’re not intentionally trying to hurt people but they just get blinded by their relationship and it’s not good. it’s like they’re trying so hard to compensate for the lack of important things in their relationship (trust, honesty, proper communication, shared interests, understanding) with things that they just think are expected in a typical romantic relationship (making out, shoving everyone else to the side just to be with each other, basically just cheesy things that they see every other couple do and what romantic movies show).

the other characters have only encouraged them to break up and/or called them out for lying and being unfair which says a lot, and i think it’s also very interesting to note that the general audience and casual viewers started hating mike the moment he started dating el, because that’s when his character changed. if a character becomes worse after getting into a relationship and his own friends call him out for it more than once AND most of the audience starts hating him (there are literally polls that show he’s the least favourite main character now), isn’t that telling you that this relationship just simply isn’t good? couples are supposed to bring out the best in each other, not make each other become worse.

"they're just kids" and "couples always have issues" may have worked as an excuse at one point, and it would’ve been understandable since it was their first relationship (especially for el who was only just starting to learn about these things), but that excuse just simply doesn’t work anymore after season 4, and it’s really weird when people STILL try to say it and force them to stay together when it’s clearly hurting them (and others around them). and if they’re “just kids” that are immature, make mistakes, lie, argue, make each other feel insecure (even if it’s unintentional) and don’t even understand each other, why are they in a relationship at all? like you said, they’re just kids. why would anyone want to watch kids with unresolved trauma and their own personal struggles stuck in a relationship like this where they’re not even helping each other? do people even care about the characters?

they’ve been dating for years and they've had plenty of time to grow and develop as a couple throughout the series, but they haven't. they’ve only made each other feel worse and more insecure (not intentionally but still). they've shown that they can be mature and honest and they can be themselves with other characters, so why can't they be like that in their own relationship? it's because they just simply don't understand each other and don't work as a couple. everything was so rushed for them, and that's okay to admit.

there is no honest communication, no trust, no understanding, and even when they try to comfort each other, it just doesn't seem to work. they lie a lot and pretend like everything is okay when it isn't, and they never actually end up resolving any issues. there’s not a single scene where they have a proper heart-to-heart conversation where they're being completely honest and understanding of each other. there’s not a single scene where they’re doing something they actually enjoy together (because they don't really having anything in common) while being their true selves instead of acting fake and forcing themselves to be people they're not. they’ve only had make out scenes and scenes where they ignore their friends and exclude them. i’ve never seen a scene where mike is with el AND their other friends, where mike is actually being kind and paying attention to the others. it’s like he can't balance his relationships and he completely switches his personality to “obsessed with el” mode and forces himself to only focus on her and it’s not cute, romantic or healthy at all. there was absolutely no reason for both of them to completely ignore will and exclude him at the roller rink, especially when all three of them know what it's like to be outcasted and left out. and when mike and el fight, they’re both pretty stubborn and don’t immediately apologise or check up on each other. mike waited until the next morning before seeing if el was okay after being bullied and making her feel worse, and then he kept denying things that she confronted him about.

i understand that they both have their own trauma and struggles. their feelings are valid and i can see why they might struggle to open up sometimes. but the point i’m trying to make is that they simply don’t work together as a romantic couple because they just don’t understand each other at all. if you can’t be yourself with your partner or feel comfortable enough to communicate with them, that means you shouldn’t be in a relationship with them OR at least take a break from dating for a while instead of forcing the relationship to continue. people always seem to ignore the fact that mike and el met as CHILDREN and kissed when they were 12 years old and knew each other for 6 days. el didn’t even know what romance was and she couldn’t communicate at the same level as mike. he literally had to teach her the word “friend” a few days earlier so the last thing she needed was a boyfriend. they rushed into romance so quickly, and even now, they’re only 15 years old and still struggling with so much unresolved trauma. even though they love and care for each other so much, they are still KIDS that they don’t understand each other or work as a couple. how can anyone think this relationship is romantic or healthy for them??

and no, being forced into saying a monologue where you tell someone things that you know they want to hear (because of a previous fight) because you're under pressure and trying to save them is not actually solving any of your relationship problems, especially when you lie in the process. you should be able to tell your partner you love them without them begging and crying in front of you. you should be able to tell your partner you love them when they don't have their powers. you should be able to tell your partner you love them without being pushed into it because of your best friend's feelings for you. you should be able to tell your partner you love them when they're not in danger and fighting for their life. you should not have to be forced into telling your partner you love them. and the excuse that mike was insecure and afraid of losing el will never make sense from a writing standpoint, because he knew exactly what she wanted to hear when she was crying in front of him. he knew she left with owens and didn't take him with her because he didn't tell her he loved her ("maybe i should've said something. and if i would've said that thing, then maybe she'd want me there with her"). he knew the entire time, so it just doesn't make sense why he couldn't comfort her or say 3 simple words. she was crying in front of him, practically begging to hear it. if he loved her so much and his fear was losing her, not only should he have said it during all the years they were dating WITHOUT her asking him to, but he should've said it the moment she started crying and confronted him about it. but he still didn't. he couldn't.

a forced monologue full of exaggerated lies that were said in an attempt to sound "romantic" doesn't suddenly fix all of that. it would've been more genuine and romantic if he at least tried to be honest. even if it was something like "i know things didn't start out easy for us at the beginning, and i'm sorry for that. but honestly... i realised how special you were the moment i saw your selflessness. how determined you were to help find will, a boy you didn't even know, even if it meant risking your life. and how you saved me that day, as well as so many other people... that'll be something i won't ever forget. there are so many people that love and care for you, and we believe in you". that's just a rough idea, but literally ANYTHING other than lies would've been so much better and more genuine than what we actually got. and it would've been nice to see him appreciate el as a person and mention all her good qualities. her kindness, her selflessness, the way she's willing to risk her life to save others. but instead, he idolised her for her powers and spoke about her abilities. he just lied and made things up that we know aren't true.

how could a 12 year old who was traumatised about his missing best friend and was so focused on finding him fall in love with a stranger in the woods who he looked at for two seconds and hadn't even spoken a word to? how could someone who doesn't believe in love at first sight ("it's not fate, it's not destiny, it's just simple dumb luck") or forming an opinion on someone before actually getting to know them ("awesome? you haven't even spoken a word to her" and "hate you? how can i hate you? i don't even know you") suddenly act like he believes in love at first sight to try and sound romantic? el would've understood if he told the truth because she knows it wasn't love at first sight either. it just made the scene look cheesy and it felt way less genuine. it also felt extremely invalidating and hurtful to will too considering that's the time he went missing and was fighting for his life in an alternate dimension. mike could've picked anything else to say to el and he chose that? really?

meanwhile…

it's also ironic that they both have a scene where they say the word "trust", when their relationship barely has any trust or honesty, and el proceeds to lie two seconds later, like she's been doing for months in her letters. also, they don't share any similar interests and seem to think the other's hobbies and interests are weird. not necessarily in a bad way, but they just don't understand each other.

el also spies on mike in season 3 without him knowing, looking a little disgusted and weirded out when he's just being himself (and fine, to be fair, he wasn't really behaving nicely in this scene and he was being whiny lol, but it just shows how mike is when he's with the boys, being his true self and not faking his personality or trying to appear cool). el isn't used to seeing him like that because he always acts like someone he's not when he's around her, so she was surprised. when mike finds out about this, he's understandably upset and embarrassed because she took advantage of her abilities and invaded his privacy. this shows the lack of trust and communication in their relationship. it's also weird how after they break up, they don't even go to each other. mike whines and feels sorry for himself instead of thinking about el's feelings, and el spies on mike instead of talking to him properly. they only talk days later when they have no choice and have to work together again with the others.

mike and will

will has always known that mike doesn't like being lied to and he doesn't like when other people lie to him either. he knows him very well and wants to look out for him so he doesn't get upset. he also knows that lies can eventually turn messy and he was definitely right in this case. if el hadn't lied to mike about her life in california, the bullying incident may have been avoided entirely, as well as el hitting angela with the rollerskate and mike and el's big fight (that mike claims they can't come back from) the next day. and no, it wasn’t will’s job to tell mike. he can’t do everything for them or they’ll never grow and develop as a couple (and clearly they’re not, we see their relationship getting worse each season) and it only ends up hurting both of them. if mike and el are the ones that are dating, they should know how to communicate and be honest with each other. if they can’t do that and someone always has to intervene and help them manage their own relationship, they shouldn’t be dating at all.

something i also find really beautiful is that in mike and will's very first one-on-one conversation in the first episode, will tells mike the truth about the roll. this is the introduction to their relationship and we can already see that there is trust and honesty; something very important to both of them.

mike and will continue to tell each other the truth and confide in each other throughout the show. in season 2, will only talks to mike about the mindflayer and everything he’s struggling with. mike also opens up to will when he talks about how guilty he feels for not being able to save el. they both feel safe and comfortable with each other, and they don’t leave each other’s side all season. although they’re more distant in season 3, will is still very honest, especially during their fight scene where he lets everything out and doesn’t deny that he wants to spend the rest of his life playing games with mike in his basement. he even makes sarcastic little comments in other episodes when mike annoys him. he doesn’t hold back or pretend to be fake. he can always be himself with mike and mike knows that. it’s something that has always made them so much more genuine compared to other couples and it shows how close they are.

the only time will lies to mike is when he gives him the painting and confesses his own feelings for him, but uses el's name as a disguise. but it's very important to remember that this is completely different to when el lies to mike and when mike lies to el. mike and el lie to each other because they don't feel like equals or understand each other. they don't feel comfortable with each other and they can't be themselves. they lie to each other so that they can make themselves look cool to impress each other. that's not the case with mike and will. we know that they understand each other better than anyone else and they feel comfortable with each other. they love each other for exactly who they are (and they know that!) and they don't have to hide or pretend to be people they're not to impress each other. will only lied here because he wanted to make mike feel better since he saw that he was upset, and because he obviously couldn't tell the full truth since it wasn't right and he also wasn’t ready to come out. will would never try to get in the way of mike's relationship. he wasn't trying to take him away from el, he was only trying to help because he saw that he was upset and struggling with his insecurities. he was half lying to him (by using el as a disguise), but also telling the truth, because what he described is how he truly feels about mike. will only had good intentions as well. he was thinking about mike the entire time, not himself. he was trying to do what he thought was best for him in that moment. he could've kept silent and let mike stay upset, but he chose to give him the painting and sacrifice his own feelings for him to make him feel better. i'm not sure how mike will react to that, but it's a completely different thing from when mike and el lie to each other. i know some people think mike will get mad, but i actually think he'll understand and appreciate it, even if it takes time.

the relief and happiness on will's face when he sees that mike is happy after seeing the painting is the cutest thing ever 💛

and look at mike's little smile after he hears about how will feels about him :') he just doesn't know it yet!!

and finally, another important thing. mike and will always resolve their issues after they argue (which, by the way, they've only had two small arguments. and both times it was because they weren't paying attention to each other lol. also notice how mike and will never argued with each other until mike started dating el? they didn’t start arguing because of their own relationship, because we know their relationship is strong and healthy and they’ve always been close and understand each other so well. they started arguing because of mike and el’s relationship because it’s unhealthy and mike started changing and forcing himself to act a certain way. i think this is very important to note). anyways, mike immediately went to will both times to apologise and we know mike is usually stubborn when it comes to apologising, but not with will. no one had to pressure him to do it. after their first argument in 3x03, he rode his bike during a storm to apologise and check if will was okay. after their second argument in 4x02, he went to will's room to say apologise again and check if will was okay. mike took full responsibility for how he acted and didn't let will blame himself because he knew it wasn't his fault at all and he understood why he was hurt. mike showed his vulnerable side, something he can only do with will, and admitted he wasn't acting great and was probably focusing too much on el. then he admits he was scared that he lost will and that hawkins wasn't the same without him. he tells will that he thinks it'll be better if they're a team. friends. best friends. this makes will feel better because he said "i thought we were best friends" the previous day during their fight, and he felt like they were growing apart. mike reassured him that wasn't the case, and they ended up even closer by the end of the conversation, with smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes.

mike and el on the other hand didn't resolve any of their issues. in fact, they never do (also remember how i mentioned above that mike and will have never argued because of their own relationship? well mike and el do argue because of their own relationship. it’s not about other people, it’s about them. their relationship is always the issue and they always start fighting because they just don’t work together as a couple). even back in season 3, they didn't properly apologise to each other or admit to anything that they did behind the other's back. they just... moved on like nothing happened? and then in season 4, people act like the monologue solved all their relationship issues, when it didn't. not even close. for starters, el never apologised to mike for lying in her letters. mike never had a good excuse for not comforting el or telling her he loved her when she was sobbing. el went with owens even though she was warned she might never see mike again, and left him a letter saying "from, el". mike crumpled it up and threw it in the trash, before saying it was like a fight they can't come back from. mike wasn't going to say his monologue if it weren’t for will. it was will's painting and monologue that made mike feel loved and gave him strength and motivation. mike thought will was talking about el when he wasn't. even when el was choking on the table, mike wasn't saying anything. he only said it when will pushed him to. then he proceeded to make up lies that made absolutely no sense and contradicted things we've literally seen in the show. and i understand he was under pressure and trying to save her so he had to tell her what she wanted to hear, but he was still lying regardless. that's why it makes no sense when people act like it's a genuine love confession. also, mike didn't even know if she could hear him. they weren't face-to-face. it wasn't private or intimate. he didn't mention anything about her other than her powers because that's all he really knows about her. he didn't say it because he was ready to or wanted to, he said it because she was literally choking and he was under pressure and had no other choice. obviously he loves her so much and cares for her, but that monologue was not a genuine love confession. it was more like a motivational speech that happened during a stressful moment and it only happened because it was forced. it was also insulting that will was used as a plot device to make it happen in the first place AND that mike was lying to el, but anyways. afterwards, we don't even see mike and el interact, and after the time skip, el isn't talking to mike. it's like they started off close at the beginning of the season and ended up further apart by the end, which is the opposite to mike and will.

[narniangirl1994]

A couple observations and theories about Will in this season of Stranger Things:

In the scene where he and Mike are sitting on his bed, looking at the letter El left, Mike asks Will if he trusts the government agents to handle the situation in Hopkins/keep their friends safe. And while Will acknowledges the doctor was good to them, he also points out that the government doctor wasn't able to save Will from the Mind Flayer. Instead he emphasizes "that was you guys, that was YOU guys." I just thought it was a nice moment that showed why Mike (and the others) mean so much to Will. He hasn't forgotten that they saved his life multiple times and looked out for him even when professionals couldn't help him. I think he is especially grateful to Mike, who never gave up on him when Will was in the Upside Down and who was right there beside him for most of the season 2 possession arc. Will won't ever forget what Mike and his other loved ones did for him.

In many of the scenes where El is being bullied, Will watches with sadness but never steps in to help her. Now, he may have made that choice because having her awkward brother step in to defend her probably wouldn't have helped El get the bullies off her back. But I also suspect it has to do with his own fear and learned helplessness. This is a kid who had an abusive parent, was bullied throughout his childhood, and went through several extremely traumatic experiences that took away his agency/autonomy. While he has always been resourceful and resilient, let's not forget the biggest time he tried to stand his ground and defend himself instead of running away (when he shouted at the Mind Flayer to "go away" in season 2), it led to his possession. He always looked somewhat anxious to me in the scenes where he is watching El get bullied, and I imagine he may be at least somewhat frozen in fear at witnessing someone hurt his friend.

Which leads me to my third observation - in "Dear Billy" when the soldiers burst in and start shooting, Will is absolutely petrified. Mike and Jonathan are certainly scared too, but Will looks on the verge of hyperventilating the whole scene and keeps making the same terrified keening noises he made after the Mind Flayer chased him in the Halloween episode in season 2. While it was definitely a terrifying situation and everyone reacts to fear in different ways, he just seemed so much more terrified than anyone else in that shooting scene. I can't help but wonder if it's a remnant of his own trauma/PTSD. He's likely already hypervigilant on a fairly regular basis, so suddenly having any semblance of safety he may have felt out in California ripped away from him just sent him directly into panicking mode. He also seemed to struggle to process what was going on and what he was being told to do a little more than the others in that situation, which would make sense since freezing is often his first response before his flight instinct kicks in. (Which lines up with my theory about why he never steps in to help El.)

And of course, I fully agree that he is pining after Mike and probably painted that picture for him. That reading seems very obvious to me. What remains to be seen is if it will be canonically acknowledged and if the writers will have Mike return those feelings or not.

[will80sbyers]

To me it makes perfect sense for Mike to be jealous even without him having realized he has romantic feelings for Will yet

Look at the situation from Mike's perspective:

His best friend, first friend ever, that he is super attached to and with whom he had a BIG fight the summer before, has to leave and goes very far away from Hawkins to the point they can see each other only if one of them takes a plane...

He says to himself he doesn't want to let go of this relationship but it's the 80s and there is no internet to stay in touch every day... he still tried to call him a lot but on the other side Will almost never picked up the phone because of Joyce keeping the line busy

plus Will was sort of closing himself up because Mike is in a relationship with his sister now, and even if he wished Mike had wrote him letters I have to ask myself...

Why didn't YOU start writing to Mike first ? Why aren't you calling him more?

Will was pulling away and hoping that Mike would go after him ( which he did!!! but Will doesn't know )

Mike starts to feel like he lost Will and maybe he even thinks about sending letters to him at first, but then he is at the same time writing "love letters" to El so he associated letters to being outright romantic... even if there is no correlation but he's 14 and he is already calling Will so much that it's embarrassing, so he doesn't want to bother Will by being even more clingy and maybe Will now doesn't want to talk to him and that's why he's avoiding him...

Maybe Will is still angry at him for the fight they had and what he said about being "not possible" that he would move on from Mike was all just... words...

He even joined hellfire to go back to play d&d so that they could stay a party with the others even without Will there... It didn't mean anything for Will???

So Mike feels like shit all of those 8 months because he misses Will so freaking much it's insane, he feels crazy!

At the same time he's trying to help El adapt to that new place with his letters but then she starts writing back that everything is going great there so he starts really freaking out because... now he's gonna lose El too because she's gonna realize he's just a nerd and leave him too!!!

THEN

El writes to Mike that Will has a crush on a mysterious girl now and Mike is LOSING HIS MIND

Mike is angry at Will because Will is ignoring him and now he knows why! He has a crush on someone and he's getting replaced by her and he hates it with all his heart because Will was his, he was supposed to want to stay in the basement with him all his life to play d&d... He said that!!!

And now?!

It's a slap to his old reality... to when he believed he had to grow up and not enjoy his interests anymore because it wasn't cool. Now Will is growing up, he's gonna find a girlfriend and leave Mike behind completely...

and he's not even going to tell him about this girl??? Will doesn't trust him anymore at all? He wants to keep hope that it's all a misunderstanding but he doesn't know...

So Mike is feeling really jealous but he doesn't know that it's because his feelings are romantic. He just thought they had something special between them, Will IS different from all the others... He thought what they had wouldn't break this easily and he's angry at Will but he also has a terrible self esteem so he starts to be self-pitying thinking it's all his fault in a way...

But... he doesn't want to get hurt.

He goes to Lenora... and he decided that he needs to keeps his distance FIRST so he can't get hurt when Will does tell him he doesn't care about him anymore.

Where did we see him do this same thing? Oh, right... With NOT saying the I love you to El because he was scared that she was going to leave him...

Mike keeps his distance first when he thinks he's gonna get badly hurt if he doesn't