#lumax deserves to be happy together

[bonesgadh]

I finished reading "Lucas On The Line" and I really enjoyed it through and through.

There are only 3 things I disliked from the book (more like 2, the first one is a complaint more than anything else), and I'm gonna start by mentioning them before diving into what I liked the most:

I wish the damn book was longer. I would gladly pay to read Lucas' POV of everything that happened on season 4. 

Lucas being at odds with Mike, Dustin, and Max around the time the Byers moved to California doesn't sit right with me. If he was barely on speaking terms with them, they can't expect me to believe he joined forces with Max to make fun of Dustin. No way in hell.

The book states the Championship Game was on April 4th, 1986, when it was actually held on March 21st. In fact, season 4 was already finished by April 4th. Perhaps the author had access to early scripts in which the season was set in the first week of April instead of the final week of March, but it still annoyed the fuck out of me.

Okay, so now onto my favorite parts:

Lucas being torn between his loyalty to his friends and wanting something different for himself than what he always had was an excellent storyline, as was his struggle to find his place and trying to understand where he came from and what he wanted out of life. Eventually, he realized what he truly desired was to be with his friends, to help them, and even protect them. It was ridiculously endearing and a reminder of why so many of us fell in love with him in the first place. Because Lucas is fiercely loyal, selfless, and protective, and will stop at nothing to help those he loves. Those are great qualities to have in a character and the book excelled at showing that.

All of the Lumax content was *chef's kiss*. Lucas' anguish at being unable to reach out to Max and his desperation as he feels her slip away was painful to read, but it also provided much-needed insight into how their relationship deteriorated between seasons 3 & 4.

Every Lumax scene from season 4 has a different meaning to me now. I love them even more.

Not Lucas saying he and Max are best friends first and that's why their relationship is so special 😭 THAT'S THE MAIN REASON WHY I LOVE THEM SO MUCH:

The absolute fear Lucas felt when he thought Max was going to die broke my heart because I imagine how he felt when she died for real, even if she was brought back to life shortly after.

Very random moment but there's a mention of Annie and Lucas imagining the Party singing "It's The Hard-Knock Life" and I laughed a lot because 1. Sadie Sink was Annie on Broadway and 2. The Party somehow did sing that song! It's one of the songs the cast sang when they were on Carpool Karaoke.

I love the book explained how Lucas knows "Running Up That Hill" is Max's favorite song, and the little moment they shared listening to it before breaking up. Also, Lucas concluding the song's lyrics match their current situation and seeing Max tear up made me tear up. "Running Up That Hill" is a Lumax anthem CONFIRMED:

There was a very sweet parallel between Max remembering the good times with her friends as she is fighting Vecna, and Lucas recalling how happy he was when he and Max were together:

Last but not least, I wonder if a few scenes were meant to foreshadow what happens to them at the end of the season. The first one was Lucas observing how much Max's eyes have changed, as if they have lost their brightness, an ironic thing to point out now that Max is (most probably) blind:

The second one was Lucas' determination to stand by Max's side until the very end which made me cry, given what happened to her (I never cry at anything but fucking Stranger Things, I swear...):

Anyways, I recommend you to read this book. It's a good companion to ST4 and sheds a different light on Lucas' state of mind during the first 4 episodes. It also provides a fascinating insight into his fears, desires, and wishes, as well as his ambitions. 

[the-believer]

erica calling jason “a step down from max”, calling lumax the “lovebirds” and staying with them in the hospital while robin tells nancy how cute max and lucas are walking together in the woods is so freaking adorable!!!

everyone in stranger things ships lumax just as much as we do pass it on

[booksandpaperss]

Some smokin’ hot Stranger Things takes that some of y’all are not ready for:

- As of season 4, Will loves and understands El in a way Mike has simply never been able to

- as far as platonic ships go willel solos elmike easily

- Whether or not Mileven breaks up (they’re gonna lmao) isn’t even about the ship itself anymore; it’s about the duffers redeeming themselves after using Will’s sexuality to push forward a het ship, bc if Mike and El didn’t break up then that’s exactly what the duffers did and it would honestly be disgusting

- Stop with this “Will deserves/could do better than Mike” bs; Mike and Will *deserve each other* bc they’ve loved each other practically their whole lives and they deserve to be happy together, nothing more to it

-Vobin would be more popular than steddie if it was mlm and ESPECIALLY if it was a ship with *Steve* and a random side dude inserted just to be his love interest

-Nancy doesn’t deserve any of the hate that she gets and if she was a male character a lot of the traits she gets hated on for would be reasons she was a fan favorite 🙄

-The wheeler siblings have gone through just as much horrible shit as the rest of the cast and their trauma is majorly overlooked

-A lot of character traits that ppl hate on Mike for are actually just signs that he has adhd or autism 🤨🤨

-El may not be as coded as Mike or or Will but she *is* queer coded and the lesbian El headcanon makes a lot of sense

- Mike and El have a unique bond and they care abt each other a lot, but Mike and Will’s bond is still a lot stronger, plus Will sees and loves Mike for who he actually is and Mike never feels insecure about being himself around Will (unlike with El) which is why byler in any form > elmike

-I love Steve but he is wayyy overrated and he wouldn’t be nearly as popular if he wasn’t a conventionally attractive white man

-Ronance, jancy, and steddie solo stancy but Steve + Robin + Nancy as the ultimate platonic trio solos all four

-Eddie is a good character but he’s overrated as hell and any member of the party solos him easily

-Max is definitely sapphic but headcanoning her as lesbian is biphobic at this point bc her love for Lucas is clearly very genuine and can’t be called comphet

-Byler, Vobin, Ronance, and elmax are all better queer ships than steddie

-The only reason elmax isn’t getting hated on by cishet lumax shippers is bc it’s not a threat to lumax being canon like byler is to mileven

-Lumax, Byler, and Elmax easily solo every other ship on the show 😌

[cherryblossomtimemachine]

If I have to single-handedly fill the Lumax tag with posts that are actually about them, I will do it happily. I love their relationship so much because it is obvious just how much they love and care for each other. They deserve so much more love and recognition both as a couple and as individuals. I mean look at them they are absolutely adorable.

I just love them so much and would do anything for them to end up happy and healthy together after all of the shit that they have been through.

[octopusoptimusprime]

why mike wheeler is autistic

by me, your friendly neighbourhood autistic :)

overexaggerated facial expressions

we might be starting off with what seems like a bit of a reach here, but hear me out

mike doesn’t show emotion visually on his face a lot (also an autistic trait) but when he does it’s usually over-the-top and there’s other people around

the way he looks at el in the ‘i dump your ass’ scene - looks to me like he’s playing up the disgust/confusion/anger face because lucas/max can see him. (i also think the fact that it’s not really clear what emotion he’s trying to show proves my point)

‘what about us?’ in rink o’ mania - when he turns around you can see him look genuinely blank/blindsided by will’s comment (this also has romantic/byler implications) but then he arranges his face in a mask of anger

taking things literally

this is mostly just a bullet point solely for the ‘so i should get her something that literally says ‘i’m sorry’ on it?’ scene from s3. because i think that from what lucas said, a nt person would understand what he meant, and an autistic person is more likely to assume the literal meaning, as mike does here

copying others’ examples of ‘normal’ in terms of life/relationships

ohhh i could talk about this one for ages. so much proof on why milkvan is so incompatible lies here too.

so the way mike views his relationship with el is very performative. it’s very putting on a show of normalcy. the fact that the only thing they do together is make out because that’s mike’s perception of how to show people they’re happy together. and it clearly must be mike’s perception, because what opinions would el have on situations like that? the way they make a big show of leaving the party in 0301 to do this also proves it’s mostly for show.

when lucas comments on this when they go to the cinema together, mike defends himself, calling it ‘romantic’, when both hopper and the party can tell there’s something distinctly abnormal about their relationship. that’s because it has very little substance. mike and el don’t actually know very much about each other, which is why mike had such a hard time picking out a gift for her at the mall. but mike thinks that their relationship is normal, and is healthy, because he’s trying to replicate the relationships around him, but he doesn’t have a very good basis for this as he is most likely going off of stancy and his parents, because he sees very little of jancy together, and lumax (arguably the best canon couple in the show) call him out on his relationship’s unhealthiness.

autistic people tend to have a hard time in relationships, because it’s difficult to tell between genuine attraction/a healthy relationship and performative but toxic relationships. speaking from experience, i understand mike completely here. but he also craves stability, which is why in s4 he fights to keep that stability that he has in el, even though he knows now it isn’t right. we accept the love we think we deserve, and autistic people (in my experience) will put up with a lot of toxic and harmful behaviour/situations in order to keep a stable relationship, because we expect people to leave us if we aren’t directly benefitting them. i struggle with this a lot, which is why mike’s storyline in s4 really resonated with me.

difficulty with emotional regulation

with mike, he either has zero emotion or a lot of it, and this kind of ties into the next point, but difficulty controlling emotions is definitely a mike trait. sometimes he is very monotone/blank and can come across rude. a prime example being the dinner scene after rink o’ mania, where mike says ‘she didn’t look fine’ and el storms out.

of course, the opposite of this is when too much emotion comes out at once, usually manifesting in anger for mike (and me too). the rain fight in s3 i think is actually a great example of this, because to me mike has spent a good amount of time masking around lucas, talking about the girls and pretending to be disinterested in dnd - because of lumax’s relationship, i think mike felt a lot of pressure to act the same way as lucas and change his interests here. i don’t think mike intended to hurt will’s feelings, and i think he genuinely didn’t realise that he was. and then the rain fight happens, and to me it looks like mike is so exhausted from masking, and so confused and scared by will’s reaction and having upset him, that this manifests in anger and frustration which is most likely at himself rather than will. he is just projecting the anger he feels at himself (for hurting will and for having to ‘pretend’/not having the same interests as lucas)

i also think the rink o’ mania fight shows this, because it’s the same principle - mike is frustrated with himself for not being the ‘perfect’ boyfriend/not caring about el as much as he should’ve, and this manifests as anger at will (again). i think will is the only person that mike doesn’t really mask around (the ‘will voice’!!), but unfortunately will is also the person he takes his frustration out on when he gets overwhelmed. seeing as this wasn’t the case in s1/2 (because it came out at other people then - lucas/el in s1, hopper in s2) but now that mike is aware of his feelings for will (yes, i do think he knows about how he feels, but he doesn’t think it’s reciprocated & uses it as another reason to hate himself) he outwardly blames will for his relationship problems even though he inwardly knows it’s his fault (& he feels horrible about that too. because there’s no reason why he doesn’t love el the way she wants him to. the way he wants himself to. he just can’t. and he feels like that’s just another thing about him that’s wrong.)

suppression of emotions/masking feelings

so like i said, this is kind of similar to the last point, but it’s mostly just that we barely get to see any emotion from mike other than anger. there are multiple times throughout the show (but especially in s4) where he’s shown to almost smile and then quickly mask it. he’s hyper-aware of how he ‘should’ react in situations. this is just a pretty autistic trait in general, the overanalysing/trying to predict situations in order to act ‘right’.

echolalia/repetition

so this is a verbal stim, and because mike isn’t shown physically stimming (to my knowledge) i think the way that he often repeats words or phrases is his way of stimming. (& not to be depressing, but since it was the 80s any physical stims had probably been ‘disciplined’ out of him).

saviour complex (cue the pheobe bridgers)

i sort of mentioned this earlier, but it’s basically that autistic people have a hard time with self-worth, and the most common way we allow ourselves some self-appreciation is by serving other people. the ‘i can fix them’ mentality is quite common among autistic people, and this is a huge part of mike’s personality. his driving motivation throughout s1 and s2 is ‘saving’ will, along with protecting el and teaching her about the world. (i do think that the reason mike and el connected so quickly and had a sort of mutual understanding was because i also think el is autistic - & this is also why platonic elmike as a dynamic has so much potential and i like them a lot). this ‘fixing’/‘saving’ mentality is a way for mike to prove his own self-worth, that if he can ‘fix’ everyone else maybe he’ll be worth ‘fixing’ too. (i put ‘fixing’ in quotes because obviously there’s nothing wrong with mike. at all. he just believes there is.)

-

(i do also want to add that his talent/academic ability also shows this, as ‘gifted kid syndrome’ is a very popular autistic situation/trait)

(also i think his special interest is dnd which is why it hurt him so much in s3 to have to mask that, and why in s4 he’s so happy about playing again. just watch the hellfire recruitment scene and tell me his little ‘it has 20 sides!’ isn’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen. <3)

okay, that’s all i have for now! please add onto this with anything else you’ve noticed or anything like that! i love you guys and i love mike wheeler a lot so thanks for reading if you made it this far lol <3

edits:

very black&white sense of justice

another ‘taking things literally’ moment being at the end of s3 when lucas says to mike ‘that’s the olive branch’ and he js goes. huh???

autism dinosaur hands!!

@biigiiiii pointed out that he does have other physical stims like blinking/nodding/playing with his bag straps/pacing <3

his attachment to his toys in s1/2 (playing with el and when karen asks him to give them away he gets Very upset)

[byler-alarmist]

i’d believe in canon endgame romantic elmax if lucas wasn’t in the picture 🤷🏽‍♂️

Hi, Anon! Well, I'm not certain that Elmax are endgame per se, and I do genuinely think Lumax is very sweet. Lucas is such a good guy, and he really deserves to be happy. You can tell he really loves Max.

That said, I have to wonder if El had been in Hawkins during the events of S4, maybe Max would have coped better with the death of Billy? Idk, I just feel like she'd be more open with El about her feelings. Also, El is more intimately familiar with death in a way that Lucas wasn't (until Max 😭).

I was rewatching the S3 finale the other day and something about showing Max alone in her room by a window at the end like they did (it might have been near a scene of El by a window?) made me think she was also depressed about losing El in addition to Billy. Maybe Will and Mike weren't the only ones hurting in that way.

Did El and Max ever keep in touch? Why or why not? I don't expect this will be answered, but it was a question I had.

The way that El's Lenora date was so clearly all things Max would've enjoyed.....that was a perfect Elmax date and you can't tell me differently! Not for Milkvan, unfortunately.

And Max would've had the perfect comebacks for Angela and her cronies. I think Elmax would've been untouchable together, and Max would've definitely backed her up in a fight.

The way they filmed the school hallway scene where it cuts from El to Max, both feeling adrift and alone in their respective environments. They needed each other!! Much the same way that Byler needed each other.

Arghhh I know Lumax is so cute and they have the movie date planned and everything. I've written before how I feel about Lumax vs. Elmax and how if there was a way for Elumax to happen, I would be so down.

Idk though, whether it's endgame or not, I still see the romantic potential of Elmax so clearly. Whether romantic or platonic though, the clearest thing of all to me is that El and Max needed each other in S4.

[gingerbread-in-july]

(The end of this post contains potential spoilers for ST4)

AU where after Max and Susan move, Susan and Wayne slowly strike up a friendship. Little by little, they become closer. Then one day, they start dating. Eventually, things get serious. Finally, Susan, Wayne, Eddie, and Max become the healthy, happy family that none of them had before.

After two shit husbands, Susan finally knows what it means to be with a good man and be treated right. She finally has a partner who is worthy of her love.

Although Wayne clearly loves and supports Eddie, he doesn't have to be a single parent and do it all by himself anymore.

Eddie has a steady mother figure for the first time. Susan has her baggage, but everyone in this show does. Eddie is a far better person than Billy, so he would probably be a better son. She would have an easier time loving him.

Max finally has a loving, supportive father figure that she doesn't have to live in fear of. Wayne would love Max. He's got a lot of experience caring for a kid who has been through a bunch of shit he shouldn't ever have had to go through. I think that part of the reason Eddie is such a sweet guy is because of Wayne's influence. He would be the same positive influence in Max's life that he is in Eddie's. As good a guy as Wayne is, however, if anyone were ever to mess with Max, he would shut that down real quick. And if that wasn't enough to deter anyone with ill intentions.....Eddie sure as hell would be. Older stepbrother Eddie would be protective as hell of Max.

Can we talk about the sibling dynamic between Eddie and Max? Because that would be every-fucking-thing.

That sibling bond that Max mourned never having with Billy? She would sure as hell have it with Eddie.

He would introduce Max to all kinds of cool music. Maybe even teach her to play guitar.

And she would teach him how to skateboard! He would absolutely be a klutz about it at first, but he would eventually get the hang of it- although he would never be as good at it as Max!

She would show him her comic collection. He would think it was so cool and they'd bond over that.

Maybe he'd even manage to drag her out to a few Hellfire Club sessions, although she would still act like she thinks it's lame.

Plus you already know he approves of Lucas. There would be Abso-fucking-lutely NONE of that bullshit Billy pulled. No one is a bigger Lumax supporter than Eddie. He definitely drags Max out to Hellfire in attempt to get them back together.

Eddie and Max would teasingly give one another shit, but they have each other's backs. They're protective of each other and God help anyone who decides to mess with either of them.

This is 100% what should have happened. Eddie and Max are two of my favorite characters that deserve so much better than what this show has given them.

Although what actually happened to Eddie and Max sucks, it would still be nice to see Wayne and Susan bond over having such terrible things happen to their children. They're both all alone now. They could be sources of support to one another because God knows they both need it. Although I won't trust the Duffers to do anything that competent.

Anyway, the Mayfield-Munson family lives on in my mind.

[duckiedaledeservedbetter]

Things I'm manifesting for stranger things s5:

WILL BYERS HAPPINESS. GIVE HIM HAPPINESS. HE DESERVES IT. HE HAS NEVER BEEN HAPPY IN HIS LIFE PLS DUFFERS PLS.

um sorry but stevenancy has to happen. It happened once it can happen again. Actually idec if they end up together, but Steve deserves happiness so give him a wifey and Nancy should def not be with Jonathan because reasons (he sucks).

Can somebody acknowledge that Steve is the MVP of the show? Like, my mans carrying at least half the plot from season to season. He at least deserves a thank you.

Lumax get back together. It happens. Its happening. There is no way we don't get lumax.

Hopper. Just hopper. All the time. All the good things for him, give that man whatever he wants idc I love him sm.

Redeem Jonathan. He was such a non-entity in s4. Bring back that big bro energy. Bring back mamas boy Jonathan Byers.

Get back to the core plot, forget this vecna nonsense. No more cheesy effects and plot holes. Bring back season 2 intensity and thoughtfulness.

Mike and el get to be happy together. And also mike grows tf up because all the other characters are growing up but he's consistently like 8 1/2 years old.

Mike, el, will, Lucas, Dustin, max, Jonathan, Nancy, Steve, Robin, Joyce, and hopper all move into a big house together and live as one big happy family forever and ever.

[howtobecomeadragon]

Tbh I think the show won't spend much time showing Byler's romance, it will most likely be similar to Nancy and Jonathan's 'romance' in S2, where Nancy realized she liked Jonathan and they got together. I think they'll give the same situation to Mike's character where after the break up he'll realize that he likes Will and that he and El were not meant to last 🤷‍♀️. I doubt it's gonna take a huge screen time, and tbh I think Will's plot will be tied more to the supernatural stuff so Byler would be more in the background and would not be a priority.

All they really need to do is to show Mike's confusion more and his realizing his feelings for Will like the way Nancy realized her feelings toward Jonathan in my opinion. I also think it's most likely to happen in ep7 or even in the last ep like the other couples.

hello hello anon! thanks for sharing your thoughts!!

I don't agree with you, though, for a few reasons.

byler will be a huge plot twist for most of the audience. by the end of s1, most people knew that Nancy liked Jonathan and that they were probably going to end up together, so getting the storyline and the audience to that point for jancy in s2 wasn't very hard. the same is not true for Mike and Will. there will need to be a lot of fleshing out about Mike's thoughts and feelings and exploring how he came to like Will after what we've seen in s1-s4.

which of course leads to needing an exploration of Mike's self denial of his sexuality, his internalized homophobia, etc. and making sure the (mostly straight) general audience can understand and empathize and ROOT for byler. which IS going to be harder than getting the audience to root for handsome, sweet Joanthan. that is much more nuanced and will take longer to explain than just the fact that Nancy waited around for Jonathan to make a move and just moved on when he didn't. it takes more nuance, more skill, and more time. this is also in contrast bc we just needed to go back 1 season to explain and understand Nancy's thought process for being with Steve in s1 and going to Jonathan in s2. byler will require showing us enough evidence for Mike's feelings for Will that the audience cannot just day "yeah but he was with El for FOUR seasons." they need to show strong enough evidence to withstand four seasons of Mike's relationship with El.

additionally, there will be exploration of El's feelings on the matter, and making sure that El ends up in a happy place (much more so than needed to happen for Steve in s2, with several more seasons for him to come to terms with Nancy not loving him). that will also require an exploration of Mike explaining how he feels or El finding out how he feels, how El feels, and likely a discussion about how homophobia affected Mike and why it led him to act throughout the seasons so that she can get some closure and understanding.

now I'm not saying that the byler storyline is going to take up a huge portion of s5, but I think it deserves and necessitates a more in depth exploration (than s2 jancy or s2 lumax for example) for the storyline to be satisfying for the general audience. the duffers aren't going to half ass a gay romantic plot twist between the main characters and risk a ton of the audience just calling bullshit on the whole thing and not going back to rewatch. the fun and payoff of the plot twist is the rewatchability, and the duffers will want to fully flesh out everything going on in Mike's head throughout the seasons to make the ga want to go back and pick up on the clues like bylers have been doing since s4 and earlier.

those are my thoughts and thank you for sharing yours!!

[lengthofropes]

what are your hopes for s5 of st? scenarios that play out? characters you'd like to see interact? something you DONT want to happen as well?

MAX ALIVE AND WELL PLEASE AND THANK YOU!! lumax back together would be a serotonin boost for my tired ass, for sure!!

Will, happy and thriving (with of without Mike, honestly, he deserves to be happiest little melon ever!)

More of Nance, Robin and Steve trio as chaotic besties

JOPPER WEDDING

Finally, explanation on everything what happened after Eddie’s death!! (you know what I mean) 😢

Erica. More Erica, that’s it! Also, more of Erica and Dustin dynamics in particular.

Upside Down froze on day of Will’s disappearance explanation??

Anything else - I just hope it won’t be disappointing haha

[m1kedefendr]

im just letting you all know that s1 literally established that Mike’s feelings for Will went beyond friendship. That they had a special bond. Mike and Joyce were the two people that cared THE MOST about finding Will. Mike literally convinced Dustin and Lucas to look for Will. Mike let a random girl he found in the woods STAY AT HIS HOUSE INSTEAD OF SENDING HER AWAY (like he said he would) JUST BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE COULD HELP FIND WILL.

s2 further pushed this because yeah maybe Mike spent 353 days trying to call El on the walkie talkie, but he literally NOTICED EVERY SMALL THING ABOUT WILL ACTING DIFFERENT. FUCKING CRAZY TOGETHER HAPPENED? HE WENT TO WILLS HOUSE AND BEGGED JOYCE TO LET HIM IN. HE STAYED BY WILLS SIDE AT HIS HOUSE, SLEEPING ON HIS FLOOR. HE LITERALLY TOLD WILL HE WAS A SUPER SPY AND HELD HIS FUCKING HAND. HE STAYED IN THE HOSPITAL/LAB WITH WILL EVEN THOUGH HE WAS FUCKING POSSESSED AND TRYING TO MURDER EVERYONE. HE WATCHED THEM TRY TO EXORCISE IT OUT OF WILL WITH HEAT. HE TOLD WILL THAT ASKING HIM TO BE HIS FRIEND WAS THE BEST THING THAT EVER HAPPENED WITH NO BACKGROUND NOISE OR MUSIC AND NO ONE ELSE EVER IN THE SHOT. HE LOOKED JEALOUS WHEN WILL DANCED WITH THAT GIRL AT THE SNOWBALL, LOOK AT THE SCENE. HIM AND DUSTIN ARE MAKING THE SAME FACE. ALSO ITS BASICALLY HIM AND JOYCE WORKING TOGETHER TO HELP WILL??

s3 looks like a shit show but IT HAS HINTS. The mall and movie scene with Lumax? Lucas said he was spending romantic time with Max… with Byler? The way Mike KNOWS Will is feeling something in the theater. the way Mike uses his Will voice. THE WAY THEY BOTH BLUSH? Also we can see Mike and El not being very into each other outside of just kissing (which El takes the lead in, ironically). The way Mike is with Will (and lucas) the entire time after lying to El and after she broke up with him. The way Mike looked at El confused when she broke up with him, but made his way across town in the rain to find Will and apologize. The best hint in s3? “Not Possible” and “I love you, too” scenes. Mike’s SMILE when Will says “not possible” to joining another party?? Come ON. Then right after that, his entire awkward demeanor with El. from the rambling about Christmas, to when she asks him if he remembers what he said in the cabin. Then when she says she loves him and kisses him, he stands there with his eyes wide open and he looks shocked. he looks confused, and even after she leaves he looks lost. When the moving truck is pulling away he looks absolutely devastated, but he still looks a bit confused and extremely lost. When he’s hugging his mom, he looks like his whole world crashed down on him. As if he hasn’t been fighting off monsters for the past two years, it looks like Will leaving crushed his entire spirit.

s4 was just so gay it’s not even funny. I’ve talked about Mike in s4 before so I’ll try to keep this short, but my guy’s room. One Way sign pointing to his closet. Buff men on posters. Cmon. The way he dresses fits him a lot, and he seems comfortable and happy in it, but the moment he’s in california he’s wearing the most heinous thing i’ve EVER seen in my life. Bro really said “fuck i gotta play the straight boyfriend roll!!” and threw together an outfit blindfolded bc he clearly can’t pretend very well. He is barely paying attention to El once he notices Will, but then acts all “hey dude broooo can’t hug that’s gay” with him?? As if he didn’t hold this mf so tight and sobbed before he moved away?? Rink-O-Mania was basically Mike staring at Will but never talking to him, then getting mad at Will for not telling him his girlfriend lied to him and being all sad the whole day (after his gf got publicly humiliated in front of the entire rink, even the DJ was in on it) Then got mad at his GF for rightfully sticking up for herself? Cant even WRITE his GF that he loves her. Fights her on THAT and calls her ridiculous, but apologizes to Will for their argument. Tells him he didn’t deserve any of it. Tells him HAWKINS ISNT THE SAME WITHOUT HIM (which basically confirms that Mike was so devastated at the end of s3 because of Will leaving, not El). Then the rest of it is mainly two gay boys pining after each other up until the junk yard (idk there were lots of cars, maybe grave digging scene is better, but i’m thinking of after digging when they’re sitting on a car) scene, where Mike literally says he should’ve just said the words she wanted to hear cuz maybe he’d be with her. He doesn’t love her, he just wants to make sure she’s safe. as he does with all the people he cares about. Then the van scene, the boy is literally staring at Will with heart eyes. He smiles so wide when he unrolls the painting, and he looks disappointed when Will talks ab El. Back in Hawkins when Will is talking about Vecna, Mike literally stares at Will like he did in s2 when Will was talking about the Mind Flayer and being a spy. He grips his Shoulder and says “we will.”, mmm parallels “he won’t”. the shoulder grab parallels the hand hold.

Added bonus: Notice how in every single season after s1, somehow El is separated from Mike, and he spends the majority of his time with Will?

In conclusion, Mike Wheeler is a boy kisser and he’s been head over heels for Will since he asked him to be his friend!!

[poppin-fandoms]

Bro i just finished season 3 and there’s too much mileven ;-;

I mean I do think they’re cute but NOT ROMANTICALLY. Platonic eleven is where its at.

It makes me lose hope lowkey but then I remember that season 4 exists and Mike Wheeler is NOT straight at all. As straight as a mfin circle. You cant tell me he wasn’t infatuated with Eddie CMON its confirmed he even grew his hair out to be like him 😭

I get scared sometimes tho 💀 like what if they don’t break up. But they def will. Honestly as long as Mileven breaks up PLZ

Mileven just doesn’t have that chemistry that Lumax and Jancy and even Elmax and Byler have. And they never will and its so OBVIOUS like you don’t even have to be a Byler to notice it. Bro even one of my teachers said Byler has so much more chemistry than Mileven and she thinks will and Mike should get together and I love her for that 😭 and shes like in her late 40s sooo

It’s not even delusional to think it’ll be canon like there’s stuff everywhere cuz everything is so intentional. Its so POSSIBLE and in my opinion they ARE endgame 100% idc you cant change my mind.

I mean the szn is really good and I like the aesthetics too like the MALL and the OUTFITS r all so cool. it’s fun I mean I love Stranger Things but I just hate how apart Will and Mike were the whole season and the way Mike ACTED like dude chill tf out 💀💀 and then Will was hardly ever shown again, this is like the last few episodes of the season.

But ofc we have the famous “its not my fault you dont like girls!” Mike, your internalized homophobia is showing 🤭

Its funny cuz I always LOVE the first 2-3 episodes of each season and then obviously it gets sad 😭 and hella action too but its still good BUT I HATE WHEN CHARACTERS DIE LIKE POOR ALEXAI WTF?? He deserved better and so did Bob obviously.

Nobody better die in season 5 istfg. Like all of the OG cast has to survive PLEASE LET THEM LIVE.

I also watched the first ep of season 4 and I love Chrissy but ofc, vecna put her out of her suffering, and unfortunately I think Will is also gonna get vecnad in szn 5 cuz my boy has been thru it ALL. When is he not being hurt in some way he deserves nothing but happiness.

Like whats gonna happen after Will confesses to Mike? I mean I still can’t believe it, it’s actually happening and the painting and all that and then he’s gonna be so sad cuz he’ll think Mike doesn’t feel the same and I have SO many fanfic ideas honestly

Also I adore Elmax SO MUCH I honestly wish they could be canon I just love them they’re so prefect for each other. Max is the #1 Mileven anti lmao. I keep remembering how she wanted to be friends with Mike in szn 2 but he was so rude to her like BRO WTF. I still like Lumax but like…consider Elumax.

But El deserves better and she does deserve to be on her own away from Mike.

Also Robin’s coming out scene will never not get me I LOVE HOW SUPPORTIVE STEVE IS i freaking love Steve I mean like honestly who doesn’t?

BUT CAN YOU BELIEVE STRANGER THINGS LITERALLY STRAIGHT BAITED EVERYONE WITH STOBIN? LMAOO

So is it rlly a reach to say Mileven was straight bait cuzzzz

I rlly love Robin and Vickie which r definitely ending up together (with Byler cuz they also kinda parallel each other) but I am very fond of Ronance I love it.

AND THEN JOPPER I ALSO LOVE THEM. Remember when they were like “theres nothing romantic between us we’re just friends.” And then the “we’re a team” and it reminded me so much of that one Byler scene in szn 4 which im pretty sure has been pointed out but yeah the PARALLELS.

And also Jancy had that “oh we’re just friends” moment before they got Murrayed like Jopper. Murray getting matchmaking all the Byers? PERIOD. He better finish that in season 5.

Also why do I lowkey ship Murray and Alexai like that wasn’t just me right? Fuck it

But yeah just some thoughts…

[gaymikelesbianel]

HERE'S SOME OLDER PARTY HEADCANONS TO BLESS UR ASKS.

(this is in a alternate dimension where el doesn't sacrifice herself to close the gate to the upside down LMAO 😭)

1: LUMAX

Lucas is a BASKETBALL COACH (argue with the WALL) and Max is his hot MILF wife and she's probably a hockey (or soccer, or volleyball or even baseball) coach for the same school he coaches at (I literally don't really even know why but I just FEEL the energy with her yk?) and they both live in CALIFORNIA together and NOBODY can change my mind. (P.S THEY ALSO HAVE TWO KIDS)

2: EL.

El works at a HAIR SALON. (argue with ur mother on this one look Ik she's gonna die in season 5 but LET ME BE HAPPY FOR ONCE, LET ME LIVE MY FANTASY) and she's literally the NICEST barber EVER and she's rlly good at her job and she lives in a apartment in Chicago or New York or some city and she has TWO CATS called MITTENS and DAISY and they are literally like her children, like she'd commit ATROCITIES for those Cats. she has a CRUSH on her neighbor called Stephanie and she literally CANNOT get the courage up to talk to her, she loves fashion, and she has a CURATED jewelry collection. but she has such a GRANDMA sense of style yk? like after El experiments with her style and everything it is STRAIGHT to the the Long knitted cardigans and Long maxi skirts and her hand knitted crochet hats and scarves and flowy long sleeve dresses.

also El hand-knitted STOCKINGS for Max and Lucas on Christmas Eve and she also made little booties for Lucas and Max's Kids and it was the most ADORABLE thing EVER I swear to GOD- 😭

3: DUZIE.

Dustin is a full-fledged SCIENTIST, he's your odd and quirky college lab professor who's a little bizarre sometimes but is actually pretty cool and funny, him and Suzie teach at the same college (AWWW) and they actually have a lot of kids (don't ask me why those are just the vibes) and they are literally all like Dustin which annoys Suzie but in like a fondness kinda way, all of his kids are eccentric and really bright, and yk that Dad thing where they hold their kids upside down by the legs and spin them around the air like a monkey? yeah Dustin does that and it totally freaks Suzie out LMAO, their Family is literally so LOVING and PERFECT and SWEET that it makes me wanna CRY 😭 😭 😭 DUZIE IS THE BEST FR.

WAIT SHUT UP I JUST REALIZED.

BECAUSE SUZIE IS MARRIED TO DUSTIN THAT WOULD MAKE HER-

✨SUZIE HENDERSON✨

SHUT UPPPPPPPP 😭😭😭

AND LIKE-

DUSTINS FAMILY WOULD BE THE ✨HENDERSON FAMILY✨

UGHHHHHH SHUT UP THEY ARE LITERALLY SO PERFECT 🤧😭

(I wish I could write about Byler but I have SO MANY THOUGHTS ON THEM THAT I'D EXCEED THE CHARACTER LIMIT)

(whatever I'll just simplify it ig 😭)

4: BYLER

Byler get's married (I really do feel as if they would want to get married) Byler are literally the best uncles, Mike is a WRITER (and no he's not a fucking bowling alley worker my boy deserves BETTER than that) like he writes Fantasy Books and shit and Will is still a Artist and a REALLY GOOD ONE at that, and I don't care WHERE they live AS LONG AS IT'S NOT HAWKINS. like I literally couldn't bear to see them STILL LIVING in that hell-hole 😭 also we literally all know that Mike is SHIT at cooking and Will is GREAT at it.

5: THE PARTY IN GENERAL

The Party visits each other every sholiday and they have a jolly good time 😊

THAT'S IT HOPE U ENJOYED THEM BYLERS WEDDING IS NEXT.

OH MY GOD I LOVED THIS SO MUCH THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART AND IM SO SORRY IT TOOK SO LONG FOR ME TO ANSWER😭

i completely see the vision for duzie omg especially dustin that’s so cute jfjejfjejd and YES MIKE BEING A WRITER! YES!

el having a crush on her neighbor stephanie is so cute jdjejdj pls you need to write aged up fan fics of all members of the party it’s so cute😭

PLEASE DO SEND THE BYLER WEDDING ILL TRY MY BEST TO NOT TAKE AS LONG TO ANSWER😭😭 <3

[shreya11111]

I just wanted to say the Duffers said the endgame couples will be obvious. I don't think anyone needs to worry. When Byler happens it will happen in a way people CAN'T deny it (even though they will still try). Same with open endings. They said no cliffhangers and open endings are pretty similar to cliffhangers despite not being the same. They said no new characters either. I doubt they bring back a random old character to be Will's love interest. It's obvious what route they are going down. And I agree, it would have been nice for Will to have had a boyfriend for experience since Mike had a girlfriend, or other crushes (maybe he has and we just didn't know) instead of Mike being his one and only who he unexpectedly falls in love with at a young age and wants to spend whole life with, because it gives off "I feel like my life started that day I found you in the woods... and I knew right then and there that I loved you" vibes BUT the key here is that Wills feelings developed over time, the duffers just provided hints for where they were going with that part of the story since the beginning (as they do with many other things in the show). Not to mention Will was there before El and Mike and Will knew each other for years, unlike Milkvan. So it wasn't love at first sight. I don't see anyone saying things like this about Lumax. Believe it or not, sometimes couples that start dating at young ages last. Is it common? No. Milkvan is a good example of puppy love and conforming to societal norms. They convinced themselves it was love at first sight even though we all know that's not 100% the truth (*cough* MIKE). Just as there are parallels, there are also non-parallels. Like Both Lumax and Milkvan started dating when they were young (in Caleb's words "Lumax isn't like Milkvan. Their love is real"), and both broke up and get back together later on. The difference? Lumax took time to grow and mature as people before getting back together, which positively impacted their relationship and they grew closer. Milkvan gets back together after 3 months cuz they are so used to being together, still have a lot of personal things going on and growing to do, which impacts their relationship negatively and they grow apart. So although there are similarities, there are also differences. Like... Lumax: Endgame. Millkvan: Bones. I really don't think we need to worry about Will getting heartbroken either. Guys... I can't stress this enough, the evidence is there. BYLER IS NOT LIKE THESE OTHER QUEER-BATE SHIPS. There's nothing else we as fans can do except hope. Will deserves a happy ending and he is the MAIN character (THE main character of S5) and although the Duffers love torturing Will, they know this fact too. The story has been written. Worrying about it won't change anything. There will be heartbreaking moments in S5, yes, but it will all come full circle like the Duffers promised. And the ending has been described as beautiful so many times. It will be handled. It's their job. The duffers are good writers so it will be figured out. The dots WILL connect in the end. It's ok to feel negative feelings but it's better to try and be positive, especially since we have quite the wait lol. Everything will be ok and if I'm wrong... then the Duffers need to find a new job or else I will shove a squeaker in their lunch and when they eat that lunch and swallow it every time they talk and breathe they will sound like a dog toy.

LMAOOO the endddd

no but seriously you’re right and no one should be doubting byler at this point. guys, come on!!!! byler is so obviously endgame there is no other explanation for this. i genuinely believe that the duffers know what they’re doing and that will byers will finally get the happy ending he deserves. i feel all this will lead to our success and milkvan’s downfall. i think we should definitely have hope, especially since hoping would make this waiting till season 5 just a bit more manageable! so yeah, anon you’re definitely right. lumax is definitely much more real than milkvan and overall just a better ship. this is why lumax and byler have so many parallels! they’re both endgame ships that are very real.

[rainbownixie]

not 100% sure if you're a multishipper or not, but do you have any thoughts on byclair? or headcanons?

regardless i hope your day goes well <3

i am indeed a multishipper!! if i'm honest i didn't ship byclair until i saw a few edits and posts about them, but i think they're really really cute!! i'm more of a dustin x will shipper (i don't even know their shipname tho) because i love their dynamic.

tbh i just think the three dumbasses are dating will because he deserves love and affection and tbh who wouldn't fall for him??? they're all head over heels for that boy istg

i don't have a lot of byclair hcs because i'm not really into the ship, but i do have some ideas!! (btw lucas and max are still dating here! this is kind of a polyam thing but i actually only talk about byclair)

lucas had a crush on will (and vice versa tbh) when they were kids. like he would always ask him to draw him or come to his house to play together just because he wanted to spend time with him alone.

lucas was always ALWAYS trying to act tough and cool when will paid attention to him and he loved the way tiny will will giggled at him. lucas obviously stared, mesmerized by him, and dustin already knew they liked each other.

ofc dustin teases lucas all. the. time. about his crush on will. but he never actually tells lucas that he knows, he just stares at him, done with all of his attempts trying to make will laugh. lucas is so damn confused because he doesn't know yet, he just likes seeing will happy.

will loves lucas' jokes. like everything he does makes will laugh and giggle and blush and kick his feet. especially when lucas tries to flirt with him and ends up being super cringey. will finds adorable how hard he tries.

when lucas starts dating max, he finds himself rambling non-stop about will. she smiles one day and jokes about lucas being in love with him, but turns out that that's how he realizes he is, indeed, in love with will. he starts panicking and saying that he still loves max! he can't understand how he can love two people at the same time! but max tells him that it's okay, and that she doesn't care "sharing" him with will. she just wants to see lucas happy. (ofc she knows will is in love with him too he's so obvious and max is too smart to not notice).

will doesn't really care that lucas and max are dating. i mean- he does care, but he loves seeing lucas happy. he didn't even consider having a chance with him, anyway.

they definitely start dating in s3 because mike is always busy with el and will spends a lot of time with lumax!! lucas finally gains the courage to ask will to hang out together alone one day, and confesses. will is worried about max and their relationship, but lucas tells him to not worry about it. they both smile so widely that day i'm gonna cry-

this is me realizing that i actually like byclair more than i thought!!! anyway, back to the hcs:

when they start dating lucas is such a gentleman. like really polite and extremely sweet and he often overacts to make him laugh.

will loves to draw will the wise and lucas the ranger together <333 boyfriends irl boyfriends in dnd too!! (madmax is there with them too sometimes as the zoomer)

when they tell the others, dustin rolls his eyes and says "finally". that causes a fight between him and lucas "what do you mean finally?????". el is really happy for them, and mike ummm i just can't imagine a world in which mike isn't hopelessly in love with will so i'm pretty sure he would be sort of angry at first (it's called jealousy, wheeler) but idk bro deal with your internalized homophobia first and then join the polyam couple

y'all can't ask me hcs i talk so much for no reason i'm deeply sorry (jk please keep sending me asks abt hcs i love them)

will often gets excited and loud and instantly tries to calm down to not bother lucas but!!! lucas loves it!!! he begs him to keep getting excited and scream around him

chaotic boyfriends because they love to prank dustin and mike

will loves lucas' voice so so much <3 while he paints, he asks for lucas to read a book or a comic out loud or just talk about anything, really (this is me saying i love caleb's voice tbh)

lucas loves to make obvious that will is his boyfriend. it's not that he's protective or anything, he's just really really proud of himself for dating will. so he often hugs him or runs his fingers through will's hair whenever they're with people because he just wants everyone to know <3 (not strangers tho because homophobia and the 80s yadda yadda yadda)

will loves wearing lucas' jacket it's practically his now tbh and lucas LOVES seeing him wearing it (will shares it with max too <3)

movie dates are their favorite because they can hold hands in the dark, but they often go to the arcade together with max!!

it's not like they have a dating schedule or anything but lucas has separate dates with max and will!! they deserve individual love too <3

joyce and jonathan LOVE lucas. he's will's best friend too ofc they like him and accept him into the family!!! joyce begs him to have dinner with them and jonathan likes talking to him about history (bc i just know they both love that)

kisses kisses so many kisses. will loves to kiss lucas unexpectedly because it drives him crazy and lucas just grabs his face and starts kissing every part of his face

will gifts him mixtapes with his favorite songs

when the byers move to cali, lucas is always trying to call but gets frustrated because the line is always busy (mike is literally insufferable with that too but lucas doesn't know it's because he's also trying to call will)

letters so many letters so many damn letters telling him about how much he misses will and loves him <33 ofc will does the same thing, and he often sends him drawings of stuff he sees in cali that remind him of lucas!! (one day he also sent him a drawing of the beach so he could give it to max and try to fix things with her)

when they find each other again at the end of s4 will hugs lucas so so so tight because he was worried sick about him. lucas does the same thing, ofc, but he's too sad about max to have enough strength and just lets will hold him

i should stop writing this much istg BUT!!!!

they cuddle in the hospital room when nobody is around while they take care of max. will often kisses lucas' forhead because he finds it comforting

idk how this happened but now i love them- crying shaking sobbing they deserve the world <3 i hope your day goes well too!!!!

[wisdomssdaughterr]

so I know people are mad about byler, but how well do you personally think they handled lumax in vol 2? lucas holding max as she tells him she isn’t ready to die really got me. i can’t believe the duffers really *went* there with max, and then threw her in a coma to boot. Honestly I’m just happy she’s alive, but also im worried for the next season. Hoping she’ll be out only for a little bit until el finds her soul or whatever so that she can come back for the rest of it 😭

a little rant ahead so be warned lol

The thing about byler is that I'm mad it didn't happen. I've never really cared if Mike and Will got together. Do I think that would have been an incredible character arc to see two smalltown boys grow into a relationship in a setting where their queerness was never the plot or point of the series, but them fighting monsters together was? Yes 100 percent, yes, but that's not what happened. I think why people are so upset about the way that it all played out, wasn't because byler didn't happen, but because they used a boy who has suffered so much, who has been called a freak his entire life, who feels like a mistake, as a block to prop up a heterosexual relationship. and they didn't even give him the decency of a coming-out scene or to even utter the word gay, or directly state his crush on his best friend. he got nothing and had to sit there while his best friend told his girlfriend that the best day of his life was the night he went missing and Mike found El. I know this was not your question but I just have a lot of thoughts about this.

On to lumax, to which I have even more conflicting feelings. Sadie and Caleb were the MVP of this season, hands down, they deserve all the awards for actually ripping my heart out of my chest. That entire scene of them in the creel house was so good and heartbreaking and gut-wrenching just by their acting alone. The little messages and drawings were too sweet! The thing is about the ending, it felt so needlessly cruel. Max had suffered enough. The scene of her in vol.1, in the mind-world running towards the light of her friends after realizing that she did not want to die, she had something to live for, was so powerful for countless people who have felt that kind of darkness and grief surround them before. It was so hopeful and beautiful to see that. they should have left it at that. I am all for endings that aren't happy, and in all honestly, I expected more deaths and tragedy to come from vol.2, and I was ready for it. But using Max's struggle that she had started to overcome, throwing it back in her face, gouging her eyes out, breaking her bones, and then throwing her into a coma was just so awful. someone else should have died, maybe another one of the kids, out of left field but for a good reason that pushed the plot forward. I'm sure they left her alive for a reason, and she'll come back, but like Jesus Christ, can she really come back from all of that?