#t // vecna possessing mike

[byierficrecs]

❝ descent. ❞ author: @andiwriteordie

link: archiveofourown.org/works/41480385

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[therainscene]

Stranger Things 4 is themed around A Nightmare on Elm Street -- Vecna is a child-killer-turned-demon who murders teenagers from within their own minds; his heavily scarred skin and clawed hand resemble that of Freddy Krueger; and the actor who played Freddy himself plays his father.

I think Stranger Things 5 is gearing up to do something similar with The Terminator. Linda Hamilton (Sarah Connor) is the upcoming guest star this season; Vecna's exposed skull and vine-covered neck resembles the T-800--

--and Will's speech at the end of S4 bears striking similarities to Kyle Reece's famous "it can't be reasoned with" speech.

If Vecna is the T-800... then the Mind Flayer is the perfect candidate for Skynet.

[And Hawkins National Laboratory is Cyberdyne Systems -- a military-funded lab that meddled with phenomena beyond its ability to control and paved the way for a sinister hive mind to enter the world.]

I'm pretty sure that the Mind Flayer lies at the heart of whatever timey-wimey stuff is going on. It's suspiciously linked to timeline inconsistencies -- Will is already able to sense it in his neck before his possession in S2, and young Henry in TFS is haunted by the spider monster he wasn't supposed to create for another 20 years.

I've already written a theory on how a causal loop could tie Will and Henry to the Mind Flayer -- whatever's going on is probably more complicated than this, since my theory doesn't explain why the Upside Down is frozen -- but it's worth a read, I think, as it's the same type of time paradox as the one in Terminator and could easily be at the core of ST's time shenanigans.

Will is Kyle Reece or Sarah Connor -- so does that mean he's going to be a gun-toting badass?

No.

This scene is Will coming full circle from that moment in the shed at the start of S1: backed into a corner and forced to resort to violence because he sees no other way out. He doesn't want to kill the monster; he has to.

But the difference is that he's not cornered anymore.

This time around, Will knows his enemy, and he has supportive friends and family at his side. He's just so beaten down -- by Vecna, by Hawkins, by perceived rejections from Mike -- that he's lost all confidence in his ability to stand up for himself on his own terms.

I know it seems at first glance that Will advocates the use of violence in desperate times, but consider the context of the episode in which the above scene appears:

Joyce is reminiscing about her missing son while dealing with Lonnie telling her what to do and feel about it. Shortly after, she realizes how manipulative he's being and permanently kicks him out of her life (and the show lol) -- no violence necessary.

Will's advice hadn't been about the value of violence, but about the value of refusing to play by abusers' rules -- a key lesson in Stranger Things, as we've been watching El learn it the hard way over the course of four seasons.

Will cannot self-actualize by "finally" pulling the trigger on an approach that symbolizes his homophobic father's macho expectations. S5 is going to be about him regaining his self-confidence and allowing his authentic, gentle nature to guide him to the real solution.

So, to return to the "he's not gonna stop" speech: the theme at play here is inevitability, and it's one of the central themes of The Terminator -- not simply because the titular assassin is unstoppable, but because of the love story that drives the plot:

If Skynet hadn't sent the T-800 back in time to kill Sarah Connor before she could give birth to the leader of the human resistance, then Kyle would have had no reason to go back in time and end up unknowingly fathering John. No matter how hard Skynet tried to snuff John Connor out of existence, the rebellious love that created him was just as inevitable as the T-800.

This, I think, is the message at the heart of both Terminator and Stranger Things, and is the reason why The Terminator would be the perfect choice for S5's theme movie:

Sometimes the horrors wrought by humanity are inescapable...

...but so too is the hopeful human drive to love each other and overcome them.

Read Brenner's role in creating Vecna as a metaphor for homophobic Reagan-era fear-mongering and it all clicks into place, I think.

[laquiet]

So... I forced my friend into watching Stranger Things (pt. 1)

She's currently in season 2, probably episode 8, AND IT'S SO FUN, like... She has absolutly no idea about a n y t h i n g! About why some people seems to hate Mike (her favorite character so far, alongside with Will and El), and she doesn't even know who the hell is this Vecna guy, HOWEVER!!

I'm pretty sure she knows something is off with Mike and El as a couple, and she allowed me to translate some of her quotes, so I'm not missing any oportunity of sharing those gems:

1. Her opinion about Mileven

"It feels forced to me. Like, they [Mike and El] had one episode as friends and then the show started to hint they would be something more. I prefer something more like Lucas and Max,which developed over the season with him being the one at the Party who most wanted her with them and for her to know the truth."

SHE'S A LUMAX STAN, GUYS

Also,

2. Her reaction about the scene where Joyce, Jon and Mike are talking with possessed Will

When Joyce was talking about the drawing Will did when he was a child:

"A RAINBOW SHIP, HE DREW A RAINBOW SHIP!!!"

And when Mike was talking all about "You said yes, and it was the best thing I ever did":

"THOSE TWO ARE GOING TO BE THE CAUSE OF MY DEATH"

"I'm not ready to see what happens in season 3"

[Season 3... aka, the season which is... a little bit complicated for Mike stans--she is one of them btw]

TO SUM UP

She knows I know something about Mike, Will and El, and I know she knows something, too. But we won't tell each other...

Idk if you all Byler shippers won the show, but you definetely won her lol (and she doesn't even know it exists)

Oh, and she will be allowed to see my posts only after she gets to the end of s4, so this will be fun (i'm posting more of this, don't worry)

[teambyler]

"Byler Endgame, One Episode at a Time" - s5e4

Plot beats and scenes leading to a Byler endgame, one episode at a time, for Season 5 of Stranger Things. (This is just for fun! I have no insider knowledge!)

Also see Part 0, where I explain what I think a Byler Endgame has to address. Link to the previous episode.

s5e4

Will has a nightmare: it is November 1983 again and he is in the Upside Down. He’s in Castle Byers and gets captured by the Demogorgon. This time we see him get taken to the library and implanted. Will wakes up.*

It’s clear that Vecna is going after Will. When Mike sees him, he immediately senses something’s wrong. Will tells him.*

The party gathers at Hopper’s cabin. Will has a Walkman with “Should I Stay or Should I Go?” to try to fend off Vecna. They try to figure out what to do. The party needs to strike a blow against Vecna (something like a power source), but like in the s4 finale the vines and the hivemind are in the way. Will says he can be the distraction, just as Max was in s4. The group is mortified; Max insists: “No.” Will understands. The party discusses some other way to distract Vecna. Suddenly Will is targeted by Vecna again. Will is back in 1983 in the library and stuck to the wall. Vecna himself comes and says, “Will…” We cut to the group, Joyce is desperately pleading with Will to stay strong. We are not with Will as this all happens. El finds it in her power to piggyback by holding on to Will’s hand. For some reason, Will deliberately takes off the headphones. Joyce puts them back on as others hold down his arms so he doesn’t do it again. El backs off Vecna. Joyce takes a needle and sedates Will.

While Will sleeps, El plumbs into Will’s thoughts to find out what’s wrong. We see what Vecna was telling Will. Vecna wants Will’s powers and has always been trying to find a way to get them (since s1). He wants Will to give himself up, or else Vecna will kill people close to him, those he can reach, those who also have pain... "Like Max, like Mike..." Will reacts to Mike's name. Vecna knows and gives a sly smile. “Ah… you love your best friend?” Will protests. Cut to El, who suddenly sees Will's memories and that he is madly in love with Mike. (Flashbacks: Mike: “I said yes… It was the best thing I’ve ever done” [possessed Will desperately trying to break through] Mike: “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” Will tearing the picture of him and Mike, Will’s pain when Mike told El “My life started the day I found you.”) El is in shock. Vecna sees through Will’s denials. “Michael will be the first, and you will watch... He will be in pain… If you give in, there will be no pain... There is nothing for you. Not Michael, no one. You will always be a monster to them. You can end it now…” Will then takes off the headphones. El realizes why he did it and leaves Will’s mind.

El reports to the group that Vecna is singularly focused on Will, and wants some power of his. (She leaves out Will’s feelings for Mike and Vecna’s threat to Mike.) The only way to distract Vecna enough for the party to be able to attack his power source, is for Will to offer himself again. Mike says absolutely not; there’s got to be another way. They come up with an alternate plan of setting a large fire to the vines, so that they can avoid putting Will in danger. Joyce and Jonathan stay with Will as the rest head out.

As the party gets there, the bullies get in the way, this time with weapons. Nancy and Steve came prepared with a gun and nailed bat, and together they teach them a lesson. Mike in particular goes after Bully #1. After the melee, Nancy has a gun trained on Bully #1. Mike gets in his face, “If you touch Will again, I’m gonna kill you.” Bully #1 is all contempt. “What? You're a f****t, too?” Nancy fires a warning shot. Bully #1 jumps up and lunges at her and knocks the pistol out of her hand. In the struggle Mike is all tears and rage. He picks up the gun and is about to shoot him. El whips the gun out of Mike’s hand, and Bully #1 gets away. Mike is shaking. El runs up and hugs him. She has a realization…

Meanwhile, the party has FAILED at their task: they have to use Will.

*In retrospect, I should have put these at the start of s1e1, as we were teased about the first scene and it could be exactly this!

FOLLOW ME for the next part of “Byler Endgame, One Episode at a Time”!

Part 0 (what a Byler endgame needs to address) Previous episode Next episode

-teambyler

[wheelercurse]

This is going to be a hot take, and I know people will boo me (they hated Jesus, too), but I understand why people think Will was childish because he kind of was. And that was an essential part of his arc and development in season 3.

Stay with me. Let me explain it better.

Season three central themes were change and growing up. It's where their coming-of-age story started. Will was very insistent on playing d&d, more than his other friends. They were leaving their childhood behind, but Will held onto it much more than the others. And that's understandable because part of his childhood was taken away by Vecna. He spent one week in the UD, and when he returned, he wasn't the same. Then he was possessed by the mindflayer. He was that way for his trauma.

Does that mean the message was that he should stop playing games (d&d) like Mike insinuated? Absolutely not.

Mike had this mindset because his arc was the opposite. He was determined to fit in with society's expectations of a teenage boy (dating girls instead of playing games). He was on the other extreme of the spectrum.

That’s why they ended their arc in a middle ground. Will put his game in the donation box (accepting moving on from his childhood), and Mike agreed to keep playing with him (accepting more of his nerdy side)

Back to my point, it was an essential part of his arc because it was a big reason for the breakdown in Castle Byers. If you think he only destroyed it because of his love for Mike or his struggle with his sexuality, you don't fully understand the scene. Of course, it was part of it, and many didn't get it on the first watch. But it was also about growing up and confronting that his childhood was gone.

The breakdown is a culmination of many things that Will was dealing with: his lost childhood, his trauma, his alienation (he knows he's different because he doesn't like girls, and because of what happened in the Upside Down), his struggle with his sexuality, his feelings for Mike.

He wanted to play d&d more than his other friends when they were focused on girls. Of course, he wasn't immature for not liking them. But he knew he wasn't interested in them, and seeing his friends with girlfriends, made him feel more alienated. More when Mike told him, "It's not my fault you don't like girls." He wanted things to be like they used to be when they were little kids, but of course, it wasn't the same. That's why he remembered all these memories of the party and then tore up the photograph.

Also, the rain fight was about growing up. That's the first layer to understand this scene. As I said, Mike and Will's arcs were on the opposite side of the spectrum. One changed much of himself to conform, and the other refused change. These opposing views clashed and provoked the fight.

I won't deny that Mike and Lucas were assholes for making fun of Will. Of course, he was right to get mad at them. That's also why the boys apologised to him. Mike was also in the wrong for ditching his friends and being extra focused on his girlfriend.

But the fight was a pivotal scene for both of their development. And we see the fruition in their last scene together.

So, the season's message wasn't that you should leave your interests behind because you grew up, but life's changing, and you can't avoid it.

They literally spelt it out at the end:

"I don't want things to change. So maybe that's why I came in here, to try to stop that change. To turn back the clock. To make things go back to how they were. But I know that's naive. It's just not how life works. It's moving. Always moving whether you like it or not."

We have to take into account also the show's themes: against conformity, embracing being different, and accepting yourself. Of course, the message would never be, "you should stop being a nerd and conform." That's why we see the heroes joining another d&d club and Will making a d&d painting for Mike. I said this because if you want to understand characters' arcs, first, you have to grasp the main themes.

[jazy3]

ST5 BTS Teaser Trailer Thoughts Part 4

I'm excited for all of the Will content this season! I feel like he's been really under utilized in seasons past. In the trailer we've got a scene where Dustin, Lucas, and Mike are talking at the picnic table from Season 4 while Will wonders off towards something. I'm guessing this is some sort of vecna vision or trance that he's being placed in. I think this scene is going to be similar to Season 2 where Will gets possessed by the mindflayer at school. And it looks to me like we'll be coming back to a LOT of Season 2 plots in Season 5!

We also get some footage of the Party doing a hand stack which we saw in an earlier BTS photo back in March which is super cute! We also get footage of Noah Schnapp and the Duffer Brothers doing scene prep in the basement set so it looks like this scene might be pivotal for Will in some way. Later on we’ve got what looks to be Hopper with a full beard in a leather jacket and toque with a rifle next to him preparing to do something.

He looks like he’s going to catapult himself down a chute of some kind or maybe he's being attacked by vines? It's hard to say. Based on his surroundings this could be part of the barn set in the Upside Down. What's interesting to me is that in the pre-vis stills they shared back in March, Hopper appears to have a shaved head so this scene appears to be from later in the season.

And then we've got the car scene! I could talk about the car scene for hours! In the trailer, we’ve got footage of the Duffer Brothers talking to Joe Keery in Steve’s car with Charlie Heaton in the backseat. You can see the top of Dustin's hat on the passenger side and that Charlie is talking to someone. This appears to be the same scene we got photos of back in May of where Steve is driving and Nancy and Jonathan are in the backseat.

This also matches the pre-vis footage we got of Jonathan and Nancy in the backseat and Dustin in the front seat screaming as the car falls through a farmers field into the Upside Down. This also explains why there was that weird stripper pole in the middle of the car in the pre-vis footage! It was a placeholder for a rotating antenna which we can now see is attached to the top of Steve's car. It looks like they're trying to pick up some kind of signal but from what we don't know! I'm surprised they attached the thing to Steve's car as I feel like Jonathan or Nancy's would be a more logical choice.

Steve loves that car and I have a hard time seeing him volunteer his BMW for some experiment! And since Joyce is wearing her corduroy jacket from Season 1 in the basement scene we know that at some in Episode 1 the Byers get their stuff from California. Since Jonathan's car is more beat up than Steve and Nancy's I feel like it's the more logical choice if you're going to drill a hole in something. And while we see that Jonathan's car has broken down in Season 4 from what El describes in her letter it doesn't sound like it's beyond repair.

All I can think of is that the car suffered a bunch of damage during the shoot out and they decided to scrap it. In which case that would explain why we've only seen Nancy and Steve's cars in the BTS content. A few frames later we've got a shot of Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Dustin in front of a forest. Nancy has what appears to be a rifle over her shoulder and they're all are wearing the same clothes that they were in the car scene so it appears this scene follows that one.

In this scene Dustin is wearing a WSQK Radio t-shirt so it’s possible he works at the radio station or volunteers there and that’s how they got access to the space. It looks like one of the groupings this season will be Nancy, Jonathan, Steve, and Dustin which surprises me! I'd seen people speculate that Steve and Jonathan might team up this season or that the Monster Hunting Trio might make a comeback but I wasn't expecting Dustin to be there. It'll be interesting to see what the dynamic is like and how Dustin interacts with the older teens in these scenes.

It's a surprising choice to me considering where we left things with Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan at the end of Season 4 and having Dustin with them is an interesting choice. While Nancy, Steve, and Dustin all get along well the same can't be said for Jonathan. Hopefully we get some good character development here and it's not just the four of them being annoyed with each other all season! It's interesting to me that Robin's not with them. I'm guessing maybe they've paired her up with Vickie and Joyce this season based on what we've gotten so far.

Part 3: https://www.tumblr.com/jazy3/758033943232659456/st5-bts-teaser-trailer-thoughts-part-3?source=share

[ghoulsanderson]

Furthering my Mike Wheeler gets vecna'd in s5 agenda

(also a corny will byers has powers entrance at the end) (also not so sneakily encouraging others to write more Vecna Possessing Mike Wheeler fics) (If you do pls tag me I'm addicted to them)

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

Vecna knew Michael Wheeler. Had known him since a fated night in 83' when he'd seen him through the lens of his Demogoron, fighting stubbornly for Will, for Eleven, for everyone.

He'd known him in the lab when terror shook him to his bones, but his feet stayed planted at Will's bedside like a stubborn weed. When he foiled his plans time and time again.

He'd known him in Starcourt when he threw himself in the line of fire for Eleven.

Vecna knew him as the wrench in his plans, the thorn in his side, the boy braver than most, which is why he thought this would be a lot harder. He expected Mike to fight, to yell, to escape, to writhe and struggle.

And he had, momentarily. Mike had run away, cursed him and spewed insults, but the instant the vines entrapped his arms and legs, he fell like a puppet with his strings cut in what looked like near-relief. Like the chase had been routine, robotic, and he'd never planned on surviving at all.

He'd been in the boy's head, so he thought he knew the ins and outs of Mike Wheeler. He knew the dark thoughts Mike had at night, the rare visits to the quarry, where he sat under the stars and weighed the pros and cons of jumping, the dreams he had that should be nightmares where El didn't save him at all.

He knew this.

And yet, in the end, he still expected more of a fight.

"Giving up so easily?" He taunted as his vines pulled Mike up to the pillar, wrapping around his neck, waist, and thighs, though he wasn't sure he needed that much security.

Mike scoffed, splattered with blood from his falls, covering his face like red freckles and spilt across his yellow hoodie, "You've got me. Fuck else can I do?"

Vecna chuckled, stroking a finger down Mike's cheek like he was endeared, "Not even a beg?"

"Like I'd beg to you." Mike rasped, the vine around his neck tightening until his eyes bulged, sure it was going to break him.

Vecna grinned, "You're letting me kill you?" He cocked his head and pinched Mike's chin, forcing the boy to face him, "You're going to make your friends and family watch you die?"

Mike convulsed with a raspy shout, "Fuck you!" He coughed, gasping for air, "I'm n-not doing s-shit!"

Vecna's beady eyes stared at him, dissecting him like a bug under a magnifying glass, "Did you hope for the hero way out?" He asked, sinister, mocking laughing bubbling in his throat, "Did you hope I'd kill you in some sad twist of fate and they'll mourn you and curse my name? Never knowing that you got what you wanted."

Mike tried to growl, to shout a refusal, but it broke into a litter of sobs, cracking out of his throat, his tears parting the blood on his face.

"I could." Vecna cooed, wiping away a tear, "I could kill you now and use your tragic willingness to kill William later."

"Fuck you!" Mike wailed, trying for the first time to tug his wrists free, "E-El w-will save me a-any... any min-minute now! Y-You won't tell t-them s-shit!"

He nearly gagged at the pressure on his adams apple, vision blurring as he failed to suck air into his lungs.

Vecna sighed, "But they already know, Mike." He leaned forward, watching pure horror start to mould its way onto Mike's face, "She's here... watching... she's been watching all this time... but she can't save you. I won't let her."

Mike's whimper broke, his struggling becoming weaker and weaker as his air ran thinner, "I-I'm sorry..." He sobbed, and Vecna knew he wasn't talking to him this time.

His caress on Mike's face morphed, becoming rough nails digging into his scalp, leaving crescent marks that bled, "It's time."

He leaned his head back, his power travelling like fire through Mike's body down to his ankles, his knees and his arms, where he started snapping them one by one.

Left leg, right arm, right leg-

"Get away from him!!"

Vecna roared as he was slammed through the wall of his decrepit house. He considered fighting back, but the force pinning him down was ignited such fury, pressing him down like he was being buried alive. He felt it on his fingertips, his legs, his body, and his face. He felt it crushing his neck and squeezing the air out of him.

In a spur of fear, he fled, disappearing to the safety of his demonic realm in a cloud of smoke.

Will panted, blood pouring from his nose and ears, but he found the strength to sprint, "Mike!" He wailed, catching the other boy's body as he fell like a ragdoll, bloodied, injured, and unconscious, "Mike! God, no, no, no, no, please! Please wake up-, please. I love you!"

El joined his side, sickened by her failure. Again. She'd failed again, "Mike!" She cried, collapsing onto his chest, hugging him where he lay in Will's lap, "Mike..."

***

The group was a wreck, everyone trying to comfort each other but falling apart themselves.

Lucas had thrown up into the grass, heaving with sobs. He felt useless, just standing by, but he couldn't- he couldn't do this again. And Dustin tried to comfort him, but he was crying so hard he couldn't even hug him.

Nancy couldn't cry. This didn't feel real, her brother hovering in the sky. She grasped her gun like it would help, standing frozen. No. This wasn't real. It couldn't be. In no universe could Mike die. He couldn't.

Her boyfriend was trying to comfort her, but he was a wreck himself. Mourning for Mike like he was his little brother. Nancy knew Mike was, to Jonathan, a brother in everything but blood. Mike knew Jonathan loved him, would do anything for him, would die for him.

Did he know Nancy would do that too?

El's eyes were rolling under her eyelids, Will had collapsed from the stress, and Mike was going to die-

Nancy screamed, falling into Robin's arms as Mike's leg snapped, and his arm, and his other leg, "No!" She wailed, on her knees, like she was praying to the deities, "No! No, please! Mike!"

"Mike!" Lucas screamed into the grass, the agony was driving him crazy, pulling at his mind like a knot, and Dustin wasn't fairing much better, anguished like he was staring into the face of his own death.

Not their paladin. Please.

But then Mike fell, spared by some miracle, into the arms of his family, "Mike!" Nancy shrieked, pulling her brother close and cradling him like a baby, "Mike- wake up, y-you're okay, you're okay, right? You're fine, wake up..." She whispered, pressing their heads together.

Mike's limbs bent at funny angles, and blood crusted in the creases of his eyebags, his complexion waxy grey, "Mike." She sobbed, "Mike, what am I supposed to tell Mom and Dad? Fuck... w-what a-am I supposed to tell H-Holly?"

Steve checked for a pulse with a hand that shook so hard his wrist ached, and slumped in relief to find one, "I-I'll call an ambulance!" He shouted and sprinted away.

As Dustin and Lucas cried over their friend, Will and El began to wake, their tears following into the unconscious.

Unfortunately, Mike woke too.

His eyelids lifted, and his usual midnight-brown eyes had paled to an unnatural copper, misted with white fog, "W-Will?" He rasped, blinking through his blurry haze, "O-Ouch- ouc- fuck!" He threw his head back, the pain hitting him like a truck, "W-Will?!"

Will wobbly crawled to him, "I-I'm here!" He wailed, "I'm here."

Sirens began to whisper in the distance, growing closer and closer, "Help is a-almost here." El stammered, taking Mike's hand, "You'll be okay!"

"I-It hurts..." Mike rasped, his chest heaving with rapid breaths, "I-It hurts."

Nancy sniffled, pressing a kiss to his forehead, "I-I know," She stroked his hair, "I know, but you just stay awake."

Mike whimpered, eyes searching for her desperately beyond the blur, "I-I do-don't think I-I want to g-go..." He whispered.

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

and I have to end it there for now, I gtg.

Hope you enjoyed!

[henrysglock]

Stranger Things: Exposing Vulnerabilities via Mirrors and Music

Part 1: Mirrors

Now...I am by no means a physics expert, but mirrors and reflection was one of my best topics in the optics unit.

I first want to talk more about the concept of mirrors/holding up a mirror as it relates to Henry, Will, and the ST4 victims (Max in particular).

In the first part of my siblings series, I talked about how Max's vulnerability ripped open a hole in Henry's mind-scape because it is a shared vulnerability. I also want to talk about this within the context of Henry's mirror-weapon.

To do this, I need to start not with Max but with Will, Billy, Chrissy, Fred, and Patrick.

This might seems somewhat of an irrelevant topic at first. I promise you it is not.

Those 5 are different from Max in a few different ways, the main being that they are near-identical to Henry.

Why do I say this? Let's look back:

Will: Literally a body double; his entire childhood backstory is near-identical to Henry's.

Billy: Another literal body double; he's another William with almost same backstory as Henry.

Chrissy: Has the same brand of mother: Abusive. They even look highly similar.

Fred: Boy who killed an innocent by accident, and finds himself to be in the wrong about it. He also has facial scarring.

Patrick: Abusive father...Abusive Papa.

[Pam voice] Corporate wants me to find the difference between these images...they're the same image.

So what does this have to do with Henry's mirror attack?

Well. What happens when you hold up a mirror to an image of yourself?

You get the inverse image as a result.

This is why something that was a weakness for Will, Billy, Chrissy, Fred, and Patrick would be a strength for Henry. He's getting the reflected, inverse result.

Weakness for Identical Image -> Mirror -> Strength

Don't believe me? Let's just talk about Will and Billy.

How did Will's possession come about, how did his family free him from Henry's, and why did it work?

Will becomes possessed because he's small, weak, and frightened. To Henry, a mirror, these become strengths. The more afraid Will becomes and the worse he feels, the stronger Henry becomes.

(Side Note: I daresay Will's visions in S2 are Vecna visions, based on his eye movement and the fact that his body is still in the RSU. Henry's holding up a mirror, and what does Will see? The monstrous Mindflayer form of Henry. He sees his narrative foil at its most damaging.)

Will feels fear in his home after the slug, the physical manifestation of the original rape trauma which ostracizes him, but he feels safe enough to let it go because he's surrounded by family: No Mindflayer, just the UD, but it starts the progressive descent.

Will feels deeper fear in his home, now the second time, but there's no family awake now: Mindflayer is present, but in the far distance.

Will feels fear from multiple sources on Halloween. He's not at home, Jonathan isn't around, and he's already freaked out by bullies: Mindflayer is closer, almost directly overhead.

Will is in school. He's just interacted with Dart, the physical manifestation of his trauma. He's already triggered, scared shitless even though he tries to resist: Mindflayer gets him and possesses him, but nothing is visibly wrong with him yet outside of the rape trauma he just experienced.

Will is at home. He's just experienced rape trauma (again), something deeply hurtful which usually tends to make a person feel incredibly isolated: Something is wrong, now. Really wrong. He's cold, he's afraid of the bath, he's got brain fog and now-memories, and...Henry's clearly got his hooks in, but Will is still Will enough to want to be Mike's superspy.

Will's in the field. He's being indirectly attacked. He's in pain, and he doesn't know why. He's terrified. He wants his mother, he's calling for Mike. The entire thing is arguably the most gut-wrenching scene in the show: He loses his memories. He loses almost all his memories. He's acting strange, dangerous, unpredictable. He's more Henry than Will, now.

Will's just sent all those soldiers to their deaths. He's just called in the demodog army. He's so incredibly afraid and guilty, and he didn't mean to, Henry made him, and he can't stop it: Will disappears. After that...no more Will. It's just Henry.

Then, though? Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike (Will's 3 biggest supporters) came in with Will's strengths.

Joyce: His mother. She reminds him how much he means to her, how loved he is, how much she supports him, how good and kind he is. She reminds him that she wants him back, no matter what has happened.

Jonathan: His brother/father-figure. He reminds him of the time when Lonnie went away using music ([Video Game Narrator voice] Remember this. It will be useful in the future), an act of love on both Joyce and Jonathan's parts. He reminds Will that he loves him more than anything.

Mike: Reminds him he's a hero, reminds him he's loved and special, even now, even after everything. He tells Will that meeting him and knowing him was the best thing he's ever done.

And Will? He breaks free.

I believe there's a combination of reasons, and that they occur in this exact succession:

One: Henry is a mirror. He's experiencing himself in inverse via Will. Will receives love on all the topics Henry himself is deeply sensitive about: his mother, his sexuality, his abusers, his loneliness, his status as a monster, the fact that he's only been special because of his monster status. Meeting Henry has been the worst thing that's happened to most people. This rips open a hole in Henry's psyche.

Like in Dear Billy, they've exposed a vulnerability. Many of them, actually. Enough that a young boy, who was previously unable to resist, is now able to break free.

Two: The shed sequence empowers Will. He sees the opportunity to break free, and he takes it. He fights back. He spies, and reports back.

Will is empowered to fight back by the very things that make Henry vulnerable. He comes back, and tells the crew how to stop Henry.

The plan, had Mike not noticed the detail about closing the gate and killing the body, would've killed Will. Joyce's love for Will and her drive to save him by any means drives the Mindflayer out. It's the heat, yes, but the heat is because of Joyce. A mother's love, a psychic attack, in combination with a physical attack.

Henry falls.

Now, Billy.

Billy doesn't get quite as much stalking, and his possession is slightly less textually rapey (likely because he's older).

Either way, the progression of the Mindflayer is similar:

Billy gets put on Henry's radar in S2 with Neil's behavior and his twisted "protectiveness" over Max: No Mindflayer, no UD.

Billy gets hit on by women more than twice his age. More on this here: Henry physically stops Billy from going to Karen, and he infects him with part of the trapped Shadow Monster. And then, for all intents and purposes, Vecnas Billy. He pulls him into an UD vision and tells him to build.

Billy is immediately different. He's merged with Henry. He's confused and disoriented and in pain at the pool: They jointly fantasize about hurting Karen (which Billy doesn't like, so he tells Karen to stay away), and they go on to take Heather and enact the events of S3 up to the Sauna Test. There's very little Billy left. It's mainly Henry, and we see this in his behavior at the Holloway house.

The sauna test happens. It's an indirect attack, just like the fire in S2. Billy is afraid. He's in so much pain: The more pain he's in, and the more he's attacked, the stronger Henry gets. We see this with him grabbing the tile shard while begging for help. We see this in how the black veins spread. By the end, he's no longer Billy. He's full Henry.

Then, El discovers a good memory while looking for Henry in Billy's mind. It's his mother, a memory of her love and his own happiness.

When Billy turns on Henry, it's because of this memory. Why? Because of the mirror effect.

Henry's been holding up a mirror and showing Billy all the violent, cruel things he endured from his abusive father. He's been showing him how his mother abandoned him to said father. He's been showing Billy his cruel behavior as a child.

El shows Billy his one remaining piece of goodness: The memory on the beach.

Billy's escape follows the exact same linear progression as Will's:

One: Tear open a hole in Henry's psyche using his vulnerabilities against him.

Billy's memory of his mother and their happiness rips open that hole. Henry, the mirror, gets hit with psychic damage re: Virginia. This topic is a huge source of pain for Henry. He wasn't happy as a child because of his mother.

Two: Empower the victim. Get them to fight back.

Billy's love for his mother and the compassion El showed him inspires him to fight back. He steps in front of her and Max, and he physically stops Henry's Fleshflayer. He fights to the death, but he dies free.

Henry falls.

What does this have to do with Max? Didn't you just say she's the same as Henry in the Siblings analysis?

Not quite. Like I mentioned in my siblings series...She's Alice, but she's put in Henry's position.

She's the inverse. She's already mirrored.

What happens when you hold up a mirror to an inverted image?

You get the original image as a result.

That's why "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)", something that's representative of Max's weakness, didn't help Henry. It reminded him of his own guilt about his sister because Max's inverted story, when held up to Henry's mirror, became Henry's own story. It exposed his own vulnerability.

Weakness for Mirrored Image -> Mirror -> Weakness.

Max is a mirror by virtue of being Max.

This is why something that should have been a strength for Henry registers as a weakness. Max's weakness is the same as Henry's weakness, but she's the inverse player. So instead of her fear and guilt helping Henry, it hinders him.

The weakness he's drawing on to take Max is different because she's different.

He's targeted her sibling guilt because he sees his own situation. He sees another exact copy that he can use his mirror weapon to feed on. Then he sees that Max isn't him, here. Max is Alice, just in a swapped role.

Henry and Max have made a deal with God. They've swapped places and revealed truths.

Those truths threw Henry off and exposed his own vulnerabilities just long enough for Max to escape unscathed.

Max's escape is very similar to Will's and Billy's, and follows the same progression of steps:

One: Tear open a hole in Henry's psyche using his vulnerabilities against him.

I daresay Alice might be Henry's achilles heel. Not only does he freeze, but the hole that was ripped open was...so incredibly large. It's so massive that it would allow Max to escape immediately and completely.

Two: Empower the victim. Get them to fight back. Inspire them to live.

Max reaches up and physically attacks Henry when she sees, through the hole in his psyche, that she's so adored by her friends. They love her, they need her, they're begging her to come back to them. If they hadn't been there, I don't think Max would've escaped.

In Summary:

Most times, when Henry attacks, he chooses an identical figure. Will, Billy, Chrissy, Fred, and Patrick are Henry's identical images. Max, however, is an accidental inversion. This is why her weakness is Henry's weakness instead of his strength. This is why Max's vecna-ing was thwarted by "Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)".

Parts: Mirrors, Music, Exceptions That Prove the Rule

[freetobeeyouandme]

Okay, why not. Proper pinned post: Hi, I'm Line, I like to create things. Mostly that's fic on Ao3 and once in a blue moon I'll get into making a fanvid for YouTube.

Most Recent Fics:

AftG AU Roulette Collection: Brother's Keeper (M, 4.8k, Andreil Roleswap AU), Sunshine, Spun of Gold (M, 5.8k, Jerejean Historical AU), By Way of the Stars (T, 9.5k, Neil & Kevin Space Opera AU)

I Was Transported to Another World but I'm Still Just Some Random Nerd (M, 100k+ WIP, Mike gets Isekai'd into DnD Byler Fantasy AU)

Through A Dark Glass, Wanting (M, 90k, Byler Fantasy AU written for the Byler Big Bang 2023)

Let Me Put My Lips to Something (Bylerween 2023 collection): I'm Starvin', Darlin' (T, 2.8k, Trapped in the Upside Down), Lover, Be Good to Me (T, 5.2k, Halloween Party), Wrap My Teeth Around the World (M, 3.9k, Possessed!Will), Hold Me Like Water (M, 2.3k, Attacked by Vecna), Like Real People Do (T, 4.1k, Came Back Wrong), Like My Mirror Years Ago (M, 5.1k, Vampire AU), Shrike (T, 1.9k, The Witcher AU)

Haunt Me Through the Night (M, 82k, Destiel Finale Fix-it, Dean leaves the bunker to go build a home for himself)

Technicolor (T, 4.5k, the Dean locks himself in the trunk instead of talking to Cas about his feelings fic)

[erikiara80]

I love Mike Flanagan and I think there are many parallels between ST and his movies. Before I wake, for example, I'm sure I'm not the only one who noticed them.

But today I'm thinking about the parallels between Will and Doris, one of the main characters in Ouija: Origin of evil (2016). I love this little horror, it's so much better than the first movie.

Both Will and Doris touch their neck because they feel the connection to an evil entity.

When Doris is possessed, the evil spirits use her voice to whisper evil things in people's ears, to control them.

This reminds me of what Jeff T, of the subtitle team, said about when Will is rubbing the back of his neck at the end of S4. There is a whispering sinister trilling.

Maybe I'll make another post about this movie, but yeah, I think these are very interesting parallels. And considering what happens to Doris, I'm very curious to see how they will explore Will's connection to Vecna/UD and how they will save him from it.

[morganee]

Byler Fic Rec Week - Day 6: Canon divergence

the taste of the color by waffles_isa (@waffles-isa) (699 words, complete)

It's a world where people are only able to see in black and white until they find their soulmate. Everyone's worried about it, but Mike is completely chill.

Static Re-connection by IllogicalFallacy (@illogical-fallacy) (62k, complete)

AND - H E R E - I - T H O U G H T - U ‘ D - F O R G E T - M E N E V E R N E V E R - E V E R - ? N E V E R - E V E R He thought about the way Will had looked at him all those years ago, lying in the hospital bed, eyes not his own. Even through the fog of possession, something behind Will’s gaze had clicked and recognized Mike for who he was. Even without anything else left, Will had still remembered the connection he had to his mom - and... to Mike. His trembling fingers hesitated for an infinite moment, before typing faster than his brain could hope to process, P R M S E - ? Y E S A miles-apart, oblivious mutual pining, emotional summer vacation disaster-fest starring Mike, Will, and one incredibly unreliable radio connection.

must be a devil between us by els bloody rollerskate (@super-nova5045) (37k, ongoing)

Don’t assume that because every gate was closed by your telekinetic girlfriend before the world split in two everything will be okay. Your best friend might become a new target of this monster four months later on summer camp and be in grave danger. Or do. He’ll have to die. Ever since November 1983, when Will Byers went missing, shit has just gone downhill for Hawkins, tragedy after tragedy afflicting a once peaceful town. For the first time ever, Mike Wheeler, is at peace – he’s going to Camp Hero in the summer of ’86, where the high-schoolers of Hawkins bond for a summer of “totally rad, epic fun”. The only thing that could possibly spoil it? His best friend, Will, happens to be attending camp too, as well as his girlfriend El – the two people Mike was trying to avoid; the sheer level of awkward tension between them driving him insane. Mike’s trying his best to ignore Will and even worse, ignore the feelings for Will he tried to repress, too. However, when his assumed-dead dungeon master, Eddie Munson, steps foot on Camp Hero on one midsummer night, Mike knows he must get over his tension with Will and El and reunite his friends to destroy Vecna, once and for all.

A Hope to Cling To by midnighteverlark (18k, complete)

While talking to Will in the shed, trying to break through the Mind Flayer's control, Mike starts thinking about what he would do if Will gave up, and completely unintentionally blurts, "I love you." Mike's existential crisis follows. Meanwhile, Will uses the words as his anchor, holding onto this glimmer of hope with all his might as he struggles to hang on against the Mind Flayer. Basically, a more Mike/Will-centric version of episodes 8 and 9 and the time beyond, with a good dose of of grit and Serious Stuff but also plenty of happiness and some fluff to come. (I mean, come on - Will is a gay kid in the 80s who just craves love and acceptance, and he deserves A Break. Mike is just realizing he's bisexual and he needs some love and acceptance and A Break too.)

king of my heart by bookinit (@bookinit02) (21k, complete)

Will finds himself wondering, sometimes, if his mark matches Mike’s. He thinks it must, really—he can’t imagine wanting to spend the rest of his life with anyone else. Mike’s cool and strong and brave and funny. His hair flops down over his forehead and his eyes bore into Will’s soul, always so steadily intense. He doesn’t cry when he scrapes his knee. Instead, he just gets back up. Will thinks that if Mike isn’t his soulmate, something is seriously wrong with the world.

truth serum side effects (may include: accidental gay confessions) by sterrenhemel (1k, complete)

"You okay?" Mike asks him. "Yeah, your hands are really soft." And— Jesus Christ, what was that? Sure, it wasn't a lie, but... what?! "Uh, thank you?" Mike replies awkwardly. Will wants to hit himself. Why would he say that?  "I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that." Or the one in which Will is hit by a truth serum.

[byierficrecs]

❝ and everything but sleep ❞ author: @fireflywitch

link: archiveofourown.org/works/42077352

personal blog || submit a story || support me on ko-fi 💐

[boldlyvoid]

Family Values | Part One

Steve Harrington x Single Mom Reader

Summary: 3 years after the "earthquake" rocked through Hawkins and changed the town forever, it's now known as the Conspiracy Capital of the Country. Drawing in thousands of visitors a year to one specific spot, Steve Harrington's Hawk Shop: your one-stop shop for all your visit needs. Hawkins was essentially a ghost town if it wasn't for the wannabe journalists and demon hunters. And then Y/N moved in, buying the house next door to the Wheelers for herself and her 4-year-old daughter.

Warnings: AU set after season 4 and the Main cast all survived. lots of made-up lore, pregnancy assumptions, mentions of steves childhood and losing his parents in the earthquake, love at first sight, flirting

Word count: 2.5k

Masterlist

It was so strange to see a moving truck come into Hawkins, most of the time people were leaving. It was basically a ghost town now, the only real foot traffic they got was from conspiracy theorists, news reporters and people obsessed with strange “natural” disasters. 

The influx of guests coming through town inspired Steve to open his own novelty shop in one of the now vacant shops on the main road. Robin and Eddie made t-shirts and buttons inspired by the haunting events that took place in Hawkins, and you’d be surprised how well the Hellfire shirts sold after Eddie was in the news for murder for so long… the satanic panic was now the reason Steve made so much money. 

Most of their friend group never left Hawkins, if they did it was for school and they came back regularly. The Wheelers left their house to Nancy and Mike, packing up with Holly and their things before moving away. So did Robin’s parents… she lived with Steve above the shop now, but for a while, they both lived in Nancy’s basement. 

Steve lost his parents that night of the earthquake, he had no idea they were even home or why they’d be downtown when the earth opened up, but he lost them. Just like that he went from a single child to the only Harrington left in his family and even though they had their differences, not a day went by where he didn’t miss them both. 

He debated selling their house, he already came into possession of all their money and assets, including their business downtown, all of which he handed out to his friends. Eddie had a studio beside the novelty shop, Nancy and Jonathan took over the newspaper and even branched out to do an internet newsletter with help from Susie after she moved to town… and in a few months, Argyle would be opening up a pizza parlour with help from Susie’s sister Eden, who had a garden salad named after her on the menu. 

It was nice having everyone he considered Family all living in the same town still, Eddie and his uncle live above the studio, Argyle and Eden are above what will be their restaurant, and Dustin still lived with his mom, just with the addition of Susie and a few more cats. Lucas and Max moved into Steve's old house, equipped with a ramp for her wheelchair and a bedroom on the first floor, Joyce, Hopper, El and Will also lived there for a small price of taking care of the property and making sure Max was okay when Lucas was away at school. 

Steve kinda made it his mission to take care of everyone who loved him. It was about time a real loving family lived in that house… 

He watched the moving van through the shop window, it travelled down the main street and turned onto Cornwallace. They must’ve bought one of the many houses left vacant up there. It was really only Nancy and the Sinclairs that still lived north of the epicentre. The main crack ran through the centre of Hawkins, all colliding at the town hall which was still in shambles. The bell could still ring, only no one was able to get inside to ring it ever again. 

The vines that were once Vecna were now nothing but stone, adhered to buildings they touched as if welded in place, a forever marker of what tried to destroy them all. 

It was ugly, there was no explanation for what happened and no one would believe them anyway. They simply made do in the town that raised them, the town they almost died to save, it was their home and they weren’t going anywhere. 

Steve's mind wanders back to the moving van throughout the day, intrigued by who these new people could be. Would they have children Erika’s age to repopulate the high school? Was it a newly married couple taking advantage of the absurdly cheap real estate they had to offer? Was it a single dude or a single woman? He wanted to know so bad. 

Luckily for him, he’s the only store open past 6pm that offered everyday essentials. Most people used him as a corner store, so he kept milk, eggs, pop, candy bars, breakfast essentials, canned foods and bread. Not always fresh, but he sold it anyway. No matter what anyone said, he really loved his little store. 

A woman he’s never seen before pushes the door open, letting her toddler in first and then following. “Hi,” the little girl waves at Steve. 

“Hello, Welcome to the Hawk Shop,” he waves back with a smile. “Anything I can help you with?” 

“Yes actually,” she leans down and picks her daughter up. She walks over to his counter and sighs as the child rests against her hip. “We just moved here and I was wondering if you know of a restaurant or anything around? I didn’t have time to hit the grocery store before it closed and we haven’t had dinner yet…”

“We, unfortunately, don’t have a restaurant in town, yet. We’re getting a Pizza place soon, but until then, I do have some food here,” he explains before he leads them around to the back aisle. “Does she like spaghetti o’s?”

“She loves them,” she bounces the little girl a bit, making her laugh even with her thumb in her mouth. “Too bad we can’t make a grilled cheese with it, that’s her favourite.” 

“I have some Kraft cheese slices upstairs in my apartment, I’ll throw in some bread for free too, as a welcome to the neighbourhood gift,” he really didn’t mind helping them out, he would do the same for any parent that came in, even if they weren’t beautiful. 

“You don’t have to,” he waves it off, not wanting to put him out. “We can do with just some soup tonight.” 

“I insist, wait right here!” He runs upstairs to his apartment, thanking god that Robin did a decent grocery shop the other day. He grabs some cheese, a brand new tub of margarine and the softest bread he had before running back to the shop. 

He brings it all over to the counter where they’re waiting with two can’s of spaghetti o’s and a smile. 

“Thank you,” she gives him a sweet smile. “Really, this is so nice of you, she was so hungry.” 

“Big girl like you? I bet!” Steve uses his kid voice with her. “You’ve gotta eat lots of grilled cheeses if you want to grow up to have strong bones and a beautiful smile like your mom's…” 

She gives him a sweet smile, “thank you… how much do I owe you?” 

“$2.25,” he does the quick tax math in his head, only counting the canned goods at a dollar a piece. She hands him a fiver anyway. 

“Keep the change, please?” She insists. 

He nods, “okay… come back for whatever you need. I’m here all the time and if I’m not here I’m probably just upstairs or next door…” 

“Have you lived here long?” 

He nods as he packs all their groceries into a paper bag. “My whole life. It’s been pretty crazy… but I like it here.” 

“We like it so far, don’t we, Lisa?” She asks her little girl. 

Lisa was a beautiful name, very common among girls her age now, but it fit her well. The little girl nodded her head, “we have a swing set at our house.” 

“Oh wow, you’re lucky,” he lets her live in the childhood wonderment of a new toy. Not overshadowing it with the fact he grew up with a pool… sometimes he missed that old part of his life and being a kid. But at least his 6 adopted buttheads were enjoying his old house now. 

“We’ve gotta get home and eat before bed, but thank you for all this, seriously,” she smiles. 

“Have a good night,” he waves them off, watching them leave happy.

Every part of him wanted to know more. Was it just the two of them? Did that little girl have a dad? Was her mom looking for someone to spend her life with? Cause if she was he was willing to do anything for her… most people would say Steve had a problem when it came to claiming he was in love at first sight, but something felt different this time. 

—

When his shift comes to an end, he locks up and grabs his things, headed for Nancy’s. Robin was off at school for the week, so it wasn’t like he could talk to her about it, and sure Vicky was at the apartment but that would be weird… they weren’t that great of friends even if they were around each other all the time because of Robin. 

Nancy was probably the only other person who understood him, and she also didn’t mind when he dropped by. Usually, he parks in the driveway beside her house, no one lived there, until today… his mystery woman was Nancy’s new neighbour, currently standing on the patch of grass that connected their two properties, meeting the woman Steve couldn’t stop thinking about. 

Nancy has a trash bag in her hand, the moon is just bright enough that he can see them both smiling as they talk, so he parks on the side of the road and hypes himself up enough to join their conversation. 

“Steve, hey!” Nancy waved to him once he got out of his car. “This is Steve, he owns most of the town…” 

“Most of the town?” She repeats Nancy's words. “I knew he worked at the novelty shop—

“How’d you know that, already?” Nancy asks. 

“I went over to get some spaghetti-o’s for dinner and he kindly gave us everything we needed to make grilled cheese too, Lisa was so happy, by the way,” she beams a smile at him. “I’m Y/N, by the way.” 

He extends his hand to shake hers, her skin is so soft, that he can’t help but linger while they look each other up and down. Nancy can tell already that this is going to be a thing, she knew that look in Steve's eyes, and surprisingly, Y/N had it too. 

“You guys settling in okay?” he finally asks. 

She nods, slowly pulling her hand away from his grip, “yeah, I just saw Nancy bringing the trash out and had some questions about getting rid of all my cardboard…” 

“You can bring it by the shop,” Steve offers. “We have a huge dumpster, it’s no problem.” 

“You’re too kind,” she can’t help but smile. 

“You don’t know the half of it,” Nancy boasts on his behalf. “Sure he owns most of the town, but he’s given it all to anyone who’s stayed in town. For example, his parents used to own the building that was the Hawkins post and now me and my husband run the newspaper and our other friend owns the Hellfire Studios, if Lisa’s interested in learning the guitar, Eddie is the best teacher.” 

“Wow, that’s amazing,” she’s blown away. “By any chance do you know who used to own the Motel 6? I’m trying to buy it…” 

“No, sorry,” Steve turns to Nancy, who also shakes her head. “But I’m sure I can help somehow?” 

“I’m sure,” she laughs. “You get off on helping people or something?” 

“Or something,” he’s honest with her, getting caught up in her beautiful eyes and how they glistened in the moonlight. 

“Um, Steve?” Nancy brings him back down to earth, “did you come over for something?” 

“Yeah,” he clears his throat quickly. “Robin's not home till Friday, so I thought I’d come over here to hang for a bit, is that okay?” 

“Yeah, absolutely,” she doesn’t care. “Can you put this in the can?” She pints at the garbage bin at the end of their driveway, handing him the black plastic bag. 

“Sure thing,” he takes it without another word. 

“I’ll let you go then, it was nice meeting you, Nancy,” Y/N waves her off. “You too, Steve.” 

“Hopefully we can talk more soon?” He asks while walking back down the driveway. 

“I’d like that,” she agrees and then skips back to her house. 

She gives him one last wave from her porch as Steve goes into Nancy’s house, further cementing the feelings he had for her already. He’s barely inside Nancy’s place 5 seconds when she’s jumping on him for answers. 

“She’s lived here 5 minutes and you’re already trying to get in her pants?” 

“I am not!” 

“You were practically eye fucking each other,” she exaggerates with the roll of her own eyes. “Seriously Steve, she’s a mother of 2.” 

“Two?” His eyes grow wide, “she only brought Lisa into the shop tonight?” 

“She’s clearly pregnant right now,” Nancy, of course, would notice that. “Did you seriously not see her stomach?” 

He shakes his head, “no, I was too busy helping her… I saw she had a kid and my brain went into provider mode. You know how I get, any kid that comes into my store could literally walk out with anything they wanted, I’m a sucker for happy families.”

“I mean, it doesn’t seem like she has a partner,” Nancy clues him in further. “The moving van didn’t have much in it, and it was just the two of them unpacking it all, so she could very well be looking for a step-dad for her kids?” 

“That’s what I was thinking,” he keeps his voice low. “That’s what I came to talk to you about, I didn’t expect her to be your new neighbour.” 

“And she’s trying to buy the motel?” Nancy recalls. “Weren’t you talking about investing in restoring it so that more people will be interested in travelling through Hawkins?” 

“Yeah,” he can’t help but smile. “I’ll call my guy down at the historical society, I’m sure he can help me get in contact with whoever still owns the property.” 

Nancy and he walked through the house, towards the kitchen where Will, Mike, El and Jonathan are all sitting around the kitchen table, having a few bowls of ice cream. “Hey Steve,” Jonathan notices him first, and the others give him a small wave. 

“Hey,” he takes a seat beside him, “did you meet the new neighbour yet?” 

“No, did you?” 

“We both did,” Nancy announces, “she’s super sweet, her name is Y/N and she has a little kid too, I think she said her name was Lisa?” 

“Yeah,” Steve smiles again. “She told me she’s really excited to have a swing set now.” 

“Those swings are awesome,” Will adds, remembering the good parts of his childhood that he had here, “we used to use them all the time whenever Mr. and Mrs. Linder weren't home.” 

“She’s really pretty,” Steve swoons. “Like, the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen in my life.” 

“The kid?” Mike asks, eyes wide in shock before Will smacks him. “Her mom, idiot.” 

Steve manages to laugh, “her name’s Y/N…” 

“That’s pretty,” El hardly had much to add but she smiles at him. “You’d make a good stepdad.” 

“Thanks,” it warms his heart. “I’ve always thought so, too.” 

ask to join my Steve taglist!!

[theoriginalsapphic]

Why I Believe That Byler Is Endgame (based only on what we have seen on the show). part 4

And by that, i mean: no color-coding analysis, no set props analysis, no actor interviews interpretation, no script analysis, no movies parallels analysis; nada. Only what we’ve seen on the show and nothing else.

This will use a lot of comparisons with m/leven because, despite the fact that some of you refuse to admit it, this is a love triangle.

part 4: the pizza monologue vs the shed monologue

When a loved one is in danger, mike jumps into action to save them. Although both of these scenes start in a similar way, they differ quite a bit.

lighting

Intimate. Soft lighting. Will is fully lighted (full realization/acceptance of his feelings) while Mike’s face is half lighted and the other half is shrouded by shadows (not full realization/acceptance of his feelings).

Harsh shadows over Mike’s face. El is in red lightning to emphasize the danger of the situation, vines are tightening around her neck.

music

shed scene: No music. “[…] partial silence in which there is no dialogue for a prolonged period of time or where there is no music in the background is commonly utilized to great effect due to the emotional impact it has on viewers, the level of immersion it creates, and the amount of intrigue it generates to better captivate the audience. […] Silence makes a scene feel important, and if the viewer deems a scene important then they are more likely to pay keen attention to it”.

pizza place scene: The song “You’re the Heart”, which is named after Will’s love confession to Mike in the van, plays during the scene.

direction

shed scene: Intimate; you can only see Will’s and Mike’s faces despite Joyce, Jonathan and Hopper being there as well. Will and mike stare at each other the whole time, with only a few instances in which Mike looks either sideways or down.

pizza place scene: Not intimate; the first ‘I love you’ uttered by Mike includes Will in the shot, therefore forcing the audience to focus on Will’s heartbreak instead on the moment between Mike and El. El’s eyes are closed the whole time so Mike and her don’t look at each other at any point.

Shots of Will and Jonathan reacting to Mike saying that he is scared that one day El will realize that she doesn’t need him anymore.

intention

Mike says his monologue unprompted.

Mike has to be pushed by Will to say it.

objective

Mike manages to break through the possession long enough for Will to communicate through Morse code. El closes the portal and everyone goes to the Snow Ball.

Mike speaks and the vines around her neck tightens. It’s only her love towards Max and her determination to save her that gives her the power to break free of the vines and fight, and it’s only her love towards Max that allows her to bring her back to life. Vecna wins and the Upside Down begins to invade their world.

dialogue

first meeting in the shed scene vs first meeting in the pizza place scene

Mike's feelings expressed during the shed scene vs Mike's feelings expressed during the pizza place scene

Will's reaction to Mike's monologue

El's reaction to Mike's monologue

And here is, when Mike fucks up. He is lying, and El knows that.

The worst part is that he didn’t need to do that. He could have pointed out any other moments between them in which he fell in love with her: when they shared their first kiss, when he watched her sacrifice herself and he believed she was gone, when he spent all those days calling for her in his walkie-talkie, when they finally reunited after being separated for almost an entire year, or when they kissed at the Snow Ball. The fact that he chose the day he first saw her, when El knows that he wanted to get rid of her at first, put in question their entire relationship and his feelings towards her.

And the worst part? That was not the greatest offense in the whole monologue.

This right here, is the worst thing possible Mike could have told her. After spending her entire season arc having to relearn her identity and self-worth outside of her powers, of her worth outside of being the superhero, Mike validates those fears right away (I explain El’s character and her relationship with her powers and Dr. Brenner a little bit more in depth in the next and last part).

Honestly? I feel sorry for her, because at this point in their relationship, Mike should know her better, should know enough about her to mention something other her powers. El is one of the kindest, most considerate, most caring, bravest, most selfless and self-sacrificial characters in the entire show. She had just escaped a life of abuse, and instead of running as far as she could from the lab, she stayed in Hawkins to help find a boy she had never met at that point; hell, she got in a sensory deprivation tank (something that terrified her) just to find him. Henry manipulated and almost killed her, and she still had it in herself to try to be compassionate towards him. When Billy, possessed by the Mind Flayer, was about to kill her, she still found the moment to place a reassuring hand on his cheek and be compassionate towards him. Every season finale, El risks her life, over and over again for everyone.

There are so many good qualities he could have mentioned about why he loves her… and all he can say is that she is a superhero. This is not Mike’s bashing btw, and you’ll see why in the next part.

I think the best comparison to demonstrate my point is by showing two instances in the first episode of the season.

Jonathan and Nancy, despite suffering from their own relationship’s issues this season, when they are asked by a friend (Fred, Argyle) about each other, this what they say:

Jonathan: “You don’t understand Nancy. […] incredibly ambitious. She’s never done a single thing halfway in her life. If she takes on the editor of the school paper, she’s gonna make that the best paper that ever existed. That’s why I love her”.

Nancy: “He’s not like you. He’s caring and compassionate and […]. He’s so protective over the people that he loves. And he’ll never back down from what’s right, what’s moral. No matter the pressure, no matter the personal cost. That’s why I love him”.

Here is Dustin, someone around the same age and maturity level as Mike, talking about his girlfriend:

And what does Mike have to say about his girlfriend?

Yeah...

The only good thing I’m going to say about Mike’s monologue is that he was absolutely terrified of losing her, that he genuinely cares about her, and that he was willing to do anything to prevent her from dying, but the truth is, he doesn't know her. I don’t blame her at all for ignoring Mike after his monologue.

[thevrslutz]

Dear fellow Stranger Things fans,

I am really starting to hate the ST fandom. Ships ruin everything. My lovely, lovely angst has turned into r e l a t i o n s h i p angst. People are hating on Mike for acting like a teenager. Will can forget about being kidnapped, stuck in an alternate dimension, possessed and outcasted because Mike “can’t take a hint.” S4 Jonathan is apparently not good enough for Nancy anymore. Jason’s an absolute lunatic for going crazy after his girlfriend was brutally mutilated and murdered. Oh and I guess we are also comparing Will and Eleven’s trauma now? I don’t fucking know. When you all are done, can we please talk about ELEVEN BRINGING SOMEONE BACK FROM THE DEAD???? There is, no not 1, BUT 4 HUGE ASS CRACKS to the upside down in Hawkins. Max is in critical condition and Eleven got a front row seat (do I see a cycle perhaps?). Brenner is dead. Hopper is definitely not ok. And oh yeah- NANCY DIDN’T KILL VECNA. Maybe it’s because I am Aromantic, i’m not going to lie, but I simply CANNOT comprehend how relationships out rule ALL OF THAT. I liked the stranger things fandom that thought about who the next villain was going to be, what characters might die, NEW characters, who’ll get more screen time, what plot points will be expanded upon and so on. Discussing this show with others loses it’s unique touch when a lot of people are only focusing on the romance aspects of it. This has happened to s o many other fandoms therefore I can’t help but notice where this is going. I don’t like it. I am really starting to hate the ST fandom.

-Cyrus L

[blueeandyellowmakesgreen]

I love mike´s unconditional devotion to will, especially in s2 with his possesion, but it´s also, so fucking funny. we could have a throwback, x character being like hello??? maybe we shouldn´t trust all of what the byers kid says. and mike´s like the fuck? why not? because it´s will, wdym. he´s literally vecna in a teens body. he´s possesed! and mike would just, scoff. ok, and?! like, that is his will, he literally doesn't care. it would just give s2 vibes of will being all ominous and crazy listing how he´ll kill everyone and mike just being alright king you want some tea or sum? :)

s2 will: growling possessed noises

max: GET YOUR FUCKING MINDFLAYER BITCH

mike: it dont bite

max: YES IT DO I-