#they might as well should have just called it 'mike is literally in love with will he just doesn't know how to handle it very well'

[braingobrrr]

the song playing during the byler fight in season 4 being called "in the closet (at rink-o-mania)" is absolutely crazy to me. at this point they're just spelling it out for us. absolutely crazy.

[ailendolin]

Here are my first thoughts after finally having watched the 2023 Christmas Special for the first time:

Positive:

Baby Mia is absolutely adorable and Alison and Mike are wonderful parents. They've grown and matured so much throughout the series and it's lovely to see that in the way they are with Mia and take care of her

and speaking of growth: I think it's lovely that in the end, the ghosts are ready to let Alison and Mike go. They've really come full circle from trying to get them to leave in the beginning to begging them to stay in series 5 and finally, to encouraging them to leave because that's what's best for Alison and Mike's family

I love that Alison looks like the tired, exhausted mum she is. These days, characters often look picture perfect in film and TV, no matter the situation, and Ghosts has always felt like a breath of fresh air because people are allowed to look normal. It's little things like Alison's yellow coat that she's worn throughout the show hanging by the door, her wearing Mike's flannels or having bags under her eyes that make it feel beautifully real down to Earth, and I'm glad the downsides of having a child didn't get glossed over

one of my favourite moments was the shrug Humphrey's body gave when everyone was looking for its head. That genuinely made me laugh because of course the body would not care whether the head would get exorcised or not

and omg, the exorcism scene was so well done! I love the music in the background (I so hope we'll get a soundtrack one day), the panic on Mike's face when he quite literally runs to warn Alison, the panic on Alison's face when she's faced with the possibility of losing the ghosts, the fear when she can't find them (which parallels 5x01) and finally the relief and smile when she hears their voices. That whole sequence was just perfect

I love that it's Thomas who says, "Because they just can't help being who they are," because it's not an excuse for his behaviour but an explanation - and a recurring theme for him. Right in the beginning of the show, he said, "We stay how we die," and I think for him, those words have proven to be true. He is heartbroken and he'll stay that way. He can't help that. He does not want Alison to go ("Why did I vote for this? I hate it.") but in the end he knows it's what's best for her and for himself, even if it breaks his broken heart a little more.

seeing Button House in all its glory in the end. It still being called Button House. Fanny and Humphrey's portraits on the wall (and the third one might be Kitty's?). Higham Suite (which was the thing that made me tear up because my first thought was that it's meant to honour Isabelle and I love that (although I realise it's probably meant to honour Kitty but I'm choosing to ignore that)). Thomas still complimenting Alison even though she's grown old and thus making a point that his affections for her were never just about her looks

Neutral:

I would have preferred if Alison and Mike had stayed at Button House because for me, the show has always been about family and I don't think they had to leave the ghosts behind to find their own way. BUT the way the Idiots wrote and executed it - with the ghosts encouraging them to leave, establishing that Alison and Mike regularly come back to the house and with details like Higham Suite that clearly show that Alison and Mike had the ghosts in mind when they made the contract for sale - makes it okay for me.

I'm a bit sad we did not get to see more of the ghosts interacting with baby Mia but what we saw - Pat and Cap especially - was very sweet

Negative:

the pacing. I am so sorry but I think they crammed too much into the episode. They either should have cut the exorcism storyline (as much as I loved it) or gone for a 60 minute special. There's just too much going on for 30 minutes, and too many time jumps (I wasn't a fan of them in the 2021 Christmas Special either) that sadly make the whole episode feel very rushed

and because it felt so rushed a lot of plots did not have the impact they were meant to have, at least not on me. Robin's feelings about Christmas for example.

also what was going on with Kitty and the baby at the beginning? Her being jealous is obviously not a new thing but the issue did not really get resolved, did it?

the latter also goes for Thomas's feelings for Alison which brings me to my biggest criticism of the whole show: he never got the character development he deserved (and, to an extent, neither did Fanny). The whole baby storyline would have been the perfect set up for him to move on from Alison (including discussions about different types of love and him realising that Alison does love him platonically and that that's enough) but it never happened. I feel like he was done dirty in that regard because every other character except him got to grow

I have probably missed a ton of moments - and I will rewatch the episode once I've rewatched series 5 - and likely repeated things here that others have said before. Since I had blocked all tags blocked when the Special aired I have no idea how the fandom's reaction to it was but if anyone still wants to talk about it, my asks are open.

[wayliparker-co]

PARKER WHAT THE HELL 😭 your mike pov’s never fail to make me feel like someone’s poking my heart with a million tiny forks 😔✊

I still feel like this fic was specifically made for me and my algorithm because the present timeline is the windows of this love in a different font (aka The Breakupfic™️ which I’ve read multiple times and also shoved down my friend’s throat so I could rant about it 🤭) and the past timeline is a fake dating trope which scratches my brain every single time somehow it’s so fun (for me, usually not for Will) 🕺💃

Anyway I have some quotes that i thought were important enough to copy and paste into my notes app:

“Barring that one time, which Mike tries very hard not to think about too hard just so that he doesn’t go crazy, it’s been radio silence on Will’s end, which should have been enough.” ME WHEN REFERENCES TO THE PAST I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT 👀👀 my current theories are ✍️drunk text✍️ or ✍️post mental breakdown call✍️ but we’ll see we’ll see (I’m so calm and normal)

“If it’s any consolation , Mike thinks as he gives up on strumming and pulls the guitar to his chest, just on the off chance Will can somehow hear him, I didn’t mean to break it. To break us.” Might as well physically punch me in the gut. Insanity. Not okay. I would say ‘phone on the table’ but I’m too excited about the next chapters so I guess I’ll let it slide.

ANYWAY I loved this chapter and I’m very excited to read wayli’s chapter in a few weeks 🕺💃 my exams are coming up (they’re haunting me) so I might not have time to read BUT that hopefully means more chapters will be up by the time I return 🤭 OKAY BYE I LOVE Y’ALL MWAH 🫶🫶

HIIIII im so glad u enjoyed mwahahaha <33 youre so right present timeline Does have so many of the same elements of twotl which i loveeee bc messy breakups are literally so fun to write and i esp like this premise bc unlike twotl like. they genuinely never believed they'd see each other again/get back together. which is a different type of pain and is SO FUNNN i love them <33 and YES fake dating is also so fun and i love getting to use two vastly different tropes in the same fic esp bc wayli is nailing the fake dating vibes fr fr.

and YESS US WHEN REFERENCES TO THE PAST YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT !!!!!!!!!! that line was my fav little easter egg and will indeed be revealed in due time. love reading ur theories hehe

anyway TYSMMM and gl with your exams i hope they go so so well mwah <33

[collegetennisoriginstory]

OK. UM. first of all, hiiii! <3 ok lemme just gush a lil bit:

1. I LOVE UR FIC OHMYGOD HOLY SHIIIIIIIT

2. god, i don't even have the slightest idea of how tennis works, but this is just so????? like?????? you know. and i kinda get how the play goes?? YOU'RE AN AMAZING WRITER GOSH.

3. i actually remembered most of the characters?? considering there's a lot of em, this is practically a miracle. again, you're goddamn amazing. i dont know how. maybe the pace is great, but definitely THE CHARAS ALL HAVE PERSONALITY/DEPTH??? like, i actually even remembered the side charas!!! mike, thalia, diego, felix, that cool ass girl in that shooting game, etc. umh just perfecto.

4. THE TENNIS MATCHES ALL FEEL SO SATISFYING!!! <3333333 omg. i feel like WUOOOOOH u know. i feel so cool playing a cool talented mc omg im loving it (i play a i-win-everything type of mc becuz im a perfectionist with a fear of failure) the matches me on edge in my seat oh gosh <3 and when u win it somehow just go WOOOOOOOH again!!! AAAAAA<3

5. aw, and of course, my beloved rivals to lovers rayyan <3333 *sigh* the slowburn.... (hes actually my first & only one. i go: ohhh tension!?!? and make a run for it. um, if it's ok to ask, is there a lot of content in the romance area as of now or in the future? like, replayability in terms of romance? im sorry if this is rude, i didnt mean to, i suck at words & i wont ask that again.)

6. FOUND FAMILY YAY! FOUND FAMILY YAY! <33333 (we genuinely lack those in the if community pls.) soulmates w/ sam. ride or die diego. very reluctant ride or die G (imma be honest, his name is just so hard so my head for some reason just go Guacamole 😭). aww tobin u very big cinammon roll ill protect u. shenanigans. & others too many to name honestly.

7. help this is just so good i had to force myself to sleep at 3am for a 7am lecture and i sat in the front rows and i put my head on the table and the fricking professor called me out ohmygod- BUT IT WAS WORTH IT GODDAMN!! ILL DO IT AGAIN IF I HAVE TO! HA! i cant wait for the next update- i'm gonna have this fic in my head for the next week oh pls noooooo. (no pressure tho. u do u author! take ur time!!! ill be here to support u, whoo!)

8.ALL IN ALL, I LOVE IT I LOVE THIS I LOVE EVERYONE I LOVE YOU AUTHOR *runs over & hug you w/ consent* <333333333333

ok. um. that's not it but if i continue it's literally gonna be an essay so i'll stop.

author. i will die for this fic. ahaahahahah. if i may ask, what's ur fav IFs? (i really, really love this one so im kinda hoping maybe u have similar taste in IFs eheh. again, im sorry if this comes as rude or insensitive.) oh uh & if my long rambles bother u, i won't send it again sorry.

<333 okok. take care of urself, dont forget to eat healthy, drink water & good sleep. have a nice day :D

Wait. I think I might have missed replying to this I am so sorry!!! It gave me so so much joy. Maybe I subconsciously did not want it to leave my inbox haha.

1. And 2 -> THANK YOU!

3. Gosh this is such a great thing to hear. There are a looot of characters, and I definitely worry sometimes that it gets to be too much, but I think the IF is getting long enough for me to give enough-ish screentime to each character... though it takes me a while to cycle back to different side characters. I cant believe you remembered the cool ass girl in laser tag! :)

4. AWESOME to hear! 🥰

5. Yup, being a character driven IF, there will be a lot of romance (or friendship) beats / moments in the IF (which is already true now). The next couple of chapters will follow the same mix of sports, school and romance / hanging out, so you should already have a sense of how much romance there'll be (it'll just keep unfolding / developing for each of the RO routes!)

6. Hehe found family is my fave trope to insert in stories as well.

7. Hahaha aww oh no fictional college life is catching up to your real college life!!

8. HUG YOU BACK (with consent)!!🤗🤗

[friendsdontlieokay]

Dear Will,

Gosh it feels weird to write to you when you're literally in your room, but the truth is, I've become so distant lately, I don't know if I can even talk about this face to face with you, but I want to, I really want to, and by the time you get the letter I might not be here anymore anyway so I guess it's alright, right?

Will, I think I know what is going on with you, no actually I don't think so, I know so, and I know that you know it too, but I hope that you know that whatever happens does not matter, you're my baby brother and I will always love you no matter what happens, you don't have to feel like you're all alone in this world because you're not, even if I'm not here,I'll always be here for you.

And by 'I know what is going on with you' I meant that I know that you like Mike, and to tell you the truth I kind of figured it out before even you did. I thought that maybe you'd come to me to talk this through but I was wrong, and to be honest it's not even your fault because I've been so distant lately, or stoned, as you prefer to address it, the main point is I know I've lost the right to be your brother, let alone be your friend, a long time ago, and maybe I've also ruined the safe place where we could talk to each other, I definitely have. But just so you know, I've already pre-planned and prepared everything to torment Mike if he ever dares to hurt you or El, so do warn him about that.

I am so very sorry for everything Will, I really hope and pray that you'll be able to forgive me and find a friend in me again but Will, I just want you to know that I really miss talking to you, playing stupid little games with you, pretending to be asleep with you in the middle of the night so mom couldn't catch us, sneaking out to watch movies with you, listening to the clash with you, almost blowing up the kitchen while teaching you how to bake, Will, I just miss you a lot, and I wish I could fix these but I'm afraid there's not much time left, brother.

Will, I've been chosen, by Vecna, or cursed, whatever you call it. It's been a while actually, headaches, nosebleeds and nightmares but yesterday...yesterday I saw the clock. Actually I'm kinda surprised I'm not dead yet, but since I could manage a little time, I'm writing you this letter.

Don't be mad at me, at first I did think of sharing it with you or the others but I kinda figured that we actually have way bigger problems than this, yeah I know I still could've told you, or mom, or Nancy, but to be honest, even if it seems a little funny, lately I've been feeling like a plastic bag on this earth,or a blood sucking leech to be more precise who's just getting in the way complicating things more than they actually initially already are so I might as well let Henry take me as a bait already. Will, please do not ever turn out like me, I know you will never, it's spiritually impossible to ever happen but still, please don't.

The reason I'm telling you all this is because you're still my best friend and my favorite person, and you always will be, and remember that nothing in the universe can ever change it okay?

Will, to be honest I think I'm scared, I don't know what to do, it's like I'm walking inside the darkest tunnel and even though there is light outside, there is no way out and I'm too scared to even find a way so I'm just letting death befall. Still, there is a part of me that does want to make everything okay again, to fix it but I'm afraid that's not possible, not anymore, but right now, I'm too scared to give in and too scared to let go too. So, little brother, you got to let me know, should I stay or should I go?

Love, your useless big brother Jonathan

[riahlynn101]

Whumptober Day Thirty: "Not Much Longer Now."

Takes place in the FNAF movie universe.

This is a work in progress, but I've been so busy. Day 29 (which I'll post sometime today) and day 30 are basically the same story told from two Point of views. This one is Garrett's POV. And day 29 is Mike's.

I'm going to put the story under a read more just in case I decide to include spoilers.

Trigger warnings: Child death, major character death, blood, gore, implied/referenced kidnapping.

Edited 10/31/2023 - added onto the story. Minor grammar and spelling edits.

Garrett can still recall the pain he felt. The knife ripping into his flesh. Uncle William staring down at him with a cold expression, not a hint of remorse in his eyes. He remembers calling out for his brother. 

Mike never failed to show up before. Rushing into his bedroom during a thunderstorm to make sure Garrett’s okay. Checking under his bed for monsters every night without fail. And letting Garrett curl up next to him whenever he got scared. 

But that day, for one reason or another, his brother never showed up. 

Garrett died…scared and alone and-

The next couple decades are an endless blur of nightmares. Terrible beasts with claws and forked tongues chasing and lunging at him.

Sometimes, though, he’d get lucky. Instead of beating back monsters with a flashlight, Garrett would find himself being forced to reenact his last moments with his family. It should frighten him, being forced to do anything. But he gets to see his family again, and it’s the last good memory he has. 

He likes being able to play again, zooming around the picnic table with his toy airplane. Mike bought it for him with his birthday money. Garrett loved that toy until the day he died. Quite literally too, he died holding it. 

The only bad part of the dream is seeing his big brother so distressed. Watching Mike run after the car, calling out his name, hurts. His heart aches terribly. He longs to reach out to his brother, hug him and tell him that it’s okay. That despite what happened, it’s not his fault. None of it is Mike’s fault. 

But slowly, over the years, that wish changed. 

It morphed into something more permanent. 

A simple hug and some meaningless words wouldn’t suffice. His brother spent years ruminating on his kidnapping. Sure, it might work in the moment, but what happens when Mike wakes up? Will he be satisfied, or will his self-blaming tendencies come back in full swing?

Garrett puts his plan into motion. 

It starts with the reopening of a long abandoned pizzeria. When management starts talking about hiring a security guard, Mike’s file ends up on their desk. 

He talks with the other children, and makes sure that they know not to mess with Mike. They listen to him-for the most part-but Cassidy glares at him. Not that Garrett cares. As long as they leave his brother alone, they can hate him all they want. 

The next part of his plan is left to chance. It’s hard to maneuver the marionette, so leaving the pizzeria is hard. And it’s not like he can threaten his brother into taking the position anyway. Well, he can-if he could leave-but Garrett doesn’t want his brother to take the job out of fear. 

Instead, he calls his brother, dialing the only number that he could ever remember. His voice isn’t picked up by the receiver, so Garrett has to get creative. A customer left a speak and spell, so he uses that to communicate. 

He doesn’t have a lot of time, so he chooses his words carefully. Something that can’t be confused with anything else. 

“C…O….M….E…..F…I….N…D…..M….E….”

His brother always just hangs up the phone. Which Garrett finds to be a little bit rude. Their mom raised them better than that. He’ll have to remind him of that when they meet again. 

Mike takes the job, thankfully. And the kids do their part and stay away. Cassidy is noticeably absent most of the week, but Garrett has bigger things to worry about. 

The one and only thing that gets in his way during the week is the stupid music box. Whenever it’s played, he’s forced into a deep slumber. A deep slumber with the same monsters that have tormented him all these many years. And there’s no way to disable it, Garrett’s tired - many times. 

Fortunately, his brother slips up. He falls asleep at the security desk, head pillowed by his arms. The music box slows down until it stops entirely. 

Garrett maneuvers the marionette, maneuvering it through hallways and into the main office. He watches his brother sleep, a peaceful look on his face. Putting the marionette down, he creeps closer. 

He touches Mike’s forehead, setting the final part of his plan into motion. 

Garrett stands in the same forest that he was kidnapped from. The sun is out, shining down through the treetops. 

“Mike!” He calls, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Mikey!”

“Garrett!?”

Garrett whirls around to face his brother. “Mike!” He shouts, practically launching himself at his brother. It has been way too long since he could hug him. 

His brother hugs him tightly, body wracked with sobs. Tears stream from his eyes, but Garrett chooses not to mention it. Mike has always been weird about crying, especially in front of people. Which strikes him as odd, given that their parents used to encourage them to cry if they had big emotions. 

“I…I’ve missed you,” Mike murmurs. 

“Missed you too.”

“And I’m sorry. I should have-” 

Garrett cuts him off. This is supposed to be a happy moment, and he isn’t going to let his brother spiral into unhappy thoughts. “Nope. Not here. Not today.”

Sniffling, Mike nods. “Okay…yeah. Sorry.” He returns to hugging Garrett. 

Eventually, when they pull away from each other, he takes his brother by the hand. “I want to show you something.”

And his brother accepts his hand without thinking twice, because of course he does. Mike has no reason not to trust him. They walk through the forest, underbrush crunching under their feet. 

“Uh…Gar…where are we going?”

He smiles at his brother, who now looks exactly how Garrett remembers him. A child only five to six years older than him. “Not much longer now. You’re going to love it.”

His brother mutters something under his breath, but he ignores it. 

They arrive at a clearing. It’s full of flowers. Daisies and roses and sunflowers as far as the eye can see. Garrett turns to his brother. 

“Do you like it?”

“It’s…pretty…” Mike says, sounding a little unsure of what to say. “Did you do this?”

“No.”

“Then who-”

“Do you want to stay here forever?”

His brother looks at him, confused. “What?”

“Do. You. Want. To. Stay. Here. Forever? With me, I mean.”

“Gar, I…can’t. We have a sister now, and she still needs me.”

That’s what he thought Mike was going to say, but it doesn’t hurt any less. “Okay.”

“Okay?” Mike asks, backing up a little bit. 

“Okay. I understand.” He doesn’t. It’s not fair. Why is Abby more important than him? He knew Mike first. “Before you wake up, can I have a hug?”

“Sure,” Mike says, though there’s a slight hesitation in his words. Like he’s afraid of Garrett, which is ridiculous because he wouldn’t hurt his brother without a good reason. He wraps his arms around Garrett.

“I’m sorry, Mike,” he whispers. Before his brother can ask what he means, Garrett plunges a knife in his back. His brother falls back.

Garrett stands over him, watching him wraith around in agony. “It’s going to be okay,” he tries his best to sound reassuring. He steps forward, knife poised in the air. 

“N-no! Stop, Garrett! What are you doing?” He scoots backward, using his arms to shield his face. 

“It’s going to be okay. I promise.” Garrett strikes his brother’s chest with the knife, making sure to hit his heart. The less suffering he puts Mike through, the better. 

His brother cries out one last time. 

He smiles down at his brother. All the pain will be worth it, he silently promises Mike. 

We can finally be together again….forever. 

[mixsethaddams]

So... *rubs my grubby little hands together*

Who's been Vecna's spy in Hawkins all along?

No, it's not Will. We know what happens to him when Vecna is actively using him and it's too hard to ignore.

We also know from seeing Billy being flayed that Vecna is very clever to not go too far off the beaten track when it comes to how his hosts will act. Billy's hair got a bit neater, his clothes got a bit tidier, but otherwise he was just the same dude.

It's safe to assume that any change in the OG party members would have been spotted almost immediately by El. So Lucas and Dustin are, in my mind, out of the running. Lucas went looking for Will by himself in s1 after he fought with the others and was obviously invested in getting his friend back. Dustin, by his own observation, would have set off all the magnets and compasses that he carries around. Erica is out too, because of her willingness to get hands on is s3 & s4 to foil plans. Max isn't an option either because aside from the obvious reason of Vecna trying to kill her, she was too close to Billy. This is another way we can discount most of the main party; she would notice just as soon as El would.

I also personally believe the main grown ups of Hopper, Joyce, and Murray to be out of the running here too. Joyce very much fucked with Vecna's plans in s1 by refusing to believe any of the lies she was fed about Will and Hopper has had no real character changes through the seasons to warrant suspicion. Murray is just that little bit far enough outside of the main Hawkins orbit for Vecna to think of him as an option, and doesn't have enough allies in the town early on for him to be considered useful enough. Nancy and Jonathon I'm also discounting because of Jon's proximity to Will, and Nancy's willingness to shoot at anything larger than a golden retriever.

So now. Let's get down to brass tacks. Who is the spy?

Mike is an obvious option for a couple of reasons. When Will was still possessed, Mike was the one that broke him out of it and it was Will's encouragement that helped Mike talk El through her fight with Vecna. Is seeing and hearing each other so loudly through the fog more of a psychic bond than a spiritual one? As much as I am a Byler truther at heart, something tells me that Blue Meets Yellow In The West might be a Mike Vs Will showdown, and not a joining of forces. Mike has also had some significant changes happen. El noticed straight away when he started signing things 'From Mike' instead of 'Love Mike'. He stopped calling Will when they moved to California. He didn't rush to El's side when the other girl's were bullying her, he just looked around, bemused. Not only is this wildly removed from the person we got to know in s1 and s2, but it's so different to someone that his best friend describes as 'The Heart' of them all. Will felt something off about Mike too, when he got to California. Was that sense of Vecna being around just his presence in the Upside Down, or his psychic link to Mike?

Second up, we have Robin. Robin appeared with very little backstory and even Rebel Robin leaves a lot of guesswork and blank spaces. She just happens to speak Russian? As well as how many other languages? Interesting. Did Vecna think that his spy should be able to communicate with the people who were aware of his monsters? Robin also sustained very little damage in the Russian tunnels. She was held captive just like Steve but came out basically untouched. Was this the enemy recognising an ally? Or was it Vecna protecting his asset?

And Robin, of course, leads us to Steve. Oh Steve, beautiful Steve. Let's talk about Steve. Let's talk about Steve, who we know nothing about, who's family we have never met, who went through the biggest arc of all by inserting himself right in with the main group and earning their trust. Let's talk about the jock who can't win a fight until he's up against a literal soldier because maybe he knows how this solider was trained. Let's talk about all-of-a-sudden-has-blonde-highlights-wears-cherry-lipgloss-forgot-how-to-get-a-girlfriend-but-knows-how-to-connect-with-smaller-kids Steve. Let's talk about Steve who throws parties in his big house and invites everyone so he can see them all at the same time and make sure everyone knows who he is.

And isn't it just wild that our boy Steve got tortured so bad by those Russians but it was all superficial damage? No broken bones, no broken nose, hell, he doesn't even have a scar. What a coincidence that they mixed up the truth serum too, huh?

Do his parents really not come home of their own accord? Or do they just get this feeling that maybe they should extend their trip? Steve saw Billy up close and didn't even try to hold on to his King crown. Vecna saw Billy up close and felt bolder, so he let himself slip more into Steve's aesthetic. He added the hair, the lipgloss, lost the swagger, because he'd found Billy and he thought he was so close to winning. He got lazy.

Steve watches everyone closely. Steve knows everyone will tell him their secrets. Steve knows how to rip a demobat apart despite never seeing one before and knowing nothing about their weakspots, or that their blood isn't poisonous if it gets into his mouth.

Steve has been Vecna's spy all along. And in s5, Steve will sacrifice himself for his friends. Eddie was never Kas. It's always been Steve.

[kuumara]

ok lets go

usually the original post is alright and its the comments that are weird, but not this time. bc i could say the exact same thing ab mcdonalds, that they would be disappointed crying pissing screaming etc when they see s5. i personally think more ronaldmcdonaldasses should be ok with a byler endgame, but if i said this they would all cry piss scream shit

--

yeah, he did say he's scared of losing her. but as the saying goes that you've prob seen from alot of other stuff, "if you love something you're not afraid to let it go". so idk ab u but mike saying that just confirms that the relationship is toxic and if it continues it might even turn into an emotionally abusive one, IMO (its a pattern- ur anxious the partner will leave, u start being more cautious around them; even turn into a whole another version of urself u think the partner will like more (mikes lenora drip), etc etc. very stressful for u (mike) and also ur partner (el)).

"he's clearly inlove with eleven" idk it wasnt really clear to me when she offensively side-eyed him at the cabin and then he rolled his eyes or wtvr that was, which was literally the last time they interacted. not really madly in love healthy relationship of them tbh. and its EL not goddamn eleven that alone speaks volumes ab how much they care ab her well-being or character arc or wtvr their other excuses are (they say mike leaving her would crush her, but so would if u called her eleven in her face)

"it would go against everything we've seen in the show" i agree with this one. except, byler not being canon would go against everything blablabla 🤓 like, we've seen this happen before with steve and robin, this would just be even more bombastic.

then, the show dunks on homophobes all the time so Macabre canon would go against that too; and yes, it would be homophobic to use a gay character's CONFESSION and FEELINGS THAT ARE ALREADY CAUSING HIM PAIN to uplift the straight couple, making them happy married with 17 kids while the gay character is in even more pain and like dies or smth

--

holy shit i thought yall were exaggerating when u said they actually think mleven is love at first sight.

1) the duffers wouldnt "suddenly scrap it", ppl have been finding subtext and set design clues since the beginning, since ep1. no its not delusions, its stuff for which there isnt any other actual explanation. it all makes sense, every subtext reference, every set design prop, every decoration on clothes- theres even an official st video on yt where the set design says she put triangles on robins clothes bc shes gay asf. Guess who else has triangles on his shirt (which he wears for majority of the show, might i add)? MIKE -but that just means he likes girls!! just like robin, to shut down any theories the fans made ab him liking guys!!! hes a lesbian😭😭😭

2) im assuming these are hard core fans, since theyre still in the subreddit and all that, and i dont doubt theyve seen the stranger things twitter account say they don't believe in love at first sight. so the writers=write the show. don't believe in love at first sight, it's just cheesy (infatuated) 12yr old shit. so, why would they include smth they think isn't real, unrealistic even? except if they're saying mike and els love isn't real-

--

alright final one. the classic "yall delusional" argument. Nothing else to say besides we are seeing patterns and we are recognizing them. not my fault ur not as observant and intelligent🙄

[run-down-that-dream]

some concert ramblings from last weekend under the cut!!!

I SAW MY BELOVED OLD MAN and I'm still so AAAAAAAAA about it even though it's the 3rd time lol 😭 I didn't get as close to the stage this time but! everyone stayed out of my way for the most part so I'll take it!!

Setlist:

Rainy Day Women #12 & 35

wait wait wait I already have something to say. starting with BOB after the whole farm aid thing???? insane?? plus it was a festival setting so. the crowd's reaction to "everybody must get stoned" was freakin hilarious. definitely started off right 😭

Wreckless Abandon

Dirty Job

External Combustion

MY FAVORITE MY FAVORITE!! shoutout to Chris Holt for his backing vocals throughout the whole show but especially on external combustion OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU CHRIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! also it didn't seem like they were planning on doing that one??? lol there was some discussion and then like. ok let's do it. AAAAAAAAA

Lightning Boogie

Don't Fade on Me

excuse me while I cry. day after tom's birthday and they're playing don't fade on me. that's fine. it was the only song that mike played an acoustic guitar on. and chris had this really beautiful electric part to go with it and. I'm shocked I didn't actually start crying. well. maybe just a little bit. they played it so perfectly. anyway it's starting to feel like it's not a concert unless I cry at least once so!! there it is

Shake These Blues

NEW SONG NEW SONG NEW SONG!! I LOVE!! you know when you hear a song for the first time and you just know. plus I thought it was funny that mike said management keeps telling them to stop playing the new songs but, "we're gonna do it anyway" aslkjlsjklas so much loveeee to him for that

Fuck That Guy

Fault Lines

why does something happen every time they play fault lines lmaoo. the first two times I saw them mike messed up the lyrics and this time they had to play it in a slightly different order 'cause one (or two? hard to tell) of his strings broke. chinner came to the rescue with a whole new guitar in the middle of the song. someone behind me was like hey why does no one do that for me when I play 😭 MOOD

Wicked Mind

I Still Love You

MY OTHER FAVORITE AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!! a song that allows the guitars to go into the stratosphere as mike said. also I wish I could remember exactly what he said but he introduced it as I still love you with like a string of petnames attached asfjlkds STOP 😭 ignore that I would absolutely melt if this 73 year old man called me any of them

Then something very special TO ME happened ok.. mike asked for his rickenbacker 12 string, said the next song was NOT on the setlist, NOT discussed beforehand, and the band had NO IDEA what he was about to do. it was his "request" and one of the songs that made him want a 12 string in the first place. then proceeded to start the byrds' version of

Mr. Tambourine Man

then there's me absolutely losing my mind. I'm - ok. get this. I was literally listening to the byrds that afternoon??? since I got a few more of their records?? and to have mike just randomly decide to play the byrds was INSANE. was there some kind of connection there OR WHAT???? that was just..... 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 obviously that was just for ME 😭😭😭😭😭 that's my guyyy

at this point the band gets their introductions and you know what. they all deserve so much appreciation. I haven't mentioned lance or steve yet but they were absolutely solid as a rhythm section and deserve to be noticed for that. lance might actually be up there as one of my favorite bass players tbh. those songs would not sound the way they do without my favorite instrument holding them up!! also I thought it was cute that mike introduced chris and lance and went that's it! that's the band! lmaoo the crowd knew better and I LOVE that. steve got such a big reaction AS HE SHOULD!! and steve did come up front to introduce mike like he has been. and he made a really heartfelt speech about how they met and how walking into those wildflowers sessions started the best 30 years of his life. I'm so grateful that I've been able to see them together a couple times now. there's clearly a lot of love, respect, and pure friendship there that's really beautiful to see in person. anyway. now that I'm almost crying again, they end on two more of tom's songs

You Wreck Me

mike said, "happy birthday tom, we're still here for you" 😭😭😭

Runnin' Down a Dream

featuring the best freakin guitar solo everrrr OF COURSE

as if I didn't make it obvious enough already, I had such a great timeee 😭 I always do!!! I think what really gets me though is that these guys are just people. of course they are?? but it's so so obvious when you're with them and watching them interact with each other and the crowd. it's really silly little things that I notice too and I'm just like. I love these people. at one point mike asked to have the bass in his ear lowered and lance acted sad about it. during the introductions mike looked at chris and went, "you're trouble" and chris got a laugh out of that. when steve came up to the mic one of the first things he said was "do you like my jacket" lmaoo he bought it from one of the vendors at the festival and they gave him a discount to say that asjfdlkf. talent and songs and everything else aside, those little things make concerts so so special to me. I also absolutely adore how much credit mike gives the guys for keeping him going and inspired. this is a band. not just some random guys. it's kinda like what the heartbreakers were for tom, it just wouldn't happen without the right people.

once it was over, mike left us with a little piece of advice that. I just had to write down for my own reasons

in his words, "love somebody, and let them love you back"

and that felt like the perfect way to end the night 🥺

[weirdo09]

everything’s fair in love and soul

a bywheelclair modern au fic chapter 3

honestly, will isn’t really sure how to feel about anything. first, he managed to be asked out by mike wheeler(who he really really likes) and then, he started having feelings for his best friend, lucas. ‘what is going on with me?’ will thought as he laid a slump on his bed. he groaned and turned on his side. ‘should i call max? no, i shouldn’t worry her about my problems.’ will thought, sighing. besides, he had to get ready for the day and plan out his outfit for his date with mike. yet, will caved and called her anyway.

“hey, max?” will said, though it sounded more of a question. “uh, hey will, why are you up so early?” max asked, yawning over the phone. “i’ve been thinking about some things…” will replied. “oh no, i hear that tone, i’m coming over.” max said before hanging up. “god, i hate when she does that.” will said aloud, facepalming. five minutes later, max came running to will’s room. “what’s wrong?” max asked, hand on the doorframe of will’s door. “hello to you, max.” will said sarcastically. “seriously, will, you look awful, what’s wrong?” max said seriously. will sighed, “what do you do when you fall for two different guys?” will asked, looking at his carper flooring. max sat down next will on his bed. “well, who are these two different guys?” max asked, though her expression showed that she might know more than she led on.

“mike and uh….lucas.” will said with a sad smile. “now, why are you acting like that’s a bad thing? i mean those two are literally head over heels for you!” max exclaimed suddenly, standing up and outlining will’s frame with her hands. will just stared at her, desperately trying to keep a straight face before it eventually faltered. “what makes you so sure?” will asked softly. “oh, c’mon will, do i have to tell you everything?” max asked playfully, placing her hands on her hips. will chuckled as max went on, “you already know that mike’s in love with you, i mean have you seen the way he looks at you?” max babbled on dramatically. will shook his head. “well, you should, he looks like a love sick puppy.” max added “and don’t even get started on lucas, i mean even though he’s not as obvious as mike, he definitely has the hotness of you as well.” max finished, taking a breath.

will considered the information that max provided. even though he liked the both of them and they liked him, would they both even want to be in a relationship with him? “ok, so they like me and i like them?” will said. “yeah, basically and i’m just the girl to help you get with them.” max said confidently. “well you don’t need much help with mike, i mean he’s literally asked you out already.” max noted then added, “we definitely have to pick out your outfit. when’s the date?” will stared into space “i don’t know?” will replied sheepishly, max stared at him. “what do you mean you don’t know? call him right now!” max exclaimed in disbelief. “ok! ok! er, what’s his number?” will asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “oh my god, byers you are helpless, here use my phone.” max suggested, handing will her phone.

will took her phone and scrolled down max’s contacts. “is he wheeler?” will asked, max nodded in agreement cackling. will pressed the call button and the phone rang for a bit until finally, mike answered. “what the hell do you want, max? you know i sleep in at this time.” mike said in a groggy voice. will’s heart fluttered before returning back to reality. “oh uh, hey mike, it’s will.” will said, mike in the other side instantly perked up. “oh uhm hey, will why are you using max’s phone?” mike asked, running a hand through his hair. “i forgot to ask you for your number.” will replied, smiling. “oh yeah, sorry about that-.” mike began to say before will intentionally interrupted. “i also wanted to know when’s our date?” mike looked at the time, 1:00, “uhm, how about 5:00?” mike asked “yeah, sure, see you then?” will said, cheesing. “see you then.” mike said, will hung up. mike shot up out of bed and got ready.

max was smirking and giggling during the whole conversation. “so what’d he say?” max asked “he said it’s at 5:00.” will said with a soft smile on his face, max smiled. “well what are you waiting for? let’s get you set!” max said, running to will’s closet and throwing out clothes. “max! wait! i just sorted those!” will exclaimed, trying to stop her from making a pile of clothes. surely, she did “these are possible contenders, like i said yesterday you gotta look good!” max said matter of factly. “here, try these on and tell me what you think!” max said before leaving will’s room.

first outfit: a nirvana shirt, flannel, black ripped jeans and vans. “you look nice!” max said “though you could use something else with this.” max added, scratching her chin. “try on the other ones just to make sure.”

second outfit: a red and orange shirt, light blue jeans and red checkered vans. “yes, yes it shows off your biceps and you do look pretty nice in it. what do ya say?” max asked, will looked down at his outfit before saying, “yeah, i like it.” “yes! it’s sold now, would you like any lipgloss?” max asked, will looked at her in confusion. “do you wanna kiss mike?” max asked, will shook his head. “yeah…” he said shrugging. “ok so here.” max said, putting a tube of lipgloss in will’s hand. “go get him, tiger.” max said, winking. will groaned “max!!!” he exclaimed, she giggled. “c’mon you can take my car, i’ll take good care of your apartment.” max said before pushing will out the door, waving. will huffed but walked over to max’s car.

once will got in her car, he texted her ‘what’s his address?’ max texted back ‘oh my god, it’s *insert address cuz i’m too lazy*’ ‘thanks, maxie :)’ ‘your welcome, byers’ and he was off to mike’s.

it would be an understatement to tell you that mike was freaking out about what to wear. he had his outfit planned out on his head but it ended being dirty so now all he had left clean was a couple of band tees, his favorite blue shirt and some jeans. ‘fuck it’ mike thought and just grabbed a shirt and some jeans. after putting the outfit on, mike felt slightly confident in his choice. nothing some cologne and a chain or two won’t fix right? well, mike didn’t have much time to think about it as he heard a horn honk outside and a text message on his phone saying ‘hey, it’s will, i’m outside :)’. mike ran to grab his keys, chapstick, wallet and phone then ran out the door.

will was listening to some tunes and somehow got caught up in the music because when he looked out the window, he saw mike tapping lightly on the glass. will rolled down the car, “hey.” will said with a small smile. “uh, hey, can i hop in?” mike asked mirroring will’s smile. “yeah, get in.” will agreed, patting the seat next to him. mike chuckled and walked over to the passenger seat, opening the door and sat down. “so, where are we heading?” will asked, turning the music down low.

“your pick?” mike asked, “uh what were you listening to earlier?” will looked ahead before saying “nothing important, why you want to pick a song?” “yeah- wait do you just want to hear me sing?” mike said, smirking. will blushed lightly, rubbing the back on his neck with his left hand. “sort of?” he said with a tiny smirk. mike lightly shoved him, smiling then, he switched the radio and turned up the volume. some by steve lacy started playing.

‘baby, i want some of your love’ ‘your love, your love, your love’ ‘baby, can i have some of your love?’ ‘your love, your love, your love’

mike started singing along and will started driving, laughing at mike as he continued singing. “c’mon will, sing with me!” mike exclaimed before going back to singing. will kept laughing but started to sing along with mike. they decided to go to a diner called ‘manny’s’. will wasn’t totally sure if they were a good place but mike reassured him, saying “i’ve been here lots of times, besides you’re safe with me.” so, will took mike’s word for it and they went inside.

once they were settled in a seat, they began to ask questions to better get to know each other. “how about 20 questions?” mike asked, will rolled his eyes. “why, is this high school all over again?” will said snarky. mike laughed, sipping on his milkshake before saying, “what can i say, i just want to get to know you better.” will pouted “alright, let’s play.” he agreed. now looking at will’s lips, mike noticed that they were shiner than when he last saw will. somehow, he managed to get distracted by what it would be like to kiss will that he had to snap mike back to reality. “earth to mike?” will asked, mike shook his head. “oh, yeah, i’m here. first question, are you from here?” mike asked curiously. “yup, born and raised, you?” will asked before sipping his milkshake.

“yeah, it’s so boring here though.” mike complained, putting his head on his palm. will looked down at mike’s hand wondering if he should hold it. “well, it’s not all bad besides i got to meet you.” will said, mike smiled at the sentiment. “so, question 2, what do you do for a living?” mike asked, will scratched his chin in thought “well, i make art commissions and i uh work at a craft store.” will replied, mike’s eyes glistened. “cool, could i commission something later?” mike asked, interest peaked. “sure but was that a question for the game or?” will said. mike pursed his lips “oh no, i was just curious about it, that’s all.” he replied, taking another sip of his milkshake. “ah, i see what it is, you just want to see my art.” will said, nodding. mike stopped sipping and said “oh no- that’s- it’s not- ok yes i do.” will laugh aloud making mike smile.

“i’ll ask a question, do you have any siblings?” will asked. “i do, i have an older sister and a younger one. their names are nancy and holly, how about you?” mike said. “i have a older brother and a twin sister. their name are jonathan and jane.” will replied, smiling at his mention of his siblings. “cool.” mike said smiling. they continued talking and order some food to go. as they were leaving the diner, will went on impulse and grabbed mike’s hand. mike looked down at their hands, squeezing will’s hand tighter and looked up at will, smiling.

on the way home, the two held hands the whole way there. will decided to drop mike off at his place. mike began to get the car when will stopped him by putting his hand on mike’s thigh. mike looked down at it, flushed. “i’ll walk you to the door.” will offered, removing his hand making mike pout a bit. as they walked to mike’s door, mike hummed to whatever song was swirling around his head. they stopped in front of the door. mike unlocked the door, about to go in before will stopped him yet again. “i had a great time.” will said, mike replied “yeah, me too, hope to do it again sometime.” mike pursed his lips again, staring at will’s. “can i kiss you?” mike asked softly. will nodded then replying, “yes.”

mike dove in, meeting their lips together. will snaked an arm around mike’s waist and mike placed a hand on will’s cheek. they slowly parted a few minutes later. they stayed in that position for a bit, silently. they sat in comfortable silence until will broke it. “should i be going? max is waiting for me at my apartment and i don’t want her to be yelling at me.” will said, mike again pursed his lips before saying “yeah, you should, she can be a real pain when she’s angry.” will cracked a smile, chuckling a bit before removing his arm from mike’s waist. before walking away from mike’s door, will placed a kiss on mike’s cheek and waved him goodbye.

mike stared at will’s(max’s) car as he drove away, lightly touching his lips. he smiled before going inside, locking the door.

will blasted some love songs, belting alongside them. as he got home, he though about what he was going to tell max. when he got to his door and unlocked it, he was met by max, who was throwing questions at him left and right. but the one question he heard was ‘how was the date?’. will smiled before saying “it was nice.”

this has to be the best chapter yet, thanks for reading :]

taglist: @atbyler @yelenapines @foodiewithdahoodie @michealqueerler @adorewillbyers @adoremikewheeler @thefruityfours @xhavibee @delusional-dingus @eefonline

[falloutcoys]

longer thoughts on the first 3 episodes of w.bg, but not more coherently organized

I went in mostly blind, only knowing there were timeline shenanigans and what was in the description on the podcatcher and honestly glad, because I'm loving even just the few twists we've had so far!

Love love love the fucked up games horror subgenre, maybe because I watched Saw played Heavy Rain way too much as a kid but I digress. So when you combine that with time shenanigans, well, it's literally my dream come true.

Mike is so right that if you have this type of time altering tech you should have language to speak about it in a better way than we can. Another tense and a way to say 'now' that implies something deeper than your place in time are necessary. I think I'm gonna run into these problems during my writeup haha

At first Mike's affect was not meshing well with me but that went away by episode two. That's when I really got hooked. Hearing the voicemail was the first "oh shit" moment and I was on the edge of my seat. Then hearing his whole deathbox he built and that it ONLY TOOK HIM 3 DAYS TO WORK UP TO IT!!! I was so glad to have that reaction vindicated later by Cannonball because Mike acting like that was soooo long to deliberate made me thinking I was overly squeamish.

Speaking of squeamish, I have never had a podcast give me suck a visceral reaction. I was driving and I thought I might have to pull over because I was feeling sick. I kept squirming and curled my left arm up without even realizing at first lmao. I think it was just the... coldness in which he spoke about the gory details of doing it to himself?

So interested in the scoreboard and what's going on there. What's Mike gonna choose as a codename, or will he? How many people are playing? If Mike is #1 after two games and Cannonball has only done three (if he's telling the truth, which I don't think he is about everything), how many games are there and how far has any one person gotten? In fact, how long has the game been running (if that is even a meaningful question considering time shenanigans)?

So many more questions and with how many episodes there are, I'm sure not all will be answered and those I get answered will only lead to further questions.

I feel like having our main character be... a slightly shitty guy (by his own words) is a really good perspective we don't see too often. He isn't particularly cool, at least so far, so it isn't that edgy sort of anti-hero. He's just a dude who can be an ass sometimes. And is kind of wildly okay with chopping his own limb off, but not as chill with cop killing I guess. I think my line in the sand would go the other way but, okay Mike.

I definitely should have called the challenge being cop killing but I was still pretty icky feeling from the arm chop, and for some reason when I read the title and saw pig my brain kept thinking of that episode of Black Mirror

God I'm hooked. I should write but I think I will listen to episode four instead

[rabbitechoes]

there were a lot of good tracks this month! judging by some of the new singles, early 2024 is shaping up to be a cool time for new releases. another note, i'm not sure if i'll do a favorite songs of december because i might just do a favorite songs of the year thing instead. i wanted to do one or the other because doing both would be a lot of work and i wanna enjoy my winter break tbh!!!!

as always feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter (i’m not calling it X)

"Mother Nature" - MGMT

◇ featured on Loss of Life - MGMT (not yet released) ◇ genres: neo-psychedelia, indie rock

This February we’re finally getting the follow-up to MGMT’s incredible 2018 album Little Dark Age! The lead single to this new record has the band exploring fresh, new sounds to great effect. MGMT are no stranger to psychedelia, but this track has them taking a considerably less electronic approach to it. The songwriting is some of their strongest to date. Very excited about this new album.

"I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time" - André 3000

◇ featured on New Blue Sun - André 3000 ◇ genres: new age, ambient

This month we finally received the first full-length solo project from hip hop legend André 3000. As the title of this song suggests, this is a much different direction than his work in OutKast over 16 years ago. On this album, André explores ambient or occasionally jazzy soundscapes driven by the flute (his recent instrument of choice). This track is gorgeous with André’s flute passages taking center stage. This whole project is definitely worth a listen.

"Now And Then" - The Beatles

◇ featured on The Beatles 1967-1970 (2023 Edition) [The Blue Album] - The Beatles ◇ genres: piano rock, baroque pop

The jokes have been played out by this point about “these Beatles guys are good, they’re going places!”, but it is still bizarre to have a brand new Beatles song in 2023. I highly recommend watching the documentary about the history of this song and how it came to be. Admittedly, that documentary played a big role in my enjoyment of this song. It feels like a fitting send-off for one of the greatest bands of all time. Is it overproduced? Yeah lol, but this project is clearly driven by Paul McCartney who, as everyone should know, is no stranger to overblown schmaltz. We love him for it! Will this ever be lauded as one of band’s best songs? No, but it’s still very good.

"Celibate" - Danny Brown

◇ featured on Quaranta - Danny Brown ◇ genre: abstract hip hop

This new Danny Brown album lived up to most of my expectations while also subverting them. Brown takes a more introspective approach which really sets this project apart from his previous work. This track has been in constant rotation for me since it dropped. Danny's more subdued delivery works very well with the feature from MIKE (who just dropped a strong contender for rap album of the year). Really enjoyed this track and also the entire project.

‧₊˚✧ BEST SONG OF THE MONTH ✧˚₊‧ "Oral" - Björk & Rosalía

◇ genres: art pop, electronic

I thought this track would be good, but this is like unbelievably good. Björk wrote this track during her "classic period", but it never saw the light of day until this reworked version with Rosalía. These two work so well together. Björk's trademark ethereal sound shines through hear and the occasional reggaeton percussion underneath is a very nice touch. The chorus is a highlight in both of their careers and thats coming from someone who holds both of these artists in very high regard (admittedly mostly Björk, although MOTOMAMI ranked very high for me last year). Please give this a listen! Not only is this a great track, but its for a good cause!!! All streaming proceeds go to protecting Icelandic fish from harmful fish farms.

"Wall of Eyes" - The Smile

◇ featured on Wall of Eyes - The Smile (not yet released) ◇ genres: art rock, psychedelic folk, post-rock

The Smile are returning with a new record out in January and this track is very good! A few months ago they dropped "Bending Hectic" which, if you're keeping up, was my favorite track back in June. That track is making it on the album so even if this song wasn't good, I would be stoked. Luckily, this track is really good. I love the bossa nova inspired guitar throughout the song, the hazy psychedelic sound, and the small string flourishes. Really beautiful stuff. I can't wait to hear the rest of the record!

"Red Flags" - Brittany Howard

◇ featured on What Now - Brittany Howard (not yet released) ◇ genres: psychedelic soul, neo-psychedelia

Look, I don't know why so many banger psychedelic songs dropped this month, but I'm not complaining. I was a big fan of Brittany Howard's last record and the announcement of her new album flew completely under my radar until I was made aware of this single. This is an interesting new sound for Howard, but she pulls it off really well. If the whole record is stuff like this, we're in for a treat.

[scheodingers-muppet]

Welcome back to "Jace has Stranger Things and Taylor Swift brainrot." On today's episode: Red. I'm going kinda out of order, but I honestly think I'll end up doing every album so if you want to see a specific album, let me know

State of Grace: Steddie. "I never saw you coming" "You were never a saint, and I've loved in shades of wrong" They both can be mean and tough, but they were so soft around each other almost immediately

Red: Stancy, from Steve's POV. The relationship was honestly toxic, but it was filled with adrenaline and most likely Steve's first real love. Losing her was hard, since he loved her so strongly. I'm also a "Steve's emotions are too big for his body" person so I might be projecting

Treacherous: Lumax. Max grew up without a strong sense of what a healthy relationship should look like. Her stepdad sucked and was likely awful to her Mom. She's scared of what love and letting people in her bubble mean. Then you add the fact Billy straight up told her to avoid Lucas but she couldn't resist. Then Lucas warning her that getting involved with him could be dangerous. It's not safe on paper, but she loves him

I Knew You Were Trouble: Stancy, from Steve's side. I promise not all the breakup songs will be Stancy. But the line "the saddest fear comes creeping in that you never loved me, or her, or anyone" paired with the fight, her inability to tell Steve she loves him, the strain with Jonathan in season 4. It just fits so well

All Too Well: Mike and El. "Any time now, he's gonna say it's love. You never called it what it was, til we were dead and gone and buried, checked the pulse and come back swearing it's the same." "You kept me like a secret but I kept you like an oath" and Mike literally keeping her a secret at first. "I'm a crumbled up piece of paper" as an analogy to the letters. "Maybe we got lost in translation" and El feeling like she isn't even the same species as Mike. "The idea you had of me, who was she? A never-needy ever, lovely jewel whose shine reflects on you" Need I continue?

22: Season 3 Elmax at the mall. Just being teenage girls, the way they deserve. Also, imagine them having a sleepover, dancing around screaming this song while Hopper's at work one night. Adorable

I Almost Do: Jopper. I think the idea that Joyce waited for Hopper, for him to mature or whatever it was, and finally had to stop waiting. It tore them both apart, but I think Joyce would have had a similar reaction to this song; through Lonnie (or however you spell his name), Bob. Everything

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Lumax. My on-again-off-again OTP. Another big slumber party song. They will get back together though, let's be honest

Stay Stay Stay: Platonic Stobbin. I just know Robin would be horrible in an actual fight, she'd get so ready for someone to leave and just snap at them. Steve would try to make her laugh once they sit down to talk it out to relieve the tension. In Steve's eyes, everyone he loves leaves, but Robin stays

The Last Time: Byler. Will has had to beg Mike to give him some attention lately, like in season 4 with the letter fight. "The is the last time I'm asking you this, put my name at the top of your list" "You break my heart in the blink of an eye" "This is the last time I say it's been you all along"

Holy Ground: Platonic Stancy. Like, they've both moved on and have each other as friends in their lives. I love the idea of Steddie and Ronance, with Steve and Nancy dancing together at their weddings

Sad Beautiful Tragic: Jancy. They only started hanging out because of tragedies. Their relationship has only existed because of horrible things, but they found beauty in it. "Distance, timing, breakdown, fighting" and "Could you just try to listen?" with the fight in season 3 and them living on opposite sides of the country in season 4.

The Lucky One: Steve. "You had it figured out since you were in school, everybody loves pretty, everybody loves cool" Everyone is quick to tell him he's got it good since he has a rich family and was Mr. Popular, but he's lonely. "Your lover in the foyer doesn't even know you." "You don't feel pretty, you just feel used" "You wonder if you'll make it out alive"

Everything Has Changed: Lumax!! "All I've seen since 18 hours ago is green eyes, and freckles and your smile in the back of my mind" "All I know is a simple name and everything as changed" from Lucas's pov. "All my walls stood tall, painted blue but I'll take 'em down and open up the door for you" "All I know is a new found grace. All my days, I'll know your face" from Max

Starlight: Robin. I think Robin would love space and the stars. We know she loves music, and I think she'd like to dance too. Also the line "worrying so much about things you can't change. You'll spend your whole life singing the blues if you keep thinking that way" fits her so well. And the line "He's talking crazy, dancing with me. We could get married, have ten kids and teach them how to dream" reads to me as Robin playfully joking about Steve's old crush on her, and I think the two of them would totally hang out on Robin's prom night, but Steve would still make her dance because everyone deserves an awkward prom slow dance

Begin Again: Max, not necessarily about a relationship though. This song makes me think of Max's damaged relationship with men and the party helping her heal that. Billy was abusive, her stepdad sucked. We see Steve be that protective figure where Billy was the opposite. Hopper would totally also take her under his wing and show her what a father figure should be. The boys in the party treat her as an equal. They think she's fierce and funny and beautiful, but they treat her as a person too. She's not used to that; the men in her life haven't been good to her. But they're showing her how worthy she is

The Moment I Knew: Byler. I love Mike, but he's severely dropped the ball for Will. Will was so excited to see him in season 4, but he's hardly paying attention to him before everything happens. Add the fact that season 4 should have been over Will's birthday

Come Back... Be Here: Steddie. "I told myself don't get attached." "I don't want to miss you like this" "If I had known what I'd known now, I never would've played so nonchalant" "I can't help but wish you took me with you" "This is falling in love in the cruelest way" "This is falling for you and you are worlds away"

Girl At Home: Honestly, Murray. Why? I Don't know. But it's him.

Ronan: Hopper (I'm sorry) I think we often forget he lost his daughter, and not only that, he blames himself. The little memories we see show how much he loved her.

Better Man: Max about Billy. She wanted to love him but he was so horrible to her and we see in season 4 how she does miss him. "Talking down to me like I'd always be around, push my love away like it was some kind of loaded gun" "I wish it wasn't 4 am standing in the mirror saying 'you know you had to it' I know the bravest thing I ever did was wrong"

Nothing New: Nancy. "Girls go out and have your fun' then they hunt and slay the ones who actually do it" Nancy tried to be a teenage girl and lost her best friend, blames herself for it, got slutshammed to the whole town, and became a monster hunter. She deals with the most sexism, both from other characters and the fandom. "what will become of me once I lost my novelty" "how can a person know everything at 18 and nothing at 22?" "She'll know the way and then she'll say she got the map from me" about Holly or Erica, and feeling so conflicted because these girls look up to her but she feels like a mess who shouldn't be a goal to reach. Especially for Erica, since she got roped into the Upside Down stuff so young.

The other vault songs don't really match in my opinion, so this is all for today

[that-innovating-artist]

TITH || Leddie Imagine Zero: Moving In

Synopsis: Lydia and her mother are moving into their new home, a damaged trailer. Lydia meets her clangorous neighbor. | Total number of words: 491.

© 2022 That Innovating Artist. All rights reserved.

Navigation Key: §§§ = continuing from previous scene; still takes place in the same location. ☆☆☆ = location change. (The place will be stated.) ~~~ = POV shifts.

~ OFFICIALLY PROOFREAD! ~

**Please do not transfer or translate my writings anywhere! However, you may Repost, as that would help me out a lot!**

Hawkins, Indiana

September 26th, 1982 • Forest Hills Trailer Park [Zonoff Trailer]

“We’re here,” my mother said. My eyes flitted open, and I stretched, yawning. Every muscle in my body was stiff, and I incoherently mumbled as I trudged out of the car wearily. Fiery colored leaves scattered the ground like a walkway, and the withering grass provided the picturesque early autumn vibe. A delicate breeze swirled around me, and I shuddered as my exposed skin felt the first touch of cold I would adapt to in the upcoming months. Oh, how I so looked forward to the days where I had to stand outside at the bus stop freezing my ass off. I would start my Freshman Year of High School and leave behind my best friends who were still stuck in Middle.

Sucks to be them, I thought. I only have four more years left of this shit.

I meant that as a joke, by the way. I love Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Will. I was already missing the Wheelers like crazy. I grew up there with Karen babysitting me while my Mom would go to work at the Lab. We lived in a guest room but eventually Mike was born and so was baby Holly, so my Mom decided that they needed the room to raise their young and we ended up here. In this literal pile of garbage.

“Honey, you can start removing the boxes from the trunk. We’ll get settled in.”

☆☆☆

It was about a month later that a loud noise coming from the trailer nearby blasted. I groaned, throwing my pencil on the ground, cursing, and stormed out while my mother called my name. I angrily approached the door, banging my fists on it. Hard. Hard to where it became red.

The music stopped, and the door opened to a curly-haired boy around my age. My world halted. What I was going to say, I suddenly forgot, and I stood there like a deer caught in headlights. He was beautiful.

“Can I help you, Miss?” He trailed off, waiting for me to answer.

Lydia, you love blind moron, I inwardly slapped myself. Instead, I said pathetically, clearing my throat and shyly toying with my short curly hair. “Uh-uh, can you just maybe… turn down the music? It’s really annoying.”

Fuck me, I thought. I must’ve been standing there like a lovesick young girl who just found her soulmate.

“Oh,” he chuckled dryly. “Of course. Hey, did you move in recently?”

My eyes lit up, smiling awkwardly. “Uh, yeah. I start school next month. It was the earliest the Principal would let me enroll in classes.”

The boy’s eyebrows quailed. “What grade will you start?”

“Ninth,” I responded. “I’m really nervous.”

“No way! I’m in ninth as well! Hey, you’ll do great! Oh, I should probably introduce myself. I’m Eddie. Eddie Munson,” he stuck his hand out and I shaked it, blushing wildly. “And who might you be, milady?”

I laughed heartily, still seizing his hand. “Lydia. Lydia Zonoff.”

[castle-dominion]

s7 3xk audio

michael mosley rob bowman andrew marlowe nathan fillion

He has done s3, 5, 6, & 7 episodes, in fact s7 had two.

Go as deep as possible as fast as possible without lingering anywhere.

How far will a person go for someone they love?

Mosler has done it before too! & he brings it up again lol. "Even your charming innocence is creepy"

It's great for caste to throw ppl around & get thrown around.

"unless it's michael molsley, we don't care about him"

Joques Goudreau lol

People come up to him on the street & say he's creepy XD "I've found something I'm good at"

Cars pulling up does not feel like a metaphor for me but ok.

It SHOULD feel like what castle is going through. Willingness to go to the other side this patience & impatience, the darkness, also frustration.

The two month thing

3xk made this VERY personal

How do you expose a character who is not present? 3xk's manipulation.

NF: always exciting to kill off a powerful, popular character.

"he really was mike boudreau" "when the zombie apocalypse comes Tyson will be the first to rise"

the cars have gotten better on set apparently

Do they not call it a toque anywhere else...?

RB: my credit right over castle's butt

RB: what was it like to handle this (fight) scene? MM: There's a bruise

Hm, this moment was not? scripted?

How much mike & how much 3xk?

It's all backwards

Gates & Castle <3 she is resetting him, use your head.

Tracking shot of fillion & everyone following along... wow this IS bowman magic...

Everyone: right HERE!

One shot there going in & finding his girls.

colour correction

They never solve the homicide of who THIS girl is

Getting caught watching

Ah the blood was digitally added in! It is not beckett but he killed someone else half to torture him (the other half just for fun)

The slow quiet is greattttt.

we cannot see anything except from her eyes

relatively irrelevant XD

Build it & recontextualize.

Yay welcome back gen kill reunion ig!

Writing this scene was fun but seeing it come together is better

rob duncan <3

I like how they can all laugh at this Ah less lighting bc we are not seeing as much of the castle we know anymore

Yay Roe & Daryn "we only did what you would have done" "if he's listening" "how likely is it that these guys watch the commentaries?"

Yeah they shoot all the stuff "here" first & "there" all at once, so it WOULD be hard, at least for me

RB: I used to speak three paragraphs to nathan & he'd sum it up with "so faster?"

topanga canyon

the anxiety is not just camera work but also the audio "the director was anxious so the camera was anxious"

the no-dialogue scenes, such a Thing you know?

Villainy really can be overplayed but you can avoid twirling the moustache & petting the cat.

it LOOKS like bubble wrap so I am not shocked

THIS IS ALL TAKE ONE? you did it all one take, two cameras?

This room is so weird tho bc how did they get that light through the bottom of the door?

Watching it a second time "she's not here" he said out loud

WAIT PAUL SCOTT LET HIMSELF GET SHOT WITH A TAZER?

Yeah of COURSE she is not going to literally remove her face lol

I love a good monologue. Honest for this non-sane character w/o cliche

He always thinks he is in control bad guy mea culpa lol reason & thinking

Yeah it was a little bit... too much. Tilting the scene to castle

This is the journey gates sent castle on

"I'm dead I might as well tell him what I think of him" or power to him lol

Ew ew ew all the way in I hate it

No no this draining life force thing was gooood except dang what if he DID manage to shoot castle? I think that it could have been something interesting for sure. like the fic I read with the burning building

Esposito & Ryan!

the music IS GOOD but I don't much like it you don't see who killed whom castle bought her the time to rescue herself, they needed each other

that is not a lot of time, like 6 months working full-time. that is a hell of a long time I take it back

Everyone is group hugging & it is intimate & touching but then apparently huertas kept ruining it.

"oh yeah I shot you then too"

Too bad we didn't have more moke mosley commentary.

Rly fun! "letting me play in your sandbox" oh it was his first audio commentary! Good for him!

[maddy-ferguson]

many bylers wanting mike to break up with el wouldn't be so bad if it didn't involve outright statements and implications of calling el a terrible gf who somehow pushes mike to be in a relationship with her against his will and takes away from his agency. the funny thing is many people claiming this will also claim el's arc is about having agency from the men in her life and gaining independence. but somehow her being in a relationship with mike all happened because of her pushing and stucking mike in the relationship and she is the one who takes away his agency n bc of that mike should be the one to break up with her to further his own arc. mmmkay.

and i kinda get the argument that he should be the one to break up with her because she's the one who broke up with him last time and the one who wanted to get back together (but again. it's not like he didn't know he could say no like # other people when they were presented with the idea of a relationship) like i know where they're coming from even though...why would they need to be even like lmao. but if we're gonna make this should happen because i've decided that it fits better in terms of idk themes arguments and start talking about agency......................and do people feel like el should initiate the break up partly because they think everyone will hate byler if she doesn't yes but it also might be because the last time we saw them talk it was mike telling her he was in love with her and couldn't live without her etc etc and so it feels like he's...not in a great position to be the one to break up because him being like remember what i said 96 hours ago well i actually do not love you. and i can live without you i actually really want to. feels hard to imagine. because is the monologue not him accepting that they'll stay together and being resigned? and literally anything can happen there's the painting and maybe they'll only break up way later (i would die) like literally anything can work i'm not saying that mike breaking up with her can't work ever but people never talk about that and i don't understand why like it's just harder to imagine the way we left things off😭 it's kind of like how you would need something to happen for will to be like mike i am in love with you. because he's also resigned. also it's not like getting to be the one to initiate a break up is a privilege no one's taking anything from mike to give to el lmao like idk. breaking up furthers both of their arcs so it's whatever at the end of the day but to argue that mike hasn't had enough agency you quite literally have to ignore everything about el's story😭 i agree with you