another bakumomo hcs because i LOVE them and MiSS them.
- Bakugou and Momo bonding over tea, there's one time both of them cannot sleep and found each other at common room with tea in their hands.
- On first, Bakugou never notice Momo that much. He only thinks she's another extra with so much wasted potential quirk.
- Meanwhile Momo always notice Bakugou (thankful for his loud persona). To the point she didn't realize herself she start to think "What will Bakugou-san do" if she ever find herself in crisis.
- Bakugou was shocked at himself finding out he can't say "no" to Momo, he thinks probably out of respect because she's class rep vice but then when he thinks about it again, he feels like it's something more than that.
- When they first date, everything is AWKWARD. But they manage have fun in the end.
- Bakugo likes to sit beside Momo every lunch so he can just linked his pinky finger with Momo under the desk.
- If Momo is sick, Bakugou also gonna pretend he's sick so he can take care of Momo in dorm alone. But everytime Momo asked "Why you're still here" he just gonna scoff it off, like nothing happenned.
i hate when mike's "romantic love" for el is adored and romanticized when it's really the most anxious and unhealthy form of attachment, but his healthy and secure love for will is just seen as platonic
mike with el:
"i'm scared one day you won't need me anymore."
"but what if she doesn't need me anymore?"
"i can't lose you."
"i can't lose you again."
"i don't know how to live without you." (this is devastating.)
given the circumstances mike was put with with el in s1, his statements of love is more of rooted from trauma rather than actual romantic love. he's constantly afraid of losing her the same way he did in the last episode of s1, especially since he blames himself for it for the way he treated her.
he also feels a sense of self worth from the concept of being with a girl - a girl as cool and superhero-like as el that.... but not because it's EL. that's the problem. this sense of worth comes from being NEEDED, and el NEEDED mike to protect her (at the time of s1). THAT'S what he takes interest about their relationship. mike can't even mention one thing he likes about her that isn't about her powers in his monologue. he can't even tell will one thing when he was venting.
even acknowledged by shawn levy, the duffers and finn, mike simply feels a sense of worth when he's helping/saving someone - that's not necessarily romantic because....
and then we have el's side of this. el had fallen into the same pattern as she did in the lab when it comes to needing someone to rely on. she loses her own self-worth when she's with mike, unable to really identify herself. her "romantic love" for mike roots in a very traumatic place. she didn't even consider him in that way before he kissed her. she saw him as a caregiver (and possible family) - this is why she clings so tightly to him, it's reminiscent of her trauma in that sense. but in s3 and s4, she realizes who she is without mike (or feeling controlled by a relationship)
el's whole arc is not needing to rely on someone anymore, which is contradictory to what mike wants. the puzzle pieces aren't fitting with them!!
mike with will:
"max, dustin, lucas - they're great but they're not you."
"i asked if you wanted to be my friends ... it was the best thing i ever did."
"if anyone knows how to defeat this thing, it's will." (mike trusts will even in a dangerous situation, whereas in s3 he's more anxious for el, despite losing them both before. why? because he felt a sense of responsibility for el, not will.)
"if we both go crazy, we'll go crazy together."
"i didn't say it." "you didn't have to."
what he tells will is often more positive, and never putting himself or others down in the process. there's more trust and security.
"but what about s2? wasn't he scared to lose him?" but he never felt loss of control that season. he never held him back from anything and even insisted on things that could've been dangerous, but there was trust. even comparing his monologue in s2 vs s4, there is a sense of calmness and confidence in his words. he doesn't blabber and just keeps his words short and to the point. there isn't dramatic music build up to intensify the scene. it's intimate and genuine, not a performance.
the whole "you didn't have to" part is SOO underrated. it just proves more of what i'm saying! mike is more secure with will and they simply just get one another, whereas mike and el do not!
he also still acknowledges his other friends and how valuable they are to him, while saying will is different to him. (AND this can be backed up, unlike the s4 monologue. we can see throughout the entire show that this is true, will stands out amongst the rest of his friends to him). one of the big problems mike had in s3 was forgetting friendships and his values for the sake of having a girlfriend.
it's also evidently clear how mike acts with el vs will is very different. mike never brings up his interests with el and instead tries to play cool, tries extra hard to be funny and impress her. (pizza box glasses, the horrendous airport fit, "i like- i like presents too," his weird talking/responding patterns with el at the airport/roller rink)
but the actual mike is nerdy. he's part of the av club. he's into science projects. he's into dnd. he's into figures. literally the moment mike tried showing her his figures she did NOT gaf LMAOO (i understand her priorities lied else where but still, it's a showcase of her lack of interest in mike's hobbies). but will knows these things and takes interest in all of them. will KNOWS mike more than el does.. of course he does, they've known each other since they were 5. you're lying to yourself if you believe mike and el know each other more - they don't even know themselves with each other.
and before i end this, i wanna add this one thing:
"but, if mike and el is platonic even if mike was protective, doesn't this mean that s2 byler was platonic too?" the act of caring for someone is what's platonic. there isn't anything necessarily romantic about it, that's true. but byler is more than just what happened in s1 or s2. byler's love doesn't root from their trauma with all that's going on. mike doesn't feel this connection to will because he went missing - it's love that's grown over time even before they encountered the upside down.
byler isn't real because mike cares about will's life. byler is real because mike separates his relationship with will from his friends, his intimate eye contact, his physical contact, his gentleness, his attentive behavior to will's own behavior/absence, him literally thinking meeting will was the best thing he's ever done.
and mike is still needed by someone the way he wants. will needs him, and not for any reasons related to trauma... simply because will sees the good in mike and who he really is as a person and as a whole. mike brings the best out of will and inspires him.
their love starts from simply knowing and getting each other, whereas mike and el's only begins from unhealthy attachment and trauma on either side. THAT'S the difference. it's nothing more than mike needing to save someone.
anyway i just wanted to point out what i noticed between his dialogue w each person! it's very tough seeing what he says to el viewed as peak romance by certain people, watching his trauma being overlooked for the sake another heterosexual romance. but when he showcases actual secure behavior with another person that happens to be a gay character, they're just friends... not gay at all.
• Meanwhile Katsuki, a free and dissident soul, does whatever he wants. Inversely proportional to Momo.
• One night they accidentally met in the kitchen room, dont know what comes to her, she begin talk about her problem to Katsuki. Momo even asked how to be like him.
• "Guess you just dont have to give a shit everytime princess."
• So since then, she try not to care that much about things that she didnt need to do or think. Suprisingly, it's not that hard and she managed to do it in 3 days in a row.
• At night, she went to the main hall to search for Katsuki, wanting to say thanks for the suggestion
• "Ah baku-" what a surprising scene when she see Katsuki and Ochako talk with each other, Ochako seems so happy. She quickly hides herself.
• "Why did i hide?" the next morning she can only think that
• It messed with her mind so bad that she buried her face on her desk
• "I guess i cant stop overthinking " she mumbled to herself and didnt notice that Katsuki have been looking at her across the room.
If it was the other boys,they would've called this scene peak romance foreshadowing or something like that.
I dunno,but sarada remembering mitsuki after looking at the moon and gaining the motivation she needed to finish her training is absolutely a ship material moment.
Will Byers you self-sacrificing kind-hearted absolutely adorable idiot😭😭😭you are nothing but the ultimate definition of goodness
(edit: honestly a lot of mi|evens out there saying will doesn't care for el is jealous of her wants her out of the way etc etc etc and meanwhile this is will byers)
He's literally one of the only people to see el as just a normal person. I'm so glad they're now family😭
it becomes more and more painfully obvious to me every time i rewatch the airport scene that mike is obviously not being normal (ha, gay) because wtf was that interaction?? wtf was that shoulder pat?? like there’s no other explanation
my boy was probably having an internal crisis like: will brought that painting he made for a girl at school to the airport to greet me???? 😡😡 he’s that obsessed with her or something???? wtf 🤬🤬 he doesn’t know i keep his drawings in a FULL BINDER back at home and STILL HAVE HIS ART HUNG AROUND MY BASEMENT AND BEDROOM!!!!! and he’s out here giving paintings to a random girl??? 🤬🤬🤬 oh shit shit- now he’s going in for a hug uhh- what to do, what to do, uhhh- just act normal!!! you can do this!!! what the hell, why did you avoid it?????? okay just pat him lightly on the shoulder to ease the awkwardness. wait- oh no!!! he looks upset???? uh okay okay ask him about the painting!!!
“what’s uh, what’s this?” pretend you don’t know about the girl!!!
“oh nothing, it’s just this painting i’ve been working on” wtf he doesn’t even look like he wants to tell me about it??? 🤬🤬 ask him who it’s for!!! ask him!!!!!!
“cool” NO STFU THATS NOT WHAT I WANTED TO SAY!! what does she look like anyway??? what’s so special about her??? 😡😡 SHE DOESNT KNOW HE USED TO GIVE ME TONS OF PAINTINGS 😡😡😡 i used to be his person 😡😡🤬🤬
just noticed something… the only time mike has ever been his true self and shown his “nerdy” side to eleven is in season 1 episode 2. he’s showing her his toys and trying to tell her about star wars and dinosaurs and he seems so excited about it. but she doesn’t look interested at all and actually gets up and walks away while he’s still talking
he never really talked about his interests to her again after that. the only time he spoke about presents and got excited was at the end of season 3 when he was telling her about christmas but then he stopped himself and said he probably sounds like a child. he’s embarrassed and tries to act cool around her and he just can’t be himself. it’s really sad if you think about it. even now after years of dating, they don’t even communicate properly and barely know anything about each other. i’ve never seen them give each other gifts of something they enjoy and they don’t share the same interests or hobbies
meanwhile will on the other hand has made so many drawings that mike has kept over the years. he even worked on a beautiful painting of their d&d party which is so meaningful to both of them, and you can see how happy it made mike when he gave it to him. it’s like little mike came out again and you could see how his entire face lit up. mike can only be his true self when he’s with will and he feels so comfortable with him. in fact, they both feel most comfortable with each other and they understand each other better than anyone else. they also make each other feel better for who they are and they don’t have to hide. that’s what makes their relationship so beautiful and genuine
My favorite part about the way Will vanishes is that he literally does everything right opposed to how people in horror movies get it wrong. He doesn’t waste time trying to get his bike up to pedal on uneven terrain. He instead hauls ass. He locks all the doors, uses the phone to call 911. When it then becomes clear the monster is getting into the house, he doesn’t try to hide in a room. He runs out of the house and right for the one thing he knows he can use to defend himself: a gun. He expertly loads it despite it being an older model that doesn’t use a modern magazine. It’s just that the monster isn’t playing fair. That’s the point; that’s what makes it great.
Mike Wheeler has it bad for Will Byers. Even when he tries to push him away, he can't stand to see Will with tears in his eyes. Those defenses he keeps building up, taller and stronger to hide his feelings, always break down the moment Mike sees Will hurt and sad. He's used to being stubborn, barely admitting his wrongs/faults/flaws, but for Will - that's the exception - he'll allow himself to be honest then. He can soften his voice, his face, his body language if it means he's can reassure his childhood friend - nurture his confidence back up. Will can endure Mike being distant, but Mike crumbles into fear when the roles get reversed. Whenever Will pulls away, Mike runs after him to make things right. Whenever Will blames himself for overstepping false boundaries, Mike owns up to his BS. He'd rather claim responsibility than see Will take the fall like a martyr. Will Byers is Mike Wheeler's kryptonite, his weakness, his reason for feeling safe to express his emotions, his security blanket in this unstable world.
The way Mike treats Will Byers is so funny/fascinating to me. This boy a hot mess, a disaster, and somewhat trifling throughout Stranger Things, but best believe when it comes to upsetting Will, he'll get on his hands and knees begging for forgiveness (he even dragged Lucas in the rain to apologize with him - what in the baby comeback soap opera type of beat is this?). Whipped, sprung, lovestruck - pick your poison Mike got it bad for our can't-catch-a-break-existence-is-pain bowl cut artsy boy.
Not only does Mike have the special "Will voice/smile/look", but he also cares for Will in a way that clearly shows obvious favoritism. Mike approached Will 1st in their little kindergarten meet-cute. He was out here defying all the adults by searching for Will. His own determination rivaling the mother of the said missing child in question. And we all know Joyce don't play about hers, so Mike matching that energy is telling. He showed his protective, nurturing guard dog side in S2 by always wellness checking on Will and was ready to comfort Will no hesitation. He legit only has an abundance of patience when Will's on the other side of the conversation. Plus when he snapped at Dustin and Lucas for trying to help Will during Halloween, Mike's never displayed possessive emotions with other people in the Party like that before. It shocked Dustin and Lucas.
Lastly, in S3 Mike does take Lucas's advice in winning back the relationship, except it's not with El, it's with Will. He did this twice; biking in the rain after the failed DnD campaign and in S4 in Will's bedroom. Each time, Will called him out on his BS and Mike regrets getting defensive and chases after Will ready to apologize. It's like he's paralleling S1, where he's constantly looking for Will, and in S2 when he noticed Will wasn't trick or treating with the gang and found him scared. Solidified when Mike told Will he felt he lost him in S4. Just like Lucas's advice of winning Max back, Mike continuously regains Will's affection when he screws up (Lumax and Byler mirroring each other). Mike doesn't open up to the Party, his family, or El as easily as he does with Will because to him Will is special and in turn Will gets to see Mike's soft boy side, reserved only for his presence. The emotional intimacy between them stays fortifying.
thinking about how out of the 4 party members its actually will who gets the most girls😭😭
like?? jennifer hayes? the girl at the snowball? that random girl in his class in cali? he doesnt know any of them theyre just all like yeah this gay mfer w a fuckin bowl cut is where its at 😤😤
can we talk about how mesmerised will looks by his own painting in this scene because i’m an artist too & that type of focus only happens when you’re channeling deep emotions … like this boy projected his whole heart into that artwork
literally screaming over this image bc it looks like its from some homoerotic indie coming of age 80s film, but it’s literally just mike and will from stranger things
byler crumbs from the cast & crew masterpost w/ sources
I’ve freaked out as these moments have happened over the months but I thought I’d track down and compile it all with the sources to give my fellow Bylers a daily dose of optimism.
About Will
David Harbour & Finn Wolfhard - “He’s interested in someone else in the group.” “Yeah, you’ll see soon who he’s interested in.” “Very interested.” (x)
Noah Schnapp - “I don’t think it just came to be, they’re very smart, the Duffers, they outline everything from the beginning. … They definitely know where they want to go with Will.” (x)
Duffer Brothers - And Will’s sexuality will be [addressed in vol. 2]…? “–Yes!” (x)
About Mike
Finn Wolfhard - “I think Mike’s just trying to be as normal as possible, and try to keep on a normal path. He might be into some new things, he might be a little more rebellious this year.” (x)
Finn Wolfhard - “There’s a lot of things they both have to learn about themselves, Eleven and Mike, especially for Mike, in order to have proper, like, the love Eleven wants him to give, and in all his relationships in general. It’s kind of a coming of age story within this crazy horror thing.” (x)
Finn Wolfhard - “I think Mike, like, learns a lot about himself, and a lot about how he sees his relationships with people, and yeah… a lot of understanding and growth.” (x)
Finn Wolfhard - “This season is about personal self growth when it comes to Mike and Eleven’s relationship. I think they’re finding out a lot about themselves that they wouldn’t normally know.” (x)
About Mike & Will
Finn Wolfhard - “Yeah. I think you find out slowly through the season, Will’s kind of love towards Mike and I think it’s a really beautiful thing.” How will Mike handle that? “I don’t think he really knows, I think he’s pretty clueless, but I think there’s a mu- probably a mutual understanding and acceptance.” (x)
Finn Wolfhard - *gets super flustered and keeps looking off screen when asked about Byler* “I don’t know, I’m not sure, I wouldn’t know, I, um, I don’t know really, ‘cause, um, we’re pretty early and. I’m not sure, yeah.” (x)
Charlie Heaton - “There’s definitely moments this season where they [Will & Mike] have been closer, and obviously the poster, he [Jonathan] notices he [Will] doesn’t give it to him [Mike].” (x)
Noah Schnapp - “Obviously Byler is just at its peak right now, they’re building that up, so definitely ship that.” (x)
Noah Schnapp - “They have to keep going, they can’t just end it there. In episode 8 you see Mike and him talk, it’s pretty sad. Then in episode 9 there’s an amazing scene…. you’ll have to see.” (x)
Noah Schnapp - Describes season 4 as “unexpected” and “romantic.” (x)
Noah Schnapp - “I mean, I think he wants his friend, obviously. They kind of lost that, they’re obviously super distant. But I think they’re hinting at something a little more, so I guess we’ll have to sit and see.” (x)
Little Details Matter in Stranger Things
Shawn Levy, Executive Producer - “I’ll just say that there aren’t many accidents on ‘Stranger Things,’ … There is clear intention and strategy and real thought given to each and every character. So, if you came away from Volume 1 feeling those bread crumbs of plot and character, it’s probably no accident.” (x)
Dean Zimmerman, Editor - “Like anything, it’s all those invisible decisions, those millions of decisions we make every day. Should I hang on this this long, should I cut to something, you know?” (x)
Amy Parris, Costume Designer - “So, even if you don’t see a detail, it’s there!” (x)
Amy Parris, Costume Designer - [About Robin,] “I added some triangles and equality symbols to kind of have an easter egg that there’s some LGBTQ+ imagery.” (x)
If I’m missing any big ones it’s probably because I couldn’t find a source for it, so please send links my way and I’ll update this!
mike having a Will Voice, the “are you okay”s, the “are you sure”s, “no, no- i got him! i got him!”, “if we’re both going crazy, we’ll go crazy together”, “i’m the only one who cares about will!”, smiling in photos only where will is in although he hates being photographed, holding will’s hand when will needs him the most, staying awake nervously at the hospital because he needs to see that will is okay, the best thing in his life being the day he befriended will, saving will’s drawings over the years in a binder, hanging will’s art around his bedroom and basement even in season 4. need i go on?
mike fell harder, fight me. bitch.
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