Achilles: How could Heracles not recognize his wife?
Chiron: That is the nature of madness.
Patroclus’ inner monologue: Sounds like a skill issue. Couldn’t be me. Truly pathetic to be honest. Personally, I would recognize Achilles in the dark, or in disguise. I would know him even in madness. But that’s just me I guess.
long shoplifting sdvice post. feel free to add to it.
this is for roleplay, and is not genuine advice from a genuine shoplifter.
updated 5/24/25
shoplifting advice, from someone who has never ever lifted 500+ dollars worth of stuff, from:
w@lm@rt (never going there again. got caught recently. they dont play and donated to trump)
u!t@
b0x!unch
h0tt0pic
r0ss
m@rsh@lls
k0h!s
d0!!ar tree
five be!0w
t@rget
c<s
and probably more that I can't remember
anywho, ground rules:
chain? free reign
small shop? full stop.
if shoplifting will put someone you are with in danger that they did not agree to, don't do it. especially if you are with a minority.
ok, baseline advice:
alarm goes off? keep. walking. act nonchalant. I've had alarms go off on me - I just kept walking. nobody said anything to me.
be confident, but not cocky. I have walked out of shops with full carts and nobody said a thing. more on this later.
don't be rude or overly chatty. if you are rude, anyone who sees you is way more l likely to tell someone. being overly chatty can make you seem suspicious. be careful asking for the location of things - depending on how large the store is, they may watch you til the register. I've seen some advice saying to ask for an object, have them walk you to it, and pretend to be displeased with it and walk out.
don't dress sexy or alluring. do not draw attention or leave any of your tattoos visible. if you have on a really short skirt, don't lift. weirdos may be looking at your ass and noticing you lift.
tips and advice in no general order:
if you don't have a cart, bring a reusable shopping bag, and just stick shit in there. you don't have to be as sneaky about this, because if anyone notices you can just say you didn't have the hands for all your items, and you were going to pay for it all when you arrived at checkout. I've never been caught stashing anything, but the less suspicious you look the less suspiciously they're likely to treat you. (occasionally i just carry things until i can't hold them all, pretend to be frustrated, stick your shit in the bag to help you carry it.)
employee entrances and exits into the back rarely have cameras, making them great places to stash if you can avoid the employees. I especially like the toilet paper and paper towel roll isles, so i can sit down and take a break, as well as stash some stuff. never stash near a tech area. i did so recently and got caught. go to the kids isle or another area without cameras.
if they try to stop you from going into the bathroom even though you just saw someone else go in, you've been caught. ditch your shit or pay for it and leave. quickly.
if you plan to just walk out with a large basket, it's best to do it somewhere large, with more than one customer exit. if you are leaving the store with just your bag, this matters less. again, confidence is key.
if you do get caught, say you were overwhelmed and have an anxiety disorder, and simply 'forgot'. apologize profusely, and offer to pay for the items. however, if they take you into the back shut the fuck up. do not say anything, give them anything you took, and ask if you are free to leave. I've never tried this but put your personal items in one bag and your shopping items in a reusable bag. if someone questions you or tries to stop you, drop the lifted items and keep walkin.
sometimes if i genuinely get overwhelmed and think I have everything I need, i just walk out quickly - someone stops you? you are overwhelmed and overstimulated, even better if you have headphones that are on. It is really unlikely anyone will touch you, and if they do, flinch. Better if you tear up. I'm autistic so this reaction would likely be legit from me. ymmv.
I recommend masking for the safety of yourself and others, but it also makes you harder to identify. If you don't mask, vary wether you do or don't. normally, people who mask do it all the time, so going between wearing a mask and not wearing a mask may also cause confusion.
If an employee speaks to you, be kind. If they hand you a basket, hold it the same way you do your stash-bag, and put things you don't want in your basket, and things you do want in your bag. leave the basket near the exit, and walk out.
Try not to frequent the same places, and try not to steal every time. (I've broken this rule and been fine, but the point stands.)
If you fear you have been caught or noticed, stop stashing, buy something small, and leave. however, sometimes taking the time to buy something will get you caught, so choose whether to pay for something or just leave. look at the exits and who is standing there, and look at the register area. if anyone official is standing at the checkout or door, choose wisely. you can also just put things back. stashing in and of itself is not a crime.
christmas time is one of the best times to go shoplifting - it is busy, and staff probably won't look at you too closely if you leave without purchasing something
most staff don't get paid enough to care all that much what you do. don't be a nuisance and don't bother them and they probably won't gaf.
if you have a bag from a store in a mall that is also in another mall (barnes and noble is in a lot of malls, for example), bring that shopping bag with something small in it, and carry that around to make it seem like you've already spent money. put items in that bag, stores are unlikely to search a bag from another store.
some malls have security that cannot stop you unless you leave the store you are in without paying, and their LP will stand outside the store and wait for you to leave or trip an alarm. be mindful.
if you are carrying a phone or waterbottle, put your items in the hand holding the object, then put them both in the bag at the same time.
its ok to shoplift from goodwill. they suck balls. they also cant do anything about it :)
THIS IS JUST FOR ROLEPLAY. SHOPLIFTING IS A CRIME AND SHOULD NOT BE DONE BY ANYONE, AT ALL, EVER!! THIS IS FOR WRITING REFERENCE AND ROLEPLAY!! DO NOT TAKE THIS ADVICE TO HEART!!
If I ever say to shoplift, I am not talking about stealing from small businesses, or local chains. I am talking about going into Walmart and taking floss or thread or smuggle food if you can.
I can't even start to explain how happy I am that byler coded colors are the colors of my country's flag, like yeah bitch I live in Bylertopia😎😎😎 (Ukraine)
A few weeks back, I received a tip that Noah and Finn came into Atlanta for a couple of days to rehearse a scene alone together that never ended up being filmed. This was around the time of the convention that Finn ended up missing in early June (and we initially theorized was for the playground scenes).
I since received confirmation of not only this, but that the rehearsal in question was for a scene at the UD church set. The filming never went through because Noah got an eye infection / sty, so the shoot was rescheduled for early August. If you've seen me mentioning looking forward to August, this is what that was about.
The Eye Infection:
Let me link this post to begin with, barring the 'James' stuff who has proven to be false. I heard about the eye infection and my alarm bells rang immediately - I have a friend myself who wears contacts occasionally and whenever they get sties, they're always caused by the contacts. When has Noah worn contacts before in the show? When Will is being possessed by the mindflayer in Season 2.
The church is an interesting location, because it most definitely has to do with Henry as well. When the original countdown for TFS was being posted, there were images of a church - a location that may have been changed during development. The characters most likely go there as part of the continuing Henry investigation.
And we know Henry was exorcised at some point, but it failed. The sign going into the church is also a likely clue to this, referencing Mark 9:29 - a verse about a failed exorcism.
Conclusion for this part: Will very likely becomes possessed again while in this church. My source tells me they usually only do big rehearsals like this for scenes involving action, too.
My opinion is that Will was never fully exorcised either. I mean, he still has a clear connection to the mindflayer with all the tingles on his neck and the possible literal psychic connection he has to Vecna as well.
It's Byler, Too:
I suspect that Jamie has some part in the scene as well (given they scheduled it during his latest block on set), but the focus is on Will and Mike - being the only two other main characters on set at the time, and the only two rehearsing.
But going back to the church thing.... I wonder what kind of symbolism is created by bringing two gay characters who both have a lot of internalized shame into a location that is honestly the source of said shame? It's honestly not even symbolism. It might just be referenced in plain text. Looking back at that church sign:
"This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer"
"This kind" really evokes the dehumanising language used by homophobes to refer to gay people. And the driven out by prayer part, well that really evokes conversion 'therapy' practices of praying the gay away. So what if this is where Will and Mike finally admit their love for each other, and kiss. And what if that is actually what's able to drive the 'demon' away - gay love.
Especially during the Satanic Panic arc we are sure to see come full circle with the reckoning of the Hellfire Club in Season 5.
An arc which Mike is surely at the centre of as well, being not only a Hellfire Member in the past, but being family to the new disappeared child in town.
And it's not like Mike's love is what's been shown to us time and time again as the way to break Will out of his mindflayer trance. Oh, wait.
Consider it incredibly fanfic-y, but it's on the table now. An action scene at the church involving Byler where Noah is wearing contacts - Will becoming possessed just like Henry again and being made to fight Mike as not only part of the plan to get all of the Wheelers, but also as something that would break Will's spirit permanently. They're all alone with nobody to help save Mike. But the plan is thwarted through the power of love, and in a place that represents a lot of shame for gay men (especially in the 80s) - they finally come together. And it is love that frees Will from his trance. Whether through a confession or true love's kiss. It would be so dramatic and atmospheric.
Additional evidence:
Jopper's Season 4 reunion and kiss inside the Russian church, of which this would be a parallel.
The whole idea of "we kissed, as though nothing could fall. And the shame was on the other side" from David Bowie's Heroes - the shame being in the actual church from the rightside up, but they're alone together on the other side / in the Upside Down.
It is also very likely that this scene is from Episode 5 or 6. I've asked and nobody seems to know which episode it is from, but following the logic of Episode 4 being when the characters enter in groups into the Upside Down, and here Byler are all alone, it is definitely after some time has passed and groups have split further. They're definitely not having any kind of confession in the first half of the season, so this timing sounds positive.
Multiple rehearsals. Noah contacting his acting coach recently for advice. Them even having to cancel an entire shoot because of a sty indicates close-up shots for sure.
Anyway. I'd really love to see people's thoughts on this. I feel like there's even more I could get into in follow-up posts, especially if other people chime in with their thoughts. I have been buzzing about this scene for weeks now. I want to start another gate for old time's sake, so please use #churchgate if you want to make your own posts about this!
hi! I am desperately in need for help. I need my insulin to bring my blood sugar back down. It’s $300 That’s all I need. I’m not asking for a windfall, just a little help, please.
Reblog if you hate picrews with no dark skin options (yes even the ones where the shade of white is even a little darker, and yes ashy tones too bc there SUPER annoying, and the ones with no curly or protective hair like braids)
Byler's height difference is alive and well <33 Will's gonna go on his tip toes to kiss Mike <33 and Will's height is perfect for Mike's forehead kisses, also Mike lifting Will's chin up for a kiss would be adorable
kaledo-art
romaincrisis
origamiaround
yousharknotpass
