they really shouldve just given holly's plotline to mike.
imagine the chaos of the madwheeler duo running rampant in vecnas mind.
imagine them being forced to see each others worst memories and recognising the real reason they butt heads so often is because they just cant stand how similar they really are.
imagine they fight because theyre still in denial about their similarities because theyre both self hating idiots, and/or they have some sort of disagreement, maybe about how to escape or maybe max confronts him about how he's treated el in the past.
imagine that right as tensions are highest, they stumble into another memory and max finds out that mikes big secret is that hes in love with will. and he expects her to berate him. to yell at him, say she just knew there was something wrong with him, but of course she doesn't. she just hugs him and tells him its okay. and he's so caught off guard that he doesn't even react at first, but then piece by piece he just starts to break down and cry into her shoulder, because its such a relief to finally just admit it to someone, and the fact that max, someone who isnt very fond of him on a good day, still accepts him honestly just makes her the perfect person to admit it to.
imagine she opens up to him about how it wasn't the music that saved her at all, it was her connection, her love for lucas, and that if he wants to escape he has to accept the same thing for himself. he has to realize what love really tethers him to this world.
IMHO Lucas is maybe english bc he loves to read and corrects dustin on metaphor vs analogy in s2 + reads to max when she’s in her coma… something about literature being an escape for him at first and then maybe he grows up to really enjoy Harlem Renaissance authors and better understand his own Black identity (which is a through-line in his book but not well explored by the show except thru basketball which THE DUFFERS NEED TO PAY FOR)
And I think Max isn’t as nerdy and cares about doing something that makes a difference and is hands on. So i see her in something like environmental science (very California) or social sciences like psychology (heal her own trauma & better understand billy)
I am back with more stranger things Spider-Man AU !! introducing (or more like vaguely teasing at the existence of) Doc Vecna/Henry Creel AND also full body designs for Erica and Dustin AND OF COURSE DART!! he means the world to me he is the best dog to ever dog💔
This rewritten fic with the evil Will and the eye theory that I worked on for 12 days straight has been a long journey and honestly it was quite hectic. And now it’s complete and done. The rollercoaster of emotions I went through was insane. So if anyone wants to check it out, here is the link:
willel in season 1 was fucking crazy. the gap will left behind after he vanished rippling out, the addition of el to the group slotting in, will coming home as el disappears once more, lines intended to be parallel which cross just once, both living with only stories about the other in the aftermath, will desperate to be found when everyone's given up on the idea he's alive, el desperate to stay hidden when the hunt for her rounds the corner, tragedy of loss and tragedy of hiding, the past rusting over for better and worse, changing, home existing in periphery, will finding his way back, el finding her way forward, the love was there and it changed everything, two sides of a coin, two mirror images, twins
i was going to write a little ficlet for each of the 18 months between s4 and s5, but then i never got around to finishing all of them before volume 2 dropped, so... here's the first of maybe four or five that i wrote?
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one | april 1986
“Sorry it’s been such a crappy birthday.”
Mike glances up from his slice of cake, an amused smile tugging at his lips. “It’s fine,” he reassures, though Will’s not entirely convinced he means it. “I mean… with everything that’s happened these last few weeks, I wasn’t really expecting much. Lucas and Dustin… they’ve got their own shit to deal with. And El…”
His voice trails off. The old, familiar ache in Will’s chest makes its grand return—duller now than it was, even just a few weeks ago. The wound is beginning to heal now that the bandaid has been ripped clean off. It only hurts a little bit.
“We’ll figure out a way for you to see her again soon,” Will hears his own voice say. He’s surprised at how steady he sounds, even in spite of the lump in his throat. “I… I know you miss her.”
“Yeah.” The smile falls from Mike’s face. He pokes at the half-eaten piece of cake absently, smearing bright blue icing all across the porcelain white place. “I just hope she’s okay.”
“El’s strong,” Will says immediately, and Mike looks up. “She’s going to be okay, Mike. I know she will be.”
For a brief moment, Mike stares at him, his eyes full of a familiar intensity. Will’s cheeks grow warm under his best friend’s gaze, and his heart—the stupid, traitorous organ that it is—pounds wildly in his chest. He hopes to God that Mike can’t hear it—that Mike hasn’t caught on to the effect that he has on Will.
I’m sorry, Will thinks, swallowing the lump in the back of his throat. I’m trying. I promise I’m trying.
“You’re right,” Mike whispers at long last. The smile returns to his face, and he leans over, bumping Will’s shoulder lightly. The touch feels like a jolt of electricity, and Will’s breath hitches in spite of himself. “Thanks, Will.”
“Y-yeah, of course.” Will forces a smile. “Anytime.”
If Mike notices something is wrong with him, he doesn’t say anything. Instead, he turns his attention back to the slice of cake, and he stabs it with his fork again, shoving far too much of it into his mouth at once and smearing blue frosting on his lips.
Adorable.
The thought crosses Will’s mind before he can stop himself, and his face burns with shame. He forces himself to look down at his own half-eaten slice, but he finds he’s not as hungry anymore. Instead, there is an unsettled feeling in his stomach—a pit of dread that Will just can’t shake.
I’m sorry, he thinks again, blinking back tears and hoping Mike doesn’t notice them.
there is actually one specific thing that completely shuts down conformitygate for me. and that is noah schnapp.
we’ve talked extensively on here about his interviews and suddenly we’re forgetting about it. like honest to god the nail in the coffin for me is (and im paraphrasing here) “i had to ask the duffers to add in the tower scene to tie off that arc, i kept pressing for more and got shut down”.
even on the Very off chance theres a secret finale, it won’t be byler endgame, therefore leaving a bunch of loose threads anyway. we know how hard noah pushed for accurate rep, and we know when he got shut down. and that alone confirms to me that this ending just actually sucked
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