#maybe this weakens vecna even more so that is why they have time?

[woadisme]

st5 theory: el finds vecna in will’s mind!

This is a theory for how El will enter Will’s mind to find Vecna at the beginning of st5, and how that might play out with Will’s powers getting revealed. I’m not sure if it will make total sense but hopefully enough sense for other people to weigh in!

Recently I’ve seen some videos (from @_stfaves on tiktok go check it out fr!!) about how they have already filmed part of s5 in which Will gets cursed. The highlights from those videos is that Noah was filming in his finale outfit at Rink-O-Mania, Lonnie’s actor was at s4 table reads, and ofc the infamous picture Noah posted wearing a harness with his finale outfit. This points to him getting cursed and reliving the events at Rink-O-Mania and the abuse from his father, before the time jump. In fact, it would have to occur on the same day that the Cali gang returns to Hawkins, because of his attire.

However, when we left off in s4, Vecna’s base of operations was pretty badly destroyed, he was badly burned, and Will said that he was “hurting.” Basically, Vecna is wounded and the place from which he attacks is unusable. Plus, he wouldn’t have any apparent reason to curse Will like that, since the purpose of cursing the other victims was to open gates. Or, at least, it doesn’t seem as though he will strike again just 2 days later, while he is wounded.

Now that our team knows that Vecna is still around but he is badly hurt, I think that they will want to strike back as soon as possible, to prevent Vecna from rebounding at all. That is when Will or El proposes that she looks for the piece of the Mindflayer/Vecna that is in Will. We have already seen El do this with Billy in s3. (Bonus if we get protective Mike again, this time not wanting to put Will in danger, plus worried that Vecna will be able to find them like Billy did.)

So I imagine that El’s search in Will’s mind plays out very similarly to what we saw with Billy. I was rewatching that episode recently, and it really reminded me of what we know of Vecna’s mind from s4. I couldn’t find screenshots of when he was skimming through various people’s trauma before Patrick gets a nosebleed, so just look at the scene with Max compared Billy’s mind.

It’s the red and the darkness and the smoke and the lightning… Plus, now we know the reason that El had to encounter these moments of trauma for Billy. That is where Vecna thrives, how he targets his victims. Max says herself that he uses people’s memories against them, but only their darkest ones. She says, “It’s like he only sees the darkness in us.” So, as El goes to find him in Will, it makes sense for her to witness some of his past trauma, likely from his dad.

However, this does not explain Will’s finale outfit at Rink-O-Mania. This is where my theory might get a little bit sloppy but hear me out. Will gets Vecna’d from within his own mind. This will take a lot of exposition to explain.

This relies on the assumption that Will has had powers from the beginning. I think they must have occurred spontaneously, or however 001’s happened. That is, his powers didn’t come from 001 like El’s did. He is special, but his powers (if he has them) are obviously dormant. There were some weird things going on in s1 during his time in the Upside Down, but it’s not clear what his powers actually are. I think that Vecna knows, or has suspicions, so he formed an incredibly strong psychic connection with Will when he took him and kept him in the Upside Down. I think his goal with the Mindflayer was to control Will without killing him. Vecna says that all of his victims are still in his mind, but he wanted El’s power externally. He wanted her to join him, so he probably needs her strength. If he could get that from Will without having to convince him, by simply taking over his mind, that would be ideal. And, although the Mindflayer was exorcized at the end of s2, Will still shares a psychic connection with Vecna.

Thus, the manifestation of Vecna in his mind, I assume, will be a bit different. It doesn’t have a hold on Will’s behavior, but I think it could be actively suppressing his powers. When El finds it, she will see the red smoke, the traumatic memories, but the eye of the storm will not be a location, like Brimborn Steelworks in Billy’s mind. I’m not sure what it would be exactly, but I think it is a perfect opportunity to draw another parallel with this scene!

The key of this part is that El’s interaction with the Demogorgon was the catalyst for the gate opening. So I think that El interacting with whatever exists inside Will will be a catalyst for Will having his Vecna moment. Suddenly he is thrust into his own worst memories, rises from the ground like Max did, is literally suffocated by his own trauma until something breaks. Not his bones, but whatever is suppressing his powers. Remember that focusing on a memory that makes someone angry and sad is what strengthened the power and control of 001 and El? I think that Will’s powers are tangled up in all that mess and El disturbing that releases Will’s powers. Just like her disturbing the Demogorgon created a path between the Upside Down and Hawkins.

#it's all about the psychic connections #then maybe a time skip for el to help will learn how to use his powers? #maybe this weakens vecna even more so that is why they have time? #idk how they are going to explain 3ish years of nothing happening in the apocalypse but I'm excited #side note what if el finds out that will loves mike while she's in his mind #bro oh my fucking god #byler #she sees the 'it's not my fault you don't like girls' scene?? #oh no #stranger things #will byers #will Byers has powers #eleven #vecna stranger things #st5 #stranger things theory

[scourgingsisters]

The Vanishing of Mike Wheeler: a role reversal needs to happen for the series to come full circle

An interesting idea struck me recently:

What if the title to episode 5x01 turns out to be “The Vanishing of Mike Wheeler” as a direct callback to “The Vanishing of Will Byers”, the pilot and starting point for everyone’s journeys in relation to their efforts to bring him back, but more specifically as the kickstarter to Mike’s main character and hero arc towards finding him in that season, because Will and Mike need to literally switch roles to complete their character arcs?

For various reasons I think that Mike Wheeler needs to become a “victim” (either as target or bait) and vanish in order to force Will’s own hero arc as the main POV into motion, simply because both of their individual arcs have been deeply intertwined from the very beginning. They mirror each other’s motivations continually as a function both of their bond as a running plot driving force and their coming of age arcs; Mike and Will are among each other’s main motivators and it’s been portrayed as such at multiple points throughout the show: in S1-2, Mike’s personal driving force was getting to Will whether physically or mentally; in S5, Will’s personal driving force would be getting Mike back from the Upside Down.

Since it’s been personally established by the Duffers that the series is a five-act story, with S3 as its middle point, and S1 and S5 have been confirmed as being direct parallels to each other (like S2 and S4 are to one another), in order for the narrative to truly come full circle I think Mike’s vanishing, if it does happen, will need to happen early on in the season, maybe in the very first episode—just like Will’s. This is the most logical path to exploring multiple plot points that were hinted at and foreshadowed along the course of S4 but which were left purposefully hanging, and I’ll explain why.

warning: long post ahead!

Mike, Will and their conversation on the upside down couch as foreshadowing

All the possible lighting symbolism and significance surrounding Mike and Will’s last private conversation of S4 taking place while they’re sitting together on a couch that’s turned upside down has already been discussed and analyzed a lot in S5 theories, so I’m going to try to cut to the chase here. I do think it’s inevitable that Will and Mike are going to finds themselves together (or even alone together) in the Upside Down in S5 because to come full circle to S1: 1) Will needs to get back down there one way or another, 2) in doing so, Will is going to need to become a savior and 3) all the seeming foreshadowing that Mike (or the Wheeler family in general) is going to be targeted next because he’s the most strategic bait to weaken the Party and get to Will and El, possibly Vecna’s main interests within the party.

However, as much as it’s inevitable that Will and Mike meet at the UD eventually, I don’t think they’re going to be together the whole time—they’re likely going to get separated again so that Will can have room to grow into his hero arc.

Mike’s plans have time and time again prevented Vecna’s (or the UD’s or whoever’s is in charge over there) from being successful (which is now pretty much general consensus that’s why Vecna waited until the night before Mike was off to California to enact his grand apocalyptic plans), so the UD needs him out of the picture again. On the other hand, Will needs to become a savior and the hero, as is foreshadowed by the intentionally ethereal and angelic lighting placed specifically over his head during their conversation on the couch, while Mike is also intentionally kept in the shadows and then shown reaching out to Will in the light. This is foreshadowing that Mike is ultimately going to need to be saved by Will in some way.

Mike’s coming of age in S1 was geared into motion by getting himself out there with the end goal of saving Will, so it’s very much a possibility that Will’s coming of age in S5 is getting himself out there with his end goal being to save Mike—and Max and the world in general. But heroes need personal motivations to deeply compel them into action and get their coming of age started, so losing Mike again due to him vanishing into the UD should act as Will’s personal motivator, as the teased main character of next season, because both of their personal arcs and growth are so deeply connected to one another’s roles in their lives.

What I really think, and my visions/theory are explained further over the next topics, is that Mike is going to be entranced and kidnapped by UD forces at some point in S5, probably somewhere around the first two episodes. In S4’s final scene, Mike and Will are placed at the center of the scene under a dark cloud being shattered by red thunder, which then cuts to Siouxsie and the Banshee’s Spellbound playing over the credits, and those lyrics are so very suspicious. I think that Hawkins either already is under some kind of a collective trance or Mike, at the center of the shot with Will, is going to get entranced and taken, since it’s been talked about officially that 5x01 starts right where 4x09 left off.

I mean, just look at this. It’s mise en scène, all deliberate CGI work and directing choices: Will and Mike are deliberately placed at the center of it all and the big red gate’s opening leads directly to Mike, touches him in a way that it doesn’t with any other character in the frame except Will, who’s right next to him.

The UD is definitely coming for Mike Wheeler because he’s a threat to Vecna’s plans since the start and is simply the best possible bait to get to Will Byers.

Karen’s “forget about college” speech to Mike in their reunion as foreshadowing

No throw away lines. Karen and Mike’s emotional reunion after the gang’s arrival in Hawkins probably flew right over most of our heads and stood out as just another one among all the sweet interactions in that sequence, but after some thinking I’ve come to suspect that it could all have been even more foreshadowing to Mike’s abduction by Vecna or some other UD force next season, much like Mike and Will’s last conversation on that upside down couch at the cabin.

Karen’s exact words to Mike, followed by a long hug and Mike smiling seemingly happy and relieved to be in the safety of his mom’s arms, are: “You are never going on vacation again, you hear me? In fact, you can forget about college. You are staying right here.”

Like I said, this could have been just a sweet familial moment with no plot significance or foreshadowing, mainly because Mike’s S4 arc is pretty much him at the lowest he’s ever been, most of his conflict revolving around his very human insecurities, fears, wants and needs. Mike’s unchecked trauma made it so that he needed reassuring throughout S4 and he mostly got it from rekindling his friendship with Will and their heart-to-hearts, but it’s also common knowledge that Mike has some severe middle child syndrome, and as much as Karen is portrayed as some kind of overbearing mother and the closest emotional bond Mike has within the family, his interactions with them are generally very detached so it’s implied that he feels unloved, unheard and unnoticed—some of the reasons why he acts like a brat constantly; a defense mechanism of sorts.

The Party very much act as Mike’s found family and the most important people to his character because Mike’s dysfunctional relationship with family has gone mostly unresolved throughout the series and has never been much of a focus to him, so maybe this short moment with Karen—a lighter parallel to all the other times he got physical comfort from her (i.e. all the times he felt like he lost Will), which were significantly gloomier—can be seen as simply a positive hint for the Duffers to finally tackle the lack of intimacy and emotional vulnerability in the Wheelers’ dynamics and the familial core of his issues in concluding his character arc.

However... I don’t think Karen’s line meant just one thing, as we know that lines in Stranger Things often convey multiple meanings and there are few things said by characters on the show that aren’t called back to later on. Because it’s common foreshadowing in fiction for characters to make one-sided promises to others about not letting anything or anyone separate them, only for that promise to not hold up at all. This kind of plot device has happened lots of times in the series already, e.g. when Mike said he couldn’t lose El again in 2x08 and 3x06, but did anyway at the end of S3 when the Byers and her moved out of state.

Karen feels like she just got her son back so she’s not losing him again, except I think that she most likely is, because Karen is likely powerless and oblivious to all the supernatural stuff going on (unless the “Karen is actually adult Alice Creel without her memories” theory comes through and turns out to be canon?), so she has no control over keeping Mike safe or not and it’s just plain wishful thinking—which I’m inclined to believe it is, what with all the documented fucked up foreshadowing that’s been following Mike around everywhere. Everything around him screams that Mike is not, in fact, going to remain safe for long.

This line feels very intentional in all the things it could mean for what’s next for Mike and the Wheeler family, and the focus it got definitely could have been to foreshadow the emotional weight in Karen’s reaction when Mike goes missing and everyone has to work together to get him back from the UD (or, that is, if the Wheelers as a whole aren’t abducted together...? 👀). Also, considering Nancy’s vision about her family being targeted, everything to do with the Wheeler interactions especially in relation to Mike feels very suspicious and I think more people should keep note of this.

Max and Mike’s absence as set up for them to be direct parallels in their importance to El, Lucas and Will

Max had to be targeted and die to further El’s and Lucas’ roles in the narrative, so it’s only logical that the same happens to Mike for Will’s, in the same vein that it happened for Mike with Will’s abduction. This, to me, would be what “coming full circle” entails.

Essentially, Max’s relationships to and dynamics with El and Lucas are the most pivotal, significant and representative to the development in both of their personal identities and growth (albeit for different reasons), just like Mike and Will are also the most important and play the most influential roles in relation to each other’s growth.

(On a side note, I’d also argue that everyone in the Party has at least two characters whose relationship to them is most representative of their personal identity and growth: Max, Hopper and Terry are the most influential to El’s; like Mike and Jonathan are the most influential to Will’s, like Will and Lucas are the most influential to Mike’s, like Max and Mike are the most influential to Lucas’, like Steve and Lucas are the most influential to Dustin’s, like Lucas and Billy are the most influential to Max’s, like Dustin and Lucas are the most influential to Erica’s etc. etc. etc.)

By getting abducted, Mike and Max would essentially be under the same circumstances because they’d both be missing in some capacity: Mike would be physically missing, while Max is physically stuck in a coma and her soul/mind is missing from her body. On the other hand, this is the perfect setup for how Lucas’ friendship with El and Will and Will/El’s sibling bond would finally be highlighted in the plot while they, along with what’s left of the Party, work together to rescue Mike and Max: the trio would have temporarily lost not only two mutually important persons to all of them, but individually the most pivotal persons to their personal character arcs.

More than that, it’d also entail coming full circle in relation to Mike and Lucas’ extremely complex dynamic and how this dynamic informs their character developments. Being the two main leadership figures within the Party, Lucas and Mike have clashed, antagonized and hurt each other (and Mike did hurt Lucas more so than the other way around with his general attitude and terrible coping mechanisms) the most since S1, but despite all that I think people often gloss over the fact that they’re the closest thing both have to actual platonic best friends. Because, as much as Will/Mike and Lucas/Max are essentially best friends in their own ways, both dynamics are actively not platonic.

Much like Max is the most pivotal to El’s path to an independent sense of identity and exploration of her wants and needs, Lucas has actually been the most pivotal character to Mike’s issues related to his performance in masculinity and sexuality from the very beginning, even though this influence was most highlighted during S3, because Lucas (who’s very much bisexual, going by his book canon, but Mike doesn’t know that lmao) is the friend which Mike looks most up to regarding how to perform self-confidence and fit in with patriarchal/heteronormative expectations. Lucas is confident, logical, levelheaded, able to balance his nerdy and athletic interests and genuinely interested in girls—I’d argue that Lucas is everything Mike wished he knew how to be naturally. Mike does look up to Lucas, seeks his validation and is influenced by him in a variety of ways, much like he looks up to Will, Dustin and El to varying degrees too.

On Lucas’ side of things and unbeknownst to Mike, over the course of S4 he’s very much been actively mirroring Mike’s struggles with juggling loyalties, wants vs. needs and relating to normalcy, only to find a hatred for it.

With Max and Mike’s absence, once again the Party are going to be forced to juggle having to spread themselves thin to try and save two people and it’s probably going to cause not only a lot of reconnecting and focus between Lucas/El/Will’s dynamics, but also a lot of conflict re: priorities, which leads us to...

Foreshadowing to the plot relevance of King and Straub’s The Talisman

If you’ve never read the book, I highly recommended this godtier masterpost about all the implications of Lucas reading it to Max in 4x09 and how The Talisman’s plot is probably the most flagging hint to Will’s S5 hero arc so far. Personally, this easter egg is one of my biggest reasons for believing that the Duffers plan on connecting S5 to S1 by making Mike and Will switch places, because Will and Jack, both Stranger Things’ and Talisman’s main teen male heroes, need to discover their powers and travel to an alternate dimension in order to save a loved one’s life while discovering themselves along the way.

On top of that, as much as Will is arguably the most selfless character in the show I really don’t think Max is going to be enough of a motivator to kick-start his individual hero journey and for him to explore his possible powers to try and save her (El already is going to be doing all that!). Max and Will have barely had interactions throughout the show despite seemingly being friends too (Max did leave him a letter, after all), so Mike needs to be the one that Will goes on a personal journey for and saves, but for that he needs to vanish and be abducted into the UD in the first place.

I’ve mentioned in the previous topic that I feel like Will and El’s sibling bond and teamwork is going to be highlighted if Mike becomes a target and goes missing, because if The Talisman really is the biggest influence to S5’s general plot then it heads both of them to paralleling Jack and Speedy’s (kind of Luke and Leia’s too) mentorship in harvesting his magic powers to go into the UD, take Vecna down and bring Mike and Max back—much like how Jack had to harvest his magical abilities to save his mother Lily and take Uncle Morgan down.

The last missing piece of proof for Byler’s endgame to a mostly unsuspecting general audience

Ultimately, Mike being abducted and put in the same role as Will was at back in S1 seems essential to me in walking the audience at large through the real possibility that Mike and Will’s bond has always been set to be built up to turn romantic at both ends and that they’ve always been planned as the main endgame couple in Stranger Things. The theory that Mike is getting Vecna’d in some capacity makes so much sense because Vecna is a villain that gets to people through their minds and Mike needs to become a victim (and not only someone else’s savior) for the audience to get to the bottom of his personal issues and trauma.

As has been pointed out by Finn himself (see video below), Mike is probably the most emotionally repressed character among the main cast: the most confiding in someone else he’s ever done always came down to him either seeking out Karen for physical comfort in hugs, the coded conversations he’s had with Will so far and crying in Nancy’s arms in the D&D comic (which isn’t even on the show and I’m not even entirely sure counts as canon content), but as an audience we don’t even know when he’s being fully open/honest or not because it’s directed and scripted to be intentionally unreliable and vague. So he needs to be entranced in some way for the audience to finally get what’s going on inside his head, similarly to how it happened to Max in S4.

The most obvious conflict left for Mike’s character to deal with has to do with his love triangle and relationships with El and Will, but there has to be more to the wrap-up of his character’s arc than choosing between love interests and calling it a day without ever looking back on his trauma and how S1’s events impacted him negatively. I believe Mike’s monologue was a plot device to mislead us by having him be misled (by Will) into thinking that he needed to try and get back together with El after she from, El’d him in 4x03, and that they need to be stuck in a romantic relationship with each other, because otherwise they’d lose any semblance of friendship or closeness forever. All the directing choices made to be subtle and the subtext that surrounds his character only make sense if we as an audience are to get acquainted with Mike’s innermost, honest, open thoughts again.

I’m not exactly sure about this but IIRC it’s been mentioned officially that S1 is regarded as Mike’s coming of age since the season is so heavily centered around him and the changes he goes through, so his and Will’s own coming of age trajectories definitely are going to be heavily paralleled either way. If S5 really is to come full circle to S1 and its dynamics, with Mike temporarily “out of the picture” I also believe that Will and El’s closer bond could become central focus to the plot progression, maybe even parallel El and Mike’s initial dynamic back when they first met and became friends and how they worked together towards one goal—getting Will back. Except this time the goal would not be to save just one person (Will), but saving Mike and Max, making the stakes significantly higher for the final season.

Everyone’s expecting Mike and El to have the time to sit down and directly breakup early in S5 (even though we’ve never gotten anything but “grey area” breakups except for when El said “I dump your ass” to him in S3, which was mostly played for laughs), but personally I’m of the opinion that they already did that in 4x03 (and I highly recommend this godtier post pointing out all the evidence that Mike and El both already accepted that their romantic relationship is unsalvageable) and also that Mike’s monologue was a plot device to actively mislead the audience into thinking that they’d get back together after (which they most likely won’t, going by El barely speaking to and ignoring him at the end of 4x09). Maybe El and Will will actually be the ones to connect and talk about the fact that she’s over the relationship and wants to move on—regardless of how Mike may feel about it.

This means tackling the issue of the love triangle itself, meaning that it’ll likely give the Duffers time to 1) make El’s actual feelings and resolve known to the audience, showing that she’s likely chosen to get over Mike and romantic plans with him and 2) decide how to settle the nature of El and Mike’s relationship.

Were they even really romantic to begin with? Was it really puppy love or just heteronormativity, both of them internalizing all the peer pressure to think they needed to promise romance to each other (for him, by Lucas, Dustin and Nancy; for her, Mike and El’s year spent watching romance tv shows) because they were boy meets girl and none of them knew any better? Are they reflecting back on all the Elliot/Et and Mike/El parallel talk to further the fallout of their romantic relationship and recontextualize it in parallel to Byler’s slow and steady development throughout the entire show?

I’m really, really interested in how they’re going to reflect back on El/Mike’s S1 dynamic, because it needs to be done in order to take a clueless general audience by the hand and walk them through a satisfying Byler endgame.

Either way, Mike Wheeler needs to be taken into the UD so he can be found again and Will should be the one who goes back there and saves him.

#mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things theory #byler theory #byler #(help this took so much work and willpower to put together and write)

[fairytwles]

Chrissy survives AU!

while in the hospital for her injuries, Eddie sneaks in to her room while her parents aren’t visiting and just talks to her, about everything and anything that’s going on. ( she’s not awake yet, Vecna’s attack left her in a short coma, but he likes to think that she can hear him, that it’s comforting her as much as it’s comforting him) Eventually he brings his guitar (not his baby, way to loud for the hospital, maybe an acoustic that he has) and plays some of her favorite songs for her. (on the drive to his place the night of the attack, Eddie asked what music she liked, it was all pop and top 40’s, and he teased her for it but he remembered every last song she mentioned. I mean, how could he not, Chrissy Cunningham, the girl he hasn’t been able to get out of his mind since she complimented him at the middle school talent show is in his van, and is laughing with him and talking about music, she said she couldn’t wait to see his band perform at the hideout.)

While he isn’t a suspected murderer like he is in the show, Jason still goes on his rampage and gets the same following from the town, so he still stays on the down-low . While he’s at Ricks, he tries to learn the songs Chrissy mentioned on the drive, and he tries even harder after he learns that music is what weakens Vecna. He practices Chrissy’s favorite song over and over and over again, to make sure it’s perfect, for 1) if Vecna decides to attack her again and 2) he wants to impress her, he definitely doesn’t want to get her favorite song wrong, bad look for his guitar skills he boasted so much about. (he’s still planning on bringing her to a corroded coffin show after all of this mess is over) not only does he practice the song till his fingers basically bleed, he makes Dustin and Co. get a tape of it at the store. the next time he visits her he brings it along with a walkman and a little note simply saying “if you feel scared again, put these on and hit play, it’ll keep you safe - E. He stuffs it in a drawer next to the bed so her mother doesn’t see it.

The upside down stuff goes as normal, Eddie still helps the crew distract the bats, still has his master of puppets, “chrissy, this is for you” moment in the upside down, but this time, he survives. He’s more driven than before, he needs this to work, he needs Nancy, Robin and Steve kill Vecna, he needs to see Chrissy again. He needs to see she’s ok so she can still come see his stupid self play guitar with his stupid band. he just needs her alive and warm and breathing and not dead, so when he climbs back up that rope he hesitates, (if he climbs back up he can visit her again, make sure she’s safe and sound in that flimsy hospital bed she’s been confined to for the past week… but the bats, they’re still flying around… Vecna’s not dead…why aren’t they dead yet?) but as he makes his decision the bats all fall to the ground, they did it.

When he gets back, Chrissy’s awake, sitting up the best she can in her bed. She’s broken up with Jason (he visited this morning, went on about how he wants Eddie arrested for the murders of poor Fred and Patrick, and the attempted murder of Chrissy. told her everything he was up to that past week, including the hunt for Eddie, and Dustin Henderson, as well as straight up threatening Lucas Sinclair, and apparently she wasn’t having it. dumped him right then and there not only for that whole mess, but a multitude of other things she wasn’t brave enough to break up with him for before) she tells Eddie she couldn’t hear much while she was out, but she could her his guitar playing her favorite songs, and insists she has to go to multiple of his shows now (if you learned those in a couple days imagine how amazing you are on stage!!). They don’t talk about the upside down much, she’s not ready yet, but neither is he truthfully, one day, her and Eddie will sit down and talk about everything that happened, today is not that day. but he does fill her in on the basics of what happened to her, that the big bad is definitely dead, and who helped kill him, so she doesn’t have to be afraid anymore. She hugs him as tight as she can with her free arm (the other is in a cast, which she plans on having everyone in the party sign, she also insisted on meeting every last person who helped in this, She tells Eddie that he gets first picks at signing her cast though) and says thank you more times than he can count. They talk for hours and hours, and by the end of it, they’ve made a plan, well Chrissy made a plan and Eddie full heartedly agreed.

“once i’m out of this hospital we’re gonna make up lost time”

Theyre gonna make mixtapes for eachother, and watch movies, and talk about DnD and cheer,and drive around, and go to shows and just exist with eachother.

they can’t get out of this hospital soon enough.

#chrissy cunningham #chrissy x eddie #chrissy stranger things #stranger things #chrissy survives AU! #stranger things 4 #eddie munson #dustin henderson #vecna #hellcheer #this was supposed to be like 3 sentences #whoops #i couldn’t decide on chrissy’s favorite song so i simply didn’t put one #chrissy this is for you #my post #hellcheer fanfic #hellcheer fanfiction #edissy

[strangertheories]

Reading the 4.09 script reminded me that the Russians called the MF’s particles "the shadow". Now the play is being called "the first shadow" , it has to be related. But how is it possible? How Hawkins could have been affected, before El opened a gate between the 2 dimensions, by something that we know was originally a big cloud in Dimension X? Any idea?

I'll put a "keep reading" thing here, because this post gets long but I'd appreciate a read! It talks about Henry Creel, Hawkins history, Will Byers, the potential impact on S5 and the ending of the show.

I think there is something Upside Down-y going on with the Creel House. Victor Creel mentioned that young Henry was very sensitive and automatically disliked the house. We see the lights flickering randomly when Henry isn't using his powers. There are shots of random objects in the attic that are also prominent on posters but remain unexplained, such as the wheelchair. Hell, Vecna still hangs around in that attic when the vines go into his back and he goes into Vecna mode.

I also think there is something to be said about curses. S4 has an episode called Vecna's Curse. Hopper says he feels like he's cursed. Joyce's maiden name in the show literally translates to bad luck. The promo of the play heavily features a black cat, which is associated with bad luck as well.

Something about Hawkins in general and the Creel House in specific is kind of doomed, and I think the link to the UD could be the case. The boundaries between the Upside Down and Hawkins get weakened each time a gate opens which the Russians explicitly say and is also the reason why Vecna needed four gates to make his mega gate, so maybe in the past someone was able to open a gate in the Creel House attic, hence why it just has this weird vibe around it that even young Henry could pick up on.

The advertising heavily promotes that this play contains a key to figuring out S5, so that could be it. Maybe the season would even end with them destroying Hawkins (this post speaks about it) due to how strongly it's linked to the Upside Down, like in It Chapter 2 or even Buffy. 1959 (when the play is set) is also 27 years before Vecna's come back in 1986, an It parallel as well, if unintentional. There will also be a time skip in S5, meaning something will have to spring the now older kids back into action after Vecna lay dormant so they can kill him once and for all, again paralleling It.

I almost wonder if he had true sight and if he was like Will in that aspect. Will can sense the mind flayer, even before he is possessed, and can feel his presence. He was also described as sensitive. Maybe young Henry somehow interacted with the Upside Down, and became the flee in the acrobat and the flee metaphor. This could explain the first shadow being the mind flayer's presence even if the dust itself wasn't there. Alternatively, he could just be able to sense it without needing to know the mind flayer. Perhaps the mind flayer is linked with the Creel House or the attic, and Henry feels its presence.

This could also help to explain the many Will/Henry parallels. Will is a sensitive child, able to sense supernatural occurrences, shunned by society for his inability to conform to bullshit social rules. Henry is the same. I don't know if this could also foreshadow Will making the Upside Down into what it is now, like Vecna moulding the mind flayer or Will having powers, but I do think it's worth mentioning, especially with that shot of Will moving his eyes from side to side in S2 like Eleven and Henry do when they use their powers.

And I agree with your point that the shadow refers to the mind flayer. It's relevant to note that the mind flayer was called the shadow monster by the kids too before Dustin related it to the D&D monster. I'm excited for the play to come out so I can find out more and I will be praying for bootlegs before I'm able to see it myself.

Alternatively, we saw the mind flayer dust just looming in a clump in the UD before Vecna sculpted it (I don't have a screen cap sorry so you'll just have to trust me). Maybe the first shadow references the shadow looming over Hawkins in the form of the mind flayer's dust being in a cloud about the town. I'll raise you one further and say that the mind flayer's location in the UD was in fact where the Creel House is, hence why the supernatural presence in that house and attic is so strong. Again, just a guess, but I'm going to say every thought I have in case I'm right.

Thanks a lot for the ask, sorry it took me a while to answer! I haven't theorised in ages which is unfortunate because that's what I made by blog to do. I'm so excited for the new content this play will provide! Side note: I can't be the only one who reads MF as motherfucker before mind flayer (no disrespect to the anon though).

#stranger things theory #st theory #vecna #will byers #henry creel #mind flayer #will byers has powers #stranger things #first shadow #stranger things: the first shadow #st5 #st5 theory #byler #<- target audience #st5 speculation

[willel]

Hi! What do you think about theories saying that Will be the key to defeat Vecna/UD once and for all? TBH, I'm conflicted. I'd love to have more Will moments (especially with El and the Byers) and be Superspy, but at the same time I think El should be the one to finish it/him. I know the UD is stuck on the day Will went missing/is connected to it and he's very siminar to 001, but El banished Henry there years before the kidnapping and they have unfinished business as welll...

I've made a few of those theories myself.

To be clear, the theory is not that Will is gonna do all the work and completely eradicate Vecna all by himself. That's ridiculous.

The idea is that Will is an integral part in defeating him, and when he does whatever role he has to play, it will ultimately lead to Vecna's downfall.

Yes, El and Vecna go way back and have some unfinished business, but Will has been tormented by this guy for 2-3 years at this point. Vecna was literally in his mind and body for a time, the two of them were one (I feel gross saying that) and Will suffered for it.

El deserves to punch him in the face, which has twice now. I just want Will to get a lick in.

Let's go over a hypothetical game plan, a fake one I'm making up. I think I've spoke about it before, but why not again.

So from what we know, Vecna is in at least two place at once. His actual body, which is currently injured and probably hiding somewhere, and his mental body.

In season 4, Max distracted the mental body so that the rest of them could attack the real body. El, in order to protect Max, went to fight the mind body too.

But let's switch it up. Maybe in season 5, El needs to go and find the real body to destroy that and someone else needs to go into the mind and distract him? A dangerous situation, but not else can be done because El NEEDS to destroy the body.

Not only that, even if his body is in a bad state, he's still more powerful than her usually except moments when she has high positive emotion. What can they do about that?

My theory is that Vecna is so powerful do to all the souls he has stolen this far. His mom, his sister, Chrissy, Patrick, Fred, and all the numbered children? All their pain and sorry have amplified his own pain and sorrow, making him more powerful. Unlike El, he draws strength from negative emotions.

Maybe El remembers him telling her that. That everyone is not gone, but in his head? In that case, they not only need someone to go into his mind, but they need someone to free the souls that are trapped there, thereby weakening him.

And what do you know, we have the perfect candidate, William Byers, who is still psychically connected to Vecna's mind!

So the plan is as follows:

El, the "Superhero", must find Vecna (probably with Will's help) and confront his physical form head on, psychic against psychic.

Will, the "Superspy", must sneak into Vecna's mind in the mean time and cut loose all the souls he has captured, thereby slowly giving El the upperhand.

Of course, being in Vecna's mind is a dangerous place to be and Will won't have an easy time if he gets found out before the battle is engaged. Not to mention what trouble he'll have to deal with when Vecna realizes what he's doing in there.

Only when Will and El have both played their parts will Vecna finally be defeated.

Or something.

Will will still get his revenge for all the pain and suffering he's been through. El can finally put the nail in the coffin once and for all, ending her and Will's torment at last.

#stranger things #willel #will byers #el hopper #vecna #henry creel #theory #ask

[aemiron-main]

smthn smthn “when it’s cold i’d like to die” smthn smthn “he likes it cold” smthn smthn “cold as ice”  cold as ice is seemingly the milkvan breakup song but i actually think it’s will pov towards mike.  especially considering that like i’ve talked about before, “she’s got you” that plays during a jopper s3 scene in melvalds doesn’t make any sense for jopper/that scene, just like how ‘cold as ice’ doesn’t really make sense for the melvin breakup, because it’s played for laughs, and “cold as ice” is about someone who is being materialistic and selfish (we JUST watched mike try and buy a material apology for el instead of actually apologize + then yknow all of his behaviour in s3 towards both will and el and being selfish).  Like el doesn’t see mike as being cold as ice in that scene because she’s the one breaking up with him, and she’s laughing over it and having a blast. And like with the jopper scene, and how ‘she’s got you’ doesnt apply to that exact moment in time for will, but rather, the other scenes of will looking at mike with el and also the castle byers scene, i don’t think that the melvin breakup scene is WHEN ‘cold as ice’ is from will’s pov, but rather, I think it’s during the rain fight scene.  And i think it’s a double meaning, i think it applies to milkvan because the song is about superficiality and materialism + was by foreigner’s own words, one of the more commercial songs they’d written, but I also think that the content of the song applies more towards will’s pov towards mike than it does towards the milkvan breakup.  Like here’s the main thing, bc i feel like i’m getting convoluted: -the song’s lyrics do not apply to El when she is breaking up with mike because she is not being cold but more importantly, SHES NOT BEING SUPERFICIAL OR MATERIALISTIC!! she’s breaking up with him for very real, important reasons related to the way that he treats her.  -the song’s lyrics DO apply towards mike’s actions and him being materialistic and selfish, but the lyrics of the song also DONT apply to him because they’re about the girl/person doing the breaking-up being the selfish/materialistic one and leaving their partner for selfish/materialistic reasons and mike is not the one doing the breaking-up with in his relationship with el, because she breaks up with him -the perfect middle ground here is if the song’s lyrics are from will’s pov towards mike, like a breakup scenario (even tho theyre not technically together they def have breakup vibes in s3 esp with the rain fight), then mike is the one doing the breaking-up AND he’s the one being materialistic/selfish. it’s the only scenario where both elements of the song fit into place because they don’t fit with el and they don’t fit with mike from el’s pov (again bc she’s the one breaking up with him) but they DO fit with mike from will’s pov.  especially considering that the other foreigner song is ‘waiting for a girl like you,” and plays during the stancy vs  barb’s death scene and barb’s unrequited love for nancy but also nancy ignoring barb in favor of steve, much like mike ignoring Will in favour of El.  “when it’s cold i’d like to die” “cold as ice” (mike is being cold) being applied to mike and will/especially the rain fight “he (the mindflayer) likes it cold” (will feels the mindflayer again right after the rain fight)  Now my memory of s3 is hazy, but isn’t it a little weird that Will doesn’t feel the mindflayer until that castle byers scene? because it’s been active long before that throughout s3, so why right then??? maybe it’s because he’s weakened emotionally, like how vecna stalks and torments his victims to cause them emotional pain and then strikes. i don’t think that vecna influenced the rain fight or anything, but rather, maybe that emotional pain makes will more susceptible to that connection/makes the connection stronger.  will wants to die when its cold -> will is cold when mike/someone hurts him emotionally -> the mindflayer likes the cold/likes the emotional pain, just like how vecna strikes on victims who are in emotional pain/puts his victims through emotional pain in order to strike plus, like i said, another foreigner song plays when barb dies. the emotional pain of what happened with nancy making barb more vulnerable to being taken by vecna/the ‘demogorgon’.

#st music #st soundtrack #stranger things #vanishing of will byers #tagging that bc this is connected somehow i think #will byers #st analysis

[reikunrei]

the more i think about it, the less i think i want Will to have any powers at all...

like, just thinking about it in relation to his character, and also to El's, and to Vecna/Henward and the story as a whole... i find it harder and harder to place Will having powers into it?

like... he is an extremely non-violent character, and while his powers don't necessarily have to be like that of El or Henry which involve violence sometimes, i just... have trouble imagining what else they could take the form of. (which is just on me more than anything, but still.) the only thing i can really think of that would make everything come full circle is "casting" a protection "spell" like he almost did in season 1 in their campaign. but imo that wouldn't even require him to have any real "powers."

i'm just a total sucker for "he uses his sense of love, kindness, and understanding to save the day." like he doesn't use any sort of magical/psychic powers, but his steadfast love protects him and his friends from harm; they create an "armor" that Vecna can't break through. (kind of like It, how the Losers weaken It by basically laughing in its face and not letting the fear take over. i'm in the middle of reading It rn so i don't remember exactly how it all works lmao sorry)

and again to go back to his non-violent nature, he's a smart kid. he doesn't need brawn to fight back. he can run, he can hide, he can outsmart the bad guy.

and that leads me into how this relates to El and Vecna: i feel like it would be fitting for both of them to learn they're not "superior" just because they have their abilities. like, for the sake of El, she doesn't need to have powers to be powerful, to be a "superhero" if she wants to be one from time to time, she can just be herself, and that alone makes her worthy of love and praise. and Vecna doesn't belong on his high horse just because he has these powers; they don't make him better than anyone else. and he needs to understand that he is just like everyone else, and someone simply holding out a helping hand is all he needs. and i feel like Will should be that person. Vecna's true opponent isn't someone who's on his level, like El, imo. his true opponent and the one who will really change him is someone who is simply kind to him.

and isn't that what the whole story is about? about being kind to each other and accepting each other, no matter the differences or the grievances? people do bad things sometimes, but it's always better to try and understand them rather than simply condemning them to death. life is messy, we're all human, we make mistakes, and we simply have to learn to grow from them.

now, I’ve seen plenty of "Will with powers" theories and the ideas of what they might be, and I’m not opposed to it at all, bc I trust they’ll be handled in a way that’s good both for him and for the story. earlier i even mentioned the "outsmarting the bad guy" discussion that he and Joyce have in season 1, and he says there that he needs the fireballs because sometimes the bad guys are smart, too. cool! maybe Will has some sort of power involving light and fire, which would work thematically with the interactions with the lights (maybe Will was the the one who made that happen and it isn't something default to the UD) and the constant connections between Will and sunlight.

but again... does that mean he has to have actual powers? or is Will, himself, the "light"? is Will and his kind nature all that they need to break through to Henry and Edward? we've already been shown that physical violence will not work against Vecna. he was turned into a flaming slice of swiss cheese and he still got up and walked away. we’ve even been shown that he can’t be defeated by psychic abilities, since the main timeline(s) we see don’t result in his actual death in HNL, so why would Will need psychic abilities to defeat him?

idk i just... think it's interesting and i'm curious to see where it goes. because while it could and would make sense for him to have powers of some kind, i feel like it would also be extremely satisfying if his "power" was simply being himself: a kind, sensitive, and simple boy who just wants to find love and happiness. like, if his arc is about learning he's allowed to want love, and he's deserving of love, then why not have him extend that to Vecna?

in short, i think a lot of my thoughts and questions about it boils down to: what does it bring to the story as a whole? what makes it necessary that he have powers like El and Henry? what kind of message does it send to the audience? what is the purpose?

#ramble ramble ramble idk if I’m making any sense!!! #ive just been thinking about this a lot lately and had to put my thoughts out into words #i say things #will byers #stranger things #watch me come back and edit this 5000 times throughout the day as i remember more things that change my opinion #bc that always fucking happens lmao #also thinking about hxh ‘gon. you are light. sometimes it’s so bright I have to look away’

[cazperx-x]

Okay so I just watched the newest film theory video about stranger things, (you can watch it here, but I would like to think you don't need to watch it to read this) and it gave me an idea for a short byler thingy :)

The Plan

Warnings: mentions/acts of death, suicide, cursing, blood, murder, just overall lots of potentially triggering content

Note: Max is un-coma'd in this bc i said so. Also I think I definitely used a much more poem-y style when writing this, especially with the

t

h

i

n

g

s

like that

1.5k words, I also didn't really edit this- also the moment you go to put this in your masterlist and realize you didn't give it a name

"W-what?! You can't be serious." Everyone was staring at him. At the boy with the bowl cut he'd grown too old for, the boy with the striped shirts. 

The boy in love with Michael Wheeler.

"El?" Will squeaked out, turning to the girl with tears in his eyes. But she wouldn't meet his eyes. Will frantically looked around, eyes darting to someone, anyone, who would look him in the eye.

"Mike?" 

Mike dropped his head down lower in an attempt to hide the tears forming. 

Everyone could hear Will's shakey breathes

In

Out

In

Out

He grabbed his bag, rushed out of the room, and started running. Out of Michael Wheeler's basement, out of sight. To where? Anywhere but here.

Just five minutes earlier, Will had been filled with hope. 

Dustin, Lucas, Mike, and Steve had come back with news. Big ones. They knew how to get rid of Vecna. 

Phylacteries

The thing keeping him immortal. As long as it was intact, Vecna would survive. So that's it, right? Simple? Just find his phylactery, destroy it, and then kill Vecna. 

How do you find the phylacteries? Well, Vecna's connected to the Mindflayer's hive mind. To add on, once something connected to the hive mind is killed, like a Demogorgon, it weakens Vecna. 

Seems easy right?

Just find the last remaining thing on the hive mind that's still living, that's thriving, and kill it.

Wait.

Oh.

Will Byers.

In order to kill Vecna, they had to kill Will Byers. 

The boy they'd spent so long trying to keep alive. 

The boy Eleven had risked her life to save

Was now the boy Eleven had to kill

For the greater good?

~~~

"Fuck no!" Mike pushed the sharp blade back towards Max, his hands trembling as hot tears streamed down his face. 

"L-look, I don't want to do this either. But Mike, it's the greater good."

"Mike. It's for our family. Do you remember what I saw? What Vecna showed me? Mom, dad, Holly, a-and even you, dead. But if we stop him, we can stop our family and so many other people from dying." Nancy sniffled, sitting on the couch next to Robin. 

"Well, w-why do I have to do it? Why not Eleven? She’s the Kas in this situation after all-"

"He won't suspect you." Dustin piped up. He'd been oddly quiet this entire conversation. In fact, the only people really talking were Max and Nancy. 

"He trusts you the most out of all of us Mike. " El gave him a small smile, trying her best to be comforting. 

"Eleven! You spent so much time and effort to get Will out of the upside down, and now you just want to kill him?!"

"It is not my fault Will is on the hive mind. There is nothing else we can do." 

"Oh yeah? Well, maybe it is. Ever think that maybe you didn't find him quick enough? Maybe if you had tried just a bit harder you could've gotten him out of the upside down sooner?" 

El went quiet, and Mike was visibly very upset. 

"Look, Mike, no one's going to make you kill him. B-but if you don't I will-"

"Max!" Lucas interrupted, standing up from the couch. 

"Look. J-just think about it, okay?" Max gently placed the knife back in Mike's hands, and everyone quietly left the room. 

~~~~

Will found himself somewhere he thought he'd left behind. 

The backyard of his old home. 

The house itself seemed pretty empty, probably because almost everyone in Hawkins had decided to leave with the whole ground opening and revealing a hell dimension thing. 

But Will didn't stay by the house

He found himself in the backyard. 

Where Castle Byers used to be

It took him back to that night

Its

      Not

My

      Fault

You

      Don't

Like

       Girls

Will sighed, sitting on the cold ground. 

Where else could he go?

He couldn't tell Joyce- She'd probably go crazy knowing practically everyone he talked to wanted him dead. 

He'd been there for who knows how long, thinking.

Should I be dead?

Should I just kill myself to get it over with?

Will they really go through with it? Will El really kill me?

Suddenly Will was dragged from his thoughts when he heard leaves crunching and twigs snapping. 

He started panicking, tears building in his eyes. 

"Will?"

It was Mike. Relief flooded Will as he heard his voice, it was someone he could trust. Right?

Mike knelt down next to Will, making sure he hid the knife in his back pocket. 

It was for the greater good, right?

"Kinda crazy huh? All...well, this?" Mike tried to chuckle, but the sound came out dry and muffled. 

"I-I, I should've just died down there." Will choked out, hot tears streaming down his face. 

Mike's eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"The upside down. You guys worked so hard t-to try and save me, a-and for what?"

"No no no Will, you have it all wrong. You're amazing, okay, and we would've tried anything to get you out. I would've tried anything."

"B-but why? For s-someone like m-me? I'm such a b-burden, I-I should just kill myself-" 

Mike slowly reached for the knife in his pocket. 

This didn't feel right.

He shouldn't do it. 

He couldn't do it.

"Look, Will Byers. You are the best person I've ever met, and the day you went missing was the worst day of my life. S-sometimes I still think about that night. S-should we of played longer? Should I have convinced my mom to let you sleep over? Asked my parents to d-drive you home?"

"B-but why? I-i'm not worth this much e-effort-"

"Will. Listen to me,"

Mike was crying too. Hot tears streaming from his face, and he turned to face Will, and put a hand on his shoulder. 

"I-I," Will stuttered. 

"Please, please don't talk about yourself like that ever again." Mike choked out. He slowly grabbed the end of the knife, moving it to where Will wouldn't notice in front of him.

This was a good way to do it right?

Make him feel good, tell the truth, then quickly do it? 

"I-I- I love you, Mike." Will sniffled.

Mike froze. 

Was that what you call it?

That deep feeling in his gut?

No, it couldn't be

He's straight

Right?

But he thought back to that Halloween night when they were 12

And to the day he thought, Will was dead when they were 11

Was all he felt platonic?

Swallowed by his emotions, Mike forgot about the knife, that was still standing blade up

About his plan 

About Vecna

About what his sister saw

And it pulled Will into an embrace 

..................................

The knife, still standing blade up

Blood

O-oh god

It was everywhere 

Dark crimson-colored liquid spilled everywhere 

Like dark, thick paint

Spilling off the canvas

A beautiful canvas, that hadn't been finished

A canvas that was still being painted 

"M-Mike?" Will stuttered, the black paint flowing from his mouth, covering his pretty lips. 

"No, no no no no no. I-i can't lose you. Y-you're gonna be okay."

"W-was this your plan a-all along?" The boy's words were muffled, plant stopping the words from coming up

"O-of course not. I-I just got you back no no no. You're gonna be okay Will. W-we'll get you to the hospital, a-and I'm sure Dustin's theory w-was wrong and-" Mike gulped, preparing for the words he was about to speak. The words he meant. "I love you, Will Byers. And I'm so, so sorry for how much of an ass I've been to you these past 2 years. Please, please forgive me."

Mike cupped Will's face in his hands. 

"W-will? A-are you there? Can you hear me?!" Mike was frantic now, watching the blood pool around them.

"I-i'm so-orry mike." Will stuttered out. 

Mike pulled Will's face closer. So close their lips were touching. 

a boy and a boy's lips were touching

But it was silent. 

"No, nonononono Will please, please Will stay with me."

The s 

..........o

.............u

...............n

...................d

of nothing

had never

been

so

loud. 

It felt like Mike was choking. On air, on tears on paint, and on blood. Blood that was not his own. Blood that was never meant to be seen outside its body. 

Michael Wheeler was a monster. 

Monster

M o n s t e r 

M-O-N-S-T-E-R

He murdered the only boy that ever loved him. 

He murdered the only boy he ever loved. 

And it was very

very

very 

possible

The boy had not lived enough to feel

Michael Wheeler

Do the one thing

He thought of

doing

The one thing

To prove

He wasn't lying

To the one boy

He had ever loved

Mike was holding Will's hand, tears staining his face. Tears made of blood, tears made of pain, tears made of regret and longing. 

Tears made of darkness, slowly engulfing the two. 

Swallowing up the trees, the forest, the grass, everything until all Michael could see was the boy's closed eyes, a single beam of sun illuminating them. 

Michael was engulfed in the darkness, falling but staying still all the same. 

A knife. 

Bright red from the boy's blood.

Still sharp.

Suitable for one more use. 

Mike stood there, shaking in the darkness.

Just him

Just Will

All his faults 

The words he couldn't take back

And with this 

He picked up the knife

And righted

A

Cruel

Cruel

Wrong

#byler #byler fic #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #st4 #michael wheeler #will x mike #stranger things season 4 #stranger things 4 #stranger things volume 2

[ineffable-hubbiewubbies]

Picking up where Season 4 left off…

TW: Major Character Death, Suicide

Michael…

He shivers, coming back to himself and finally recognizing where he is. His own mind.

Oh, fuck.

Michael, Michael, Michael.

He hated the use of his full name, how his father addresses him, “What do you want from me, you dick?!?!”

I just want to talk. And I want you to listen.

“Why don’t you fuck off back to the Upside Down and leave me the hell alone? What do you even want with me, anyways? I’m useless.”

Oh, but you aren’t. Don’t you remember what he said?

Suddenly he saw Will, Will with his tearful eyes and passionate conviction, “Don’t stop, okay, you’re the heart, okay? Remember that. You’re the heart!”

The memory blinked away, but the words were seared into his brain forever.

He told you that. Him. He believes in you, Michael. He trusts you. And yet, all you do, all you’re capable of doing, is hurting him.

“What the hell are you talking about?”

You can feign ignorance, Michael, but we both know the truth.

A memory appeared before him. Two young boys yelling at each other in his garage on a dreary, rainy afternoon.

“You’re ruining our party!”

“That’s not true!”

“Really? Where’s Dustin right now?”

Young Mike paused, guilt-striken.

“See! You don’t know, you don’t even care, and he doesn’t either and I don’t blame him! You’re destroying everything and for what? So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?”

“El’s not stupid! It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”

An agonizing pause. Present Mike winced with regret. Young Will looked betrayed.

“I’m not trying to be a jerk, okay? But we’re not kids anymore. I mean what did you think, really? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? That we were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?”

“Yeah, I guess I did. I really did.”

Young Will biked away, and Vecna gestured towards him as if to say, “See? See what you do?”

Mike opened his mouth to argue when another memory appeared. Blue and yellow lights, upbeat music, but the storm brewing in both their eyes outweiged all of the surrounding joy.

“Oh, so you’re mad that I didn’t talk to you? Seems like you made it super clear that you’re not interested in anything I have to say.”

“That’s just not true!”

“You called maybe a couple times! Meanwhile El has like, a book of letters from you.”

“That’s because she’s my girlfriend, Will!”

“And us?”

“We’re friends! We’re. Friends.”

“Well we used to be best friends!”

“Well then maybe you should’ve reached out more, I don’t know! But why is this on me? Why am I the bad guy?!”

Once again, Will deflates, looking shattered. The memory slowly dematerializes, and Mike and Vecna are alone again in the recesses of Mike’s head. The lump in his throat was tight, and it was only getting tighter.

But they weren’t done yet. Now appeared two boys in the back of a smelly pizza van, driving in the middle of the desert. One of them had tears in their eyes. The other looked positively lovestruck.

“So yeah, El needs you, Mike, and she always will.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

He turned away, and only then could Mike hear the quiet sobs coming from the other side of the van. Vecna led him over to face Will. Mike froze. After everything Will had been through, the kidnapping, the nightmares, the possession, everything, Mike had never seen him cry like this, like the pain was choking him. He felt nauseous.

Do you understand now, Michael? Do you see how much you hurt him? How much you hurt my boy?!

“Will isn’t yours, you fucking twisted creep!! Just ‘cause you planted yourself into his fucking head doesn’t make him yours!!” Mike’s throat hurt from yelling.

You’re right, for now. Will is only mine if he chooses to be… but that comes later. Now, right now is the time to get rid of the one person who weakens him, who beats him down, the reason for his tears when he’s all alone in his room every night. His cries are so loud, they invade my thoughts. He couldn’t contain the pain right next to you. You do this to him, Michael. You can never say the right thing, can you?-

Mike’s panting now and his hands are balled into fists, nails digging into his palms, “SHUT UP!!”

-You bumble around like a fool until you hurt him again, you project your insecurities onto him like he’s a blank canvas that you get to paint. But guess what, Michael? He’s the artist. Not you. You weaken him. You distract him. He can never reach his full potential, can never be happy with you around. Haven’t you noticed that his best art was created when you weren’t there?

Mike remembered the painting. Him leading the party, heart on his shield, fighting a beautiful, menacing red dragon. The message behind it was lost on him for the moment, forgetting that he gave someone the courage to fight on, forgetting that he didn’t weaken Will, but strengthen him.

It’s about time you quit holding him back….

Don’t you agree?

Mike couldn’t find it in himself to speak. All he could do was stare vacantly ahead, eyes dead and drowning in self hatred, just like in his basement for weeks on end not so long ago.

If you love him, Michael, you will not let yourself hurt him again.

Mike stood rooted in his spot, all muscles tense with agony, but with no energy to sob like he wanted to.

Vecna approached him slowly, almost gently, until they were face to face, less than an arm’s length away. He lifted his hand and materialized a sword, a shiny, beautiful sword with a gold carved hilt, eerily like the one Mike had always imagined using in campaigns.

Vecna slid his hand down it until it reached the tip, and held the hilt out to Mike.

You know what you have to do.

A sob finally escaped his lips, and he nodded stiffly, taking the sword in hand. He allowed himself a moment longer to admire it, took a shaky breath, closed his eyes, and brought the blade to his neck.

For Will, he thought.

—————————

“MIIIIKE!!!!!!!”

Will shook the body that had collapsed in the middle of the meadow.

“Mike, please!!!!” he screamed between wild sobs, hands trembling over the bloody throat. He was numb to his mother’s fierce hug, blind to his dad and sister and brother surrounding him closely.

All he could see were his own bloodied hands, and his best friend lying dead on the ground, eyes rolled to the back of his head, red sword that seemingly appeared out of thin air clutched in his stiff hand.

Mike didn’t succeed in his mission, his mission to stop hurting Will. In fact, it was the last thing he ever did. But Vecna was one major step closer to fulfilling his: Obtain Will Byers, and unleash his true potential. He would be angry enough, now.

#mike gets vecnad (??) #kind of #will byers has powers #angst #seriously this is not for the faint of heart #please read the tw #putting another one in here #tw: major character death #tw: suidice #byler #byler fic #idek if the dialogue is in character im so tired #but whatever #read if you want #maybe its good #i wanted to write something similar to the quarry scene #but sadder #this has probably been done like a million times #but heres my contribution

[15lehna]

Honestly I feel you, this arc has me so confused!!

Here’s a few things I found:

According to the books: “Tharizdun is believed to be chained in the deepest pits of the Abyss, bound by divine shackles that slowly weaken, leaking its madness into the planes.”

Also him being the Devine gate is not posible in the wiki it says that: “It is feared that the nature of Tharizdun, being unlike the other divinities, could shatter the Divine Gate alone if unleashed. No one knows how few shackles must remain to keep it at bay.”

This campaign for me I didn’t liked it at first, loved the mighty nein so much. But now it’s growing on me and this past couple of episodes have been so good.

They kind of said that it being the devine gate was a theory. And someone pointed out to me that it might be more of a 1st draft of the devine gate. But so my other thought is that even if Tharizdun is chained up deep in the Abyss. They did say that Ruidus wasn't always on Exandria and it just started showing up in the feywild. In campaign 2 Obaan was actively working on freeing the chained oblivion that's why he woke up so many creatures and took Yasha. And we know that others before him tried to do the same, sometimes not even knowing they were working for Tharizdun. So what if after all the tries of the many followers he had. They managed to weaken his chains. And that that's why Ruidus is showing up in the feywilds because his prison is bleeding into other realms. And with the solstice happening it's making it stronger.

And with what we know about the betrayer gods, and the leylines because of exu: calamity. It's just so much information.

And i'm gonna be honnest i don't know that much about dnd all that i learned is from watching all the critical role campaigns and the dimension 20 ones plus some other shows but they never really focused on the betrayer gods. So aside from Uk'otoa, Vecna and Tharizdun and I guess Asmodeus and the spider queen a little bit. I'm not super versed in them. So my theories could be completely wrong and proven wrong easily.

I honnestly miss the mighty nein so much maybe that's why i'm so focused on Tharizdun. I'm so attached to c2 since it was my introduction to d&d and i binged very fast. And by the time I started watching so since ep 117 I knew them.So it was really hard to let go of the characters and try to enjoy bell's hells as much. But now I do love them a lot maybe not as much. But yeah so now i just have so many theories and i'm stuck with them since I'm watching it live and we're still just at the beginning.

#critical role #c3e31 spoilers #critical role spoilers #c3 spoilers #the mighty nein

[protagonistheavy]

Well I fully finished Stranger Things 4 and still very much of the opinion that this sucked and is a pretty eye-rolling near-end to a charming series. So many moments still stand out to me as being these glaring plot holes or inconsistencies or questions without answers (nor the intrigue to make you come up with your own answers). Dynamics between characters are horribly mismatched, and the cast is just way too bloated to even give everyone their fair share of attention. Some scenes feel so nonsensical with how they contribute almost nothing and can yet eat up ~10 minutes of runtime.

And overall, everything is just so over-the-top. Season 1 was so captivating because of its subtleties and eerie atmosphere, it was quiet so it could really startle you with surprises that meant something, it kept you intrigued. But all of the mystery is so artificial here, everything explained aloud like it's a comic book, all of the suspense tainted by awkward characters that, quite honestly, have never truly gelled with the rest of the cast -- mostly because they were burdened with overbearing personalities that gradually stretched the reality of the story into seeming more and more like a cartoon.

There are so many scattered things to complain about... The absolute nonsense that was Susie's house and that entire scene, the terrible handling of the Nancy/Steve/Jonathon romance plot, Robin falling in love with a near-exact clone of herself, Argyle's dumb pothead aspects, and my GOD the ENTIRETY of the Russian plotline -- a huge waste of time, an entirely different movie of events that simply didn't need to happen and had zero correlation with everything else happening. It was a pointless division of the cast, separating characters from the dynamics that deserve attention, and throwing them into the wacky shenanigans of two Russian nobodies that the story will grab you by the neck to try and make you sympathize with. Seriously, the most this plot connects to the rest of the story is that they think they can help the kids by hurting the demogorgon and demodogs, which ultimately doesn't really add any effect that wasn't already ongoing: its not like they severed Vecna's connection in some way, or meaningfully weakened him, they're just one more simultaneous attack in a scene that easily could have been executed without them.

Okay and another thing. Maybe I missed a detail about this. But why the fuck are gates suddenly such a difficult thing to create... when in season 1, we clearly had the Demogorgon making portals all over the place, without consequence. Several times, the characters go through these portals and back -- are these special portals that Vecna is making? Because his dialogue really seems to insist that he just, like, didn't know a way to get to the normal world. Some more weird questions: what the fuck even is the upside-down? Is it NOT a parallel version of the real world? When did it BECOME one? Like, we have Nancy point out that her bedroom is as it was several years ago, implying the upside-down Hawkins was made when the Hawkins Lab made their own portal... but then Vecna resides in the haunted house, which is as it was when he lived there... right? Or.... ??? this ticks me off so much lmao it feels like Im either an idiot for missing an explanation, or the writers are just confusing me with weird misinformation as they try to figure it out themselves.

It feels like evidence that the Duffer bros did not actually have a clear image of the total series, which seems to contradict what theyve told fans, suggesting they've already had this whole plot figured out since season one. that just seems so ridiculous to me lol when there's so many points within the story thus far that feel like the writers either had to make-up on the spot, or certainly did not see themselves writing when they first wrote season one. I mean good god are you really going to convince me that in season one, they had planned out that one day, Mike and Jonathon and Will and their stoner friend Argyle would have to go visit Susie, whose home is a total riot of eccentric siblings that they get the assistance of in order to hack the government and locate a secret underground base? Im sorry but it's clear to me they've been playing with mystery boxes that they didn't know the answers to, and that's fine! I get it that writers have to adapt to their own stories, or that they might create mysteries without yet knowing the answer, but these answers they've been coming up with are not great answers lol. This is just so not how these characters shouldve developed, not the plot that shouldlve happened.

God, and the whole plotline with Brenner................ I dont have the time to keep complaining but man, almost any angle I try to remember this season, I just recall either a glaring disappointment, or how that scene was played out really weird.

[moderndaybard]

CR Inktober, Day 7

FAVORITE SPELL: (VEX’AHLIA’S) SPEAK WITH ANIMALS

 (AN: As I don’t have a favorite of my own, I just went with what I assumed a character’s fav would be—even if it’s not the one we see them cast most often.)

 Vex’s hands were running through his fur, finding all his favorite spots, petting and scratching with her usual gentleness. And, as usually happened, he began to speak to him. “Trinket, darling, you know I love you, right?”

She wouldn’t understand his words, but he’d respond anyway: he knew she understood what he meant. “Of course I do.”

Abruptly, the petting stopped as Vex covered her mouth with a little gasp. Trinket look to her, instantly alert. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing—nothing’s wrong,” she choked out, grabbing the sides of his face and pressing their foreheads together. “Absolutely nothing.”

But she was crying, and he pointed out as much—he could feel it in his fur.

“I can hear you,” she sobbed out at last, even as he licked at her tears. “I can understand you.”

Oh. That made sense, he supposed. He would be overwhelmed, too, if he could suddenly understand Vex after an entire lifetime of only being able to work out her meaning based on tone. What should he say to her next? Well, there was really only one thing to say, even if it was something that they both already knew:

“I love you, too, Vex.”

…

“We’re in for a big fight tomorrow, buddy. Thordak.”

“I know, Vex. And I won’t let him hurt you—I will fight him for you!”

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight, even though her arms didn’t quite go all the way around. It was still strange to him, sometimes, how much bigger than her he’d grown, given how little he’d felt when they first met.

“Not for—together, buddy. But I don’t like seeing you hurt. You could stay—”

“No.” it wasn’t that he hated the necklace, per se—he just hated the thought of her walking into danger without him. “I can fight. I will fight.”

“I love you, buddy.”

“I love you, too, Vex.”

After a bit, she went to clean up, undress, and do the other dozen silly things humanoids did before sleeping, and she seemed to be feeling better. In fact, by the time the knock at the door came, you couldn’t tell she’d been crying into his fur mere moments ago.

“Percy? Are you here for our ‘later’ talk?”

…

Vex had cast that spell again—the one that let her hear him. She still did it from time to time, ‘just because’, but this seemed different—his Vex was nervous.

“Buddy?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all.” She sounded certain, but her voice was higher-pitched than normal. He waited, frowning, for her to continue. “Percy and I—that is, we—”

It was rare to see Vex at a loss for words, and Trinket had no idea what to say. So, he didn’t.

“Do you know what marriage is, Trinket?”

“Sort of.” He’d been raised among humanoids, after all, but he was admittedly a little fuzzy on the subject.

Vex rocked back on her heels. “Well, I’m getting married. To Percy. Tomorrow.”

He looked at her for a long, long time. He liked Percy—the funny human was good to vex and good for her. But still, he had to be sure: “This makes you happy.”

“Yes.” This came with no hesitation.

“Good.” Then: “I love you, Vex.”

“I love you, too, Buddy. I always will.”

…

“Any sign of him, Trinket?”

“No.”

Vex rested her hand on his shoulder absently. “He’ll be back. Vax said he’ll be back, so he’ll be back.”

“Okay.”

“He’ll be back, then we’ll have a feast and a rest, then go back and fight Vecna.”

Trinket snorted angrily at the name of their current enemy, but Vex just kept talking. He didn’t mind: she needed this, right now.

“And we’ll be fine, because we have the trammels, and the book, and a plan—sort of—so, we’ll win. We’ll win and we won’t let the Raven Queen take Vax, no matter what either of them say. So, everything will work out and we’ll all be happy.”

“Okay.” It seemed straightforward enough, when she put it that way. He didn’t understand why she was worried, so he offered the only comfort he could:

“I love you, Vex.”

“I love you, too, Trinket.”

…

This time, she didn’t cast the spell at first; this time, she just clung to him and cried while Percy hovered some distance away, at the edge of the wooded clearing.

Moaning low at her distress, he nudged the sobbing half-elf with his nose, but she didn’t answer, only held tighter. Trinket looked past her to Percy, tried to make the human understand his question as he moaned again.

“Vax—” Percy began, then glanced at Vex, swallowed hard and looked away, falling silent.

For once, Trinket wished he didn’t understand people quite so well, and his own grief for the loss of his ‘uncle’ was voiced in bass whimpers and huffs as he pressed closer to Vex’ahlia.

Percy eventually came near and joined them, putting his arms around his wife as she cried herself out. After what felt like—and may well have been—hours Trinket nudged Vex’s hands with his nose, not stopping until she cast the spell.

She might not want to talk, but he needed her to hear:

“We love you, Vex.”

….

“Trinket, darling, be gentle: she’s very little.”

He shuffled his paws excitedly, then forced himself to stand extremely still as Vex approached, tiny, squirming bundle in her arms. Percy followed not far behind, still looking dazed and a little frazzled, but beaming nonetheless.

At last, Vex shifted, allowing him to peer down into the face of the tiny quarter-elf in her arms, and Trinket felt an immediate surge of protectiveness and love for this little girl, who was so much like his Vex, but so different and so new!

He was more aware than ever of just how large he was, and how easily he could break and destroy things, and he started to pull back, afraid his mere proximity could somehow hurt the baby.

Before he could, two tiny hands shot out, reaching for his muzzle, and the little girl cooed and giggled as she reached for the startled, enamored bear.

“I love her.”

He must have missed Vex casting the spell, or maybe, after all this time, she just knew.

“And it seems she loves you already, too.”

…

Vex was nothing more than a shadow in front of him, but then, his eyes had been fading for years, he could still feel her hands in his fur, though, and still hear her. It was enough.

“How are you feeling, Trinket?”

“…Tired.”

A slight sob. He wished he could do something to make her not cry—he never liked it when his Vex was sad. But now, that would be up to Percy and their children.

“Do you want to sleep, buddy?”

“…I don’t know.” He did, but he didn’t want to leave her all alone.

“You have to give him permission, Vex; he loves you too much,” someone urged quietly from the shadows—it smelled and sounded like Keyleth, older and much more grounded than she had once been—how many years ago, now?

“I can’t.” vex sounded so small—he tried to press closer to her, but age-weakened limbs refused to respond.

“Yes, you can,” Percy all but whispered. That’s right: she wouldn’t be alone—she had Percy, her children, her friends. They’d be there for her, when he couldn’t.

Another sob now, and she was leaning against him. “If you need to sleep—” Her voice broke, but then she rallied. “—then it’s okay... You can rest, now.”

“Okay.”

They were all there now, hugging or stroking him—even Keyleth and Pike, who’d been hovering in the background.

“I love you so much, Trinket. You know that—right?”

“Yes.” He’d always known. It was the first thing he’d ever known.

But sometimes, it needed to be said, needed to be heard, and, at heart, Trinket had always been a simple bear: he didn’t mind repetition.

“I love you, Vex’ahlia.”

And really—what more was there to say?

#crinktober #crinktober 2019 #my post #critical role #critter #daily writing #crinktober day 7 #vox machina #vex'ahlia #trinketthebear

[willel]

hopes for vecna/will interactions?

I've written about it before, but there are many ways it can go I guess.

Either Vecna is going to go the "smooth talking" route and try to convince Will to his side (and just to get it out there, I don't think Will will be swayed. Not even a little bit. I can't imagine Will falling for any of it at this point)

Or, Vecna is going to be full aggro right off the bat. I lean towards it being this because of how he treated the gate victims. He spoke as if he were trying to help them "Don't cry. It'll all be over soon. I want you to join me. It's time to end your suffering. :)" despite the fact that he was killing them and absorbing their souls.

So, whatever he has planned for Will, I think it will be like that. "Why are you running?" "I'm only trying to help you." Meanwhile, Vecna is trying to kill all his friends, invade his mind or take over his body or something.

I also feel like he's going to lore dump on Will. Maybe about his past or the Upside Down? Not the stuff we've seen already or what he told El, but more origin stuff. Maybe what's gonna be in the play? Dunno. I think there's something hidden in there, the source of Henry's power and trauma which lead him to being the person he is today. Maybe they can use that information to win?

And then finally, I think Will will have a hand in Vecna's defeat. Not alone mind you, but some big part to play. My main idea is El and Will splitting responsibilities, El fighting from the inside while Will sneaks around on the inside. The point of that being if Will can free the souls Vecna has littered around his inner mind, then his real body will be weakened, allowing El to win the fight. I think the only thing giving him the edge over El right now is all those trapped souls, even the ones dating back to his family and all the animals he killed.

#theory #stranger things #will byers #vecna #henry creel #Anonymous #ask