#mike wheeler’s mental health

[doriandrifting]

Rewatching season two and its wild how they literally have Owens explain anniversary affect and PTSD symptoms like irritability, lashing out, etc. and we see Joyce listening to Hopper about it and being really concerned about Will only to fast forward FOUR MINUTES to the dinner table with Mike’s family describing how he’s been acting out and chiding him for his behavior because the last year being tough isn’t going to cut it as an excuse anymore. They really drove that comparison home.

#obviously their traumas are different but it’s actually so sad to watch as an adult and see the clear differences in support being offered #byler #stranger things #mike wheeler #mike wheeler’s mental health #will byers

[messrsbyler]

today i’m thinking about mike’s face when will yelled “FORGET IT, MIKE!” because they’ve never talked to each other like that. they’ve never had to yell at each other, it’s just not them. mike has to yell a lot so other people listen to him; with his parents and sister at dinner when will was lost and they wouldn’t listen to him, with lucas and dustin when they wouldn’t listen about el, with el when she wouldn’t understand how much she hurt him when they pulled will’s fake body out of the water, with hopper when he was being an overprotective asshole (affectionate).

but mike has never had to raise his voice with will to be heard. with will a whisper is enough, sometimes not even that. sometimes a simple look is all it takes for will to just listen and see him. and the same goes for will. quiet and shy will that only shows his true colors when mike is around, that gets loud not because he’s frustrated he’s not being heard but because he feels safe enough to not care who hears and who doesn’t.

will has never had to raise his voice because mike has always listened to him at all times. but this time, he didn’t. he was so preoccupied with the girls he stopped listening to will and made him feel frustrated the way mike feels at the dinner table with his parents, invisible enough and unheard enough, frustrated enough that will felt the need to snap and yell to be heard because mike wouldn’t listen to what he had to say. thinking about how shocked mike was, first at will’s reaction because it had never happened before and then to himself because in which moment did he stop listening to will?

also thinking about how will felt, how for the past few weeks he’s been feeling like mike, the one constant in his life, has been slipping through his fingers and how he put together this campaign in a desperate attempt to get his friends back, but his grip is still to weak and mike keeps slipping away and will panics because this can’t happen. mike is his. mike is his person. mike chose him at the swings he can’t now toss him aside because he found a new person? someone he can make out with and take on dates and do many things he can’t do with will? el can’t come out of nowhere and take mike from him. but the problem here isn’t el, the problem is mike because he keeps letting it happen as if it didn’t matter, as if will didn’t matter anymore because he wasn’t lost anymore he wasn’t possessed either and he wasn’t a girl so what did he have to hold mike’s attention? to make mike listen to him? why won’t mike just listen to him? so will snapped at mike, he yelled and stormed out and… and they’ve never been like this, not with each other. will isn’t the type of person that lets his feelings get the best of him, the one that yells and pushes people out of the way and storms out of a room. that’s what lonnie does. will has seen him do it many times before. it isn’t something will does, especially not with mike.

so what happened? how the hell did they get to this point?

anyway thinking many thoughts

#byler #byler tumblr #mike wheeler #will byers #stranger things #byler endgame #mike x will #mike wheeler analysis #mike wheeler’s mental health

[himynameis4]

I feel like y’all are sleeping on the canonically-overlapping timeframes between It Chapter 1 & Stranger Things.

Will goes missing in early November (aka fall) of 1983. It Chapter 1 takes place 1988-1989, with Georgie going missing October 1988, and all the action taking place the subsequent summer.

The summer of 1989 would be when the Party graduates high school, you guys.

Wouldn’t it be interesting if Ted Wheeler had a sister, Maggie Tozier, perhaps? Finn Wolfhard has said that Richie and Mike wouldn’t get along, and Mike being frustrated with his dipshit little cousin is hilarious to me.

There are already crossover fics existing—ones that make Mike & Richie twins, ones that have Richie as the elder cousin, lots of ones that have Richie sent to live with/visit the Wheelers in Hawkins—but none I’ve seen that take the timeline into account, none with Mike as the elder cousin, and few that primarily take place in Derry.

What about, instead, starting post-season 4, with Karen Wheeler? The Wheelers are incredibly flawed, as parental figures go, but the end of season 4 leaves off with them seeming to pay more attention to the dangers in their children’s lives. Perhaps Karen Wheeler, newly wise to the supernatural dangers of Hawkins, sends Mike and Holly to live with their cousins in Derry for their own good? Hawkins is practically a ghost town, after all… Nancy’s over 18, Karen can’t control her—but she can protect her younger two, at least.

Perhaps it’s discovered that Mike was a target of Vecna, and the party, on edge and traumatized after Max, advocates for him to move away, where he’ll be safe, unintentionally heightening Mike’s feelings of uselessness (but he knows he could be useful, if they’d just listen this time, if they’d just let him stay… he feels sick thinking it, but also sickeningly justified in it, too: if he’d been in hawkins when they went for vecna that first time, max would be awake, and eddie would be alive. Mike could’ve done better, he just knows it, if only he’d been there to plan, he would’ve done better than the harebrained scheme nancy threw together, nearly getting max killed, and he only just made up with will, and eddie is dead, and he cant leave now—).

(It’s interesting to explore how mike sometimes simultaneously overconfident & incredibly insecure, as well as his (mis?)perception of himself, nancy, etc. Another interesting theme to explore here is the concept of usefulness, and how that does or does not factor into being loved and having value. Mike is useful, Mike is a leader… but by taking away Mike’s opportunities to express these things, it forces Mike to contend with his own self-worth and how he values himself, and his feelings on having to be “useful” in relationships relationships/to be loved (see: she doesn’t need me, mike’s van ramblings on lois lane, etc).

On top of that…what if Ted died fighting the upsidedown, protecting his children, and Karen shuffles the kids off to Derry shortly thereafter? Maybe she stays with Mike and Holly in Derry, but maybe she doesn’t stay forever—perhaps she returns to Hawkins to try and defend her wayward, rebellious eldest, Nancy, fighting at her daughters’ side and avenging her late husband. So Mike is left to grapple with the loss of his father mostly on his own, though Aunt Maggie and Uncle Went do their best. Perhaps it’s made worse by the fact that, just as his parents seemed to be doing better, to be caring, one got himself killed and the other abandoned them. In their attempts to “do better” they both—well, they don’t. Frankly, mike preferred when they didnt pay attention at all. At least they were all alive, and mike was with the people he loved. Will he have to forgive them, now? His father and his last-minute heroics, as though that makes up for a lifetime of distance; his mother and her grief, deciding that acknowledging her failures as a parent means giving up all hopes of being a better one?

(Themes? Forgiveness, parents, the impacts parents have on their children, etc.)

And on top of all of that, now he’s stuck in this shitty, homophobic town, one that isn’t all that different from his shitty, homophobic hometown, except that missing children are mundane here and most of the people he loves are miles away. Oh, and also it’s cold as fuck, because he’s in Maine, and he has to share a room with his shitty little cousin, Richie.

Mike is abruptly shoved into the same position El was—he’s dealing with a lot of shit at school, but why the hell would he tell el about it, with everything she’s dealing with in hawkins?? El had it worse in Lenora, apparently—given the way she reacted when he tried to compare their experiences with bullying.

(This isn’t entirely accurate, isn’t reflective of the intention behind El’s statement or the reason she reacted to Mike the way she did, merely a way Mike might internalize and interpret and be affected by El’s response to him talking about his experiences with bullying in season four.)

Reconstructing cerebro on the roof without dustin sucks. Being unable to communicate with the people he loves would suck more, though, and telephone lines are never private, no matter who’s listening in (nosey aunts and cousins or government agents on their side or government agents decidedly NOT on their side—it doesn’t matter. They don’t get to spy, because it’s not of their goddamn business).

(At least he and will are talking. Every other night, practically. Mike climbs out of the window of his shared bedroom, sits on the roof next to his Cerebro, and talks and talks and talks with will until the sky gets light. They discuss the latest new of the upsidedown, their friends, will’s connection to all of it, their families. Will is the only person mike tells, honestly, about what it’s like in Derry. They talk about light things too—plan campaigns they know they’ll never get to play, talk about comics and gossip about annoying siblings & cousins. When the Little Shop of Horrors movie comes out, they watch it separately & then talk about it together. Overall, they’re making a better go of it than the last time they tried long distance.)

(The cognitive disconnect for mike between what he’s experienced, what his friends have experienced, and the relatively mundane (for now) evils of derry high school might be interesting to explore, too.)

Life continues in this vein for about 2 years. The upsidedown & vecna aren’t fully resolved, but things are at a kind of stalemate, at least.

And then, in 1988, Georgie Denbrough goes missing.

(If you made it to the end of this long-ass post, congrats, man. I figure i’ll tag @wibble-wobbegong since i know he was/is v into stephen king? If you’re reading this, hi wibble! Idk this plot bunny has been dancing in my head. If anybody has thoughts, or different directions they wanna springboard off from this, i’d love to hear ab it lol. I think imma tag this on “wheeler in derry” for my own organization. If i elaborate ill probably tag it there)

#wheeler in derry #stranger things #stranger things au #kinda #im misusing the term au but thats okay #reddie #byler #both are def foundational to this fic #a big portion of this would be richie & mike bonding over being queer #and learning to accept themselves by accepting each other #mike wheeler #richie tozier #mike wheeler’s trauma #mike wheeler’s mental health #will byers #el hopper #nancy wheeler #karen wheeler #ted wheeler #holly wheeler #the wheelers #it chapter one #it chapter 1 #it stephen king #crossover concept #crossover #stranger things crossover #stranger things character dynamics #the shine #georgie denbrough

[wayward-sherlock]

free bird by lynyrd skynyrd should be mike’s vecna song. i could write a whole essay about why this song just based off of the lyrics/vibes, but the most important thing is that the theme of free bird is:

mike doesn’t want to be caged in a suburban life by settling down with a girl (el). but, another reason that this could and should be mike’s vecna song is because of the parallels it would have with forrest gump.

on the whiteboard with all of the movies that influenced the st writers is forrest gump. now, while this could have something to do with the potential for time shenanigans in st5, i think it could have more to do with mike’s character arc.

obviously, mike has been/is struggling with his mental health (as pointed out by @aemiron-main, @wibble-wobbegong, @booksandpaperss, and other brilliant analytical minds) and honestly, a suicide attempt that parallels his s1 quarry jump is not too far out of the question (in my not-so-brilliant-analytical-mind opinion).

but, how does this tie in to forrest gump and free bird?

one of the major scenes (and one of my favorite cinematic scenes ever) in forrest gump is when jenny (forrest’s/the main character’s love interest) nearly commits suicide by jumping off of her balcony at a hotel (i think? i could be wrong)

i’ve always interpreted this as a desperate attempt to escape a life that she feels trapped in. and what song is playing as this scene takes place? you guessed it: free bird.

so mike - will’s/the main character’s love interest - desperate to escape the potential for a life in which he feels caged by societal expectations and responsibilities, could potentially have some sort of suicide attempt/fall that parallels both his fall in s1 and jenny’s almost-fall in forrest gump.

now, i may not have the biggest brain or be an expert on mike’s character (i do think he has depression tho and is struggling), but when i saw forrest gump on the whiteboard, i immediately thought about this scene and the parallels that could be made between jenny and mike. so, free bird should be mike’s vecna song in st5.

#also i would die if free bird was in s5 cuz I have. So much History with that song #send tweet #thank you for coming to my Tedtalk #put more effort into this than my English final essay #people i tagged please lmk if my interpretation of mike’s mental health is off! #stranger things #mike wheeler #mike wheeler’s mental health #st5 theory #st5 #st5 headcanon #long post #sorry not sorry #vecna #forrest gump #free bird #music #wayward’s rambling

[elekinetic]

“mike comes out to lucas” “no will comes out to lucas” no mike AND will come out to lucas separately and lucas spends three months freaking the fuck out bc what the hell it’s not like he can tell anyone but he doesn’t know what to do with this information and he doesn’t want to out them to each other but literally what the fuck is he supposed to do

#lucas sinclair #he is a secret keeper <3 at the expense of his own mental health <3 #this is just so funny to me #byler #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers

[mostlylurkinbarelypostin]

This frame always gets me. The camera sits just off-center - effectively pushing Mike to the fringes of the shot and to the literal and figurative edge of the family. He’s also completely cloaked in darkness. Unlike the rest of his family, who are all wearing lighter coloured clothing and are framed in front of the bright yellow walls, Mike is positioned in front of a dark brown curtain in his sharply contrasting dark navy outfit. He’s so far from his family and so far from the light. It’s a painful portrait of alienation that is only further enforced through the following scene in which Mike sits, not eating, while his parents punish him for his behaviour that has resulted from his unrecognized PSTD, guilt, grief, depression, and other mental health struggles.

#mike wheeler #mike’s mental health #stranger things #byler

[strawberrybyers]

squishmallows just announced that it’s coming out with a stranger things collection. so when i have mike wheeler and will byers squishmallows and we’re all sitting in a circle in my room listening to the tortured poets department i recommend you mind your business because i am doing healing work 😌✨

#today is a big day for me #this announcement has done wonders for my mental health #it will be a terror to my bank account tho #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #squishmallows #squishmallows x stranger things #the tortured poets department #taylor swift

[aemiron-main]

whatever you do, don’t think about how happy mike is to be getting even a little bit of affection from a parental figure after awkwardly watching the byers family hug……

#stranger things #byler #mike wheeler #mike’s mental health

[medilies]

Can't stop thinking about Mike jumping off the cliff at the quarry in s1...

This is the view from the cliff edge:

And this is how Mike jumped - sorry, stepped - off the cliff edge.

Like, even if Mike didn't know the impact on hitting the water would kill him, he didn't even try to reach the water - he was headed straight for the rocks.

The Duffers really making sure we know that this boy is Not Okay.

#byler #mike wheeler #mental health

[ectonurites]

@bylerween2023 DAY 4: PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR

I Feel Sick by Jhonen Vasquez (of Invader Zim fame) has always held a special place in my heart (alongside related stories Johnny The Homicidal Maniac & Squee!) ever since I first read it as a kid... and, well, with the lead of the book being a painter who has to come face to face with their work when it seems to gain a mind of it's own... it just felt like it could be a really cool basis for an AU with these guys!

Plus, I got so attached to the idea while drawing out this comic that I started working on a fic to flesh it all out further—at the time i'm posting this it's not quite done yet, but look for the first half of it from me in the coming days!

In the meantime, you can check out the accompanying playlist if you'd like:

It’s specifically a mix that Will created and listens to within the fic—so songs hold thematic relevance as well as sometimes just being the Right Vibe™️. The timeframe for the fic is late 90’s, which is also reflected in the song choices (well, barring the fact that some are remasters of songs that were done later on, but like, the original songs all debuted pre-1997)

#bylerween2023 #day 4 #psychological horror #tw horror #tw mental health #i think those are the only tags tht are applicable to like. this specific bit/the comic i made #the actual fic once its done will. have more sfdgfhghg #mike wheeler #will byers #byler #stranger things #sam draws shit #Spotify

[h4unted--h0use]

part 12 of stranger things textposts!

part 11 - pt 13

#byler #stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #max mayfield #jonathan byers #steve harrington #argyle stranger things #jargyle #eleven hopper #eleven stranger things #sorry it took so long i kinda have been super fucked in terms of mental health #and its only gonna get worse for me!!!! which is so cool /sar #anyways

[holyvirgilscriptures]

there are so many ways the writers could have shown mike being brave and protective of his friends without him, you know, literally jumping to his death. like he could have actually fought troy and james and they could have accidentally ended up pushing him off so he could still be saved by el. but the fact that the writers decided to make mike not put up a fight and just step off the cliff is a huge deal. mike, a volatile kid who's not afraid to argue or even physically attack (see when he pushed troy at the gym). like come on.

#stranger things #mike wheeler #mike's mental health #virgil.scripture

[messrsbyler]

i need hopper clapping mike on the back and saying to him “you did well, kid. you did well.” bc mike would have to hold back the tears and keep himself from twisting the words until they poke at his insecurities. it’s tough, but for once he would take the words by what they are, and it’s dizzying and a bit off putting, but the warm feeling is still present and overwhelming and if mike had to blink away some tears and let his hair cover his eyes, then no one is the wiser

#mike wheeler #mike wheeler’s mental health #byler #byler tumblr #jim hopper

[greenfiend]

Space AU

So… when I said I had a lot of ideas I wasn’t lying.

Some notes:

- I put some Easter eggs in here related to the story I’m working on. Sorry if it looks like a random mess!

- Yes, their space ship is called The Rainbow 🌈 (I don’t make the rules). I also do not know how to draw spaceships so sorry. 😅

- Sagittarius A* is real (The Milky Way’s supermassive black hole!!!). “The Inverted Region” I made up. A synonym of something perhaps… 🤔

- And yes, Will did repay that hologram message from Mike several times (of course he did).

#byler #stranger things #space au #byler art #byler au #mike wheeler #Will Byers #Joyce Byers #write what you know they say #so Space facts mental health and byler I guess #stranger things art

[wayward-sherlock]

just thinking about the hellfire seating arrangements.

(i couldn’t get a better picture but here’s one)

smth smth mike’s isolating himself because of his depression. but he’s also acting as a buffer between his “freak” friends and the “normal” kids who are sitting at their table. smth smth he’s caught between wanting to be himself and express himself how HE wants to and also wanting to be normal and be how society wants him to be.

smth smth how this ties in to the will vs el dilemma for him. his feelings for will are what HE wants and what HE’S feeling but his relationship with el is him wanting to be normal and be how society wants him to be.

smth smth the spot empty across from him being for lucas, who left to be “normal”. smth smth how mike’s the next one teetering on the edge of being normal and being himself. how he’s thiiiis close to losing himself to society.

smth smth the “c in spanish”. smth smth the parallels with max. smth smth the concern on will’s face when nancy says something about mike’s room being a fucking mess. smth smth mike’s room BEING a fucking mess.

this boy. this little man. this queer little babygirl has depression. he’s going through it, and he’s living out the debate in his head (will vs el) in real life, in the hawkins high cafeteria. and it’s making everything worse

#byler #mike wheeler #mike wheeler i know what you are #mike wheeler’s mental state #mike wheeler has depression #stranger things #mike wheeler’s mental health

[elekinetic]

if you're interested, i just posted my first (prose) fic called please say im young enough on ao3.

Will is gay. Robin knows. Or, Robin and Will go on a supply run. Set in post-season 4 apocalyptic Hawkins. (2.1k, coming out, pre-byler & rovickie.) if you'd like to read it here, the pages are attached below the cut <3

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #robin buckley #rovickie #stobin #uh #what else #um #byler fic #ok ik its barely a byler fic but its will's mental health which is about byler so. ok moving on #stranger things #st (e.v.) #ella's writing prose #my desire for u to go read/comment on ao3 vs my desire for u to read it in this font: fight!