#why did he go from making him the target in s1-2 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

hugmekenobi · 4 days

Text

S3: The Bad Batch (7)

Chapter Seven: Extraction

Gif by @barissoffee

Hunter x femaleJedi!reader

Series Summary: Ever since Eriadu, Clone Force 99 had been a fractured squad. Months have passed but you're finally back with the Batch but Omega is still out there and you won't stop until you find her again.

Chapter Summary: As the Empire closes in, you need all the help you can get to escape

Masterlist for S1 and S2

<Previous Chapter

Genre: Friends (idiots) to Lovers (we're in the lovers stage now)

Chapter Warnings: Canon-typical violence, protective Crosshair, brief injury description (mentions of blood), descriptions of near-drowning, limited (y/n) use, Plo Koon mention, light hurt/comfort (wound tending), Gregor being an instigator and flirt (but in a funny way), Hunter getting jealous (not toxic), light PDA (kissing, hugging and one small instance of innuendo)

Word Count: 4.3K

Author's notes: Managed to incorporate a bit of creative license but mostly just following the episode! Enjoy!

Rex came to with a mildly pained grunt. “Thanks.” He said as Crosshair and Omega helped him to his feet. “We need to get moving before their reinforcements get here.”

“I can move the rubble, but I have a feeling we’d be worse off.” You said to Rex who nodded in agreement. “Is there another way off this spire?”

“There’s always another way.” Rex replied with a dry chuckle. He kicked a crate away to reveal a hole in the floor with a ladder built into it.

The group of you descended.

The tunnel led out into a level of the spiral staircase.

“Our leech vessel is docked ten levels down.” Rex said.

“Doesn’t have a hyperdrive though. We won’t get far.” Howzer reminded him.

“No, but we can use it to contact Echo.”

You all started to make your way down the levels.

The explosion and the resulting collapsed ceiling had been an unfortunate set back and CX-2 realised that clearing away the blockage to the room where the others had retreated in his injured state was a futile act.

He paused as he heard the sound of a ship approaching outside and he went to go greet the new arrivals.

Commander Wolffe and his teams ran out the ship to analyse the destruction and bodies that lay ahead.

“These are clones. They’re not insurgents.” Wolffe stated but a low, crackling voice disputed his point.

“They are both.”

Wolffe faced the black-armoured solider that limped towards them.

“I neutralised most of their rogue cell, but the rest are trapped inside with the targets.”

“What squadron are you with?”

“That’s classified.”

“Want to tell me why this spire is burning when our primary objective is to retrieve the targets unharmed?” Wolffe questioned, his aggravation at the situation was obvious.

“They are alive.” Came the simple reply.

“I’m now in charge of this operation. You answer to me. Is that clear?” Wolffe said definitively but the soldier did not reply, he had to rely on the fact that his tone had been firm enough. He spoke to the clone behind him, “Hilo, set blasters to stun and move in.”

Wolffe’s men had finally managed to expose the entrance and the escape tunnel had been brought to his attention. “They’re escaping through the middle of the spire. We’ll take team one and infiltrate this rock from the platform below. Set charges and seal this passage. We’ll pin them inside.” He instructed as he exited the room.

CX-2 jumped down the tunnel just as the stormtrooper left behind was setting the charges.

“Sir, the operative has gone after the target. Should I pursue?” The stormtrooper asked into his comm as he saw the figure travel down the ladder.

“Negative. Proceed with the plan. Seal off that access point.” Wolffe replied as he re-boarded the shuttle that would take them down to the next entrance to the spire.

“The ship’s docked just down this corridor.”

You felt that familiar sensation in your veins and you weren’t alone is slowing down- Crosshair did the same.

“Stop.” You said suddenly.

The rest of them halted.

“What is it?” Nemec asked.

You and Crosshair peered through one of the carved-out spaces to see more flashlights and you could now hear the ascending steps of another squad heading in your direction.

You closed your eyes and focused in on the Force around you as you felt for the source of the disturbance. It wasn’t just the danger of the Imperial troops; the intensity of the feeling told you that the threat was closer than that.

“They’re coming.” Crosshair alerted the rest of the group.

He’d only just finished saying that when you speedily ignited your lightsaber as the shot came at him, but you weren’t properly set and the redirected shot went wide.

You both pressed yourselves against either side of the wall.

“I’ll handle it.” Crosshair said firmly.

The rest of you started off at a run again.

With his hand the way it was, Crosshair knew he wouldn’t be able to best the operative in a shoot-out. So, instead, he attached an explosive to the end of his rifle and aimed it at the wall that the operative was rappelling down.

The explosion caused the operative to freefall down the spire, but he was able to take a hold of a window ledge.

Crosshair’s next round of shots missed, and the clone was able to retreat into the spire, but Crosshair couldn’t do anything about that now, he just had to catch up to the rest of you.

You’d all successfully made into the vessel and Rex piloted it away from the cliffside.

However, it didn’t get very far before it shook violently, and an alarm blared around the vessel as it plummeted towards the ground.

“Remora-one, we’ve been compromised. Heading to marker 025 for an extraction.” Rex said hurriedly into the comm channel. “Repeat. Marker 025.” There was nothing he could do to stop what was about to happen and the jungle encroached ever closer. “We’re going down. Strap in!”

“Pinpoint the crash site.” Wolffe ordered Hilo before he stalked over to reprimand the clone that had been giving him a headache since he’d arrived here. “I said to use stun blasts only. You’ve jeopardised this mission.”

“I prevented the target’s escape.”

“By shooting down their ship? Our orders are to retrieve them alive and unharmed.”

“Their vessel crashed in the upper jungle region.” Hilo reported back.

“Get the shuttles in the air.” Wolffe directed before he addressed the clone again. “This isn’t over.”

CX-2 just slowly followed him into the shuttle.

“Still can’t convince you on the benefits of a helmet?” Hunter uttered quietly as he helped you out the downed ship and saw the gash above your eyebrow. He tilted your chin up as he wiped some blood away from your eyelid.

“It’s not deep. Plus, minor head wounds always bleed heavily anyways.” You said cheerily enough but the helmeted stare you received reeked of exasperation.

“Great.” Hunter replied dryly as you both joined the rest of the group.

Whilst that had been happening, Crosshair had come to stand beside Omega whilst she stroked Batcher. “You good?” He asked her, a slight hesitance to his voice.

“Uh huh.” Omega replied, still slightly breathless from the stress of the crash landing.

“Got your crossbow?”

“Yep.”

He saw the bag on her back, “Sure you can carry those supplies?”

“Yes.” Omega said irritably as she turned to face him.

“Stay close. It’s easy to get lost in this terrain.”

“You’re as bad as Hunter.” She remarked with an annoyed stare.

“Oh, I’m much worse.”

Howzer and Nemec shared a look. Between that interaction and the one between you and Hunter, it was clear this squad was far from typical, but whatever it was that bonded you all worked. The trust was there, and that trust extended to Crosshair.

“Echo should meet us at the extraction point. We’ll have to continue on foot.” Rex said, drawing his blaster.

“How far?” Hunter asked.

“Five klicks north.” Nemec informed you all.

Hunter didn’t immediately move out, he glanced behind him as he heard the tell-tale sound of a shuttle engine, “We’ve got attack shuttles inbound.”

“This way.” Rex ordered as he led the way into the jungle.

Crosshair felt Howzer approaching his side and he huffed out a sigh, this wasn’t the ideal time for him to here yet again how the clone felt about him. “What?”

“I’ve seen how you are with the kid.”

“Hmm? Your point?”

“Well…” Howzer sighed, “You’re different than you were on Ryloth.” He admitted. “So, what changed?”

They both paused and Crosshair turned to face him. “Loyalty meant something to me. But with the Empire, it didn’t go both ways. I realised how disposable I was.”

“You’re not the only one.”

The team inspected the wrecked vessel.

“There’s no sign of the insurgents.” A stormtrooper said.

“Get back to the shuttle and monitor comm channels.” Wolffe ordered. “They couldn’t have gone far.”

“We have a problem.”

Wolffe turned to face Hilo.

“The operative’s gone rogue.”

The news didn’t really come as a surprise. “I’ll deal with him later.”

Batcher let out a series of barks.

“I hear it too.” Hunter murmured just as a shuttle came to block their way through.

You all took cover behind an outcrop of rocks as the shuttle’s squad came down to the area.

“We have to know through their line to reach the extraction point.” Rex stated urgently.

“We’ve got these.” Omega opened the bag to reveal some of the smoke bombs she’d grabbed from the ship before it got shot down.

Hunter took some out and passed them over to Wrecker who immediately threw them ahead and behind you all to provide more cover.

“Stick by my side and stay down.” Crosshair ordered Omega as you all stealthily made your way through the fog.

“How much further to the landing zone?” You asked Rex as you Force pushed a stormtrooper that was reaching for his blaster into a rock. You wiped away more of the warm blood that had continued to dribble from the cut and encroach on your vision during this time.

“Just ahead. Almost there.”

Crosshair, Nemec, and Howzer had fallen behind the rest of you.

“What is it?” Howzer asked as he saw Crosshair abruptly stop and train his rifle behind them.

Right as Crosshair’s scope picked up the heat signature, a shot fired and Nemec took a fatal shot to the back.

“Nemec!” Howzer cried as he reached for the clone.

“Get down!” Crosshair shoved him away from the dead clone behind another rock.

At the sound of blaster fire, the rest of you turned and sprinted back in the direction of the commotion.

The onslaught of fire continued as the six of you came upon the scene. You deflected them with ease whilst the others dove to cover.

“Omega, smoke grenade.” Hunter hissed.

“We’re out.”

“I’ll draw his fire. Get to the rendezvous.” Crosshair said into comms.

“I don’t like that idea.” Omega replied uneasily.

“Yeah, that is a terrible plan.” You concurred.

“Too bad.” He quipped breezily before he signed off and headed towards the operative.

“Go now!” Rex shouted as he saw the opening you all needed.

Hunter grabbed Omega’s hand and tapped you on the shoulder to get you to move.

You deactivated your weapon with an aggrieved sigh and followed the rest of the group.

The fight between Crosshair and the operative had not gone entirely to plan.

Sure, Crosshair had managed to successfully disarm him but when he’d tracked his movements to the edge of the cliff that came out over the first waterfall, he hadn’t fully thought through the second phase of charging over the edge and into the rapids below... with the operative.

You all anxiously tracked their path through the river and watched in alarm as they tumbled over the waterfall and into the pool below.

Crosshair had barely any time to catch his breath before the operative starting swiping at him with a vibroblade.

“You had your chance to be one of us.”

Crosshair braced his forearm against the operative’s, and he managed to land a kick to his stomach to create some distance between them.

The distance didn’t last long. The operative was on him again and all Crosshair could do was retreat backwards through the water until he found himself backed up against a rock just as the operative aimed the blade for his neck.

“You chose the wrong side.”

Crosshair managed to elbow the blade out of his grasp but all that allowed the operative to do was smack his helmet into Crosshair’s unguarded face.

Dazed, Crosshair fell into the water, and he could do nothing but scratch at the armoured shoulders of the clone above him as he was held under the water. Each passing second, he felt his lungs burn in protest and water flooded his nose and mouth.

Howzer ran through the water and stunned the operative clone and watched his limp body float away and over the edge of the second waterfall.

Crosshair broke to the surface with a deep gasp, but he couldn’t get to his feet in time. The current started to take him away too and he scrambled for a hold of a boulder that just overlooked the top of the waterfall.

Howzer grabbed his forearm and pulled him to stand on the top of the rock.

Crosshair released a round of hoarse coughs before he took his rifle and helmet from Wrecker. “Thanks.” He said to Howzer with a final strained breath before he put his helmet back on.

Now reunited, you all ran to make it to the extraction point.

“This is the extraction marker.” Rex announced as you all came to a stop and waited for the sign of Echo’s ship but the one that approached wasn’t the one any of you were wanting to see.

Bright lights temporality blinded your vision but as you adjusted, you saw a squadron of troops exit the shuttle and advance towards you all.

Your hand hovered your lightsaber as the others took up position with their blasters.

“Drop your weapons. Now!” Wolffe commanded.

Rex took a couple paces forward. “Wolffe?”

As you stood between Omega and Hunter you were taken back in time- the name struck a chord of familiarity in you, but you couldn’t quite think of why.

“Rex?” Wolffe took half a step back in surprise.

Rex signalled to you all to relax your stances and he took off his helmet.

“I-” Wolffe exhaled sharply. “I thought you were dead.” Wolffe holstered his blasters and removed his own helmet. “Reports said you were killed in action. That you went down aboard an attack cruiser.”

“Oh, I did. I lost a lot of good men that day. And today.” Rex said with regret.

“What are you doing here, Rex? Don’t tell me you’re fighting against us.”

“No, not against you. Against the Empire. They’re imprisoning and experimenting on our brothers, killed others.”

Wolffe advanced closer to the clone captain. “The Empire wouldn’t do that to us.”

“She has seen it.” Rex gestured to Omega behind him.

“It’s true.” Omega said bravely. “That’s what’s happening on Tantiss.”

“We have to stop them.” Rex moved further away from the rest of you and closer to Wolffe. “You can help us. You can stand with us.”

But Wolffe couldn’t believe that. “I am a soldier of the Empire. I have my orders. Hand the girl and the Jedi traitor over, and I’ll make sure you’re given a fair trial.”

Wrecker and Hunter immediately formed ranks in front of you and Omega.

“Like Plo Koon got a fair trial?” You ignored Hunter’s look of warning as you stepped out from behind them. You tugged your hood and mask down, attached your lightsaber back on your belt and walked forward. You didn’t think getting into the technicalities of your past and situation would help much here but you had a different angle you could take now that you remembered why the name felt important.

Wolffe couldn’t stop the way his eyes widened in surprise. “You- you knew General Plo?”

“Not very well.” You admitted. “Our paths didn’t cross an awful lot but when they did, you were always mentioned. He had a lot of respect for you and your squad, Commander.” You said with sincerity. “ ‘Wolfpack’ was what you all went by, wasn’t it?”

Wolffe found himself being brought back to that time. A time where his general fought side by with him. It didn’t matter the battle or situation; he’d always been offered kindness and respect by the Jedi- something that he couldn’t say always happened now.

The team noticed the change on his face, even though he acted quickly to try and mask it.

Wolffe swallowed harshly. “I- no- he betrayed-” He inhaled and exhaled a quick breath and straightened his back. “He betrayed the Republic. You all did.” He went for conviction but still fell a little flat.

You released a solemn sigh and bowed your head in acknowledgment of his words, but you could also sense his regret. “I urge you to think about it, Commander.” You looked straight at him and kept your demeanour open and honest. “Do you honestly think the General you served with, the Jedi you went through battle after battle with and who backed you and your squad at every turn was really capable of the betrayal you were told?” You paused, “If you truly believe that, then you’re right to call me a traitor too and I’ll go with you now.”

Hunter ground his feet into the ground and forced himself to relax his grip on his blaster as he felt the metal dig in his skin through his gloves. It was taking every fibre of self-control to not pull you back, but he had to trust your plan in this process.

“But I’m also warning you, Commander, that you could take me, but you won’t get anywhere near the kid.” You finished with an unwavering look at the clone commander.

“Think about what you’re doing, Wolffe.” Rex implored as he saw the doubt that was starting to creep in. “I know you’ve been trained not to question orders but open your eyes. You’re hunting a child and someone who was part of something we fought loyally alongside for years. I know that’s not who you are.” Rex waited to let Wolffe consider his words before he carried on, “As your brother, I’m asking you to do the right thing.” Rex’s comm started to beep and he heard the sound of Echo’s ship drawing nearer.

Echo put the ship down to land but the scene that he and Gregor saw upon arriving did not fill them with comfort.

You all didn’t turn in the direction of the ship. All your eyes were on Wolffe and the squad ahead of you.

“Commander?” Hilo asked as he got ready to move in.

Wolffe held an arm out to stop him. “Stand down.”

Rex gave Wolffe a small nod of thanks and you all boarded the ship.

Wolffe watched the ship depart before he turned to Hilo. “Recover their fallen, and then we move out.”

“But… sir… they’re traitors.” Hilo reminded him, unsure as to how he could just let them get away.

“Perhaps.” Wolffe considered before adding, “But traveling with a Jedi already puts them at risk and they’re clones. We owe them that.”

CX-2 broke to the surface and dragged himself onto the rock with a pained and unforgiving set of coughs as he cleared the water from his system.

This wouldn’t be his last chance.

Hunter walked back down the hall of the ship to where Rex was standing. “I’m sorry about your men.” He rested a hand on his shoulder.

“Thanks. You know, I thought that the end of the war would mean an end to losing more of our brothers. But I was wrong.” Rex said with a dejected sigh.

“Rex, you can’t win this fight. The Empire is too strong.”

“I can’t just walk away. Not now.” Rex said, his voice rising before he took a second to control himself, “And neither can you. Not with the Empire being after those two.”

Hunter followed his stare to where you were talking to Gregor and to where Omega was sleeping up against Batcher. “We’ll protect them.”

“I heard what Omega said about her escape. I think she’s vital to whatever they’re doing on Tantiss. And if you want to keep her safe, you need to find out why she’s so important to them. (Y/N), it’s obvious why the Empire are after her, but you need to know more about Omega and this M-count.” Rex advised before he walked back to the cockpit.

Whilst that conversation with Rex was taking place, you were tending to the still oozing wound above your eyebrow.

You pulled a mirror out the medkit you were borrowing, grabbed a disinfectant wipe and cleaned up the mix of wet and dry blood on your skin. You analysed the wound to see a shallow cut amidst the congealed blood and it was nothing a bit of bacta couldn’t fix. You began rummaging through the box for said items.

“Still as beautiful as ever.”

You paused and angled your head up with a grin at the distinct but familiar playful and kind voice. “Hello, Gregor. It’s been a while.”

“Too long, beautiful. Gotta tell you, there aren’t many like you in this mess of a galaxy. Certainly, looking at my brothers every day isn’t much fun. You’re a breath of fresh air.”

“I’m sure.” You said with a humorous roll of your eyes.

“I’d never lie to you, beautiful.” He dropped the act for a moment as he crouched down to your height. “But seriously, are you alright? I’ve seen some pretty intense things about you out there. You stopped hiding?”

“I made some rather… impulsive decisions but I’m fine, thank you, Gregor.” You responded gratefully. “How about you?”

“Doing alright. Thrown myself into this work and gotten pretty good at cooking, have you had the pleasure of tasting one of my infamous recipes?”

“Haven’t had the opportunity unfortunately.” You said with an apologetic smile.

“Ah, well that just won’t do! You’ll have to stick around me this time and try some! You’ll never want to leave!”

“Sure, can he come to?” You nodded to the shape of a certain clone sergeant that was standing behind him.

Gregor got to his feet and jutted this thumb between the two of you. “This is still going on?” He asked with good-natured mockery.

“Yes.” Hunter said tightly.

“Mmhmm.” You replied, fighting back a smile as you saw the expression on Hunter’s face.

“Huh, guess I owe Echo some credits. Was sure this would be my chance.” He saw the way Hunter was reacting and he always enjoyed the chance to kid around with any of his brothers, it kept him sane during this rather stressful time and Hunter just happened to be an easy target in this particular instance. “Do you need some help with that wound, beautiful?”

“We’ve got it covered.” Hunter replied frostily, brushing past Gregor’s shoulder.

Gregor gave a nod of surrender, “Until I have the pleasure of seeing you again, beautiful.” He walked back to the cockpit to rejoin the others.

“Hunter…” You pretended to scold.

“Yes, it doesn’t make sense. Yes, I know it’s in good fun. And yes, I trust both of you but him flirting with you riles me up and he knows it. He does it deliberately.” Hunter said defensively as he knelt in front of you.

“Oh, so what he says isn’t true?” You teased.

Hunter huffed a short breath, “No- I- he- of course you are but-” He played the rest of the conversation out in his head and there was no winning outcome. He broke off with a defeated sigh. “Stop smiling at me like that.”

“It’s funny.” You said as you worked on holding back a laugh whilst you stroked the loose strand of his fringe back behind his bandana.

“Glad I still have ways to amuse you.” Hunter grumbled as he pressed a kiss into your gloved palm.

“I can do this myself; you know.” You pointed out as he then moved to grab the relevant supplies for your injury.

“Please just me do this before I act more inappropriately.” He muttered as he held the side of your face before he started to apply the bacta.

Hmm but that always winds up being fun for me. You chuckled softy as you saw the way he fumbled putting the bacta back in the box.

You put the kit back where you’d found and returned to your spot on the floor to see that Hunter had already removed part of his armour for you. You sat back down and rested your head on his shoulder and relaxed into him with a content sigh.

Hunter wrapped his arm around you and laid his head atop yours.

“You offered yourself up.” He whispered after a few minutes.

I had a plan.

“Doesn’t change the fact that that was the key part of it.”

It worked out. I’m still here.

He bent his head and tipped your chin up.

You complied with his actions and met his gaze.

Hunter didn’t say anything else; he just brought his lips to yours in a slow, soft kiss but one that had plenty of feeling behind it. It wasn’t just because of what Gregor had been doing- though there was definitely a degree of that- but he needed you to know that just because it worked out, it didn’t mean that he didn’t care about the other potential outcome.

You hummed happily into the kiss and twisted your hand in the front of his shirt.

“Point well made, Sergeant. You’re a lucky guy.” Gregor said as he passed the two of you to grab something for Rex. “Though I’m sure there’s still a better option out there.”

Hunter knew how lucky he was, but he couldn’t ignore the rest of comment. He parted from you, “It’s on purpose, I’m telling you.” He murmured into your hair as you let out a quiet laugh and laid your hand on his chest.

Breathe, Seargent. I’m all yours. You snuggled closer into his side and closed your eyes for the rest of the return journey.

Next Chapter>

Tagging: @noeasyisnoisy, @arctrooper69, @dominoeffectsworld, @andreaaxy, @notgonnaedit, @nightmonkeysstuff

#the bad batch #the bad batch season 3 #the bad batch s3 #hunter x reader #hunter x femalejedi!reader #hunter x female!reader #hunter x fem!reader #sergeant hunter #sergeant hunter x reader #hunter tbb #hunter the bad batch #the bad batch hunter x you #hunter x y/n #tbb hunter x reader #the bad batch fanfiction #star wars #friends to lovers #hurt/comfort

75 notes · View notes

fabuloustrash05 · 9 months

Text

Why I Love 2012 Raphael

A TMNT 2012 Character Appreciation/Character Analysis Post

If you know me or follow me here or on Instagram then you know that my favorite Ninja Turtle is Raphael. More specifically, Raphael from the TMNT 2012 series. Nowadays, this version of Raph gets a lot of unfair hate from fans (new and old), which I find to be ridiculous. So I decided to show this turtle in red some love and express my reasons as to why I love 2012 Raphael.

To start, I wanna give some love and appreciation to Raphael’s voice actor, Sean Astin. His voice was perfect for the role. I feel so many other Raphael voices try too hard to make him sound manly and more of a giant muscular brute, often forgetting that he is just a teenage boy. Sean does a good job making Raph sound tough when needed, but still making him sound like he is a teenager. He does a great job balancing Raph’s rude attitude but also his gentle and sweet side as well. Also he nailed those girlish screams! XD I feel voice actors nowadays don’t get a lot of recognition, so I wanted to show my appreciation here.

The biggest thing I love about Raphael is his development in the show. I’d argue he had the most/best character development among the four Turtles. We all know how he is in the beginning of the series, being rude, hotheaded, constantly picking fights with Leo and other characters. The show makes it obvious that Raph in S1-2 is scared of his own emotions and feelings, the only time he truly opens up and expresses himself is when he talks to his pet turtle, Spike. The best way I can describe Raph’s character is that he is the “tough guy with a heart of gold” trope. I believe one of the show’s producers, Ciro Neili, even confirmed that was their intention when creating Raph’s character for the show. Raph is a brute, a hothead, but deep down he's a big softie. A lot of Raphael haters seem to forget or ignore that fact about his character. Yes, he is mostly known throughout the fandom to be the hothead, he is the muscle of the group, but he is also the protector. Raph knows that, so if he comes off as weak, then he loses that title. Deep down Raph, and the people around him, know that he is a big softy who loves and cares for others, but he keeps up this tough guy persona in order to protect and seem strong for the ones he loves most.

As the series goes on Raph learns to open up to others, he grows to respect Leo as a leader and seems to control his temper way more by Season 5. On rewatch I notice in S4-5, Raph only ever gets mad for valid/understandable reasons, mainly when someone is hurting/threatening his loved ones. How did this happen? I believe Raph’s development started when he lost Spike in season 2.

Slash and Destroy is one of my favorite Raphael focused episodes and I will stand by and say that this episode was the beginning of Raph’s character development. In the episode, Raph’s pet Spike gets mutated and becomes Slash, targeting and attacking Raph’s brothers. As a reminder, up to this episode, the only person Raph could express his true feelings to was Spike. Everytime Raph ranted negatively about his brothers, Spike was there to hear it, causing him to have a negative view on Leo, Donnie and Mikey. Slash shows pure hatred for the brothers, especially Leo. After brutally attacking Leo, Slash smiles and says “Been looking forward to that for a long time.” The mutagen warped Slash’s brain, making him go crazy and viciously attack Raph’s brothers because like Raph said earlier in the episode, he doesn’t need them. Raph gets a visual representation of his words and negative thoughts towards his brothers in action through Slash. Slash’s purpose in this episode is to represent all of Raph’s anger and frustration he’s had for his brothers over the years based on what he told Spike. By the end of the episode, Splinter comforts Raph and suggests that he should “focus on the friends he has in the present''. For all of Raph’s life, he trusted and relied only on Spike, but Spike is now gone, so Splinter indirectly advises his son that it is time to trust and rely on others, to not bottle up his emotions, advice that Raph takes.

As the show goes on, Raph slowly progresses, opening up more to others, which will eventually lead to him having two great things in his life come season 4 (but we’ll talk about them later).

Casey was another part of Raph’s development that some fans don’t notice. Donnie makes a comment that Casey being around is like having two Raphaels. While Raph and Casey become best friends because of their similar personalities, Casey is also a reflection of Raph. When around Casey, Raph has to be the level headed one, the responsible one. He criticizes Casey for not being stealthy like a ninja in the S2 episode Newtralized and not planning ahead in the fight (remind you of anyone? *cough* Leo *cough*). When they first meet, Raph gives Casey the same exact advice his father gave him earlier in the episode that “anger is a dangerous alley”. Casey is a more reckless version of Raph, something Raph unknowingly sees and tries to help and protect, he has to be the mature one in their dynamic, opposite to when he’s teamed up with Leo and gets to be the rebel again. It’s like he’s getting a taste of his own medicine.

Not to mention, Raph met Casey after he lost Spike, having a new friend he can rely on. Later on in the episode Newtralized, after meeting Slash, Casey says, “Is that your old pet turtle? The one who got mutated?”. This little piece of dialogue is so important to Raph’s character but it sadly goes over a lot of people’s heads. It indirectly tells us that off screen, Raph has opened up to Casey and told him about a traumatic and hard time in his life. Progress that we will continue to see as the show goes on.

Season 3 Raph at the Farmhouse was the peak of his character development! Raphael took charge in that arc. He became the temporary leader of the group when Leo was out of commission due to his injury. After losing their father (reminder they thought Splinter was dead by this point), being chased out of their home and the city, and losing to one of their greatest enemies, Raph stepped up. He took care of everyone. He made sure that Donnie, Mikey and even April kept up with their ninja training, he was the one who is always prepared during an attack or new threat (ex: when he and the others were trapped in the geyser in the episode Eyes of The Chimera and he was the only one with a grappling hook to help them get out, criticizing his brothers for not being true ninjas and how they should be prepared for anything). April even states that for months, Raph stayed by Leo’s side when he was in his coma, refusing to eat or sleep, and when Leo did wake up, Raph was the first to help him get back on his feet, taking him out on walks to help get his strength back.

Raph not only was there for Leo, but he was there for Donnie. After Donnie gets heartbroken when April rejects his music box gift in the episode A Foot Too Big, Mikey is sympathetic, but Raph hits Donnie with a much needed reality check. He tells him bluntly “It's never gonna happen, Donnie. We're mutants. She's a girl. You're a giant talking turtle. The sooner you get used to it, the better.” Even with that though, Raph acknowledges his brother’s broken heart and quickly tries to cheer Donnie up and get his mind off April with some training. Then later in the episode, when Donnie expresses how uncomfortable he is with Big Foot’s romantic gestures, Raph once again nails it perfectly by telling him, “Now you know how April feels.” Some may say what Raph said was mean and how he should’ve put him down more gently, but in truth this was something Donnie needed to hear and no one else was gonna do it any time soon! Someone had to open his eyes to the situation, and Raph was the perfect candidate.

The final brother dynamic in the farmhouse arc with Mikey and Raph was little when it came to screen time, but Raph still shows how much he loves his little brother after Mikey gets captured by the Punk Frogs in the episode The Croaking. As soon as he sees Mikey, Raph drops everything mid fight to hug his brother, relieved for his safety, though the hug abruptly ends after Raph and Mikey find the situation to be “weird”, a very brotherly response if you ask me XD

With this, we know full well how much Raph loves his brothers. Despite his “lone wolf” attitude in season 1, Raph makes it clear from the very beginning that he does care about his brothers more than anything else in the world. He's loyal, he stays by his brothers' side and has admitted countless times that he would rather die than see them get hurt. "I have no problem risking my own life, but risking my brothers?" (S1 ep14) and he states this again in the next season, “Sorry, Slash. My brothers come first, no matter what.” (S2 ep7). Raph makes it clear (to the audience) that his brothers and his family always come first (so I don’t know why fans keep saying he hates them).

Also, anyone that says that he abuses and is a bully to Mikey needs to go touch some grass because that is a big fat lie and you obviously didn't watch the show (or you're an only child). Brothers are going to fight and pick on each other. That is normal! As someone with an older brother (who is much like Raph btw), I can confirm that siblings to this and in the end we still love each other and have each other’s backs. Out of all the brothers Raph is the most protective of Mikey. The second he learns that Mikey is hurt or someone wants to harm him he is the first going in for the attack or the first one to take action to protect Mikey and bring him to safety.

I mentioned this earlier, but I love how Raph grows/learns to respect Leo as a leader, though he still questions his brother’s judgment from time to time. By season 5, in the episode The Forgotten Swordsman, Raph and Mikey are out on patrol and start talking about Leo. Mikey expresses concern for Leo to which Raph says “He just misses Master Splinter. Being sensei's hard on him. I just wish we knew-”. Raph gets cut off, so we never know what he was going to say, but I headcanon he was going to say “I just wish we knew how to help him.” Raph acknowledges Leo’s growing stress and pressure of being the new sensei after Splinter’s death and he wants to help out anyway he can, but he (and everyone else) just don’t know how. He looks up to and respects Leo and cares about him a lot more than fans and even he himself believe.

Though we see very little moments of them, my overall favorite brother dynamic is Raph with Donnie. I like how Raph is the only brother who is direct and tries to help Donnie move on from his crush on April because he worries and cares for Donnie and knows he’s sensitive when it comes to his feelings. Even when Raph shows disapproval of Donnie’s crush on April, Raph will still be a wingman for Donnie. In the episode Operation: Break Out, after rescuing April’s dad from the Kraang prison, Raph starts hyping Donnie up in front of April to make him look good. Also Donnie refers to him and Raph as “The New A Team” in the episode Arena of Carnage (Mikey does too at one point in another episode, but later he calls him and Raph “Team Awesome”). I just think Donnie and Raph are a fun team and a very underrated sibling duo of “brains and brawn” in the series. It deserves more love and attention from fans.

I’ve talked about how much Raph cares for and is loyal to his brothers, but he is the same towards his friends too. He's protective of April, being the one to go rescue her from the Kraang in the episode The Kraang Conspiracy. He’s even the one who’s words get to April when she was possessed by the alien Za-Naron in the episode The Power Inside Her, reminding April about how much she cares for Donnie which gives her the strength she needed to free herself from Za-Naron’s control. Raph shows he cares for Casey's safety when they do dangerous missions that are out of Casey’s element and was the one who made sure Casey was safe when he was cursed by Alopex’s blade in season 4, and despite their past, Raph is always worried and shows concern for Slash.

Raph shows throughout season 2 that he has faith in Slash to turn to the side of good (something Raph gets proven right about later on). Raph is even one of the first people to trust Slash when he returns with his new team The Mighty Mutanimals in season 3, despite Leo's harsh judgements and suspicion.

The strange thing is, it is usually the other way around, with Leo wanting to make allies and Raph being the distrusting one, a dynamic switch we will see again in season 4…

I can’t make a 2012 Raphael appreciation post/character analysis without talking about the queen herself, Mona Lisa! As mentioned previously, Raph is a softie, and one of the biggest examples of that is when it comes to his relationship with his love interest, later girlfriend, Y’gythgba aka Mona Lisa. When trying to survive on the ice planet, Raph is the only one to suggest that he and the others should team up with the Salamandrians to find the metal they need to fix their ships and get off the planet. Though Raph’s plan is highly motivated by his newfound feelings for Mona, he knows that it is the best option that can help save his family and friends, and despite Leo dismissing the idea, Raph sneaks off alone to convince the Salamandrians himself.

Raph’s feelings for Mona Lisa have always interested me, specifically how he fell for her. Unlike his brothers with their love interests being the cliche “love at first sight”, Raph’s was “love at first fight”. We all know how Raph fell for Mona, they fought each other after a misunderstanding and after one good punch to the face Raph was smitten. He quickly began admiring her strength, acknowledging what a power punch she gave him, and amazed by her skills and spirit as a warrior. Raph admits right from the start that he loves Mona because she's “bigger, stronger and a better fighter than” him. He never once feels that his masculinity is being threatened when around her, and throughout their relationship never told her to not be herself. He loves that she's better than him as a warrior and can beat his shell! He shows excitement at the suggestion of him and her sparring together someday in the episode The War for Dimension X. He adores her, and never cares about others' judgment regarding his relationship with her. When Casey laughs at him after discovering his crush on her, instead of denying his feelings or getting angry at Casey and later the others for mocking him (something we would expect Raph to do), Raph instead continues expressing his romantic interest in her to everyone. He opened up about his feelings to others! If S1 Raph met and fell in love with Mona, I’m convinced he would’ve been a tsundere and just be in denial about it the entire time, not wanting to look soft because he has a crush. Raph met Mona at the perfect time in his life. He has emotionally mature. In truth, I think Mona made Raph a better man and was the key to help him continue his character growth throughout the rest of the series.

A good example of how much Raph has changed and matured is when Mona betrayed him in the episode The Evil of Dregg. Discovering that his first love, the one person he trusted “more than anyone in the galaxy” betrayed him, broke Raph’s heart and his fighting spirit. When Mona pleads for forgiveness, you can understand Raph’s anger and now he’s not quick to forgive her, but even when he’s mad at her he still loves her. Look at Raph right before Mona goes off into battle:

If he was truly mad at her, he wouldn’t be looking back, his back would be fully turned, refusing to have his eyes meet with her’s. He looks back at her but he’s not looking at her with anger or hatred, it’s sorrow. Raph still cares, he’s just hurt at the moment. Because of the betrayal, Raph believes that everything he and Mona have been through meant nothing to her, but then Mona assures him that his doubts are wrong when she tells him that she loves him for the first time, and that’s all Raph needed to hear to bring back his fighting spirit and run into battle to join her. Raph even snaps and tries to kill Lord Dregg after he harmed Mona and shows just how far he’ll go for her if someone ever tries to harm her (he does it again in S5 when Bishop insults Mona, he quickly jumps in to defend “his woman”). By the end of the episode, Raph and Mona reconcile. Him forgiving her shows how much Raph has grown as a character. S1 Raph would never have forgiven her, he would’ve held the grudge and not let go of it, but this Raph knows what Mona did was out of her control, she was blackmailed, so Raph did the mature thing, understood her situation, and forgave her. Him forgiving her shows how strong their love for each other is, and they keep on showing how much they love one another throughout the rest of the series.

Some other little details about Raph’s character that I like is that he's an animal guy. With his first pet Spike and the rooftop pigeons, we see a side of him that everyone else rarely gets to see. This minor trait about his character speaks a thousand words. It shows that he is gentle and caring at heart despite his tough persona he gives out to everyone else. We see this not only with Spike in seasons 1-2, but also later in seasons 4-5 with his new pet, Chompy Picasso.

By the time Chompy enters Raph’s life, he has matured. The purpose for Spike was for Raph to have someone to talk to about his feelings and express himself without judgment. Spike was like a therapy dog. Chompy however is not that. Raph has learned to open up by this point in the story, so he doesn’t need Chompy to talk about his personal problems and frustration as much as he had with Spike. Yes, Chompy is there to listen to Raph but at this point in the story Raph is open and expressive and not afraid to show his feelings to others. Raph has probably mention things to Chompy he still wouldn’t say to others (like in The Tale of Tiger Claw, he talks about Mona Lisa to Chompy, seeming that this isn’t the first time he’s done this), but Chompy isn’t a pet for Raph to vent to, instead he was a way for Raph to learn a new responsibility. Chompy is just a baby who just needs someone to love him, to look after and care for him, and Raph is that someone. He took a big responsibility to take care of Chompy after it was believed that his mother, Tokka, was killed. Raph doesn’t need another therapy dog, no, Chompy needs a caregiver, and when Tokka returns to take back her baby, she sees how much Chompy loves Raph and decides that it is better for him to stay on Earth with Raph where she knows he will be safe. I will always stand by this: Raph needed Spike, Chompy needed Raph.

This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I think Raphael is more similar and a parallel to Splinter than Leonardo is. Leo may be Splinter’s “best pupil” and next in line to be sensei for the Hamato Clan, but Splinter and Raph have a lot more in common than the show’s canon or even the fandom acknowledge and it hurts to think of the wasted potential. Raph obviously inherited Splinter's temper. We see in flashbacks that when Splinter was a young man he had an uncontrollable temper that Shredder could easily manipulate, and we still sometimes see that temper blow up in the show when Splinter is upset and disciplining his sons. There’s more similarities though than just them both being hotheaded. They both have a love and appreciation for art. Splinter mentions in Lone Rat and Cubs that he always wanted to be an artist, and it’s well known he loves the renaissance artists. Raph being an artist is a cute and fun little detail about his character that I really like and you see many times in the show, but fans barely acknowledge. He’s the one who painted the Venus pin up girl on the Party Wagon, he gives his girlfriend the nickname “Mona Lisa” (which he indirectly tells her that every time he calls her Mona Lisa he is reminding her that she is a beautiful work of art), and names his pet "Chompy Picasso" after the artist Pablo Picasso. Not to mention that both men know the pain and fear of the woman you love dying in your arms. I love Raph’s relationship with Splinter in the show, and it’s honestly way more interesting than Leo and Splinter’s.

I love their little “Spike, chew on your leaf…” bit in season 1 and how they bond over the Japanese mantra to help Raph overcome his fear of insects in season 4 (btw Raph being scared of bugs was so fun, I like the trope of the big strong dude being scared of something so small and harmless). The episode ends on a fun note, Splinter tells Raph to not tell the others of the mantra cause he “might use that trick on them one day”, showing that Splinter has a devious fun side to him similar to Raph’s.

Is 2012 Raphael perfect? Not at all. No character is. He still has flaws, but I feel that’s what makes him such a fun character still. I feel he had the best and most character development in the series. I love his voice actor, I love his character development, I love his relationship with his brothers, friends and girlfriend, I love all the little character details about him from his love of animals to his passion in art. It’s just my personal opinion, but I think 2012 Raph is the best version of Raphael. He has faced injustice in this day and age with fans misrepresenting his character and hating him for the wrong reasons. You don’t have to like him, everyone has their own opinions on certain characters and I respect that, but there’s a time when not liking him goes too far with saying he’s a bully and abuses his family. The haters can go argue with a wall, 2012 Raphael is the best and I love him, and I hope this post made you appreciate him a little bit more too <3

338 notes · View notes

vainvenus · 2 months

Note

you could do a second part of the ff "eli x reader" (cobra Kai) in which Eli is targeted by Kyler (in the library as in the series) and the reader does something about it (like protect him and kiss him in front of everyone because Kyler has said “I don't know how -reader- I manage to kiss you). the first part was so cute🥹 sorry for my english it's not my language🫶🏻😭

⌲;꒰ Favorite Boy in the Valley. ꒱ ꒰ Pt.2 ꒱

Pairing :: Eli Moskowitz x Fem!Reader

Synopsis :: Kyler comes back to continue ridiculing Eli but luckily you're there

Includings :: Includings - S1!Eli no Hawk, established relationship, bullying, harassment, crying, cursing, threats, lots of PDA and just lots of fluff, short but sweet

An :: I'm so glad you liked the other one! I hope you like this one too ^^

Since your talk with Eli things had been back to normal and just the way you had loved it.

Your movie nights continued, he started walking you to and from classes again and he didn't mind PDA as much. He held your hands in the hallway and accepted any kisses you gave to him despite the looks the two of you would sometimes get.

He started to care a little less what others were thinking of him after your talk. He realized that as long as he had you, it didn't really matter because that others thought.

Which was why he was open to picking back up your after school study dates in the library, offering to help you study and work on some of your late work in the library after school even though you kept getting distracted.

You had barley made a dent in getting your work done when you had got up, saying that you needed a snack break.

"You want anything, hun?" You asked as you grabbed a few dollars from your purse and he had thought for a second as he wrote down the correct answer instead of yours.

"Skittles, and after this can you please focus? I want you to pass this class so can-"

You had placed a small kiss on his cheek, pulling away and smiling at his face which was starting to grow a faint shade of pink.

"The sour ones?" You asked, referring to his choice of candy and he had nodded quietly, looking back down at the paper.

You hummed, leaving the library and Eli had smiled down at the paper as he continued to correct you mistakes. He knew you were at least trying, math wasn't everybody's strong suite.

"I thought freaks left the school strictly at three."

His body tensed up at the familiar voice, his grip tightening around the mechanical pencil in his palm.

He kept his eyes on the page, hoping that if he ignored the boy for long enough he would grow bored and go torture somebody else.

"Yo, we're talking to you, freak." One of Kyler's friends hissed, slamming one of the textbooks shut, the slam echoing throughout the library which earned him a harsh glare from a couple of the students.

Of course, none of them cared care. Kyler walked over and grabbed Eli by his face and forced him to look up at him.

"Jesus Christ. I still don't get it." He shook his head as he stared the other boy down with a harsh glare. "Just how does she manage to kiss you without puking."

There it was again.

He felt tears pricking his eyes, his vision growing glossy as he tried to blink them away and he heard Kyler snickering in front of him.

"Are you crying? Stop being such a little bitch." Kyler let go of Eli's face, making sure to push his head back a bit as he did so with a smug smile.

"She's dating a freak and a crybaby? How low are her standards?" His friends snickered as Kyler titled his head with a narrowed gaze. He opened his mouth to speak again but a voice spoke up.

"Why are you guys talking to my boyfriend?"

They had turned their heads to you as you were holding a few snacks and a bottle of water. You placed them on the table beside your stuff as you looked at the three.

"Hello? I asked a question, so don't stand there and look stupid." You repeated, looking directly at Kyler who crossed his arms over his chest.

"We were just talking-"

"About what exactly?" You interrupted with furrowed brows, barely giving any of them a chance to muster up a response as you looked over to Eli.

"What'd they say?" You asked, trying to make your voice a bit softer since your were talking to Eli but your frustration was obvious through your tone.

He muttered something you didn't quite catch so you leaned a bit closer. "A bit louder for me, please."

He glanced away, wiping the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. "Just the same stuff as last time..look, it's not really a problem. Can we just lea-"

You had cut him off as you leaned forward to place a kiss on his lips, your lipgloss leaving a glossy residue.

And for good measure you had placed another one right on his scar with a small smile.

"We're not going anywhere. They can leave." You stated, turning your attention back to the three with raised eyebrows as you noticed they were still standing there.

"Can you guys hear? Get lost already, Jesus Christ. It's like you have nothing better to do." You rolled your eyes, waving the group goodbye.

It seemed that Kyler's two friends got the hint as they muttered something under their breaths and walked away.

"I just don't think I'll ever get it." Kyler scoffed, shaking his head as he stared at the two of you in disgust.

You shrugged your shoulders. "It's not for you to get, obviously. Why don't you worry about your own relationship that's falling apart?"

He scowled at you, narrowing his gaze into a glare before muttering; "Freaks." under his breath and turning on his heel but you heard it.

You stood back up from your seat much to the dismay of Eli who was urging you to sit back down so the two of you could finish studying.

"Say that again?"

"I said-"

Eli wasn't fast enough as you swung your fist at Kyler, hitting him straight in the nose. His hands flew up to cover it as he squeezed his eyes shut, tears pricking in the corner.

"You bitch! You probably broke my fucking nose!"

"Good." You scoffed, shaking your fist and squeezing it a bit and Eli had started to pack up your things before the librarian could ask what was going on.

As the two of you walked out of the library he noticed you wincing slightly as you touched your knuckles.

"I'll ice it when we get to my house." He reassured you as he grabbed your non dominant hand to hold it so you would stop poking at the other.

You smiled, placing a kiss on the back of his hand. "Aw, you're the best."

"Well, you did punch Kyler for me. I think you're the best." He hummed, copying your movements and placing a kiss on the back of your palm.

#Cobra Kai #cobra kai x reader #Eli Moskowitz #eli hawk moskowitz #eli moskowitz x reader #Eli hawk Moskowitz x reader #hawk moskowitz #hawk moskowitz x reader

102 notes · View notes

heyitspersephone · 6 months

Text

Thinking about stranger things again now that the strikes are over and how, narratively, it would be way, WAY cooler to have Mike get Vecna’d instead of Will in s5

It’s just something about the way Mike’s trauma is never addressed or handled in any way?? Like, he hugs his mom twice and then when he was depressed in season 2 and 4 nobody did anything (his parents scolded him for his behavior in s2 ig but that’s not support). His best friend went missing leaving from his house, he watched his body get pulled from the quarry, watched El (in his eyes) kill herself stopping the demogorgon, watched Will be possessed, saw Bob die, was in Star Court when everything went down, saw Billy die, had his best friend move away, was SHOT AT (and really too few people talk about the shooting in Cali bc omg??), buried a body, and watched the apocalypse start. And that’s just off the top of my head.

(And yes I’m aware that the other characters (especially Will) are traumatized too but I will get to my point in a second just hold on)

The plot is geared towards this idea that Will and Henry have to have some big face off (and they should, in my opinion, but I don’t think it should be in a possession, or at least not the the Vecna kind of possession, yk?) but that makes it all the better, writing wise, to have mike be the one in danger. Will was helpless and hiding in s1, I think Will should get his big strong moments in s5 where he gets to be the hero of the story.

It would just be a lot more fun to work with Mike being Vecna’d than Will, because what are we going to bring up with Will’s visions? His dad? His sexuality? The events of s1 from his perspective? It would be cool to see, for sure, but we already know most of that. Mike, on the other hand, has a number of untapped things, like jumping off the quarry, why he’s so hesitant to tell El he loves her, how someone who was smart and kind enough to take El in in s1 and come up with the spy and sauna plans in s2 and s3 could turn into the oblivious asshole that he was in s3 and s4 (he needs therapy, ik, I still love his character but I want to explore the reasons he went from his s2 characterization to his s3 one)

It would be a very interesting parallel, I think, to explore Mike’s thought processes in this way, especially with all of Mike’s repression business (bc whether you ship byler or milkvan he is repressing his feelings HARD. Like, beyond his inability to say I love you there’s the fact that he doesn’t bring up the apparent many times he called pre-s4 during the Rink O Mania fight?? That literally would’ve absolved him of guilt in that argument since he WAS reaching out to Will the whole time? Hellooooo????).

Anyways, this all brings me to my main point: Vecna targets isolation as much as he targets trauma and guilt. The whole party was traumatized by the events in s1, s2, and s3, but Max was the one targeted. Plus, Henry went for Fred, Chrissy, and Patrick (I think his name was Patrick) instead of going for the perceivably easy targets that the mcs would make (ik narratively that would’ve made it more boring but shhh), so why Max and those three specifically? They were isolated. Lucas and Erica have each other, Dustin goes to Steve and Robin, Will and El have each other and Jonathan and Joyce, Nancy probably goes to Jonathan, and who does Mike go to?

No one. And don’t say Nancy because if those two have heart to hearts then I’m the next coming of Christ. Max separated herself from the Party in the aftermath of her grief and guilt over Billy, and it feels quite obvious that Mike was doing the same (like I said, he has repression issues). So Mike is traumatized, alone, and guilty (be it Will getting taken from Mike’s house, losing El in front of him multiple times, the many deaths he has witnessed, or the internalized homophobia angle), which makes him more of a target than Will, in my opinion (or at least an easier one, especially given his tendency to put himself on the line during fights (quarry, most of s2, s3 mindflayer fight), which would set him up on the suicidal ideation path)

Furthermore, as I’ve seen a few other people point out (and I can’t find the posts but one of them had eight screenshots of the various moments), Mike is always the one getting in the way, so it would be a strategic move for Henry to target him to get him out of the picture. Mike was the one that found El and got her involved in saving Will s1, he was the one who came up with the spy plan and called out the ambush in s2, he was the one to monologue Will out of his possession s2, he was the one with the sauna plan for Billy in s3, he was the one trying to help El get the strength to fight s4 (even if the monologue sucked ass it’s the intention that counts). As much as people like to hate on Mike, he is in the leader position most of the time when the party is grouped up (barring his mental health struggles slowing that down beginning of s3 and throughout s4, but he’s still capable of it). He’s the idea man, and he’s the one whose character’s foundations were built on the desire to keep his friends safe, so it would be a very fun plot line to watch him be the one targeted in s5. Like Will said, as lovestruck and cheesy as he was, Mike is the heart of the party when he’s on his A-game, so Henry should 100% be trying to keep him in the issues he’s been struggling with.

Obviously, Will and El are the Targets with a capital T for Henry since they’re the ones that got away or whatever, but I think Mike is a weakness of Will’s (and El’s tbh but also I think they need to have separate character arcs and I don’t exactly ship milkvan) that should be exploited.

TL;DR: Mike should get Vecna’d instead of Will in s5 because it would make sense in lore and be a very cool way to resolve his character arc

127 notes · View notes

kiteblue42 · 7 months

Text

Part 3 of what the heck is happening with Mobius anyway?

S2e4- the one where everyone dies and Sylvie hates key lime pie

A very very busy episode with not much time for character work (and a lot of characters to work on too!). We have to rely heavily on what others say about Mobius and body language for this one.

Mobius & teamwork

Previously we have seen Mobius excel at the case work side of his job and we see a little of this here when he works out Victor Timely is in danger at the chocolate machine. But what’s more noticeable this episode is that part of Mobius that enables others to do their jobs - the person in the team keeping it glued together. Examples: calming Victor down at the start, encouraging OB & Casey, even just all the jokes and banter. This is the sort of person that keeps a team together when morale is low. The sort of person that notices if one of the team is troubled by something and tries to fix it - small point noticing Timely wants to go for cocoa and sorting it out. Ever worked in a high pressure environment and you’ll know these sorts of people are what keep the place going. A positive sign for me is that Mobius still kept up his positive attitude even after Sylvie’s rant. On the other hand there is no one keeping an eye on Mobius in the same way he keeps an eye on the team.

Mobius & Sylvie

Ok so this was uncomfortable viewing (not as bad as some of the horror scene ofc!) If you only watch it once it might not be so obvious but once Sylvie starts her rant Mobius is completely silent. (As ever with shout-y and accusatory people what they say probably tells you more about themselves than the person they are targeting it follows that it would be easier to use this little performance to tell us more about Sylvie than Mobius). So everything we get here re Mobius has to come from his body language - very on brand again.

(1) Mobius wasn’t expecting to be attacked. In fact (as above) suggesting they go for a treat break is exactly how he operates and raises morale in the tva team. This is usually well received and understood so at first he just looks slightly stunned & puzzled.

(2) Mobius feelings about “his past life” are very private. When Sylvie talks about the timeline he goes very still and looks down. We know he is sensitive about this because of s2e2 - and we (& Loki) know why but Sylvie doesn’t. So here Mobius looks away to hide.

(3) Mobius does care about the timeline deaths - and isn’t hiding from that. When Sylvie accuses him of not caring about the timeline he meets her gaze again and shakes his head. We (& Loki) know he does care about this as we saw this at the close of S2e2.

(4) Mobius hoped Loki would support him but isn’t surprised when he doesn’t. Sylvie then storms off and Mobius exchanges that first shocked baffled look with Loki. This is followed by Loki walking past him with one glance and not saying anything. Mobius looks down then up to the light and sighs almost with a roll of his eyes - like that hurt but I should have expected it. Later when Loki and Sylvie appear at he scene of D90’s pruning he greets them both with a pretty dark look.

Dox & Mobius

The most ominous piece of mirroring is Dox & Mobius. Dox is a TVA general “true believer” who has just (really this episode) had the realisation everything they did was wrong (speech to Renslayer - now I see the bigger picture etc). We know from s1.e1&2 that Mobius was a true believer too (the jet ski magazine - it reminds me what we are fighting for etc). Mobius says nothing in Sylvie rant scene - and it ends with Mobius sigh, eyes to heaven and head roll with X5s voice over (to Dox) “are you going to say anything?” It cuts to Dox who makes exactly the same eyes cast up then down and head roll body language mirroring Mobius. Dox also does not reply. Dox eventually choses to let Renslayer kill her and her team as she sees no future for them - either in the timeline or the TVA.

Loki comments on Mobius

I’ve said elsewhere (re S2e2) that Loki handles Mobius well - when he’s paying attention - but I’d say here his attention is not on Mobius but Sylvie- and he handled exit from the Sylvie rant badly. It also seems to indicate an expectation that Mobius will understand and roll with it. Nonetheless Loki does lead into his conversation with Sylvie by raising Mobius. Loki is careful what he says here and I think it is a sign that he knows that Mobius would not want him sharing any private information. What he says is interesting “he’s just trying to see in the dark like the rest of us.”

Because Mobius makes light of the situation very few people realise he is in a dark place but Loki recognises this. On a hopeful note (the rest of the conversation is about hope) Loki also reuses the “broken things” line from s1e2. Renslayer tells Mobius he has a “soft spot for broken things” and Loki says “Trying to fix what’s broken is hard”. So we know that (1) Mobius MO is to fix broken things - (2) something that is hard to do. A hopeful note follows then - Mobius is practiced in doing this hard thing and maybe Loki is right to assume Mobius can roll with the punches.

Future

Themes that need to be paid off

- Making a hard choice & hope

- Order & chaos

- Partnerships & trust

It’s possible that the ending of Ep 4 which wiped out everyone means that this is the lowest ebb for these characters and we won’t see Mobius plunge into the level of despair that Dox displayed in this episode. I think that would be a bit of a cop out, but we’ll see. I still think there will be some angst ahead, but the themes seem to be pointing to an ultimately hopeful outcome (or maybe I have just been watching too much Lord of the Rings lately).

Given trailer footage (spoilers ahead if you’ve not seen them) I think:

(1) Loki will deliberately timeslip backwards before he gets hit by the radiation blast. He’ll then use the time loop theme to try to change the outcome. It will take a number of iterations and moving further back in time each time to start again. (There are clips in trailers of timeslipping we have not seen yet)

(2) It will involve him re-recruiting the team and a “we’ve got to get the band back together” - Blues Brothers style ending awaits (hooray). But this will involve some people having to give up good lives to join the team - and Loki will have to use all his powers, charm & mischief to get them back. (We have clips of Casey & B15 on the timeline we have not seen).

(3) Mobius will give up his good life (a pre-tva Mobius jet ski salesman) on the timeline to join the team. (We have clip of Loki timeslipping in front of jet ski store not yet seen). I’ve said before I don’t see a post TVA Mobius being content in this role (doing some jobs change you too much for a quiet life) but I could see him doing this before he ever became an agent - so I’m hoping that’s how this works. And we get a conscious decision to do the “hard thing” and join the team. (Foreshadowed by the “I’d like to thank the guy who bought me here … got me this pie” s2e2).

(4) There is still a risk that this may lead to Mobius death. However, given they killed everyone (except perhaps Loki & Sylvie) in this episode we may be spared further trauma and could get a happy ending for most of the team. I don’t think the explosion was a fake out so unless Loki changes something in the past they all are dead and will remain so and that gives us a better chance for more to survive in the end.

#loki #mobius #loki spoilers #mobius m mobius #lokius #loki meta #lokius meta #owen wilson #loki season 2

66 notes · View notes

wibble-wobbegong · 2 years

Text

Mike Hostage Theory

i just wanted to make an official post with my view on this theory bc i have a very specific vision

edit: i’ve made a post with some more evidence here! :)

For anyone who doesn’t know, the Mike hostage theory is essentially the idea that Mike will be taken hostage by Vecna in season 5.

Here’s my reasoning for why I think this is a possibility for season 5:

- Mike has managed to ruin all of Vecna’s plans since season 1 and each season he develops a better understanding of the UD and is able to formulate plans that take direct action in preventing Vecna from achieving his goal. a short list that shows this would be:

s1: Mike discovers what the upside down is and relays all the information he’s gathered from El, giving the rest of the cast an understanding of what’s actually happening. Plans to rescue will spring from Mike’s information

s2: Mike is the only one who actually understands what’s happening with Will AND he takes the lead in creating the plan to save Will. Second only to Will, he has the most in depth understanding of how the mind flayer works which he demonstrates in episode 8 where he explains everything he knows to Dustin who then makes the analogy to the mind flayer in DND. He suggests putting Will to sleep, isolating him to try and break him out of the possession, getting the mind flayer out of Will before the gate completely closes, and distracting the demodogs by lighting the graveyard on fire.

s3: After learning about the mind flayer’s return, he comes to the conclusion that the mind flayer won’t die when it’s expelled from someone and that they have to figure out how to actually kill the mind flayer (though they never ended up doing this). After learning about Billy being a potential host, he mentally made a complete plan of how to know whether he was a host or not. He barely had to think about it after they confirmed Billy was acting suspicious, he knew how to test him with the sauna and executed that plan in the same day after coordinating with the rest of the party. Mike is still pretty in touch with how the mind flayer works when interacting with its hosts

s4: Vecna very specifically timed his attacks so they would begin the day Mike left. He was counting on Mike not being able to get involved and it making him more successful, which is what happened. He thought he had Mike completely out of the picture and yet he still managed to get involved with Vecna’s plans when he was finally going to kill El. Mike’s monologue was mostly a failure, but it did boost El’s memories with Max in a way. Either way, Mike still managed to get in the way even with Vecna counting on him being on the opposite side of the country.

This would give Vecna 1 major motive to keep Mike in the UD with him. It allows him to keep an eye on Mike and eliminate the possibility of his interference.

- Mike is incredibly close with vecna’s true target; Will. Vecna needs to bring Will back into the UD again to follow through with whatever plan he’s been trying to follow through with since season 1. Does he want Will to join him? Does he want to turn Will into an asset to the hivemind? Does he want to possess Will himself and obtain his abilities? There’s no way to know for sure, but no matter what he needs to lure Will into a situation where they can talk alone. Vecna and Will are still connected so Vecna is definitely aware that Will’s feelings for Mike are way too strong for Will to not come to rescue him. He’s likely going to use Will’s emotions to his advantage.

- Mike’s perspective needs to be told and having him live through a long-term psychic curse from Vecna would allow us to understand what Mike’s fears really are. I think they could use a situation like this to tell Mike’s perspective of the story in a way that’s reminiscent of how El had an isolated story in season 2.

- Mike has a very strong tendency to isolate himself when he can’t cope with things and there is going to be a lot weighing on him, emotionally, in season 5; Eddie’s death, breaking up with El, Will is in danger again, still believing that his feelings are unreciprocated, and he’s probably gonna be expected to take a leadership role again. Everyone is going to be focused on dealing with the apocalypse during the two year time gap so I could see Mike spending a lot of time alone when he’s not working with the party which gives Vecna an opportunity to kidnap him silently before starting the next phase of his attack.

note: maybe will discovers his powers before the time skip and has to spend a lot of the two year time gap practicing with el, though he hangs out with mike when he can

How I think this could advance multiple plot lines!

Mike’s Personal Arc

I covered this a little bit, but if mike were to go under a long-term psychic connection with vecna, we could watch his point of view for a lot of the major moments in different seasons that we were denied his perspective. It would be an opportunity to finally reveal mike’s genuine feelings, fears, and regrets to the audience in a way that wouldn’t involve other characters discovering this about him. Personally, Mike would finally be able to emotionally advance past a lot of his repression as he’s finally forced to face it head on over and over. He might break down at first, and he should, but the longer he stays there the more he’ll learn to deal with those fears. I’m going to tie this into another plot line, but him being able to walk through his emotions would demonstrate a new emotional maturity he has been lacking due to his relationship with El and his incessant need to be normal. He might learn to hide from these things that are torturing him by going into happy memories, which will force him to accept that he wasn’t happy in his relationship with El and that he is a happier person when he’s with Will and his friends doing the things he loves (I’m sure he’s aware of this to some extent during s4). Vecna won’t be present in his mind (explained later), so Mike will be able to walk through these happy memories safely and reminisce on those moments which will continue to expand his perspective, this time from a positive light.

Will’s Personal Arc

Will is going to have a Hero Arc in season 5, it’s been foreshadowed since season 2. He’s finally escaping his repeated victimization and fighting back, protecting who he loves, and avenging everything that Vecna stole from him. He doesn’t need to be Mike’s heroine to go through this arc, but it would be more impactful for Will to rescue the boy who saved him time and time again, the boy who always protected him, the boy he’s in love with. It’ll add more emotional depth to Will’s story in season 5, not that protecting the others isn’t emotionally strong, but it’ll give him a certain level of empowerment that he couldn’t achieve by saving anyone else. Knowing that he has the strength to do what he’s admired Mike for for so long would be fantastic for his view of himself. If he’s going to fight off Vecna with love, he’ll need to develop some self love too, which can come from finding strength in himself and knowing Mike reciprocates his feelings (Mike makes him feel like he isn’t a mistake, but he feels like a mistake for being gay. When Mike confesses it’ll make Will feel even less like a mistake).

The Mike/Will Role Reversal

There have been tons of hint throughout season 4 that hint at Mike and Will having reversed roles in season 5. For one, Mike has a ton of death tags (ex. being compared directly to romeo, dying in the opening DND game, etc.) that won’t lead to an actual death. When Mike disappears randomly, there might be people who assume he’s dead the same way they did with Will in season 1, but if we know anything about Will it’s that he’d never give up on Mike just like how Mike never gave up on him. This is also going to give them an even deeper understanding of each other as they’ve now both been the searcher and the rescued.

Finding Max

So, I’m going to be assuming two things for this part of the theory.

1. Mike is traveling throughout memories in his own head but those memories are manifesting in Vecna’s mind.

2. Vecna absorbed Max’s consciousness, as he describes being able to absorb his victims, and Max is now able to traverse Vecna’s mind and go back to her own memories as she pleases.

If both of those are true, then Mike may very well run into Max once he starts hiding away in happier memories. To be clear, I don’t want nor think Mike will be the one to free her consciousness: that has to be left up to Lucas and El somehow. Mike could be the one to discover that she is alive and start considering the possibility of bringing her back. When he’s freed, this is information he can give to the party. That ties into his role as an information gatherer and it’ll likely lead to him planning a way to get her back, though it’ll be Lucas and El carrying the beef of that plan.

As for which memory they’d run into each other in, I think it has to be that scene in the gym from season 2. It’s pretty much the only memory between them where they’re both happy and together that’s been shown on screen. It would be a good way to reaffirm their friendship, too, if they’re both visiting that memory. We see Mike shooting her concerned glances when her nose bleeds and she wrote him a letter despite their dynamic being shown as rivals more than friends, so this is a way to expand the depth of their relationship and show that they are friends and they do care about each other in a way that’s yet to be displayed.

Romantic Byler

Can’t talk about Mike in season 5 without factoring byler into it!

As far as how this theory plays into byler edging towards becoming canon, I think this is where the audience would finally be being told that Mike is in love with Will in every aspect except the actual words. This is where “show don’t tell” is gonna take it’s extreme. We’re going to be going on a journey with Mike through memory lane of all the good and the bad, which Will is inevitably a major part of both of those types of memories. We’ll see Mike’s reactions to things, which we aren’t shown throughout the show very often after season 1. There is going to be an undeniable love for Will shown from Mike’s perspective.

Then, with Will being the one to rescue Mike, we’re also going to get Mike realizing Will needs him even when he isn’t providing something for Will. He’s going to understand that Will wants him around. A more emotionally aware Mike + a single Mike + a Mike who feels loved for who he is by Will = a potential confession.

All around, I just think that Mike getting held hostage through a long-standing curse could add a lot to the story. I also wrote this while having not slept in about 2 days, so please feel free to add onto the things I missed :)

#can you tell this is my favorite theory #can you tell #mike hostage theory #mike wheeler #byler #my theories

427 notes · View notes

my-mt-heart · 11 months

Text

A few people were wondering what I meant when I said Daryl’s arc in S1 could ruin Caryl’s arc in S2, so I thought I'd try to elaborate. It's probably the 5th time in the last 24 hours that I've jumped on my soapbox. I'm a little burnt out, but hopefully this makes it clear where I stand. As always, my inbox is always open <3

There are very specific qualities that drew Caryl fans to Daryl’s character from early on. There’s his devotion to Carol first and foremost, his vulnerability, and his unconventional masculinity, all of which go hand in hand. But like I said, S1 isn’t targeting Carylers. It isn’t trying to nurture those qualities that we love. There’s a reason why everybody keeps calling it a “reset.” Reset in this case is just another word for retcon.

Based on what we’ve seen so far from the marketing, S1 seems to be targeting young males whose viewpoint clashes with our own. So instead of getting the Daryl that feels natural to us, a loyal man yearning to get home to the one woman he’s always been in love with, we’re going to get an ambiguous OOC Daryl who knows he has “people” to get back to, but also finds the newbies interesting enough to feel conflicted about it. That's according to the synopsis anyway.

There's likely going to be shipbaiting, case in point the bathtub. That does not mean Daryl’s going to get together with or even have explicit feelings for a younger female character who happens to fit the target audience’s view of a love interest. I'm *very* confident that will not happen. It does mean, however, that the show will do what it can to make you *think* that Daryl could have feelings for someone else or get together with someone else.

How many times have they tried to turn Daryl into TWD’s most eligible bachelor? How much did it erase his nuances? How much did it aggravate us? And the big question is, why are we being asked to pay for more of that same bullshit we never wanted? Because it’ll eventually pay off? Okay, but how are we going to feel when Carol, who’s crossing oceans and taking lives, finally finds Daryl? Happy for her? Or sorry for her because Daryl didn’t go to the same lengths that she went to for him?

Those are my biggest concerns. 1) Daryl’s and Carol’s arcs being uneven and 2) waiting a long time for gratification that may be underwhelming again if AMC is still trying to placate everybody.

“Well, fuck, MT. That was extremely bleak and it sounds like we shouldn’t bother getting excited about Carol/Caryl.”

I am not saying we shouldn’t get excited. After an entire year of misery and uncertainty, we know Carol is coming back. She’s going to ride Daryl’s bike, she’s going to rescue him, she’s going to wear a ring that looks like the mysterious one she wore in 11x15, she’s going to walk a bridge with Daryl that’s reminiscent of Consumed. That’s all stuff to get *SUPER* excited about. Unlike S1, S2 *IS* targeting Carylers. I just don't want anything to take the wind out of our sails before we even get there.

So I think it's important to keep urging AMC to show us that #DarylNeedsCarol on the deepest of levels. Show us that this is going to be *their* show, not just because Daryl and Carol are both going to be in it, but because it’s going to continue their shared journey (a title that encompasses both their characters would be an effective strategy, I’m just saying). We still have a long wait. We still have time to change our minds.

#caryl #caryl spinoff #carol peletier #melissa mcbride #darylneedscarol

51 notes · View notes

fluffypotatey · 9 months

Note

Hello there! I hope the month is treating you alright. Speaking of impending breakdowns, with a full guarantee of MK having one coming soon, aside from him who else do you think will be getting one amongst the Monkie crew, from earliest to the latest? Macaque is shockingly doing well comparatively because he's been having one the entire show and only started to wind down and process it s4 while the other two monkeys are just piling them up. I am fully biased towards SWK so I'd like to know your thoughts on what an SWK breakdown would look like and what would trigger it, and if we might see it any time soon.

I think the reason on why an MK vs SWK fight makes me full of nervous dread is because i worry it might mean full rejection of MK towards SWK, after all the trials they have been through, and that SWK haven't had someone fully believing in him for so long so i worry he might interpret it as MK finally giving up on him, like the others did. But I'm holding on to the hope that it's not entirely the case, MK still believes in him, he just wants SWK to actually use his words and TALK to him, extreme force needed. But that might just be me.

Regarding the Samadhi Fire incident, do you think the other pilgrims ever find out about the fourth ring, or did Ao Lie and SWK kept it a secret between them only? I've read Dr. Chalk's comic on twitter, and one of their comics headcanon that Ao Lie didn't tell the rest of the pilgrims about the Samadhi fire in him because he's afraid they'll blame SWK for it. What do you think?

That's it for now. Sleep early, eat your meals regularly, and drink plenty of water!

ok 1) lmao true, Macky's spent most of s3 on the brink and s1&2 is just him projecting so yeah lmao (love him tho). and aside from MK, i think Mei is a huge contender for the breakdown category. Or Tang bc he was super anxious throughout s4. (imma go more in-depth about MK & SWK at the end of this post tho)

imma answer your Samadhi Fire question first: tbh i was originally inclined to believe that Ao Lie did try to keep the knowledge of the 4th ring underwraps for a long time (bc the angst is very fun). if he told SWK, he knew the monkey would blame himself. if he told the jttw crew, it would upset all of them. it's like how @lunar-wandering said in their post that Ao Lie is probably someone who would hide his injuries and troubles because if it is known, it is viewed as a weakness others can target.

then again, i doubt Ao Lie would withhold his physical injuries to the jttw gang because he trusts them, so it could be possible that he did tell them, but they all agreed to keep that secret between themselves. the AGAIN, i highly doubt Ao Lie would share his reasons for being exiled by his family, so he never told them until he felt he could no longer keep it together.

however, keep in mind that Wukong was aware of the 4th ring even in his amnesiac state. he was still with the jttw gang by this point, it was after the journey, and Wukong was aware. tbh, he sounded like he thought Pigsy was also aware, like he was reminding his companion that there are 4 rings not 3.

and, with that....imma have to go with Ao Lie did inform his friends but only his friends. was it immediately after the ritual? i doubt that. my opinion is that Ao Lie informed only after everyone in the group noticed a key change in their dragon-horse friend.

now, my beloved sunburst duo <3

i'm going to have to disagree with you, bestie. i don't think the MK vs SWK fight will to any full rejection. rather, i believe it will give both characters some form of understanding for the other. MK, as we have seen, has trouble separating Wukong from the hero pedestal he placed his mentor on. while he is more aware of the fact that Wukong has flaws and isn't perfect, he is still struggling with acknowledging the fact that his mentor did very bad things in his past, that he hurt people, that he is still hurting people (tho not intentionally). we see it with how he fought Ink!MK who unveiled those very dark and reclusive anxieties of his that he never wishes to acknowledge. we even saw it with how defensive MK can be over Wukong with Macaque and Azure.

on the flip side, SWK did not begin their mentorship with the intention of getting attached. he started this because he knew MK's potential and power, and it is very likely that he was aware that MK was a possible replacement for himself. Wukong keeps his distance in s1, only training the kid and taking his time to do so because he while he doesn't want to get close, he does want to ensure that MK will not fall into the same mistakes he did. unfortunately (for Wukong), the monkey grows attached.

Wukong sees MK's drive to train and be better and sees his own self reflected in it. but, again, he doesn't want MK to be like him. he wants MK to be a better version. a version that never thought to extend his life out of fear of losing his usefulness, a version that never tries to push his friends into situations they may not feel comfortable with, a version that does not feel the need to prove himself to Heaven.

honestly, my concept of their fight/breakdown will come to the fact that both MK and SWK fail to communicate their exact fears, anxieties, and intentions towards the other. MK feels like he can't even talk or vent to Wukong because that's his idol, and Wukong has brushed aside MK's anxieties in the past (MK's worries about Spider Queen for example. also i'm not saying Wukong does this with any malice intent; rather, it's his own way of trying to be optimistic. it just doesn't land well for MK unfortunately). Wukong feels like he can't open up because he sees the way MK looks up to him, he is very aware of his public image and reputation because...you know, he's immortal and has seen his and his friend's stories be told over centuries :)

and while Wukong has attempted to open up to MK post-s3, it's very slow and (more irritatingly) the plot isn't allowing them to have those private talks where they can hash out their shit.

(noooOOOOoooooOOO, swk had to be sucked into a cursed scroll and live through his worst memories, distorted or not, and MK had to be told by another old friend of his mentor that Wukong doesn't care enough about his friends to stay)

therefore, it looks like the only way both characters will even get a chance to air-out their issues will be shouting at each other, throwing physical blows, and maybe crying at each other (i hope so :3 i wanna see swk cry on screen please!)

HOWEVER: while this could lead to the 2 of them needing space with each other (which could lead to both or either of them spiraling about how the other person's rejected them and doesn't want them in their lives anymore), i highly doubt that this fight will be the end of their relationship. frankly, i think it will help give both characters some perspective on the other, work on themselves, and come back with new outlooks & healthier minds (maybe)

so yeah, those are my thoughts :)

#think i repeated myself 3 times but it's fine #dw bestie i'm eating the best sandwich rn #it's so good T^T #lmk #sunburst duo #lmk sunburst duo #lmk sun wukong #lmk mk #lmk qi xiaotian #lego monkie kid

28 notes · View notes

kisilinramblings · 1 year

Note

do you think derision officially killed any chance of a chloe redemption? additionally, what do you think of her development in s5?

(part 2 of tht chloe ask for derision). And this is also coming from someone who would've liked a redemption arc for her. I feel like ppl are mad that Chloe's abuse is being shown in a more serious light in how badly it affected Marinette to the point of triggering her, as if its not allowed to be shown when we were told but not shown, tht she was horrible to Marinette for years.

====

Chloé's character herself made it very clear to Adrien, to us and indirectly to Sabrina, that she doesn't want to change, didn't she not? And a character who refuses to change, won't change.

Chloé : What should I care about what Dupain-Cheng feels? Those of her kind are only there to entertain me. What's the point of having power if you cannot use it on those who don't have it?

S4-S5 is Chloé going back to square 1. Some may consider she is even worst than Chloé is S1, but I need to remind them of actions Chloé did take during the first season.

Origins? Chloé forced Marinette to sit elsewhere. Mocks Ivan and calls him a monster. Mocks also Alya who calls her out for her insensitiveness. Puts a gum on Marinette's seat to put her in her place.

Bubbler? Pushed Marinette aside.

Lady Wifi? Threaten the principal to get what she wanted. Same that she did with Soqueline.

Chronogirl? Take and inspect Alix's watch without authorization nor care.

Mr Pigeon? Plays the victim in front of Gabriel Agreste and says Marinette has copied her design.

Evillustrator? Mock Nathaniel's drawing in front of the class.

Rogercop? Make a comment about Marinette's family not being able to afford a bracelet like hers. Accuses Marinette for stealing said bracelet without proof.

Dark Cupid? Breaks Kim's heart along with not only taking of picture of the humiliating position he is in, but also shares it to the Internet.

Horrificator? Mocking Mylène for being scared to the point of making her cry and hide in the restrooms.

Dark Blade? Forced all other students to not even compete to be class representative. Was set to tarnish Marinette's reputation by learning the content of her diary and reveal it to everyone.

Kung Food? Sabotage Marinette's uncle's soup in a culinary competition.

Reflekta? Ensures that Juleka is not on the class picture so she can have her place next to Adrien. Also, spied and was ready to report Marinette's action to Mr. Damocles.

Pixelator? Mess with the class affected roles, putting Alya in charge of sorting thrash at the main dumpster and for Marinette to be a gofer who will run errands for others.

Princess Fragrance? Tears Rose's letter to prince Ali in front of her. Takes away Marinette's "plushie" and try to give it as a present to prince Ali.

Like, Chloé was clearly a Bully™ in S1. She may not have played bad pranks during S1 (aside the gum on the seat), but she mocked and humiliated other classmates many times and particularly aimed her attacks and comments at Marinette whenever she had a chance. However, unlike the previous years before, Marinette now had confidence to fight back and is not an easy target anymore. And the other classmates have also grown to not stay idle to Chloé's bullshit anymore (see Deflagration). And I wrote in previous post why Chloé is more frustrating and frustrated than ever.

Still, in light of Derision, it is even surprising that the class accepted Chloé to be even present such as during the student film project in Horrificator or the friendly competition between Alix and Kim. Though it is unclear of who invited her. I understand only a very few knew about the prank at the pool, but the cockroaches and other torments Chloé inflicted to Marinette was known. And tbh, while Thomas and Sébastien were there from the beginning as Show Creator and Writing Director respectfully, it is not unbelievable they themselves didn't have a clear idea of the extent of Chloé's bullying then. Even they maybe didn't yet figured what Chloé could be capable of while working on S1. But that is fan speculation. I'm not behind the scenes. At any case, I'm thorned between "part of this episode should have been brought up earlier" yet loving the timing of the discussion between Marinette and Adrien at the end about trauma and healing and the fact they can still date and take the time and it goes so well with the relationship stage they currently are in as it happened during the episode of their first official date.

Anyway, I too was open for Chloé to change slowly by the end of S2 and eventually admit that she was wrong of treating Marinette and the other classmates like dirt, but during S3, I've realized that unlike all them, Chloé was heading in a different direction. Realizing how much of a warning flag Despair Bear was. During S2-S3, Chloé accepted to mellow down and do the minimum required, but only if there was a reward for her at the end. The Bee Miraculous was her sole motivation to be decent. And that only carries on for the time it would last AKA as long as the reward is there and was satisfying. And when Chloé permanently loses her access to the Bee Miraculous, I've written before S4 how it would not be the rock bottom for her yet. That is was just the beginning of the end for her.

Chloé, as a character, is motivated since S1 by status which she associates with power. Since Chloé cannot be a superhero anymore and blames and hates Ladybug for it, I'm interpretating that her character is now more than ever clinging to elite and privileged club she grew up in thanks to her parents as it is still in her reach. She fully embraces the rules and mentality of this privileged elite club.

Still, if you are looking for a character's redemption, Sabrina is starting to engage herself in that trail. She assisted in a lot of Chloé's mischiefs in the past and still is putting with all the crap she still gets in this toxic relationship but it feels like this is about to change. Right now, Sabrina is only in the self-reflection stage, but it is a first step. She obviously didn't like Chloé's answer at the end of Derision. In Perfection, you see that Sabrina is affected upon hearing Chloé said that her best friend position is going to Lila. At least, I think it is worth to keep an eye on Sabrina this season.

#miraculous ladybug #ml season 5 #ml s5 spoilers #ml spoilers #ml derision #ml s5ep14 #chloé bourgeois

54 notes · View notes

mayahawkeswife · 2 years

Note

u should rant a little abt the 'will has powers thing' bc im a little confused LMAO

of course i will :)) anything to info dump lmao

okay so this might be a lot but- stay with me here please— (and ofc ask questions or add on to anything 😭😭)

one of the main things pointing to will having powers is basically a lot of the shit that he did in season one, more specifically how he was able to do it.

some things he was able to do includes: controlling individual lights, speaking to joyce through the phone + walls (?? ig idk how else to word it), appear in joyce’s dreams/a sort of apparition of him appears (this one is def more theoretical, i’ll get to it in a minute), and the reason why he was even taken in the first place (or at least my theory as to why).

first off: while, yes, in season 4 vol. 1 when the teens are stuck in the upside down, they found a way to talk to people in the (for better lack of words) right side up through the lights, it doesn’t completely translate to what will had done so previously. as we know, the upside down is stuck on the day that will went missing, so everything is how it was on that day in the upside down (except well— more decayed and covered in vibes but- whatever yk). so, this would mean no alphabet wall. there would be no way for will to know that was there. and let’s say that will managed to figure out what his mom was trying to do somehow, the christmas lights were never turned on in the first place. the majority of them were never turned on. in vol. 1 we see how the lights need to be turned on and source in the right place in order to communicate through them. this… doesn’t really make sense in terms of will talking to joyce through the lights. there was also this post i made that touched on the scene with the lights in wills room flashing in a circle that directly parallels the scene in s4.

another thing with the communication between worlds that doesn’t add up comparing the teens to will in s1 is how joyce was able to actually hear will. somehow he had called her, and joyce was able to hear him breathing through the phone until (supposedly) the demagorgan came and.. something happened to will. (i’m not sure if i’m just not remembering correctly or if it was never clarified what happened then, so.. yeah). anyways, the teens were not able to vocally speak to the kids in the right side up, and seemed to not be able to use any electronic things while in the upside down.

something else i find interesting and hope is touched on in vol. 2 is joyce literally ripping the wall down and seeing will in the upside down (before he ran away and she broke the wall down with an axe). like— how the fuck? was will making a gate somehow? or was it the demogorgan?? either way, it wouldn’t make sense (unless… a certain boy had certain abilities 🤔). adding on, there is a scene where will seems to appear in joyce’s dream/vision, before it’s shown to actually be johnathan. this is just a small detail, but it sort of reminds me of whenever people are able to see el when she’s in the black room/using her powers. so… hm…

finally, there’s the biggest question about will: why was he taken in the first place?

there is a big theory going around (that i believe in) that it was vecna, rather than the demogorgan, that took will back in season 1. this could explain why he wasn’t killed right away like barb, and why he was targeted even though he wasn’t bleeding. the figure also stalked him down, all the way from the wheeler’s house to his shed. that’s not normal behavior for a demogorgan.

so… why did he target will? of course my theory is: will has powers. but rather than be made to be born with powers, like el and the others, he was born like henry creel.

there are many parallels between henry and will. they’ve both been described as being “sensitive kids,” they both have an interest in drawing, they both don’t fit in the ‘societal norm,’ etc etc. we don’t know how henry (aka 001) has his powers, but i theorize that he was somehow born with them. and however he was somehow born with them is the same way will ‘acquired his.’

a foreshadowing of this lowkey comes from season 1 when dustin is talking about how el has powers.

“So, do you think Eleven was born with her powers like the X-Men or do you think she acquired them, like Green Lantern?”

now, eleven was technically born with powers, but they were ‘acquired’ by experiments trying to replicate henry’s, not naturally born.

so, why did vecna take will? it could be something similar to him trying to make eleven join him (before she.. yk.. sent him to the upside down). or it could be something else entirely. but i do believe it does have something to do with will having powers (and also his trauma and personality could play a factor into it too).

so.. yeah, that’s why i’m a will byers has powers truther. again, most of this is theoretical, so probs take everything (especially stuff towards the end) with a grain of salt. hopefully we get answers during s4 vol.2!!! i dont know which interview this was said, but there has been talk that why will was taken first being address in vol.2 so fingers crossed iggg 🤞🤞🤞

#will byers #stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things s4 #will byers has powers #real #stranger things 4 spoilers #byler #henry creel #stranger things theory

175 notes · View notes

mlchaelwheeler · 2 years

Note

How would you like for Will’s supernatural storyline to play out in vol 2?

Ooh ok, so I really want Will to get vecna'd + have powers in vol 2! I think him getting vecna'd is kind of inevitable at this point, as he has massive amounts of trauma stemming from Lonnie, being gay + being bullied constantly, being trapped in the upside down, being possessed, and moving away from his only friends. The moment he gets to Hawkins, Vecna will focus right in on him 😔 I'm really hoping that this leads to some byler development for both Mike and Will, since Vecna could use visions of Mike to help make it clear in the narrative that Will does have a crush on Mike and has had one for a while now. The Duffers said Will's sexuality would be addressed in vol 2, so this would be the perfect way to do it. Furthermore, Finn mentioned that Mike is kicked into gear when the people he loves are in danger, making me think that when Will gets vecna'd, Mike will realize how much he needs Will. After all, he already feels like he "lost him" (what he said in vol 1), so I'm assuming he's not about to go through that again, lol.

I also think Mike could get vecna'd in vol 2, but this ask is about Will, so I'll refrain from rambling about Mike too much haha.

To address Will's powers, I think Will has always had natural powers (like 001), but hasn't realized he has them yet. There are too many things that don't have explanations, specifically to do with when he was missing in S1. Why did he get targeted in the first place? Why didn't he get killed immediately like all the other victims in S1? How did he survive alone for a whole week (without food/water) when other people could hardly last an hour? Why didn't the toxic environment affect him more? How was he able to manipulate all the christmas lights so quickly, when he couldn't reach them and they wouldn't even be in the upside down (if it was frozen the night he went missing)? Why did the lab go to the trouble of making Will a fake body and didn't do the same for the other victims (like Barb) in S1? Why did the mindflayer not want to kill Will but wanted to kill everyone else? How was Will able to feel the mindflayer's presence with his neck? This got long, but you get the general idea. All of this, paired with the parallels to Henry Creel point to the fact Will has powers. Also, the Hellfire Club's D&D game foreshadowed that El won't be able to defeat Vecna and will require help. I'm betting Will is the answer to defeating Vecna, especially if he becomes fully aware of his powers in vol 2. This could happen if he was vecna'd or even if Mike got vecna'd. There's lots of routes to go with this, so I'm hoping it gets addressed!

#this got long but i LOVE talking about will 🥰#thanks for the ask!! <3 #ask sarah #anon tag #will byers #byler

70 notes · View notes

shiningclown69 · 2 years

Text

(I shd mention I am not an expert in child soldiers, I did not do any research for this. These are just my thoughts on the fly)

Brandon's role as a bodyguard for Sky is probably not perceived as "morbid" in the show bc it isn't mentioned often + isn't portrayed in a negative light.

But Brandon has been the target of assassination attempts, framing and kidnapping bc of his job (mostly in the comics)

While there are great benefits to the role (enrolling in a prestigious school, financial security, prestige), Brandon's job is to ultimately protect Sky and if the time calls for it, with the cost of his own life.

Not to mention in the 4kids dub Erendor seems to threaten to stop paying Brandon's tuition fees bc he "failed to protect Sky" during the S1 identity reveal, so even his education is on the line

Its like having great job benefits, but your job is incredibly hazardous and requires you to face the possibility of dying in your line of work.

Benefits are a plus, but it doesn't make the work much better

Ok going off track a bit

Another weird point is that apart from Erakylon, no other kingdom seems to employ personal bodyguards of that young an age? The fact that Erakylon has at least 2 very young men (Adrian, Brandon) on the front helm of their army is v strange and makes me think that this is a practice exclusive (?) to Erakylon.

Erendor, why are there men possibly less than 18 yrs in your army?? Not just as trainees too but as high ranking officers 😭 Huh????

Another thing I'm confused about is why Erendor doesn't hire a fairy to guard Sky (other than bc of trust issues), especially since they live in a world with potent magical attacks.

I'd argue this makes Brandon's job more hazardous bc HE'S JUST A GUY 😭😭 Not to say Brandon is incompetent or anyth, but I think if someone shot a magical beam at him, he would be vapourised instantly. Or maybe he's alr prepared for that possibility idk

(I meant being prepared to deflect magical attacks, not being prepared to die. But who knows at this point)

Brandon is still living out of sheer optimism, the fact that this show is for children, and not enough ppl wanting to kill Sky.

#jester talks about stuff #brandon winx #sorry this is a bit rambly #i am not addressing the part where brandon has likely been training since his early childhood for the role #bc i think its implied in the text (?)#was this inspired by rus recent post? maybe #i dont want no discourse to come out of this i just think brandon is interesting to analyse

30 notes · View notes

willel · 7 months

Note

Not trying to sound annoying here, but I said many times that this play was going to most likely include a love story between Bob's sister and Henry while people disagreed and attacked me. Now it's revealed that what I predicted was true, now some people just seem to not accept this reality despite the reveal being obvious.

I also think that it's pretty likely that the writers will connect the story to the play and revolve the story around it by conforming that Henry wants to take revenge on the town and on Joyce, Bob, and Hopper because of something they 'did' in the past from Henry's perspective. Maybe they caused Patty's death accidentally and that's what made Henry be angry at town and Joyce, Bob, and Hopper. That may be the reason why Henry wants to take revenge on the town and Jopper + Bob. This also most likely includes Will's kidnapping. And it actually would explain a lot of things, if Henry wants to kinda take revenge, it explains why the Byers are the only family in the town who seem to get targeted in S1, why the MF/Demogorgon seems to not be fond of Joyce and was angry at her, why Will was the one who got targeted twice, and why Bob ended up getting killed, etc.

We may not like this story personally, but let's be real guys... it's very clear and likely that this is where the writers are going for in terms of the overall story and the play's plot.

Is the discourse really that intense right now? I barely see anyone talking about the play

I agree that Patty may play a part in Henry's downfall, but I don't think it'll be the only reason. Maybe just the start of it. The "memory that makes you sad but angry" and he starts spiraling as one bad thing happens to him after another. Patty, his mom, Brenner, all of it.

And you know, I've been wondering about this Alice thing as well. Why wouldn't she have been cast? It's so weird. It got me thinking, was Alice adopted? Did they try to "replace" Henry with a happier child? I dunno random thought that's been swimming in my brain.

Anyway, I still don't agree that Bob, Joyce, or Hopper will be directly involved int his or that Henry has a personal vendetta against them in particular. The Byers weren't the only ones targeted in town, only Will seemed to have been hand picked. Otherwise, the Demogorgon only cared about food and El. It chased or killed everyone else.

In season 2, yet again, it didn't give a shit about anything other than Will and only started caring about everyone else when it got burned and decided to kill anyone in Will's way.

In season 3, it only cared about El. Everyone else involved was meat food.

In season 4, he only cared about his 4 targets so that he could open a gate and kill everyone.

Imo, it's unnecessary to center this conflict on Vecna getting revenge against Joyce and Hopper specifically. I truly think Henry hates the whole town and everyone in it, including them.

I think Joyce, Hopper, and Bob probably witnessed what happened that upset Henry so much, but I'm really not sure why they'd be the cause of it. Not even accidentally.

An example I can think of is their biggest inspiration for Freddy Kruger. When he was alive, Freddy was burned to death by an entire mob of parents so now he hunts down the children of that mob, which is essentially the whole town. Whether or not the parents directly did something like pour gasoline or light the fire, they witnessed it and thus became his targets.

In A Nightmare on Elm Street, Freddy is introduced as a serial child killer, Fred Krueger, from the fictitious town of Springwood, Ohio, who kills his victims with a bladed leather glove he crafted in a boiler room where he used to take his 20 victims. He is captured, but is set free on a technicality when it is discovered that the search warrant was not signed in the right place. He is hunted down by a mob made up of the town's vengeful parents and cornered in the boiler room. The mob douses the building with gasoline and sets it on fire by throwing Molotov cocktails, burning him alive. While his body dies, his spirit lives on within the dreams of a group of teenagers and pre-adolescents living on Elm Street, whom he preys on by entering their dreams and killing them, fueled by the town's memories and fear of him and empowered by a trio of 'dream demons' to be their willing instrument of evil. He is apparently destroyed at the end of the film by protagonist Nancy Thompson (Heather Langenkamp), but the last scene reveals that he has survived. He goes on to antagonize the teenage protagonists of the film's sequels, including Jesse Walsh (Mark Patton), Kristen Parker (Patricia Arquette), Alice Johnson (Lisa Wilcox), and Lori Campbell (Monica Keena).

If I had to guess the plot:

Henry already had trouble fitting in and a pretty poopy home life. Maybe while his dad was at war in Vietnam (that is the war he was in right?), his mother didn't take care of him and was awful.

Suddenly, when his dad was finally coming back to war, his mother flipped her switch and suddenly became the model mother and wife and despite her neglect, tried to get him to do it too, be he wasn't good at pretending.

He finally makes a friend Patty and he feels like things are finally looking up, but something happens to her which is one of the triggers to his spiral. Maybe he was with her when it happened and gets blamed for it? Or at least suspected.

Being that Patty is Bob's sister, maybe Hopper, Joyce, and Bob try to investigate the circumstances of her death and they get really close to the truth? Maybe they do discover the truth and they're the only ones that know because no one believed them.

Anyway, what happens to Patty was so terrible and Henry was so deeply affected that his dad decided they should move for a "fresh start" in a new house. This also affected him deeply and he had trouble adjusting.

When his dad wasn't looking, maybe his mother was still awful, which is another crack in the mirror.

When the nightmares started, his mom called Brenner on him and that was another trigger for him.

And thus, it all came crumbling down and he tried to kill his whole family.

I dunno. Guess this will be by bingo card and I'll cross off everything I got right when the play gets here.

All that to say, no one should be arguing and getting mad over all this. It's just a play. Yeesh.

#ask #Anonymous #stranger things

3 notes · View notes

strangertheories · 2 years

Note

hi! i'd personally love to read your volume 2 theories (if you have any) regarding byler

Ok, this is different to my last Byler post on S4 which was speculation and headcanon, whereas this post is more of an objective theory post like my usual ones. But before I continue, I will be discussing events from S4 so if you haven't watched, I've put a warning below.

ST4 SPOILER WARNING

Secondly, there's a possibility one of them being put in a Vecna trance. I originally thought the rainbow ship was in Will's trance but it appeared in S4 already, so I don't think that's the case. Still, if they come back to Hawkins, one of them is probably going to be targeted. The posters include everyone walking towards a portal shaped like Vecna's eye which to me foreshadows that all paths lead to Vecna. I believe at least one person in each plot is going to get Vecna'd and whilst it could be Mike or Johnathan, let's be realistic; the most traumatized person in that group is Will.

Firstly, they're going to have to address Will's painting for Mike. In case someone reading this somehow isn't convinced it's for Mike, why else would Will bring it to the airport? Eleven explicitly says the painting could be for someone he has a crush on, so by revealing this painting, I don't think Will could pretend it's a platonic thing. In volume 2, Will and Mike will probably have a heart to heart in which Will reveals that the painting was of Mike, by extension revealing his romantic feelings for Mike. I feel like Mike probably has worked things out by that point but who knows. He seems pretty oblivious sometimes.

The painting may possibly be of Will and Mike meeting on the swing sets, as pointed out by @hnleleven. For those of you who don't remember, in S2 Mike explains how him and Will met on the swing sets and became friends, saying it's the best thing he ever did. This obviously meant a lot to Will so it makes sense he's painting it if he is.

If Will is in a trance, it'll probably revolve around his sexuality as that is the central focus for his character this season. It could include him first meeting Mike, warped to make Mike a homophobe, or maybe Lonnie. Either way, in order to break Will out of the trance, they'll have to play him music. Firstly, it could be Should I Stay or Should I Go as a throwback to S1. This is probably the most likely scenario as it works as fan service as well. If this is the case, I'll admit it's probably a family member who's going to play the music and not Mike as that song more relates to his familial bonds. However, it could also be Boys Don't Cry from his poster or maybe even a mixtape made by Mike. In these scenarios, it would probably be Mike.

If Will is in a trance, this would be a great link to his confession to Mike. They'd realize what he has going on so Mike would check on him like he always does to talk it out. Will would mention the painting and then tell Mike he is gay. I don't think he'd have to say explicitly that he likes Mike as Mike would probably realize it from the painting (I hope they do because some viewers are very oblivious) and this would lead to Mike either reciprocating Will's feelings or turning him down.

If it's reciprocated, I think that they'd have to somehow work this out around Eleven. Maybe there is a mature break up where in their time apart they realize they should be separate from each other. On the other hand, Mike might cheat on Eleven with Will and then end the relationship that way. As much as I like Byler, I really hope they don't make him cheat. Whilst it could be dramatic, I would feel really bad for Eleven which would kind of dampen the scene for me.

If it's not reciprocated, then Mike would probably have to say that he doesn't like Will like that but he'd accept him and stay friends. Then he'll probably use that as inspiration to tell Eleven how he feels. They'd have to be careful about how they handle this if they don't want it to come of as 'sad gay Will'. Whilst I think this is better than nothing, I really hope they are reciprocated. It would be a missed opportunity and could damage their friendship (hopefully not because exes are pretty civil in this show but still) and this is just my pessimistic response.

Hope this answer helped! Again, my pessimistic bit at the end is not me saying what will happen, it's just my thoughts on how they'd handle it if they decide to not make it reciprocated. I think they could and should so please stay optimistic! I never want to make anyone less hopeful or kill the vibe, I'm just throwing out different possibilities to try and be as comprehensive as possible.

Thanks for the ask anon!

#stranger things #stranger things four #stranger things theory #stranger theories #byler #stranger things analysis #will byers #st4 #mike wheeler #byeler #st4 theories #st4 theory #stranger things theories #st4 spoilers #stranger things spoilers

115 notes · View notes

chirpsythismorning · 1 year

Note

Personally, I've never said that Will would be the only main character anyway. I just think that it makes more sense for him to be centered now because there is a lot of stuff that has to be addressed regarding his character. That does not mean I think Mike cannot get targeted whatsoever. But Will's plot points would get more focus because still do not know:

1- Why he was specifically targeted by Vecna in S1, and why was he specifically kept alive. Is it because he has powers or is there any other reason? 2- Why did he get possessed, and why wasn't he killed again. 3- The way he is still connected to Vecna, has to be addressed because it is ongoing since S1. 4- The obvious parallels between Vecna and Will have to be addressed, 5- Will's whole S1 and S2 have to be addressed. 6- Why is the UD stuck on the time Will went missing specifically. 7- If Will has powers, it it why he got targeted, and probably is that why the UD looks the way it looks, etc.

So it makes more sense for Will to get targeted narratively to address these narrative and plot points. That's not saying Mike cannot get targeted, but it is rather saying that he probably will not be the first person to get targeted rolling to S5's beginning.

Yeah honestly I'm in agreement with that, when it comes to Vecna, we can presume the only reason he would even target Mike is to get to Will.

Though, we've also seen that he's calculated.

Every action he does, he is thinking ten steps ahead.

Yes it's about getting to Will, but that doesn't mean that all it takes is targeting Will and that's that.

They didn't need to 'waste' their time having Vecna confronting random teenagers with trauma, specifically with Max and then Nancy?? But they did. Because Vecna has his own arcs with all these other characters that are merely pieces in his little game, with all the trauma he's caused them. And it all ties into what he wants in the end.

Vecna confronting Mike in the final season, after keeping the audience in the dark for so long about his inner feelings, is a writers dream, because it's a little too perfect.

This is a TV show, which means certain things have to happen to make the story interesting and engaging and exciting. And that's why a lot of fans predict Mike will be targeted. Because why if Will is what Vecna wanted this whole time and that's all there is to it, couldn't he just go for it and get it over with?

Because this is a story and those sorts of things take time to build up to, and it wouldn't be very interesting if it was all resolved right from the jump.

In the moment, Vecna's choices might feel random, but in the grand scheme of things, we're starting to see it's all for a greater reason?

S5 is going to have ups and downs, and I think Will being targeted by Vecna in some capacity is inevitable and it's bound to happen multiple times in s5. Though I also think some other confrontations are due. And if Max was worth targeting because of her guilt over Billy and Nancy because of her guilt over Barb (both involving Vecna himself), then yes I do think it makes sense for Mike, the og protagonist, who has guilt tied to the other two og mains, Will and El, also tied to Vecna, to have some sort of confrontation with him.

I don't think it will start and end with Mike interacting with Vecna though, by no means is this the biggest plot point to s5, because I do think it all goes back to Will regardless of the different things that happen along the way leading up to that confrontation.

However I do think it will be one of the major plot twists for the overall audience because it is super unexpected.

And I do think it makes more sense for them to save the biggest confrontation for Vecna and Will for the end of s5, because if they did it in the beginning it would feel sort of anticlimactic to repeat it in the end.

And so, what makes more sense is to yet again create the semplence of a confrontation between Vecna and Will, maybe even go there, but still not fully go there... And a confrontation with Vecna, potentially involving Mike, obviously affecting Will feels like a way to surprise an audience who is only expecting the Will part, and to also have that impact Will's character in a way that is going to make his confrontation in the end feel even more anticipating, despite it being entirely expected by the majority!

#stranger things #byler #stranger things 5 #st5 predictions #will has powers #vecna terrorizing nancy over barb felt low-key out of place when i remember watching the first time #i even remember watching with my family and them being like wtf does this have to do with nancy #but I get it now #ITS TO MOVE THE PLOT FOWARD #but also... nancy being chosen in that moment and her trauma related to barb being a point that vecna uses to taunt her #taunting is what vecna does to make people feel hopeless...#even though he didn't do that in that exact moment to get to will #it was a calculated move #like chess #and so yeah mike wheeler is fucked basically #but that's not ONLY bc it has to do with mike and his trauma #but how trauma is dealt with on stranger things as a whole #and what's stopping these characters from facing the truth and what it looks like for every character to finally do just that #it also does play a part in the overall story #and will's arc as well #bc his confrontation with vecna is inevitable #and it will likely be even more powerful for will to beat vecna alongside his party after all of them faced their demons #ALL of them

9 notes · View notes