HE'S GAY. VERY GAY, AND PROBABLY NON-BINARY TOO. WHAT DO YOU EXPECT GWEN

every day i wake up and when will was attacked by a monster he got a gun to shoot it, and when mike dustin and lucas were facing a monster they said hm you know what we should do we just get a slingshot and yeet some tiny rocks at it. this is a good plan. this will work.

guys, what if will’s already BEEN vecna’d

the nightmares…

the visions…

it all seems awfully familiar, doesn’t it?

It's so gorgeous!!

wanted to draw Amity trying different hair colors c:

Mike looks up to Will. Literally, and most of the time?? I looked through seasons 2-4 and this happens during most of their scenes together. Mike, who's several inches taller than Will, somehow always arranges himself to look at Will from a lower angle, or at almost equal height.

The boy has bad posture in an effort to... what? To be able to see Will's face better? To make sure Will knows that Mike doesn't figuratively look down on him, doesn't baby him? To make sure Will knows they're equals? To close the distance between them? To not seem bigger or taller than Will? To make sure Will knows he's seen and understood? All of the above?

Mike leans down to look Will in the face:

And he sits down so he can be on Will's level or look at Will from below:

Notably for the above pictures from the hospital in s2, we see that Will and Mike look fairly level in the second picture, but in the first, it's shot so that Mike is looking from such a lower angle. So this seems to be intentional.

Here are some of Mike and El to compare. Mike has much straighter posture in scenes with El, leaving him taller, further away from El, resulting in him not looking El in the face as often. We see this exacerbated in s4, as Mike is even taller, the distance is further, and he also isn't looking at El much with good eye contact or without sunglasses or the sensory deprivation glasses. When seeing Will and Mike at the same height, it feels like an equal relationship, but seeing Mike towering over El makes their relationship feel less equal. He's not looking her in the face as often in an effort to understand her.

We see a lot of Mike and Lucas together in s3, and Mike also stands fairly tall compared to Lucas in their shots together, making any height difference obvious. In the picture set below, we see that, but also some side by sides of how Mike stands when talking with Lucas, and then how Mike talks with Will just seconds later. You can see how different it is: Mike adjusts for the height difference with Will in a way we don't see him do for anyone else.

So I don't think it's just that Finn Wolfhard is too tall and he's made to lean over to make it easier to film multiple people of varying heights. It's a Mike and Will thing.

Another couple comparisons:

The rain fight: Mike stands taller in their rain fight at the beginning when he's on the defensive, but he gets lower and closer to Will the further into the fight they get, when they're saying the more important things to each other.

The phone booth: We can also see Mike bending over to look at Will in the phone booth, but standing straight and further away when Jonathan is listening to the phone.

The movie theater: when they're first sitting down in the theater, maybe when people are still looking at them, Mike sits tall, but he sits lower once the movie has started and he wants to talk with Will.

On that note, Mike stands taller around Will when in public or around others he doesn't feel as comfortable around. This might be to hide aspects of his relationship with Will, or to be protective towards Will. I didn't include these shots, but Mike also stands tall when protecting Will from Dart in s2, when he's with Will in the field after Will is possesed in s2, and in the gunfight in s4.

But one on one with Will, talking with Will, listening to Will, having heart to hearts with Will, he scrunches his back so much so that he can be at equal height or lower than Will to look Will in the face or to look up to him.

They hired Noah and Finn knowing that Noah was younger and shorter, so I don't think they meant for Will to be a taller character.

This is just their dynamic. Mike is the tall one but he wants Will to be able to feel like the tall one.

It always got me how, right from the beginning, Will is depicted as doing exactly the right thing. The thing that you would usually be yelling at the screen for the characters to do when they're being stupid:

He's honest, he abandons his bike and runs, he locks the door and puts the chain on, he immediately yells for his mom and Jonathan, he phones 911, and when all else fails, at the age of fucking twelve, he grabs a gun to defend himself. And despite all that, he never stood a chance. We're supposed to root for him. It makes it that much more satisfying when he's saved in the end.

Similarly, in s4 Will is shown to do everything right to help his sister and his best friend. He supports El at school, he argues with her about being honest with her boyfriend, he fights to see her when she gets arrested, spends an entire season looking for her while acting as their relationship counsellor, and when all else fails, he gives his love confession that he'd been holding in for years as hers, because he cares more about seeing them happy than himself. Will resigns himself to suffering in silence for the sake of the people he loves, he thinks he never stood a chance because he feels like he's alone, he feels like a mistake and WE ARE MEANT TO ROOT FOR HIM.

All in all, I think this is just another beautiful way they've set up byler endgame. That mirrored catharsis of Will doing the right thing, only to go through so much undeserved pain, before he can finally live and get what he deserves, will be so very worth it and will make for a great main character arc :')

(TW: RACISM, DOXXING) ‼️‼️ READ THIS /SRS There’s this really superb important thing to read about regarding what’s been going on in sttwt regarding poc minors getting doxxed and harassed. It’s so important to spread this around, this is disgusting behavior that should not be ignored. REBLOG. DO NOT JUST LIKE /SRS Posting links to the thread:

edit: REBLOG AND SPREAD THIS AROUND.

isn't strange that will knew how to use this type of gun but jonathan didn't? we know their father taught them. or jonathan was hesitating to answer because he has a trauma from when lonnie forced him to kill a bunny? i have another theory, it's probably not true because their father is an asshole and i doubt he cared that much. but we also know that lonnie suspected that will is gay and called him slurs, so maybe he only taught will so he can protect himself in case of a hate crime? i don't really believe in this, but like it's a possibility. either way it's sad.

Will Byers Could Be Vecna's Weakness

Since S1, Will has proven he's the most mentally stable out of his Party and the older teens/adults. He knew to grab a gun when he was being stalked, he self-soothed by singing while stuck in the UD, he communicated using Xmas lights, used Morse code while possessed, loves Mike but isn't afraid to humble him (she dumped your ass, Lucas didn't agree to be Winston for Halloween, you're mad I didn't talk to you, Vecna still alive etc), and can sense the UD happenings.

We see Hopper take pills and alcohol in S1 cuz of his regrets and finally open up in S4. Joyce is a bit of a scatterbrain and almost fell for Lonnie's 'I care for our son' BS in S1 when they thought Will was dead. The older teens barely escaped the UD alive in S4 without the younger kids' help.

Will not only knows how the UD works, telling Mike Dart was a baby demodog, but he also has a strong mind. He won't be easy for Vecna because he's the one that got away TWICE. Yes, Will hid his feelings for Mike, but he understands why he does it, he's selfless. Joyce proved that when he gave up his toy to another kid. With Chrissy and the other victims, they hid who they were and assumingly had no support system. Max had her friends, but because she isolated from them she had no support system.

Will has his fam, his friends, and he's accepted himself as gay since he doesn't feel like a mistake due to Mike being in his life. Chrissy still thought she needed to be skinny to please her mom. Will was told by Jonathan to not care about Lonnie's opinions. If Vecna feeds off insecurities, Will is a challenge because he doesn't let his insecurities control him. Chrissy wanted drugs, Mike lashes out, but Will never looks to toxic outside sources for relief cuz he can just draw or talk about what's bothering him, or let out a stress relief cry.

There's got to be a reason he was taken 1st too.

Long rambley byler headcanon ahead but I put a cut <3

Okay yes the Mike and Hopper hostility is very funny, and it's very funny to imagine Hopper thinking he got rid of Mike when he and El break up only to realize Mike is now dating his son.

However,

Imagine Mike suddenly becoming far more respectful to Hopper now that he's dating Will and Hopper being completely baffled by this.

Mike's finally in a relationship that he actually cares about maintaining. He knows he and Will are going to be together for the rest of their lives. Therefore he and Hopper are going to be in each other's lives forever. So they may as well get along, right?

And he knows that Will loves Hopper, and Will finally getting to have a loving and supportive father figure makes him so happy. How could he be a jerk to the man that is giving Will something he's always needed?

(Yes all of this applied to El too, but Mike was never very sensitive to El's feelings. And we know he is very sensitive to Will's.)

So Mike stops insulting Hopper. (For the most part.) He keeps the door open three inches. (When Hopper is home.) And he makes and effort to foster a positive relationship with Hopper.

Sure, he slips up sometimes. Maybe even frequently. Mike is a bitch (affectionate) so some bitchiness is inevitable. But Hopper can see that he's trying.

Also, we all know that Mike and Hopper’s canon relationship isn't just a rivalry. Hopper cares about Mike, a lot. And Hopper is probably more of a father figure to Mike than Ted ever was. So there's a basis of affection and mutual respect there.

(Cute GIF to make you cry)

So give me Mike calling Hopper 'Sir' and Hopper looking at him like he has three heads. Give me Mike clinging to Will constantly, but separating himself and keeping a respectful distance when Hopper enters the room, until Hopper rolls his eyes and says, 'It's okay, kid.' at which point Mike grins and resumes clinging to Will. Give me Mike awkwardly trying to make small talk with Hopper. Give me Mike getting Hopper a Christmas present. Give me Mike making sure he gets Will home by curfew unless Hopper is covering the night shift and won't be home anyway.

But yes, give me a dash of Hopper and Mike hostility too. Give me Mike holding Will's hand at the dinner table and Hopper asking, 'Wheeler, do you think you're physically able to go more that five seconds without touching Will?' And Mike responding, 'Wow, old man. I didn't know you hated gay people.' And Will has to stifle his laughter as Joyce lightly hits Hopper for teasing them.

Give me the one time Hopper comes home to the door not being open three inches, but in fact being locked. And give me Hopper pounding on the door threatening to take it off the hinges, until Mike opens the door, rolling his eyes and says, 'Relax, old man, we forgot.' And Hopper dubiously responding with 'You forgot you locked the door?' And Mike sheepishly shrugging.

Give me Hopper being so happy that Mike and El figured out what was best for both of them and that Will is finally happy. Will, the son of the woman he loves. Will, the kid he went through hell to find, the kid he never gave up looking for even after finding his body. Will, the kid he watched be possessed by the mindflayer and go through unimaginable pain, while also being there for Joyce as she went through it with him. And now, Will. His son.

Give me Hopper not being able to stay mad at Mike anymore anyway, because he sees just how much he and Will love each other. And he trusts Mike with Will. You don't hurt someone who you love that much. You protect them. He knows Mike will protect Will, just like he has.

Give me Hopper loving Will and Mike so much, but showing it in his own Hoppery way. Give me Mike and Will walking around Hawkins holding hands because if anyone bothers them, the Cheif of Police will be on their ass to cite them for harassment.

Just. Give my boys a father figure. A real one.

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👉🏿 https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-cracks-down-home-front-its-troops-invade-ukraine-2022-02-24/

For all the tankies and misguided “leftists” who somehow think that backing Putin is the way to show how “pure” their “communism” is—THIS is how you do it. THIS is how you rise up. These Russian protesters aren’t talking shit, while hiding behind a keyboard, in the safety of a country that’s safely not being invaded. These Russian citizens are openly protesting Putin’s war and their own government. They are putting it all on the line and literally risking everything to protest Putin’s imperialism. They are showing solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Bravo. 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿 Bravo. 👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿

Stand With Ukraine 🇺🇦