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lillie98 · 8 months

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I headcannon Mike Wheeler as autistic (because we share the exact same strain) and I have a theory regarding Season 5. Many autistic people, including myself, have a warped sense of inherent danger. We will throw ourselves into dangerous situations not fully understanding the risks involved. It’s a dangerous situation, sure, but not so dangerous we should avoid it. Mike also has this problem, what with him diving head-first into every fight. He wants desperately to be a hero, to prove his worth and might as a person—to be remembered. If that means doing something stupid like getting himself killed, then that’s what it takes. It’s heartbreaking, but that’s the world he lives in. Hopper, Eleven, Will, they’ve all sacrificed their lives in some capacity to save the world, now it’s his turn.

Eddie touched on this concept with his “Don’t try to be heroes, not today. There is no shame in running,” but Mike doesn’t see it that way. In his mind, those who run are cowards, afraid to face their fears and fight for what they believe in. Has Mike been a bit cowardly these past two seasons by avoiding his feelings for Will? Yes, absolutely. But that’s his arc. Mike has to understand his actions, why he’s hiding, and the serious danger everyone is in. He has to face the music. Where does this lack of inherent danger come in? Glad you asked.

We all know Mike wants to be a hero. He wants to go down in history as someone good, someone who put others before themselves and saves the world. The Brave Knight, The Paladin. Paladins swear an oath of bravery and loyalty, vowing to avenge any threat that dares harm their allegiance (Byler anyone?). Something will threaten to harm/kill Will in Season 5, and Mike will have none of it. They’re not doing this again. Thus, Mike will throw himself in front of Vecna/Demogorgon/Brenner, etc. to protect Will, not fully comprehending the danger of the situation. He’ll be a hero. Unfortunately, this risky act will most likely cost him his life (temporarily). He doesn’t have to die. He’s the heart.

Lucas says, in the Season 4 hospital, that Max’s heart stopped for over a minute, but it miraculously started again. She is alive. El’s love for her conquered death itself. If we go on the “Will Has Powers” theory, then his love for Mike will conquer death and revive him. Mike only needs to be presumed dead, to be out long enough for Will and El to feel the effects of his death and consider joining Vecna. Because without their HEART, they’d fall apart. Both of them.

Back to what Eddie said, there really is no shame in running. Will doesn’t need Mike to do some egregious, knightly act of sacrifice to prove his love for him. His love is already enough. Will loves Mike for EXACTLY WHO HE IS. He always has, and THAT is the real heart of this story. Mike is not a hero because of what he does, but because of who he is. The way he loves, the way he stands up for what he believes in, the way he treasures his friends and protects them. The way he makes Will feel safe just by being there. That’s what Will fell in love with, not some fantastical DnD character that never actually existed.

Like Mike said in Season 2, “this isn’t DnD, this is real life.” DnD characters are fun, and it’s exciting to dream about slaying dragons or exploding orcs with your Magic Missiles, but that’s not real. It’s a game and it will end. Hit Points don’t magically restore you after a Long Rest and Healing Potions don’t deal 2d4+2 Healing. Actions have consequences and danger is real, even if your brain tells you it’s not. Paladins, Clerics, Bards, Rangers, their not real people. But Mike Wheeler is (in this context) and Mike Wheeler is enough. He is so enough. It’s time he wakes up and realizes he doesn’t have to be the Hero, slay the dragon, and make everything better, because it was NEVER HIS FAULT. Bad things happen and, sometimes, we can’t fix them. All we can do is stand beside our partner, hold their hand, and fight along with them—to remind them they are never alone. That, in and of itself, is truly heroic.

#stranger things #mike wheeler #will byers #byler endgame #byler #byler is requited #mlm love #autism #autistic mike wheeler #stranger things analysis #stranger things headcanons #stranger things 5 #mike wheeler loves Will Byers #hero complex #dungeons and dragons #paladin #cleric #neurodivergent characters #Mike Wheeler is the Heart

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mikewheely · 2 years

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"El? I don't know if you can hear this, but... but if you can, I want you to know I'm here, okay? I'm right here. And... I love you. El, do you hear me? I love you. I'm sorry I don't say it more. I... It's not because I'm scared of you. I'm not. I've never felt that way. Never. But I am scared that one day you'll realize you don't need me anymore. And I thought if I said how I felt, it would somehow make that day hurt more. But the truth is, El, I don't know how to live without you. I feel like my life started that day we found you in the woods. You were wearing that yellow Benny's Burgers T-shirt. And it was so big it almost swallowed you whole. And I knew right then and there, in that moment, that I loved you. And I've loved you every day since. I love you on your good days. I love you on your bad days. I love you with your powers, I love you without your powers. I love you for exactly who you are. You're my superhero. And... I can't lose you. Okay? Do you hear me? I can't lose you. You can do anything. You can fly. You can move mountains. I believe that. I really do. But right now, you just have to fight. Okay? El. Do you hear me? You need to fight! You have to fight. Fight! Fight!"

#this killed me #i am no more #mike wheeler is the best boy #mike wheeler is the heart #mileven #mike and eleven #mike and el #mike wheeler #el hopper #stranger things 4 #st4 #stranger things #netflix

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bit-of-a-nerd · 8 months

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I changed my layout but I'm still me don't forget me 🙏

i remember someone, a long time ago. by the name of ty cleradinism. you look a bit like how he would be, if he had survived.

it’s impossible though, only memories of him remain. i carry on his legacy, but i saw him perish before my eyes. my very own twin, gone, forever. but he will not be forgotten.

he had been weakened from the drought. we all were, but he…something about it, something about it hit him hardest. over 400 days without mike wheeler, without byler. 400 days surviving on the scraps of miwi headcanons. we all were struggling but ty was getting worse by the day.

that’s when…that’s when they came. it was out of nowhere. maybe ty would’ve survived, if the drought hadn’t hit. maybe if i’d protected him better. but no, maybes don’t bring ty back.

we had been safe, the drought had sent people running, it was a time of peace, a hard time, but more peaceful than its been for as long as i could remember. until one night, i still don’t know what shifted, maybe people just snapped. but one night, the mike haters came.

it was worse than it’s ever been before. it was harsher, and from places we’d never had predicted. we were on the frontlines every day, just trying to fight for the right to treat mike as his own character. it was bad.

and ty, ty he-

it was just before we decided to run. the last battle. we had almost made it out when…when he got hit. we were the last two left, robyn had just made her escape with red and the others, we promised that we would be right behind.

and ty got hit. it was bad. i could only be there for him in his last moments just before he left forever. and then he was gone. and i was alone. half a twin. half a duo.

maybe if i’d been faster, maybe if i’d written him more fics, maybe if i’d been stronger to protect him. maybe then ty could still be here. but like i said, maybes don’t bring ty back.

but like i said, you look like who he might’ve been. and his memory will not be gone. so take this story with you and tell the story of ty cleradinism. tell his story, and pass it onto a new generation of mike defenders. he will live on in legend. and i will never forget him

#mike wheeler #stranger things #byler #em and ty duoism #mike wheeler is the heart #mike wheeler i know what you are #ty cleradinism lives on in memory forever #em asks

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messrsbyler · 1 year

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byler ficlet/scenario summary: will loses control of his powers and mike brings him back

the party in the upside down fighting demo-creatures and bats left and right trying to make their way to where vecna is weak and hiding. will learned not long ago about his powers, and he still trying to get a grip over them. but it’s hard. there’s power inside of him, a power that sometimes twists in his gut like a dark shadow that slips through his fingers and takes over.

somewhere in the middle of the fight, will lost control again. whatever darkness is inside of him seized will until he couldn’t think about anything else besides hurting and attacking and killing. the weave of power came with a thrill that ran under his skin, a thrill he has never felt before. for once will isn’t the helpless kid that people treated as if he was made of glass, some wanting to protect him from harm and others wanting to break him apart. this time, will is the one people fear, the one that can save them, the one that can protect them but also hurt them. it’s exhilarating, it’s everything will needs and wants, it’s what will destroy vecna and anyone who comes in will’s way.

with this power will can punch back, can make them feel the pain he had to feel. with this power will can-

“Will!”

but then a voice cracks the shadows swirling at the edges of will’s vision. a voice that carries memories with it, a history that comes back to will in flashes of a cozy garage, a hand on top of his, a genuine smile, an arm across his shoulder, freckles dusting his cheeks, dark eyes and a heart in the center of a shield.

that voice alone sweeps the darkness away. the shadows retract as the light pours once more inside of will, and when he blinks back to reality, mike is right there. and he is hurt, and bleeding from a cut on his face, and his brows are furrowed and his lips pulled in a tight line. as will slowly goes back to feeling the rest of himself, he becomes aware of the gentle weight of mike’s hands on his shoulders, the warmth of his palms and the way his bony fingers dip on his skin.

“will, are you okay?” mike asks.

before will can reply, his body drains from whatever energy he had left. the power twisting in his stomach is gone, and will is left a bit empty. his knees wobble before giving out, and will closes his eyes not even trying to stop the fall. he is too tired to care how hard the ground will be against his body.

but the ground never comes to meet him as mike’s hands are faster than gravity, and in the blink of a eye and the exhale of a breath, will is wrapped by mike. he leans into him. later he’ll be scared of how he lost himself to the darkness that lives inside of him. later will spend a sleepless night wondering if he’s a danger to his loved ones, and of what would happen if in his thirst for power he turns against his friends and hurts them. all that will come later. right now, none of that can matter. not inside mike’s arms. not when mike’s voice calling out his name brought him back.

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truessences · 2 years

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Mike Wheeler IS the Heart (part 2)

I had to split this into two parts because it was getting long but in this essay I will explain why I think Mike Wheeler is the heart of the party.

Part One Here

I do agree that Will's perspective of Mike will obviously influence the things he says, feels and thinks about Mike and that's including his "heart of the group" speech but I genuinely believe it past Will's perspective. I wouldn't even be writing this if people weren't calling Mike all kinds of rude names: Wet Sock, Wet Blanket, he's NOT the heart, he's the worst lol like I can't.

When I hear someone say "the heart of the group", what I think that means is someone who is depended on, someone who holds the group together, who may be the leader, who will do whatever they can to protect those they love. They aren't perfect and if anything, they may take their mistakes or things they couldn't succeed in doing the hardest. They are the ones that the others will look to in hard times or for answers and/or support. Maybe they make the final decisions or they're the ones who make the plans.

Mike (The Paladin)- Mike IS the heart of the party, as well as the leader.

I think this is shown in every season in various ways. In the introduction, we see him being the Dungeon Master, just as we do at the end, which indicates his role in the group of being the leader. Even when he tries to appeal to his mom to let them continue playing, Lucas and Dustin tell Will not to worry about his bad roll because Mike didn’t see it. Mike watches as his friends ride away on their bikes, to at least make sure they start their journey safely. He meets Eleven and immediately wants to help her, he goes right into caregiver mode, develops a clear crush on her, but that doesn’t change his mission of finding and saving Will, he just now has another person who could be in trouble. When he finds out she recognized Will AND has powers, instead of trying to “send her back to where she came from”, he welcomes her into their party and shows her a love she’s never experienced before, kindness- without expecting anything back from her. He’s also more willing to accept the things that Eleven tells him, he’s the most open-minded of the group. All throughout S1, he’s trying to accommodate everyone. Even though he and Lucas argue a lot about Eleven, he continuously tries to pacify Lucas’ concerns by telling him that she can help them and he wasn’t wrong.

Mike also doesn’t hesitate.

This is shown when he was prepared and DID jump off the cliff to save Dustin, he yelled at Eleven for hurting Lucas, he confronted Troy and his friend for laughing at Will’s memorial at the school. He reassures Dustin that he is also his best friend, there isn’t a hierarchy in his friendships. He told the bad men that they would have kill him to get to Eleven and he never stopped fighting when they were being held back. Eleven called for him. While Mike tends to wear his emotions on his sleeve, he also doesn’t talk about them as much as he’s prepared to take in others emotions and concerns. Even talking about them is difficult, this is shown when Nancy asks him if he likes Eleven, whenever Lucas or Dustin would accuse him of liking her, and when he tries to tell Eleven about his feelings and the SnowBall dance.

He has a hard time (this is a character trait) expressing himself sometimes. Being a creative writer, or a creative thinker doesn’t mean that the personal stuff is easy to share… As someone who is a creative writer, my emotions are internal and I don’t always share what I’m feeling but I’m the one that people do that with.

In season 2, Mike is depressed after seeing Eleven disappear before his eyes and he’s acting out but while doing that, he’s still attentive to his friends, especially Will, since Mike can tell that he is still being affected due to his time in the Upside Down. People like to use him doing this as this was when he was at best… So Mike was at his best when he’s supporting Will? Got it.

But no one cares that Mike was going through it, to see this kid, who is a good natured kid, acting out and NO ONE is trying to get to the root of it but here he is, giving all of himself to his friend who is also suffering. He needs someone to lean on but remains the person that others can lean on. He does share with Will a little bit and tells him they can go crazy together, meaning that Will is dealing with his issues of his "hallucinations" and Mike is dealing with sensing, missing and thinking he's seeing Eleven... they can go crazy together. That's all.

But he’s sidelined in this season because he’s playing emotional support. Remember when Will was possessed and Mike realized that he was tricking them to get those soldiers killed and without hesitation he tried to warn them? Remember how Mike covered his ears as his friend screamed that he was lying? Then in the shed sequence, which is one of my favorite sequences, he tearfully tells Will that meeting him was important to him, “the best thing I ever did”? Trying to find Will in the darkness, here is this 12-13 year old kid, trying to save his friend from the darkness while also fumbling through his own. THEN even after having a breakdown when he finds out that Hopper kept Eleven a secret (after that adorable reunion scene), he still is willing to fight the demodogs, it was his plan to lure the demodogs away from the lab so Hopper and Eleven could get to the gate.

Finally, FINALLY, he gets the thing he's wanted... to dance with Eleven at the Snow Ball.

In Season 3, sure, Mike and Eleven spent a lot of time together, but I don’t think they’re wrong for wanting to. They’ve cared for each other for a while but they couldn’t be together in S2 because Hopper didn’t allow Eleven to talk to Mike in S2, so he didn’t even know she was okay. But now they’re together and they’re happy. Yeah sure, he was a little ass to Hopper but Hopper wasn’t helping the situation. He’s so yelly. Then instead of actually being an adult and talking to these teenagers, he threatens Mike, who then lies to Eleven and is mentally beating himself up about it the entire season, and MIKE is the bad guy? When he hurts Will’s feelings, he immediately apologizes even though Will doesn’t apologize for calling Eleven a “stupid girl that Mike swaps spit with”. Mike chases after Will in the pouring rain to apologize for not taking his campaign seriously. He even noticed when Will reacted to feeling the Mind Flayer again at the beginning. Mike was the only one to tell Max to get away from the window after HIS plan worked to see if Billy was indeed possessed. He was the ONLY one who tried to help Eleven when Billy was attacking them. Even though they were broken up, he was still there for her to hold on to.

In the cabin, he was rightfully angry at the others for carelessly pushing Eleven to use her powers and potentially overexerting herself, he tells her she doesn’t have to do this, he tells Max that she’s being careless, but no one is on his side. The only person on his side this season is Lucas.

Mike accidentally confesses his love for Eleven while simultaneously trying to make a case for the others not to just USE her. When Eleven is attacked in the cabin, once again he acts without hesitation and he’s always the one she lands on. He’s got her. During the battle of Starcourt Mall, he is literally by Eleven and Max’s side the entire time. Billy attacks Max, Mike immediately charges at him, no hesitation.

Let’s not act like Mike was out of character in this season because he wasn’t all up in Will’s business every 5 minutes. I was glad for that actually. But this seems to be the reason why people are like “S3 Mike is the worst!” But he’s literally the same character, he’s just changing and growing up, making mistakes and choices like everyone else. He’s a round character! Hey may not get all the attention I think he should but that doesn’t make him the worst.

In season 4, Mike is in high school, his girlfriend and one of his best friends has moved away. He goe to California to visit Eleven and The Byers, but while there, he finds out that Eleven has been lying to him, trying to make him not worry about her, Will and Mike’s friendship seems to have drifted. Eleven feels unloved because Mike has a hard time SAYING it but he does it with acts of service, by bringing her the flowers she missed in her favorite colors while also WEARING her favorite colors. Without hesitation, he tells her that he says it. He even tells her without hesitation that he doesn't believe that she’s a monster, those people don’t know her like he does. When she gets arrested, he’s right there at the window, trying to get her to look at him, trying to reassure her that she’ll be okay, that he’s going to get her out. When she’s being taken away again, this boy senses the car with her in it (something that’s been shown many times), and chases after her without hesitation. When Owens sends his people, Mike is more worried about the ones in Hawkins, his family, and wants them to protect them, not the California crew. He and Will have a talk and he tells him that he didn’t mean to be distant, but having their group split up, having both Will and Eleven gone, it was weird. A nice small moment for Mike to share his feelings and for someone to listen to him. There are a couple of other times where we see Mike’s emotions clearly on his face but he quickly schools into a brave face when he notices he’s being watched. He’s trying to be strong.

So since this is already long and the van scene has had a ton of great pieces written about it, ( I can give my thoughts on it another time), but all I will say is this… just because Mike didn’t say anything to Will while he was crying doesn’t mean he ignored him. Mike who has been pretty attuned to all of his friends, I think has a good idea of how they are.

In the past, when Will was hiding, people didn’t notice something was wrong. Like it’s been said, Will is good at hiding and he was intentionally hiding his sobbing from Mike, his fucking head was turned, he tried not to make any noise and covered his mouth. Mike probably didn’t realize he was crying and even if he did realize he was crying, Will looked like he was trying to hide it… what was Mike going to do? “Hey.. why Will are you crying??” out loud in front of Jonathan and Argyle? I bet you that if they were at the Byers house, Will would have went into another room, or his own bedroom to cry so no one would see it. If Will wasn’t trying to hide it, then he wouldn’t have turned away, he would have just cried. He’s done it plenty of times in front of Mike. NOT to mention, he probably didn't understand why Will would be emotional because as far as Mike knows, Will was talking about Eleven not her and himself. Why would he know that? BUT ALSO, Will just gave Mike a pep talk, one that he needed to help reassure Mike as he’s done for literally everyone else who needed reassuring. So maybe, just maybe even though my heart breaks for Will, it’s not him that Mike HAS to be thinking about at that moment.

When Mike finds Eleven, after spotting her in the desert, he breaks when he gets to her. He’s been strong up to this point, dependable, he suggested going to see Suzie, he was the one reading the map… Now he can break. Only to go right back into being strong again, making sure Eleven has what she needs for her bath. Then of course his confession, no matter how cheesy, it meant something to Eleven and gave her the extra push she needed.

Mike is the paladin, what are they? Knights. What do knights do? They protect those around them. They are sometimes the ones in the front, leading the rest of the army, helping without hesitation. Even though Eleven is the one with the powers and ultimately leads the charge, Mike is right there with her, leading the others as the paladin, supporting the hero. And even though Eleven is the one with the power, she still turns to Mike for help and he does without hesitation.

Mike may not make all the choices that YOU think are right at that moment, but I think he does a damn good job for a teenager. He does not hesitate. He’s been supportive and strong of everyone that we hardly got to ever see him talk to anyone about what he’s feeling, he’s just expected to be on 100 all the time for everyone else. ESPECIALLY Will, since people seem to think that he’s a precious baby who needs to be coddled.

It’s not fair to Mike that so much is expected of him and he has to act like he has it all together… but because it is and he doesn’t… that’s what makes him the heart of the party. The others will look to him when they need to and he has found a way to support them, without hesitation. I think that is the epitome of being the heart of the party. He's the emotional center, the one that everyone can turn to and lean on and he's always there when he's needed the most.

It's long but I had a lot to get out. This can go hand in hand when people also say that Mike is useless which is also untrue. So... yeah... tldr... Will is the eyes. Dustin is the brain. Lucas is the arms/strength. Max is the legs. Eleven is the literal power. Mike is the heart.

#stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things cast #Mike Wheeler #Finn Wolfhard #pro mike wheeler #mike wheeler defense squad #mike wheeler is the heart #Lucas Sinclair #Eleven Hopper #Will Byers #Max Mayfield #Dustin Henderson #mileven

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