and actually while i’m at it, why was will wanting to stay connected with his childhood through d&d after being repeatedly brutalized by the upside down framed so strangely? will was repeatedly mistreated by his friends for being “stuck in childhood” so much so that his BEST FRIEND threw his sexuality in his face and didn’t even apologize for it. a full season of basically just making fun of will (expect of course the one scene where he literally and figuratively tears down his childhood) only for it to end with absolutely no one other than lucas bothering to say something about how they treated them. and will had to reassure mike at the end of the season on top of that.
but s4 and 5 mike is allowed to keep his love for d&d alive, and everybody is accepting (or at least sympathetic) towards him for it. he repeatedly made references to it throughout both seasons and it’s treated by the narrative as something endearing rather than something to be mocked. el even physically comforts him after trying to tell him this wouldn’t be like one of his campaigns (all while will is being actively tortured by vecna but whatever “narrative”). they even had WILL at the end ask if mike would be okay after learning to let go of this childhood, despite not being given the same kindness in s3.
why is 14-year-old will forced to grow up and let go of his childhood interests after being kidnapped, assaulted, impregnated, and possessed by the supernatural for two years but 18-year-old mike is allowed to exist in perpetual man-child dreamland while everyone else sacrifices themselves for his needs?
