#time!!!!!

Max, when she tried escaping the first time she heard the music and felt Lucas' hand holding her's in the hospital. Later when she and Holly do acually escape she tells Holly that it was never about the music and actually about the people she loves, it was about Lucas. When the music stopped playing during her first escape attempt the portal doesn't vanish immediately. It only vanishes when Lucas lets go of her hand to rewind the tape. We see it clearly. The tape stops playing, he lets go of her hand, the potal vanishes!! In that specific order!!! Later, when Max finally escapes, Lucas is holding her in his arms. The whole time while he's carrying her the portal is there. It's not about the music, it's not just about the person, it's about the touch!!!

That's why Mike and Will don't touch anymore. Because it might break the curse, it might give whoever of them Vecna has taken a way out!!! That's also why the no touching only starts after Will gets taken in Shock Jock!! Can't have Mike touching Will because it would bring him back!!! Like, if Mike's voice can already easily pull Will back out of his trance, then just imagine what his touch could do!!!

They don't touch for a reason and this is the reason!

Correct!

maybe if they had more time, samatoki could have gotten to know jiro and saburo and wouldn’t have been so quick to abandon them in a heartbeat. ichiro fully believed that samatoki was the one adult that he felt got him and would have supported him through thick and thin. maybe time would have softened any sort of betrayal blow, especially so soon after kuukou, and let ichiro learn the human samatoki is instead of the idol ichiro unconsciously made him out to be!!!