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Tagged by @snowviolettwhite 💛

This is from my fic Make Believe (Omegaverse Byler), chapter 18. I’m still writing the chapter and there wasn’t a lot to choose from that wouldn’t be a big spoiler. So, here’s a sneak peek I guess 🙈 Also this is technically 7 sentences but oh well.

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Mike was only a few feet away when a leaf crunched beneath his shoe.

Lucas’s shoulders jumped for a split second before he slowly looked back. Mike couldn’t make out his face, but his voice was still as bitter as it had been inside the house.

“What do you want?”

“I just want to talk.”

“Yeah, you want to gloat?” Lucas laughed. “You’re getting your way after all.”

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I don’t really have anyone else to tag. I haven’t been on here in months lol.

Something I can’t stop thinking about when it comes to this scene/episode is that Dustin calls Dart a pollywog. The Pollywog is also the name of this episode. 

First of all, a pollywog is another word for a tadpole, and tadpoles, of course, develop into frogs or toads. Now, when Dustin explains this, he says that a pollywog is “the larval stage of a toad.” This might not seem like a big deal, but it doesn’t fit the rest of the scene at all. During Dustin’s explanation, he flips open a book about reptiles and amphibians, and turns to a page entirely about frogs. 

As the discussion progresses, Dustin eventually goes on to say that there are two types of terrestrial pollywogs: indirana semipalmata and adenomera andreae. Both of which are a genus of frog. Now, all of the books that Dustin checked out at the library for his research are real and contain the actual information that he gathered, so effort was put into backing up his words and logic for this scene. Dustin is also incredibly smart so it’s strange to me that he referred to his findings as being about toads when in reality, they are frog tadpoles. Dustin also concludes that he discovered a new species because the two existing species are from different continents and reptiles like heat and Dart doesn’t, but again, he’s researching frogs which are amphibians! I don’t understand this inconsistency at all, but I’m going to address the elephant in the room. 

Frogs = Mike. This has been established since the first season with Troy calling him “frog face” and it’s been a theme going forward. I think the choice to make the Demodogs’ life cycle include a tadpole-like stage and giving the characters a scene where they discuss Dart potentially being a strange new species of frog wasn’t a coincidence.

So, if we consider the possibility that Dart (at least as a pollywog) could symbolize Mike in some way, another layer of complexity and meaning could be viewed in its scenes. Also, please bear with me. I understand that some or all of this could be a reach, but I still think it’s worth pointing out. 

Dart’s Introduction/Closet Symbolism: 

In season 2, Dart’s first appearance is when he’s in Dustin’s trash bin in the first episode: MADMAX. Interestingly enough, the scene that happens before/leads into it, is one about Mike. This is when Mike is going through which toys to donate and ends with him attempting to contact El with his supercom. Then it switches up to Dustin and Lucas biking home, and then Dustin hearing weird noises from the trash. The two feel very tied together because Dustin overhears Mike on the walkie talkie and that’s what acts as the transition. 

Anyway, weird things to note are the toys Mike’s looking at when donating. There’s a couple action figures and a stuffed animal that he gets rid of easily, but he hesitates on two. His dinosaur “Roary”, which he chooses to keep after listening to it roar three times, and the Millennium Falcon. After looking at the latter, he goes through a number of expressions (conflicted?) before deciding to call El. This is also the scene where he hears her, but then dismisses it. I think it’s important to note that Dustin is wearing a dinosaur shirt in his scene and Dart makes three separate noises. 

Dart’s next scene is in the second episode, at the very end when this time, Dustin finds the little guy in the trash. Remember that this is the same episode that the “crazy together” scene occurs. Also, note that the scene directly before Dustin finds Dart, is another one where Mike tries contacting El. This time it is when she reaches out for him, he thinks he senses her there, and then he appears to give up anyway. He doesn’t try to reach her again after this. 

I find it very interesting that as Mike appears to pull away from El, Dart makes noises that could reveal itself from where it’s hiding. And when Mike seems to give up on El, Dustin finds Dart and begins taking care of it. Dart being trapped in the trash, put in a cage, and then hidden away in Dustin’s trap all feels very symbolic of having to hide oneself or feeling as though one must. And then as Dart grows, it becomes too big to be contained. It breaks the glass of the tank it was kept in, and turns into a “monster.” 

Mike and Will’s Reaction to Dart: 

At first, when Dustin shows Dart to his friends, he and Mike are the only two to be calm around it. Max, Lucas, and Will are grossed out or scared to hold it. However, like Dustin, Mike is very curious about what Dart is. The above screenshot where they focus on Mike holding Dart close to his face emphasizes this. And, if Dart can represent Mike, it makes sense that he wouldn’t be squeamish around himself, right? 

Mike is also the one to notice that something appears to be “moving inside of it.” And when a light is turned to Dart, it reacts negatively and tries to move away. We know that creatures from the Upside Down don’t like heat/light, but Mike is also often shown in dark lighting. Especially when compared to Will. Example: 

Will realizes that Dart is one of the slugs that he coughed up and immediately clocks that it’s a creature from the Upside Down. This could potentially double up as Will already recognizing that he himself is gay. Will shares his concerns with Mike, who changes up his reaction right away. He steals Dart before it can be revealed to Mr. Clarke and a group meeting is held. With the knowledge that Dart might be a monster, Mike wants it dead. Mike also says that he won’t hurt Dart unless it attacks. So, trying to hit it was an act of self-defense in his eyes. It’s as though Mike is trying to protect himself (perhaps from himself). 

Post-Pollywog Dart: 

As Dart grows into a demodog, Mike glues himself to Will’s side. So, while Dart becomes too big to be contained and goes free, Mike focuses his attention on Will. On being there for him and keeping him safe. This is when Byler is really flourishing and El is far from Mike’s mind. 

And despite Dart being good in the end, the other demodogs are monsters. Dart is still, at its core, a monster too. Mike sees the destruction they can do with his own eyes during the massacre at Hawkins Lab. 

When El returns and reunites with Mike, it is also after saving them all from some demodogs. She kills at least one of them (the one that ends up in the fridge) right in front of Mike. After that happens, the two reunite. Mike is obviously happy to see her, but based on the parallel between their reunion here and El’s reunion with Hopper in S4, it is likely platonic at this time. El is also the one to try to kiss Mike shortly after. He stands frozen as she does this. 

It isn’t until after all of the demodogs are dead that Mike dances with El at the snow ball and kisses her.

Other Potential Tie-Ins Between Dart and Mike: 

When introducing Dart, Mike asks “D’Artagnan?” and Dustin answers, “Dart for short.” This is similar to how Mike introduced himself to El in the past. 

Right before Dustin can show Dart to Mr. Clarke, he says, “It’s not about the trap. It’s what’s inside. Now, this very well may change your perception of the world.” Why would a new species of frog change a person’s perception of the world? It doesn’t make sense. If we’re talking about someone leaving their hiding place (closet), their perception of the world would change though.

Dart came from Will. If Dart represents Mike’s sexuality, this could mean that it’s Will who is causing Mike to face his own feelings.  

In conclusion, 

By comparing Dart and Mike, we might be able to assess how Mike is handling his own sexuality throughout the season. Before Dart is found, he is focused on El. After Dart is discovered and breaks free, Mike spends all of his time with Will. And once Dart is dead, Mike returns to El. 

I believe this could support the theory that Mike was aware of his feelings for Will as early as this season. While he may not have understood the full extent of them or maybe even that he didn’t love El, I do think that Mike understood that he felt something more for Will than what was normal. Especially considering how Mike encouraging Will to dance with the girl at the snow ball mirrors how Will urged Mike to confess to El at the end of season 4. 

And when confronted with this understanding of himself, he latched onto the safety of El again. I don’t think this necessarily implies that he was using her on purpose. But it does explain his actions going into season 3 as to why he’s spending so much time with El and rejecting his own hobbies and interests. 

No.

You're welcome! I completely understand not interacting with my post either. I was nervous to say anything myself. Some people get really passionate about these opinions and things can go downhill fast. I've seen a lot of good people hurt by all of this fandom drama and it gets really draining.

I'm sorry you felt guilty about enjoying fictional works. You definitely shouldn't. What we read/watch isn't a direct reflection of our own personal desires. I love slasher films but I have no interest in reliving them in the real world.

And just because I think it's funny, if you search Will Byers/Mike Wheeler on Ao3 right now and sort by most kudos, you'll see that two of the fics on the first page are in a series (one for each) with explicit smut involving them. The most liked Byler smut fic is also standing at over 3,000 kudos. Take that how you will.

Warning: discussion of smut

I ask bc I feel like if Mike had the opportunity to learn, he'd like it. Idk if he cooks with his mom (so many questions about the wheeler household), but he puts so much effort into his campaigns, and he seems to like feeling needed/doing things for people. And I don't know if he'd want to cook for those specific reasons, but I think he'd come to enjoy it, esp if he does a good job.

Thoughts? And thank you!!

Thank you! I have a few headcanons for this actually.

Mike:

First of all, I agree with everything you said about him. If you take the books as canon (I don’t put much weight on them personally), Mike helps his mom bake cupcakes for his friends in Lucas On The Line. So, he’s probably had to help her more than one time. I could totally see him wanting to bake things though. To me, he seems like the kind of person that’s most happy when he can make other people happy. But I also think he’d be insecure about his skills or worried about being teased about it. So, my headcanon would be that he sometimes bakes with his mom and Holly, and he’ll bring some for his friends, telling them that “Holly made these.” Eventually, the Party would catch on, but I think it would be a cute little secret of his for a while. 

I don’t think Mike would get into cooking until he’s older, but I think he’d be all over that too. I can picture him calling Karen for different recipes and asking her basic questions about how to cook. Mainly because he’d want to dote on Will as much as possible. 

Will: 

Joyce is a bad cook, right? Am I losing my mind, or is that a thing? Anyway, assuming that’s true, I kind of like the idea of Will being a bad cook too. I don’t see cooking/baking as one of his hobbies, but I think he’d help out in the kitchen from time to time (and accidentally add too much salt or something). But, once he and Mike are together, Will wouldn’t want to make Mike handle all of the cooking on his own. So, that’s when he’d make it his mission to improve. While he does this, Mike would say everything tastes amazing because he’s just happy to get “gifts” from Will. But Will would know from one taste when something’s bad. 

El: 

Good or bad, I think El would enjoy cooking and baking a lot. Because she didn’t have a lot of food freedom at the lab or exposure to different types of food, she’d love to experiment in the kitchen. I like the idea of her not being the best judge of what turns out okay. She’s just happy to try new things and usually loves them no matter what. She’d be a wild card. 

Jonathan: 

Because Joyce was always busy working and not the best of cooks herself, Jonathan had to step up and take care of meals most of the time. It started out as a necessity for him, but I think he eventually learned to enjoy it. He likes having responsibilities and taking care of others. Plus, it’s the opposite of what Lonnie would do, so that makes it all the better.

Nancy: 

I don’t think Nancy would want to cook or bake at all. Unlike Mike and Holly (who both would enjoy it imo), she’s never been interested. Even as a kid, she didn’t want to help in the kitchen. Chalk it up to Nancy trying to step out of gender role stereotypes. It would be okay because if she ends up with Jonathan or Steve, they’d probably be more than willing to cook for her. 

Erica: 

She would 110% have an Easy Bake Oven growing up and she’d use it all of the time. Baking is especially something Erica would enjoy. 

Lucas: 

I don’t think Lucas would be particularly interested in cooking or baking, but I think he would have had to help in the kitchen sometimes. If not, Erica would force him into baking with her. 

Hopper: 

I think Hopper can cook okay, but I think he only puts in effort when other people are involved. For example, when he was living alone, I think he would have lived on a more college student sort of diet. Lots of microwave meals basically. He just didn’t seem to take care of himself too well. But once El came along, he would spend more time cooking for both of them. Same for when/if he moves in with Joyce.