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1. mothers know by unvvonted

   Fandoms: Stranger Things (TV 2016)  

   • Mature
   • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
   • F/M, M/M
   • Complete Work

   26 Nov 2025

   Tags

   • Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
   • Karen Wheeler/Ted Wheeler
   • Billy Hargrove/Karen Wheeler
   • Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
   • Karen Wheeler
   • Mike Wheeler
   • Will Byers
   • Nancy Wheeler
   • Shauna from book club
   • If you know you know - Character
   • Character Study
   • Angst
   • Drinking
   • Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism
   • References to Depression
   • Infidelity
   • Implied/Referenced Cheating
   • Bad Parenting
   • she's trying okay. or she's trying to try at least
   • i really dont know how to do tags
   • No one is having a good time
   • Least of all me
   • tbf only Karen makes an actual appearance
   • but the others are there in spirit i guess? or in her interpretation of them more like
   • Mike Wheeler is a Mess
   • Mike Wheeler is also Really Depressed and he is Not Handling It Well
   • Mike Wheeler is Not Okay
   • Mike Wheeler is Bad at Feelings
   • karen wheeler is bad at feelings as well. genetics i guess
   • featuring Nancy as the prodigal son
   • 80s housewife blues
   • and also like Karens general disillusionment with how her life turned out
   • will/mike is only very vaguely implied
   • because i love SUBTEXT
   • can i write subtext? lets not get into that right now
   • first time posting please be mean as fuck
   • no im jk but i am open to constructive criticism (compliments)
   • posting this before the duffers fuck us all and none of this can be canon anymore
   • Canon Compliant
   • Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
   • who knows - Freeform
   • Mike Wheeler Character Study
   • Pain
   • Suffering
   • Misogyny
   • Internalized Misogyny
   • teenage boys being gross

   Summary

   Sometimes Karen feels like she’s observing the world through a window. Close enough to see, but not enough to touch. She notices things, yes. She knows when something’s not quite right.

   And things haven’t been right in Hawkins for quite some time.

   Or

   Karen Wheeler gets drunk, contemplates her life, gets intimately acquainted with the floor and tries to morally justify snooping around her kids bedrooms.

   Not necessarily in that order.

   Series

   • Part 1 of Shall I grieve, Shall I hope?

   Language:

   English

   Words:

   2,931

   Chapters:

   1/1

   Comments:

   2

   Kudos:

   82

   Bookmarks:

   14

   Hits:

   979