#anti st3

[strangertheories]

I am tired of flashy things and "big stuff" 💀 anyway if S5 is gonna be like that at least i can return to watch s1 and s2 again in repeat. N basically ignore S5

It went downhill the second they introduced the Russians. The story should've stayed central to Hawkins and the Hawkins Lab in my opinion. For a show about children fighting D&D monsters, S1 and S2 felt so real and now these 14 year olds are fighting in the cold war. I'm excited for the Hawkins stuff, Vecna, the mystery of the frozen UD and Will's character arc. I am not excited for the mind-flayed Russian government to pop up or for the fight between that Sullivan guy and Dr Owens. They should've told the story of S3 without getting the Russians involved. They should've stayed central to Hawkins.

#stranger things #byler #will byers #stranger things five #st5 #anti st3 #vecna

[strangerthanyou011]

will and mike when they first met: i’m not the only one who’s lonely

will and mike in season 1: i’m not the only freak

will and mike in season 2: i’m not the only one who feels crazy

will and mike in season 3: i’m not the only one struggling to survive puberty and figure out who i am if i’m not a kid anymore

will and mike in season 4: i’m not the only one who’s afraid to be honest with people about my feelings

will and mike in season 5: i’m not the only one who’s gay and in love with my best friend???!?

#their dynamic EVERY season has been finding solace and relatability in each other #st3 was a bit different bc even tho they were struggling with basically the same thing #they dealt w it differently which resulted in conflict #but this is the THEME of their friendship #and ppl want me to believe the end of the arc of their friendship will be them NOT feeling the same way as each other?????? #yeah ok🙄 #stranger things #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #mike wheeler is gay #stranger things 4 #stranger things 3 #stranger things 2 #stranger things 1 #byler analysis #byler proof #mike wheeler analysis #anti mileven #eden talks

[oursonwithagirl]

watching this “cute” scene of mike and el

and then i realized everyone is helping dustin with carrying tools for cerebro…

…except for 2 people :/

this literally shows how this relationship hinders the party dynamic and this is from the same episode that literally introduced them dating lmao

#byler #anti milkvan #stranger things #st #st3 #it’s romantic it’s gross it’s bullshit

[smithsibsceo]

platonic stancy who get wine drunk together and talk shit about people. platonic stancy stifling wheezing giggles as they remember their past relationship. platonic stancy belting their hearts out on robins tiny karaoke machine. platonic stancy running the kitchen like its the goddamn navy. platonic stancy

#stranger things #platonic stancy #stranger things steve #steve harrington #stranger things nancy #nancy wheeler #stobin #ronance #anti stancy #st1 #st2 #st3 #st4

[l393ndjean]

I don't know what day it is but wip:

Did somebody ask for a st3 au where Will's part of scoops troop? Probably not. Are you getting it anyway? YES!

It will be called The Week Is Long

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #dustin henderson #platonic byerson #byerson #dustin and will #robin and will #the week is long #st3 #max mayfield #el hopper #lucas sinclair #lumax #anti mileven #scoops troop

[cloudycleric]

you can talk ALL your shit about s3 okay but it is MY. BABY. GIRL. do you guys not realize how COOL SEASON 3 IS. OKAY. a SECRET russian LAB underneath a HUGE 80s NEON TO THE GODS MALL. a HUGE GOOP MONSTER THAT JUST KEEPS GROWING. okay a HOSPITAL. FIGHT SCENE.

BYLER MOVIE THEATER SCENE THEY WERE LITERALLY ABOUT TO KISS.

& the finale..

BIG ASS FUN FAIR. FIREWORKS. BIG ASS GOOP MONSTER EVEN BIGGER. THROWING

FIREWORKS

INSIDE THE MALL THE NEON MALL

TELL ME THIS ISNT THE COOLEST SHIT YOU HAVE EVER SEEN.

TELL ME THIS ISNT THE COOLEST SHIT YOUVE EVER SEEN

PLUS, BILLY DIES 🖕🔥

so FUCK YOU IF YOU DONT LIKE S3 IM SO PASSIONATE ABOUT STARCOURT FUCK OFF

#stranger things #night time rant #anti billy hargrove #st3

[conanshipsbyler]

NAH cause milkvans claim they want the best for El and that’s why the ship mitochondria but i rlly don’t think so

notice how much happier el was when she dumped mike… she was so much more happy and carefree, as she should be at that age. and the second they get back together, they’re both miserable again. i just don’t understand how milkduds can think that’s healthy.

mike and el are not happy together. they lie and don’t communicate and most importantly, they’re not in love. a healthy happy relationship is built on honesty, communication, trust, and love. none of those factor into melvin’s relationship.

i’d like one milkshake to give me an analysis and convince me that their relationship is healthy without just saying “they’re canon”

anyway, fuck macarena byler endgame 💪🏻🗣️💥

#anti mileven #anti milkvan #byler #byler tumblr #ollister’s rambles #stranger things #st3 #st3 rewatch #ollister’s rewatch #<3

[byler-alarmist]

You know what's funny? El in S3 asking Mike about the time he said he loved her. She says "you talked about your feelings.....your heart"

It's a weird way to phrase it that seems very intentional.

First of alllll, he never said anything about his heart to the group. El doesn't know the first thing about romantic relationships, but I guess she somehow knew that love and "the heart" are connected (hmmmm S4 hmmmmm)

Idk it's just like the Duffers really wanted her to say "your heart". She could've just said "you talked about your feelings" and left it at that, but no

#you're the heart #who is your heart mike wheeler #do tell us #byler #st3 rewatch #mike wheeler #stranger things #mike wheeler i know what you are #anti milkvan #anti mileven #antimileven

[itswhatyougive]

Those paying attention know that ST4 was the gayest season yet.

#all around the most explicitly gay season yet #i say this even with the campiness that was st3 #sure there was queerness in the prior seasons #but this season had SO. MUCH. #the duffers are starting to show their hand #it was always a show for the different and marginalized #byler #ronance #steddie #elmax #stranger things #queerer things #gayer things #st4 rewatch #straightbaiting #anti milkvan #anti stancy #st4 #st 4 #stranger things 4

[shreya11111]

slay to this commenter they’re so right

#byler #steve harrington #anti st*ncy #stranger things #st3 #st4 #platonic stobin

[stevesnailbat]

thinking about how people say eddie was just a replacement for b*lly in s4 but

b*lly was insufferable, racist and was a literal villain, who died a ‘hero’ to the town. eddie was kind and accepting of everyone, an actual hero to his friends, but he died a villain for no reason other than assumptions

they are not the same

#st4 #st3 #eddie munson #anti billy hargrove

[will80sbyers]

Lovers whose relationship is doomed to fail are said to be “star-crossed”

#mike wheeler #el hopper byers #will80sbyersgifs #stranger things #st3 #stedit #stranger things 3 #stgifs #anti mileven #foreshadowing their break up? #hmmmm #this is not really anti in a malicious way tho #just pointing out the foreshadowing with some gifs #should I tag byler #idk #I will anyway #byler

[smithsibsceo]

no because its so funny to me that mike lying about his feelings to el in the monologue and repressing his feelings towards will was what literally helped kill max. my guy was that desperate to repress his gayness that he accidentally caused the tragic death of his best friends partner

#stranger things #byler #anti mileven #stranger things mike #mike wheeler #stranger things max #max mayfield #stranger things el #el hopper #stranger things will #will byers #platonic madwheeler #st1 #st2 #st3 #st4 #st5

[runninguplenorahills]

Since I’ve already posted something about Elmax today, here’s a quick for fun analysis on a screenshot of one of their scenes in s3

Butterflies

In the context of relationships butterflies often symbolize having a crush or falling in love due to the expression “butterflies in your stomach” and seeing two butterflies together is symbolic of both romantic and platonic love. Since both butterflies are next to their heads this can be interpreted as Max and El having both platonic as well as romantic thoughts about each other.

Butterflies are also representative of transformation and good luck within that transformation which can translate to Max being a lucky charm on El’s journey of transforming herself into the person she really is.

Rainbows and colors

Of course, the rainbow is a symbol for queer love and since it consists of a lot of different colors colorful imagery in general is used to hint at queer romance. I personally interpret the fact that Max is wearing the rainbows as Max being aware of her queerness and aware of her romantic feelings for El while the fact that El is wearing miscellaneous colorful shapes means that while she is aware of her romantic feelings for Max she simply doesn’t know that that makes her queer [because she isn’t familiar with the concept].

Rainbows also represent hope, positivity and harmony which can translate to Max having a positive influence on El and them sharing a harmonious friendship as well as the fact that El’s interactions with Max in s3 gave her new hope for a better life experience.

The Valentine’s cards

The fact that Mike’s Valentine’s cards are framed behind Max hints at the fact that not only is Max having romantic thoughts addressed to El in this scene but that El sees Max as a romantic love interest as well.

The Valentine’s cards are also visually supporting the fact that Max and El are talking about if Mike is a good kisser in this scene so they have multiple purposes.

The Mirror

Mirrors oftentimes represent the reflection of the truth meaning that the mirror in between Max and El reflects that the implied romantic feelings between those two do in fact exist. It’s true that they’re not only thinking of each other platonically but also in a romantic context.

Bonus

#whatever they had going on in s3 was both platonic and romantic #platonic elmax #romantic elmax #elmax #el hopper #max mayfield #bi max mayfield #pan el hopper #lesbian el hopper #stranger things #stranger things 3 #st3 #st analysis #anti midleven

[oursonwithagirl]

there has been no romantic development with milkvan in the latest 2 seasons

this is starkly unlike literally all of the other romantic relationships on the show, where seasons 3 and 4 really started digging deep into their progression. and this video just shows some structural parallels that showcases how both of these conversations went : absolutely nowhere! 😵‍💫

#byler #anti milkvan #stranger things #st #st parallels #st4 #st3

[there-was-a-hole-here-itsgonenow]

MEAT above Melvin

@howtobecomeadragon and I have been exchanging a variety of ideas about what this sign could mean and we reached some interesting analyses!

This is such an intriguing shot because of that word alone. It’s directly, perfectly centered above Mike and El—perfectly centered in-frame (with the ‘S’ cut off) too. It’s a purposeful shot.

Obviously there’s the flesh monster as a present, looming threat that can be correlated here, but the monster itself isn’t a literal threat that poses to meaningfully separate Mike and El. It’s not like the shot of the very obvious #1 hanging right above (in-between if you imagine a frontal shot) Will and Mike specifically, in the same episode no less.

From this shot, I gather that One aims to get between and separate Will and Mike for his own purposes. Mike is constantly involved with thwarting One’s plans throughout the series, a big one being Mike’s interference with Will’s possession. Will opened up to Mike about feeling the Mind Flayer, and Mike said ‘maybe that’s good’ because Will was like a super spy. Mike later knew Will needed to be sedated when he was possessed because Will had able to open up to him previously. It was also Mike’s “it was the best thing I’ve ever done” monologue that got Will to break through enough to communicate via Morse code. All this to say that these interferences highlight the problem for One: Mike’s bond with Will. Henry is aware of Mike’s power in this bond, and so this analysis of the above shot holds weight.

But then there’s MEAT. Dragon mentioned that Mike and El could’ve been placed in an area where there’s health/nursing/pharmaceutical significance to represent taking care of their relationship, but we don’t get that. And unlike the #1 sign that points toward an outside force wanting to separate Will and Mike for a Henry-specific purpose, we can’t grab a similar analysis from MEAT/ the flesh monster. What can be understood is that Melvin’s relationship is compromised by themselves; Mike especially when breaking down what is about to happen after we see MEAT. One conclusion howtobecomeadragon and I came to is the concept of butchering/spilling blood in the way meat is prepared. It’s a messy, bloody process. ‘Butchering,’ by definition as an alternate description, can mean to spoil something completely by performing or dealing with a situation very badly.

Cue Mike. Howtobecomeadragon describes Mike as having ‘butchered’ not only his apology to El but also his messy attempt to say “I love you” to El. And of course, we have this very telling choice phrase from Mike (along with “Dustin, you’re breaking up”):

Mike and El have been going way too fast in their relationship and aren’t taking the time to understand each other (El is perfectly in-shot by Mike’s head when he says this, emphasizing that point). This truth is further emphasized by this next shot howtobecomeadragon pointed out to me:

A divider is between El and Mike, revealing a divide. The divider itself is not set perfectly between them either, once again depicting how El and Mike are not on the same page. Mike is placed further away from the divider, indicating he is not anywhere near resolving his issue. El is placed near the divider, and, though she isn’t on the same page as Mike, being close to the divider is indicative of her trying to listen/understand. Overall, it’s easy to notice the very clear divide within the divide represented here.

So Mike is butchering his words to El, dealing with their situation badly and even ‘performing’ the role of a boyfriend badly to his girlfriend. Of course, this goes deeper then just being a bad boyfriend. Pair the action of butchering with ‘spilling blood,’ a requirement when cutting meat. Blood is our force of life and, as such, contains our essence. Our essence is within the core of our beliefs, personality, and sense of identity: all that encompasses you. If you know the phrase “it’s in my blood,” this is part of your essence. It means you simply are the way you are/ are born the way you are.

Once again, cue Mike. It is my belief that because Mike says “blank makes you crazy” to El in this scene, Will is automatically bound to this scene due to “crazy” being a word in ST used synonymously with “love.” We know “love makes you crazy.” We know “Crazy together.” We know many examples. It should be clear that “blank makes you crazy,” and Mike’s inability to say “love” himself here, is all you need to understand that love for him is found naturally with Will but not with El. Regardless of your stance on Mike’s sexuality, the fact that Mike can be in love with and attracted to Will/to men is part of what makes Mike… Mike (“born this way”). Tie this with the spilling of blood—the spilling of your life’s essence, which is tied to truth. Your truth. Mike cannot spill his truth here. He cannot profess/‘spill’ “love” to El because that is not his truth. Bring this back around to ‘butchering,’ to spoiling something completely by dealing with a situation badly. Mike tries to force the word “love,” and so makes the situation more confusing (made infinitely worse in s4).

To further expand on this, puberty is a clear theme in s3. Puberty is a messy process. Howtobecomeadragon referenced Mike’s previous assertion to Will, that they aren’t kids anymore, and compared that to Mike trying to get El to say ‘love’ (as he clearly can’t say it himself) during this scene: “it’s what old people say to each other.” Dragon says Mike’s idea of romance stems from aging, which is correct because the presence of puberty in s3 is laying out what Mike believes getting older entails: having a girlfriend and leaving what’s believed to be ‘childish’/not ‘normal’ [in the process of growing up and assimilating into society] behind.

Additionally, he and El can only be physical (kiss) without proper communication. Physical -> Meat -> Flesh -> Puberty, the process in which your physical body begins to change. More than just physically, you are expected to change. While Mike and El are in the convenient store, trying to communicate/figure out their issues, MEAT hangs above them while a flesh monster is out to get them [more symbolically than literally]. The physical truth is out to get them, looms over them, and the truth behind their issues—Mike’s hidden issue particularly (perhaps even expressed through the MEAT sign, as the ME part falls perfectly over Mike and possibly represents a ‘me’ issue for Mike + an abundance of Mike’s blue lighting takes up the center-aisle shot)—is the threat to their relationship. This hidden issue of Mike’s that ‘threatens’ to break Melvin up is not meant to be a bad thing for them (no longer being a couple is the best outcome for them both). It is, however, Mike’s truth that is a threat against him having the norm. His truth is a threat to what is socially expected of him, causing Mike to continue this [butchered] heteronormative performance.

#after all… #what if they don’t like the truth? #mike wheeler #anti m*leven #byler #meat symbolism #st set design #st3