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http-byler · 1 year

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okay listen. I spent like 40 minutes ranting about this to someone who could care less TODAY so I feel like I gotta put it on here too bc at least you guys will care…

Mike was SO outta pocket with that snide little “she didn’t look fine” comment and I think it speaks to all the relationship problems between him & El. and to preface, I am a Mike defender til I die so this doesn’t come from a place of Mike hate/slander. that comment was just so unnecessary and petty in its delivery.

you can tell that it was just him being upset about El lying to him and not about Angela because even Will gives him a look like “wtf are you doing”. everyone else is trying to make El feel better because they know her and they know she needed that reassurance. and I’m not convinced that Mike doesn’t know the gravity of the situation for El. he JUST saw the horrific bullying she’s had to deal with and Will told him that it’s been going on the entire time. so it’s completely hypocritical of him to praise her for humiliating Troy, and even going as far as to break his arm, for bullying Mike & Dustin. why is it okay for her to use violence to stand up to his bullies, but not her own?

he knows the answer and we all know the answer. he’s just upset that she lied to him! because now he’s like, embarrassed and everything he thought he knew just, wasn’t true. his relationship for the past six months has been solely through letter correspondence, and he’s just found out that all of it was fake (or at least, that’s the extreme I think his dramatic ass would take it too). Friends Don’t Lie. that’s one of, if not, the first things he told El about friendships. and yet, in s3 he’s the one to lie to her! so again, were at a stand still because he’s mad at El for something he allows himself to do.

ultimately, what I took away from that comment and their subsequent fight scene is that they love each other, just not the way that they feel like they should.

El’s basis for relationships is based on fantasy. she learned about romantic relationships from tv shows and movies, never learning what a real relationship should be like! Mike’s basis for relationships is his parents’ marriage and his friends’ parents marriage (as well as entertainment media). we can see just how little he knows about relationships throughout s3 when Lucas has to walk him through every single aspect of it, even the concept of an “olive branch”. and honestly, it’s not bad or wrong of them to not have a good level of understanding about romantic relationships! they’re kids! even Lucas and Max, who are established as the couple who does understand romantic relationships, get it wrong sometimes.

because they don’t have a grasp on what makes a romantic relationship work, they end up jeopardizing their platonic relationship as well! because I believe they do love each other, I just think it’s platonic! they’ve been through so much together, and I think a lot of Mike’s feelings that he believes are romantic are actually just a feeling of relief that she’s still there. he watched her “die” and he had to deal with the grief of her death for a year. having her back, that feeling of joy at her being alive and the fear of losing her again, it’s all such strong emotions! emotions one could mistake for romantic feelings. especially in a time where men and women were expected to date and not “just be friends”.

as for El, she might have romantic feelings for Mike. it’s hard to tell sometimes if she really feels the love for him she says she does, or if that’s just her going through the motions of what she has seen portrayed. because in season one, Mike is the one to kiss her, and she is understandably surprised by this (though not upset by it). but then she disappears for a year and in that time she watches movies and shows about romance. they teach her what that kiss means and how she should act with someone she likes romantically. so when they meet again in s2, she leans in as well and this time, she knows what she’s supposed to do. and I don’t doubt that she feels differently about Mike than she does about the rest of the party members. he was the one to take her in and he was kind to her and respected her before the other boys were/did. it makes sense that their relationship is set apart from the rest of the party. but that doesn’t make it inherently romantic.

their fundamental relationship problem stems from not knowing each other. they love each other so much, and they would (they have) risked their lives for each other. But! they don’t really know anything about each other and don’t necessarily share the same interests. El doesn’t know that much about Mike as a person, but she still knows a hell of a lot more about him than he does about her. she doesn’t know that much about herself.

s3 showed us just how much of her life revolves around the men in it (hop, brenner, mike). Max was integral to El’s storyline for an abundance of reasons but the s3 storyline has got to be the most important. she’s the first person to tell her that she is her own person and that she can make her own decisions about who she is. and we’ve seen her smile and laugh a couple times in the show, but that montage was the most fun we’ve seen El have ever in the show. nothing dampens the mood and she’s learning what SHE likes and who SHE is outside of the box she’s been shoved into her whole life. and it’s only for a day. then reality sets back in and she’s sudden thrust into the role of protector again. that silly, happy, pre-teen girl we just saw is gone in a flash. she’s still figuring out who she is and it’s impossible for Mike to know her if she doesn’t know herself.

in the place of knowing each other well, they put each other on this unreachable pedestal that makes them feel inferior in their own relationship. El is “Superman” to Mike. he believes that he’s “just some random nerd” and that he got lucky that he found El. he has no idea how harmful that ideology is to her and to himself. and he hasn’t even really learned his lesson. he put her on a pedestal and was upset when she fell. and yet, he puts her right back up there, expecting a different result. she doesn’t want to be some superhero, she wants to be a normal teenage girl, she wants to be someone outside of the powers she had/has. and she reminds him that she’s not a “superhero”, as least not anymore, but in the Van he expresses the same sentiment to Will because he thinks so highly of her anyway. he bases so much of his self worth on being needed and helpful that his self esteem is practically on the damn floor. it makes it impossible for him to connect with her about insecurities because he feels like his are true and hers aren’t. he IS some random nerd and she’s NOT scary or abnormal.

now El, she sees mike as this, righteous guy who is so good in his heart that he’d never do the things she’s done. she’s put him on a pedestal as well, though it’s not as dramatic as Mike’s. she wants to impress him, make him like her more because he is good. hop is gone and brenner was literally her abuser, all she has now is Mike and she wants his validation. she wants him to believe everything is going great and that she is normal and good and everything she think he is. she doesn’t want to be spiteful or angry or violent or bad. she doesn’t want to be feared. and Mike was the first person to make her feel that way. he’s one of the only people that can still make her feel that way (besides the Byers now probably). so telling him those lies made her feel like she could still be normal. as long as Mike believes it, then maybe it can be true. but eventually, he finds out the truth, and now she’s realized (she thinks) she “doesn’t belong anywhere”.

they don’t feel comfortable enough with each other to show who they really are or express their insecurities. that’s where their relationship really fissures. so unless s5 really reworks the entire foundation of their relationship I just don’t think they can come back from all that. even after Mike’s monologue! because that monologue can still be true as a completely platonic thing. he loves her, and he can’t lose her, he’s not lying! but I don’t think it’s enough to save their relationship.

especially because the things they want from each other can be fulfilled by other people.

Hop is back, all the love and validation she needs can be provided by her family. romantic love isn’t necessarily what she needs, she just needs someone to love her for who she is, and they do.

Will accepts, understands, and loves Mike for all that he is. his good parts and his bad. and Mike feels comfortable with Will too, he seeks him out to talk about his feelings and insecurities.

the things they want so badly in their relationship with each other aren’t being met, and they could get it from other sources. so in conclusion, I believe their relationship is over for good and that Mike is a complex and flawed character who is still learning how to be himself and love himself.

#this got really long and ranty.#sorry. i’m just sick in the head abt him #byler #the heart #the wise #the mage #you never say it #crazy together #elijah speaks

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runninguplenorahills · 1 year

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what's on your s5 wishlist? the silly, goofy things!!!

Omg that’s a cool question, thank youu!🌟

The time is probably gonna be put to better use next season, but I would really want a Hopper/Mike interaction in which Hopper apologizes for wtf was going on in s3💀. I love Hopper but s3 was not it! It was such a drastic change in character and especially after s2 Hopper’s attitude towards Mike in s3 doesn’t make sense. And that hug at the end of s4 was far from enough confirmation that everything’s okay between them imo. Especially if we’ll actually get an interaction between them next season I think they should take the time to have Hopper explain and apologize. 5mins max! That’s all I’m asking for.

I need scoops troop to split up! And they probably will, like, Dustin’s so gonna be with the party next season, but what I’d actually really like to see is Robin, Vickie and Erica all being in a group together. Idk, I just kinda feel like this has potential to be funny but also meaningful and I’d love that! (I know Erica and Robin are both in scoops troop but to me it’s just important that Robin and Dustin don’t spent every single second with Steve💀).

Some kind of Joyce and Mike interaction! Anything really, I need it!

KALI! I want her back! I need her back!

Ted making an outta pocket comment about El 😭

Ok this will sound very bad but imo getting rid of characters like Troy and well, Troy, was one of the dumbest things they did. Simply because getting rid of the bullies makes the main characters feel less like outcast and the fact that they’re outcasts is a huge deal. It’s important. Like, no one can tell me that they had the impression that the party were outsiders while watching s3💀. And I kinda miss that. I miss seeing that yeah, they’re the outsiders but they find strength within each other. I miss it being shown the way it was in s1! So, again, this sounds bad but if we’ll see the party back at school in s5 I need a scene where they get bullied. But not without a purpose of course.

Mike coming out to Karen. Would also actually really love for Mike to come out to Lucas and Dustin but the show’s definitely headed for a Mike/Karen coming out scene.

Karen getting involved in the upside down stuff! I personally think she will but who knows?

I need them to come up with the worst plan ever and for a Mike to be like: “you can’t be serious!”

Yk what would be really fucking great? If we got to see wtf happened during the 2days time skip💀

Aaaaand that’s it. Because everything else on my wishlist is way too elaborate to put here lmao

Thank you so much for the ask <33333

#byler #mail to lenora hills #most of them aren’t even silly goofy sorry

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munsons-maiden · 10 months

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Hi, I’m desperately trying to find a writer to write something for Eddie x female reader, where reader is new to Hawkins, possibly Steve’s cousin or something. She moves there during the summer and get pulled into the scoops ahoy groups adventures) (so this takes place before season 4). She is shy when school begins and being a senior Chrissy takes her under her wing. Although reader isn’t really considered popular or apart of that group she accepts the friendship.

Enter mean Eddie. Maybe reader is the theater hand for the drama club and she stays at school late one night. That night happens to be when Hellfire takes place. Aggravated that the new girl is there he gets angry with her. Telling her off as she is just shocked and frightened (her past relationship was abusive so it triggers her fight or flight mode and she surely flies) Dustin, knowing who she is because she spent the summer with her cousin Steve and helped fight monsters, calls eddie out for being such a jerk.

Eddie tries to prove his point associating the reader with Chrissy’s friends having seen her sitting with them at lunch and having one class with her, he thinks she is a teachers pet because she actually does good academically . But Dustin puts him in his place.

So Eddie feels terrible and does his best to try and apologize. Once that finally happens, thus begins a beautiful friendship. To the point that reader stops sitting with the popular people at lunch and instead sits with the boys.

Eddie and reader become very close. She is quite and nerdy, but he is falling head over heels for her.

When Chrissy’s death ultimately happens she is with the gang when they find Eddie. Although sad about Chrissy she is stressed and worried about Eddie. When Dustin is telling Eddie about the history of Hawkins and the upside down he is looking at her like “wtf.” Reader offers to stay with Eddie that night. They break into Reefer Ricks house. She is trying to soothe him and trying to get him to get some sleep, and a shower… but before any of that he asks her while upset why she never said anything to him about the upside down. She explains that the government threatened them all to stay quiet and she didn’t want to get him involved because she loves and cares for him to much. With that confession they get romantically smutty. She is kind of scared because as I mentioned her ex was not nice to her and took advantage of her. But Eddie promises to never hurt her and is so very soft with her.

I’ve thought about this specific scenario when I try to go to sleep. I’m not very good with writing or else I would do something myself. But yeah that’s what I’ve got. If this idea gets your gears turning it could even be multiple parts with a fix it fic where Eddie is saved by the gang and reader and how reader helps him get back to better health.

Obviously if you aren’t feeling it, ain’t no thang! Just wanted to put this idea out there.

@thrutheburnout Hi, love! Thank you so much for trusting me with this to write it for you, and I'd LOVE to write this for you! 🖤

There's only one thing which is I don't write Eddie as mean - just revved up and brash and careless in the heat of the moment when he's feeling threatened or poked fun of like in the cafeteria scene. He wouldn't be mean mean, just feeling threatened and therefore lashing out - would that be okay?

If so, let me know and I'd love to write it for you🖤

And in the meantime until I can post it (I might need a while to get it done especially if it's gonna have multiple parts which I'm pretty sure it will), I got a completed series with similar plot points you could read if you like (here)🖤

#kiki answers #request

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stevie-petey · 4 months

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im SO excited for season 2!! your set up was perfect and if you'll allow me can i just. talk about. how good you made the entirety of season 1???????? your framing of each event was SOO good and the way you left y/n in the dark for things we alr knew about, the relationships between each of the characters???? dustin being sweet and literally EXACTLY like a younger sibling (i have 3 little boy cousins who ive practically raised and they act EXACTLY like how Dustin did when they see me unexplainably sad), her WANT to like nancy with the jealousy and hurt bubbling under the surface and even though she doesnt blame nancy you see that little resentment that occurs when someone you love likes someone better its so HUMAN?????, the relationship bw her and the little boys and how even though everyone keeps reinforcing they listen to her better she KNOWS that at the end of the day they're silly little preteens so they'll listen to her but just barely, her relationship w jonathan anf how she doesnt immediatly gloss over their arguments and his actions and she actually holds him accountable??? LOVE. i also love how steve is just a kicked puppy constantly trying to get validation and approval from both her and nancy and the buildup of security only to a crushing realization in the bonus chapter was brilliant AND real!!!! bc ofc you'll be nervous about letting in someone who you could potentially fall in love w in your life while you're currently suffering w the feelings of hopelessness and resignation at the feeling of believing that someone you love doesn't love u back. ugh. brilliant. all in all. i LOVE this series and im absolutely foaming at the mouth for season 2 bc i KNOW its gonna be so good. i binged this series like before ch8 came out and it helped me stay sane amidst my finals so thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!

ok im done ❤️ again thank u mwah

i ADORE THIS AND YOU WTF :(((

this is the sweetest thing ever and the way u broke down everything made me so <333 im so so so incredibly happy you loved season 1 so much i truly cant explain how elated that makes me 🫶

writing the relationships was my absolute favorite part. getting to incorporate my favorite characters and interact with them through my writing as such a fun and amazing experience and im absolutely hooked on writing them (especially dudtin n reader. theyre my babies).

and im SO relieved you understand steve n reader rn !! U GET IT !!!! all in all this was such a lovely ask and im giving u the biggest forehead kiss as we speak MWAH !!!!!

(and i hope finals went well !!! theyre a pain and i understand immensely)

#ask #anon #m speaks #again this was such an incredible ask i LOVE U #:(((((

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bookloverbilly · 2 years

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s4 thoughts so far

I think the duffers excel at horror but fall flat with characters. As someone who watches shows for characters, it has been a pretty disappointing season so far.

Steve is in the same place as he was two seasons ago—pining after Nancy, desperate for a romance. It's getting boring. I would love for him to feel secure in his loneliness and find solace in his platonic relationships!! I also feel like you could really feel Joe Keery pulling away from his love of ST and it was apparent in some of his performances /: I love him and completely get why, this is not a diss on him! They've reduced Steve to some bumbling idiot despite proving the past three seasons that he's competent, just has some blonde moments

Nancy is once again being tossed between two men. I physically need to see her single. It makes ZERO SENSE for her to want to be with Steve again given her reasons for breaking up with him. I'm fine with a recouped romance plot but only when both characters have developed and grown in the time apart: Nancy has a little, Steve has a little, but it hasn't been enough?? Idk I just hate that they're trying to make them a thing again. Really hoping it's a red herring and when she and Jonathan break up she'll realize she's at her best when she's focusing on herself and her future. Both Steve and Jonathan just drag her down as neither know what they want for their life/future, and she does ):

I felt like Dustin and Steve's dynamic was very strained? Like Dustin was so rude to Steve and constantly putting him down, idc that Eddie told Steve he worships him when he's overtly unkind to his face. It's sad be they had such a beautiful and understanding love between them and now i don't even know if they even like each other???

Will and Mike basically did fuck all which is the norm for them at this point. The duffers have no fucking idea what to do with those two so they keep shoving them aside.

Lucas, Max, and Jane were all excellent imo. I felt like we really got inside their heads and got a good look at each of their psyches (Jane literally lol).

I actually LO00OVED Jonathan this season. It makes complete sense to me as a reformed stoner who also went thru some shit. Like I get it! I do wish he had more to do but I feel like Charlie had a LOT of fun this season with his character and it showed!

Robin was okay? She had some good moment and some truly annoying moments that I'm attributing to the writing.

Eddie was SO MUCH FUN and such a vulnerable, funny, and complex character. I feel like I know more about him at this point than Steve, and it's his first season!! Really hoping he survives and we see him again!

The adults were amazing. Loved every moment of their storyline. I know a lot of ppl didn't like the Russian plot but I thought it was rly good? Idk maybe I just haven't seen a lot of Russian's in media so it was fresh and fun for me lol. Also the adults are the best actors by far so I was sucked into every scene w them based on performance alone!

Some of the CGI was LAUGHABLEEEE omfg especially young Jane. They didn't even try to make cgi Jane look like MBB and it was so funny seeing her squished body on screen.

Also I think the building of suspense for one group and then a hard cut to another group doing something to ally different was rly disappointing... I wish the scenes were totally different bc I would find myself wishing to go back to the other group while watching the current one.

One last thing... I think it could have been interesting from a directorial standpoint to hold off on showing us viewers what vecna was doing to people in their heads. It would have been sooo much more compelling to just see contorting floating bodies then find out LATER wtf was going on internally for those kids.

overall I thought it was a 5/10!

#stranger things #stranger things 4 #stranger things season 4 #st 4 #st 4 spoilers #stranger things spoilers #steve harrington #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #mike wheeler #jane hopper #max mayfield #lucas sinclair #dustin henderson

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increasinglygeeky · 2 years

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Uhhh. Stranger Things Season 4 VOL 1. thoughts

I'm conflicted about the whole Mileven/Byler dilemma b/c I've been a Mileven girl since the beginning but hey, whatever happens in Vol 2., happens.

Mileven deserves rights just b/c El has been through so much she needs to be happy no matter what when it's all over.

RONANCE BROMANCE HELLS YEAH!!!

why the fuck weren't Dustin and Steve being my fave funky duo of this show???...DUFFERS EXPAIN

LUMAX LIVES BITCHES!!!!

Eddie being my new fave skrunkly scrimblo

Why the f is no one talking about Fred?? (His name is deadass Fred Benson hehehe) What did he kill a bunch of people????

Also did they seriously force Nancy to go through the loss of TWO close friends in the span of 3 years???

Also Chrissy deserved better she was so cute

EDDIE AND HER COULDVE BEEN BFFS MAYBE EVEN MORE B/C I DOUBT THAT PRICK JASON ACTUALLY CARED ABOUT HER TO NOT EVEN SUSPECT ABUSE!!!

Robin is....diff in this season but I'll let that slide b/c she was adorable

I feel so bad for Lucas. Baby sacrificing all his healths to just help out his friends.

Still Anti-Billy. Just beacuse of his dad gave him NO right to treat Max the way he did.

Although the letter scene did hurt especially when you think about how much Max probably wanted a normal, big, family no matter what....

I also feel so bad for Jonathan he's probably going through so much internally if he's giving himself over to weed.

EL DESERVED TO BEAT ANGELAS FACE IN I SCREAMED YOU GO MY FUNKY LITTLE GIRLBOSS!!

ERICA MY OTHER FUNKY LITTLE GIRLBOSS NOW APART OF THE PARTY HELL YEAH WHAT A QUEEN SHE WAS THIS VOLUME.!

Love the look of how you communicate from the Upside Down its probably the only comforting thing there

Honestly I'm Argyle in THAT situation

Why did we stop the California plot line midway???

Suzie is so goddamn funny

Her family helping her out was the best ever

I feel like this season/volume dials up the comedy and it actually works

I nearly had a stroke when the boys were asking about the Internet.

You could've gave Will some friends of his own or something Duffers, gotdamn.

Why did they fuck up his role so bad??

At least he actually gives a damn about El.

Im so glad will and Jonathan do refer to themsleves as El's brothers its what she deseves.

El and Will being in sibling sync had me hollering.

Seriously Mike, wtf were you thinking with those letters???

Loving the Nightmare on Elm Street shoutouts and parallels it's my fave horror series.

THEY DEADASS GOT ROBERT ENGLUND HELL YEAH!!!

NO NO STEVE/NANCY ENDGAME ARE YOU KIDDING ME NO!!! HE LITERALLY WENT THROUGH HALF OF THE SERIES GETTING OVER HER FUCK OFF.

At least their interactions reminded of how much Natalia and Joe would be so good as Nancy Thompson and Glen Lantz in a proper Elm Street remake/reboot I'm frothing at the mouth thinking about it.

STEVE HARRINGTON STOP BEING SO HOT WHEN YOU'RE BEATING THE SHIT OUT HELL BATS HAIRY TIDDIES OUT AND SPITTING UP BLOOD!!

I am in desperate need of a reader fic where we react to Steve in that scene.

Max is strong...stronger than all of us.

Wait was it Vecna who killed Barb and not the Mind Flayer??

I felt SO BAD for El when they buzzed off her hair especially when you remember her commenting that Argyle's is longer than hers she probably wanted to grow it out for as long as she can.

The rope going through the Upside Down was chefs kiss.

At least we get a proper reason to why they call it the Upside Down.

When Hopper found the church and peanut butter I almost cried b/c that's obviously the most peace hes gotten in like a year.

JOPPER JOPPER JOPPER JOPPER JOPPPER REUNION WAS BETTER THAT MY EXPECTATIONS IM SO HAPPY MY PARENTS!!!!

DID VECNA TAKE WILL THIS WHOLE TIME!?!?

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elettralightwood · 2 years

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AS REQUESTED I AM BACK TO SCREAM AT YOU ABOUT STRANGER THINGS, I WATCHED THREE MORE EPISODES LAST NIGHT AND OH MY FUCKING GOD

Legit every time a tiktok audio comes up I have to pause the TV cause I absolutely LOSE IT, "if the human body doesn't get water, it will die" I NEVER KNEW THAT WAS FROM STRANGER THINGS?? IT'S LIKE SEEING YOUR TEACHER IN THE SUPERMARKET IT'S LIKE WAIT I KNOW YOU-

Also in season 2 with "you have got to understand that there are consequences to your actions" "YOU are like papa" "... really?" WTF I LOST MY MIND

I absolutely love how they always start out in different groups and gradually all come together, like how did Steve end up with Robin Erica and Dustin in a secret Russian base oh my god 💀💀 "who do you work for" "SCOOPS AHOY. LOOK AT MY OUTFIT DO YOU THINK I JUST WEAR THIS" I love Steve the hair Harrington so much 💀💀

Also love that Russian guy Alexi, Hopper when he gets angry is so funny omg 💀

WHEN MIKE SAID HE LOVED EL AND COULDN'T LOSE HER UM EXCUSE ME SIR THAT'S TOO BLOODY CUTE

Sooooo the last episode we watched ended with Billy saying they're coming with their army thing and yeahhhh I'm a little bit afraid :D

AAAAAH YOU’RE BACK

PLS THE TIKTOK SOUNDS GET ME EVERY TIME ESPECIALLY THE YOU ARE LIKE PAPA 💀💀💀💀

PLS STEVE >>>>>>>> LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE AND I’M GONNA DIE ON THIS HILL

Aaaaah the russian guy my beloved🫶

FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE WHO SHIPS MILEVEN. DO U KNOW HOW RARE WE ARE??? I’M SO GLAD YOU SHIP THEM TOO🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

Bestie i can’t wait to hear your thoughts on the ending

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bookbinderbitch · 2 years

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Spoilers for Stranger Things 4V.2

I gotta say, it didn’t blow me away. Some thoughts.

- Max carries the whole season imo. It was great, especially because I didn’t really care that much about her character before, this was a nice change.

- We don’t HAVE to kill someone each season, you know? We could have just kept Eddie?? I get that there was no way he was getting out from underneath those murder charges now that Hopper isn’t sheriff, but cmon.

- Will’s speech about Mike was 1000 better than Mike’s big “I lOvE yOu” moment with Eleven. I don’t have anything against their ship, but if there is one trope I am getting really tired of it is tHe PoWEr oF FrIEndShIp SpEeCh that is in every show these days. I feel like we can do better.

- About that speech, Mike says a couple things there that I didn’t vibe with. Firstly; he says that his life began the day they found El in the woods. Pardon, but that was also the day your best friend went missing. And he’s like right there. Rude. Second; he says he can’t live without El. I am TIRED of media showing us this idea of love where you are so ‘devoted’ to the other person you can’t live without them. No. You live for yourself, first and foremost. You are a person of your own, deserving all the good things life has to offer. Stop this idea that there is a person out there that you are living for. There might be someone out there that you want to spend the rest of your life WITH, but not FOR. Big difference.

- The whole train of thought where the adults in Russia thought ‘hey we don’t know when the fight will take place, but hivemind, so lets go kill the things’. Yeah that was just weird to me. It felt like they needed a reason to keep them in the plot all the way from Russia.

- Hopper and Joyce getting together. Hell yes.

- Why is Max the only one running in this mindscape we are in. Vecna is just going for a little stroll, he’s in no type of hurry. But Eleven. My friend. Pick up the pace. If you see a cloud of death approaching while in your friends mind, maybe get a move on? Her walking in that skatepark memory LORDD

- I loved the moment between Dustin and Eddie’s uncle. “I never even saw him get mad” really hit me for some reason. I loved Eddie okay. Fuck this

- Hell yeah Robin you go get that girlfriend

- Why did they just kind of bait us with the Steve/Nancy/Jonathan love triangle again and then not do anything with it. (They’re probably getting into it in the next season but uughh)

- Joyce and Hopper finding out that Eleven broke a girls nose is gonna put a damper on the cute reunion.

- “Lucas is fine, he’s at the hospital. Oh, you don’t know” WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY DON’T KNOW?? ELEVEN IS THE ONE THAT BROUGHT MAX BACK IN THE FIRST PLACE. SHE HAD A WHOLE MENTAL BREAKDOWN IN THE MINDSPACE OR WHATEVER. DUDE.

- Wtf happened to Yuri and Enzo at the end? Are they safe in Indiana now?

- I liked that Eleven didn’t give Dr. Brenner what he wanted from her while he was bleeding out. Like hell yes girl you don’t owe this creepy ass anything.

- Speaking of creepy ass. Here’s a drinking game. Watch this season again and take a shot every time Brenner enters a room in a dramatic way that is supposed to make the audience GASP. This dude does not know how to walk normally into a room, seriously.

- I loved the moment between Will and Jonathan. I literally went ‘Good Brother Jonathan’ out loud.

- That scene where Eddie plays Metallica in the Upside Down. Fucking amazing. Top tear TV.

- Jason’s whole thing. Sigh. I wasn’t born in the 80′s, but if I saw one of my friends get murdered by what seemed a ghost above a lake, my first thought wouldn’t be: “yeah its that guy that was almost drowning there with me, he did this”. I get that he didn’t have his mind right because of Chrissy, and that if you believe something to be true it is very hard to let that go (Chrissy would never buy drugs, Hellfire is a cult, Eddie is guilty). BUT he felt like a plot device needed to make everything just a little bit more complicated so the finaly wouldn’t be boring on the Normal Hawkins side. Because if this dude and his possy of Riverdale Archie knockoffs would have had even a little more chill, a whole lot of annoyance would have gone away. Because yes, that is all that they were. A lot of them dissapear halfway through, the guy with the curls that goes after Erica is never heard from again after she kicked him in the nuts, and Jason just dies. They have no real impact on the plot other than annoyance, and stepping on the headphones.

- Then for next season. I’m curious what they will do with Will’s connection to Vecna, and if he will actually play a part in the plot again apart from Sad Gay TM. I’m not complaining about his arc about his sexuality, I like what they’re doing with it, but he didn’t do much else. This dude has been terrified of the Upside Down for all of these seasons now, and he deserves to be the one holding the bat with nails for once, beating some creature to mulch. I think Vecna still has a hold of Max’s mind somehow and that is how we see him again next season, because Max’s mind is just 404 page not found right now. It all felt a lot like a setup for season 5. We needed to establisch how scary Vecna is, and that El can handle him but only in the best of circumstances. Then we needed to create a crisis that can haul us over to next season. Check.

All of this is very random, feel free to add random thoughts

#stranger things #stranger things s4 #eddie munson #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #mike wheeler #eleven #dustin #Lucas #Max #max mayfield #kate bush #will #jonathan #joyce #hopper #Dont get me wrong im still gonna watch season 5 #it was still fun to watch #just not great

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modernchillthings · 2 years

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And one more thing... wtf was up with Steve and Nancy this season? I just did not vibe with their interactions at all. I liked their scenes when they're separate from each other tho.

Cuz why was everyone and their mamas trying to force those two back together? Like Eddie? Did he even know them like that to say they're soulmates or whatever? I get Robin cuz like she's his best friend but it felt too...obvious. And Dustin too? And Nancy istg I know she's having troubles w Jonathan but the way she was willing to just forget about him like that? Idk. It just didn't feel right to me. Especially after her whole speech in the beginning of the season where both her and Jonathan were talking about how much they loved each other? Like what was the point of all of that?

And its not about me shipping one thing over the other but it really felt weird to watch. Plus Steve's whole speech about having 6 kids or whatever, I mean if I was Nancy, I'd be like NOPE. Like good for him for realizing that but like...no thank you?

Also he was talking about how he wants to go forward now instead of backward but isn't being with Nancy literally going backwards? Like that's your ex dude. Sure you've both grown but like...relationship-wise, would anything be different? Idk.

#the last two eps made me feel things #and not in a good way #Eddies death was just the tip of the iceberg #cuz also wtf was up with Mike and Will?#I thought we'd at least get a conversation about that #or at least with Will and Jonathan #usually after a season ends I would look forward to the next one #but now I just feel empty #when Vol 1 ended that's what I usually feel #excitement and anticipation #now I just feel dread and just... yeah.. empty #I'm not even looking forward to how it ends #maybe Wills storyline but.. that's about it #like do I care for steve anymore?? can't say I do.. at least not as much #stranger things spoilers

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stuckasmain · 3 years

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Stranger things 3 Huh?

Spoilers?

Literally fuck all of you what is this I’m crying.

This season is great and horrible at the same time, let me explain.

Let’s split up gang trope-

The whole let’s break up our core gang and not have them communicate shit, they did this partly in season 2 but at least you could tell how the stories blended like right off the bat. They only really started talking to each other the last 2 episodes. Don’t get me wrong , the new characters and Erica? Amazing. However I just... communication so we don’t have to make the

“Rhubeudhiudheiudg Russians uerhggbbubwruiui high teens brebiyyiiy”

“Didufhfeufbuefhhhfeuhu 11 is hurt hgfuigeuigfiuegiiuugife flesh beast bcsdhuhuo”

“ rheueieidjeje cherry slurpee ihfeufhuehfuhdehure Russians hdudhueuhdee”

Talk

FUCKING FLESH MONSTER-

This still has me rolling like on crack writing this season jfc let’s have people burst and chunks of what might have been a face melt and mold together. This is both cool and mortifying as shit.

Billy , the “redeeming death” trope and the deaths-

Alexi is my barb. He was around for longer so I actually care about him. He is dead because their is a quota. However cute he wasn’t innocent I mean the man built the fucking thing

Hopper was uncalled for, fuck you for making me cry. Y’all literally chose to kill him, he was able to walk.

Billy. Billy was a charecter I was DYING to learn more about, to see more of him. However what I get is 95% inhuman strength hivemind and cries. Y’all really had to do this to him? Also his death drives me nuts as , hozah! We get him like actually him like free will I’ll help you guys him.... for him to die. They are doing the whole “ redeemed in death” bs where instead of giving them charecter or development you kill them off in a “heroic” manner and everything is magically perfect. No. I refuse to believe this is it like wtf you don’t torture a charecter all season to just kill them...

Steve graduates to full himbo-

We already established hes a popular kid, he was ‘ king Steve’ after all so it’s a natural he would be a little uhhhhhh lesser of intelegence ( dont boo me I’m right). Yet he does genuinely have some Smarts and isn’t a complete and utter idiot. We see it in season2 how he grows ans sorta learns, yet in this season it feels like they really just made him thr dumb puppy with great hair. Like he seams more stupid then usual. Smh what you do to him, this is what happens when he gets beat to shit each season especially in the head.

Steve , Dustin and Lucus are still my entire soul 100%

#spoliers #spoiler warning #stranger things #stranger things 3 #jim hopper #billy hargrove #steve harrington

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kaypeace21 · 5 years

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i LOVE your analysis especially byler ones so please don't take this as hate, it's the last thing i want to do. but while i love the byler theories do you actually think the duffers are smart enough to realize the potential/brave enough to follow through on the relationship. bc tbh i think our viewpoint is skewed i don't think anyone but byler shippers see the canon possibility. and also it really seems like m/leven is going to be endgame? just wanted to know more of your thought process

Even if byler never happens- I’m 100% sure mileven won’t be endgame XD. Regardless of byler, Mike and El are just not going to happen. (Even if they’re ‘dating’ in s4). I could try to explain the reasons why I think byler will be endgame though. I’ll give the cliffnotes version. This will probably be a mess- because focusing on all the reasons isn’t as good as analyzing , each reason as it’s own separate post, in depth).

Why mileven isn’t endgame

- The duffers said, while filming ST, El was supposed to die in s1 (glad that didn’t happen). And this was also their plan when pitching their show ‘Montauk’ (later retitled ST), saying that the hypothetical s2 sequel would be about the boys returning to their town 10 years later. Mileven was never ‘planned end-game’. They also describe mileven kissing but never mention the word ‘love’ like how Jancy was described in the Montauk pitch. Nancy’s bio says “ she will experience love for the first time.” But when they describe mileven, they say, “If Mike is the Elliot of our show, Eleven is our “E.T.” Like that’s … not romantic, Duffers. And if it was supposed to be … WTF did you guys watch the same film? 0-O

- In the byler centric s2, the Duffers kept mileven separated. And the mileven kiss wasn’t written in the show. Millie pretty much said “they had to do it.” Much to Matt’s confusion but then the Duffers agreed. And used ‘every breath you take’ (a song about divorce), and just by coincidence their 2nd back-up song was also a song about a divorce? Nah, they were trolling.

- Most of the women (Nancy & Max) in the show critique Mileven saying Mike treats her as if she’s stupid, can’t take care of herself, or as she is a possession.

-in the first ep of s3 almost all the guys (who had/have gfs) Hopper, Lucas, and Dustin all criticize the mileven relationship and think it’s unhealthy.

Hopper says “ They’re spending entirely too much time together… It is constant.It is constant! Okay? That is not normal, that is not healthy! ”

Lucas mocks Mike, saying “ Oh El, I wish we could make out forever and never hang out with any of our friends.”

Dustin says when they flake on him, “It’s bullshit, I just got home!” (insert Nancy calling Stancy ‘bullshit’)

and before this Dustin talks about Romeo & Juliet (while mileven is out of frame). R&J is all about the dangers of not knowing the difference between love and infatuation. Juliet after Romeo is banished just complains about how in love/sad she is but never pursues looking for him (sound familiar)? R&J claimed that they were in love with each other after knowing each for a few days and deciding to get married-sabotaging the closest relationships they had with their friends/family (all in the name of ‘true love’) . Similarly Mileven thought they were in love after only a week of knowing each other, and the second they are reunited they start dating and spend all their time with each other. El is allowed out of the house (and her friends are allowed to visit), but El hasn’t interacted with Max nor Will? They spend almost everyday in her room just making out. Mike puts very little effort into integrating her into his life or as part of the group. The only time they go out- is for Mike to show off El to Dustin like a possession- then before El can even do the boding activity with the group (with the radio tower)- Mike convinces her to leave to make out. They are both complicit in this and they both bring out the worst in each other and they make each other blinded to their loved ones’ feelings.

- El literally asks Max “How do I know what I like?” Do I have to explain why this could be problematic? She even says “I don’t know”, when Max asks if Mike is a good kisser.You can call me ‘ableist’ my abused-autistic ass will disagree. But El is not ready for a romantic relationship! it makes perfect sense for El to be confused by the distinctions of romantic, platonic, and familial love- when the first 12 years of her life she didn’t receive any form of love , PERIOD! And she is not like normal abuse victims (she has never had proper socialization with peers her own age or even adults).All she had was television. She latches herself on to anyone who is kind to her (something I used to do). Without Mike she used Max as a replacement almost immediately, and even starts repeating/mirroring the things she says (specifically coping phrases from her …over 6 times!). She’s also susceptible to doing what others say or want her to do, “dumping his ass” (with Max’s validation and encouragement). El might love Mike but I don’t think it’s romantic, she latched on to the first person that was kind to her. Before their first kiss she asked Mike “Will you be like my brother?” And she’s hurt when he says “no”, asking “Why not?”. He then kisses her (she watches a lot of soap operas and she assumes it must be ‘romantic love’). You’re telling me that if she was ‘in love’ with Mike she would have been that happy over dumping him? I’m not saying El is dumb for not being able to discern these things (I think people without such backgrounds may still struggle with this concept). But it makes perfect sense for El to be confused by the distinctions of various loves or even the differences between ‘crushes’ , ‘physical attraction’ and ‘romantic love’

- In the last ep El asks about what he said at the cabin to Max, specifying “you talked about your feelings?”. He says and I QUOTE “Oh! Oh, yeah that.Man, that was so long ago. Um…” and starts to scratch his head. Then he excuses what he said at the cabin, saying it was “in the heat of the moment stuff and we were arguing… I don’t actually remember. What did I say exactly?”

Now either he legitimately forgot! Or he lied! You know the thing that broke them up in the first place! The one thing that El holds as her most important value in life- honesty. And he lied- about something as important as his romantic feelings?! Make up any excuse (about being shy/character flaws all you want), but this isn’t real life- it’s fiction (everything is done for a narrative purpose). That wasn’t an accident ( mileven wasn’t “written out of character”- like milevens claim, the duffers were criticizing the ship on purpose) .And the fact he lied again! Wouldn’t bode well for a long term relation with each other. The whole season, criticized their romantic relationship ! That wasn’t a coincidence neither was the fact he looked confused by her confession, and kept his eyes open the whole time and didn’t kiss her back .

And as she smiled and walked away, he looked confused. That wasn’t a directing mistake, like so many milevens are claiming! You really think they wouldn’t make sure their ‘fav ship’ didn’t have a good final kiss?

Especially since it was right after a romantic Jancy scene (which was directed amazingly)- where Nancy even mentions Mileven- to make us compare the 2 pairings romantic scenes even more.

* I know I sound like an assh*le but I’m just annoyed. I’ve always censored my byler posts trying not to offend/criticize mileven. I never cross tagged my byler meta with the hashtag mileven (never will, cause it’s rude). But (without sounding pompous) my byler posts generally gets reblogged a lot- and now the milevens have seen my posts (and are sending lots of hate my way) and worst of all they’ve invaded the byler tag. Today I saw 2 posts in the byler tag saying. “We’re delusional” and “stupid”- and also in the same posts they say they “feel attacked” by us.Um… there’s a difference between byler shippers privately criticizing a ship without bothering mileven shippers (and only tagging it byler) . Versus Mileven shippers tagging things byler (and ranting about the ship and it’s shippers). Loved the comment about how Mike can’t be bi cause “he loves El too much”.I think Mike is probably gay and in denial. But, um that’s not how being bi works- didn’t know bi people love women and men ½ as much as the gays/straights. Thanks for informing me (rolls eyes for eternity).So kid-gloves off, nothing left to lose! Time to compare the ships.

‘The breakup’ vs ‘fight’ parallel

comedic vs dramatic! The casual sunny day vs the dramatic framing of the storm (a romantic trope) . The ‘break-up’ being a scene with multiple onlookers vs the fight being with Will and Mike only (making it more personal/intimate). ‘Cold as ice’ playing after the mileven breakup vs the sad instrumentals playing during the byler fight. The comedic after-math at the mall. El and Max laughing, and another joke being made as the bus leaves.El’s happiness vs Will’s heartbreak.

Mike’s drastically different expressions after their fights. He looks regretful with Will, and almost annoyed with El dumping him. The fact Mike apologized right away more than once to Will, and ran into a storm to apologize a 2nd time. But with El he just lies to cover up the first lie, and then after the break-up he just complains/lounges on the couch (not taking any responsibility). He literally says about El “Why is she treating me this way? What did I do to deserve this? What did I do wrong?”.( He lied and made her feel “like garbage”!) Then he burps and laughs about chips- and makes sexist comments. Neither EL nor Mike are heartbroken by the breakup.

But when he angers Will (by him trying to finish the game early), he immediately tries to de-escalate saying softly “I was just joking- c’mon, let’s finish the game”. But when Will just yells back (much to Mike’s confusion) he doesn’t dismiss his feelings as irrational (like he wrongfully did to El) but chases him to the garage- and begs him to stay since it’s raining.

In the garage, Mike immediately apologizes saying “I said I was sorry, alright. It was a cool campaign.” But after this, they fight and Mike runs into a storm to apologize a second time , and says to Will’s door “ WILL! I’m sorry I was being an asshole. Can you just come outside and we’ll talk? WILL!” He immediately takes responsibility and apologizes. And he’s desperate to resolve things. And when they find him outside castle Byers he just asks (Mike’s catchphrase) “Will, Are you ok?”

Shed scene ( “best thing I’ve ever done” vs “the most important thing in the world to me”) parallel

When Mike says to El “you’re most important thing to me” in the pool shed. El doesn’t even acknowledge the comment (and neither should the audience- cause the words were empty). She completely ignores his words, and responds by asking him about his previous comments. Asking whether Hopper was right about them spending too much time together.

I didn’t edit (or delete any scene after his proclamation) this is how fast it was delivered ! The framing of this mileven scene was not cinematic or heartfelt, and neither was the delivery from Mike. He’s not crying, trying to reach her with proclamations of his genuine feelings. There’s no dramatic music, framing, lighting or shot composition. And El just responds and cuts his supposed ‘true feelings’ off- only to agree with Hopper and says “ she should spend time with her own species.” And if this ‘romantic moment’ wasn’t already undermined enough. This is when Mike realizes she was spying on him , and feels wrongfully violated (something she doesn’t apologize for, saying “I make my own rules” . He even brings this up in a later episode (this clearly bothered him)!

Juxtaposed to the MUCH longer byler scene. A literal single tear falling down his cheek as Mike , recounts the first day they met. Mike being in the back drop of darkness only his face being illuminated (having him appear like a guiding light to Will). Saying “ I felt so alone and so scared… but you were alone too” (alone together/crazy together) . He then talks about asking Will to be his friend, and then he pauses and breaks eye contact , before looking him in the eye and smiling (lost in the memory) saying softly “you said yes, you said yes.” (cough like saying yes at a wedding).

So, after he says “you said yes, you said yes.” It’s important to mention that he takes a deep breath and breaks eye contact again, (looking down and to the side) as he says this line. Subconsciously, I believe he knows this line is romantic and he’s too afraid to say it to his face. Only flicking his eyes up to look at Will after he finishes the entire sentence, and to gauge Will’s reaction.

This whole monologue is only of tight shots of just their faces (their bodies aren’t shown like in the pool shed scene). This is a personal moment between them and them alone- and the fact we zoom in on their faces (expresses this to be important emotionally) . And when we see Will’s reaction to Mike saying “it was the best thing I’ve ever done”. We just see Will’s face only- no music is playing and all we hear is Will’s whimpers and Mike crying in the background.

“ Blank makes you Crazy” vs “ Crazy Together parallel

When Mike tries to confess his “love” to El he says “Well they do say it makes you crazy”… much to El’s confusion.He has to try to explain it a second time to El- who just gets even more confused, by his ‘confession’. Saying “you never heard that expression? Like blank makes you crazy … like the word (love)?”

But when Mike says he “feels like he’s going crazy” Will immediately responds with “Me too”. Mike even smiles at the comment. So that moment in s2 means more than we think, when Mike (with tears in his eyes) smiles at Will’s comment and asks them to go “crazy together”.And when Will responds back “yeah, crazy together” (who also has tears in his eyes). They even linger on the moment as they just smile and stare at each other.

Mike is in denial, and may not even realize he loves Will, but he knows subconsciously that he does. He heard the phrase “love makes you crazy and that damn stupid”, 100′s of times and that’s why he said that phrase to Will. And why it made him so happy when Will reciprocated , by saying “ yeah. crazy together.” In addition to why we see them both go from happy, to immediately upset over the conversation.The scene was already romantically coded in s2 (but the scene in s3 re-contextualizes the whole thing) . Mike thinks “love makes you crazy” , and he asked Will to go ‘crazy together’ with him. And When Will is at castle byers looking at the Halloween pic of the 2 the day Mike said that, Will cries and calls himself “stupid” (4x). Can’t get more obvious… Like look what the duffers did!

El and Will’s opinions on Mike (Parallels)

-When asked if Mike was a good kisser, she just said “I don’t know he’s my 1st boyfriend.” (implying she’s thinking, at least subconsciously, of having other boyfriends ,who are not Mike in the future). But when Mike pretty much asks’ if Will thought they’d never get girlfriends, and spend the rest of their lives with each other’.Will just sadly responds “yeah, I guess I did. I really did!” Unlike, El, Will always saw Mike as his future, his forever.

-And when Mike says “it’s just a break” , Max says “No it’s not!”, and we see El laugh along with Max’s comment. She is not heartbroken at the idea of never getting back together with him, romantically. Right after they break up she was laughing, reading comics, and playing games with Max.

But Will is devastated over the fight! And out of all the memories in Castle Byers it’s the Ghostbusters photo from Halloween that causes Will to pick up the bat and start destroying everything. That was the night that Mike agreed to go “crazy together” with him. He tears it in ½ right in the center where Mike and Will are. He was so stupid to think it meant anything. The “crazy together” scene, that Mike initiated in s2 was always meant to be romantic. Not only because of Will’s reaction to the photo in s3, but because Mike in s3 says “They do say it makes you crazy…blank makes you crazy.” Which is exactly what happens to Will, as he has his breakdown.Castle byers was built on a rainy night , the same day Will’s dad left, when Will was 5 (the same age he met Mike). And lonnie called him a “queer” and a “f*g” and forced him to do “normal things” like baseball to have him “be more of a man”. And then on a rainy night, after Mike says “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls”… what does Will destroy castle byers with? A baseball bat! The fact Will has a baseball bat (despite in s1 saying he does not like baseball) in Castle Byers, surrounded by things he loves: drawings, d&d, art supplies, a microscope, comics- just shows what an impact Lonnie’s problematic conditioning and abandonment had on him. He used a baseball bat to destroy something he loves -castle Byers, and symbolically he was trying to reject his feelings for Mike using Lonnie’s old tactics of fixing him.

- Also, El doesn’t even seem to appreciate when Mike acts like his true self (goofy/like a kid). She laughs when Max complains he talks too much. Rolls his at his jokes with the cpr-dummy, covers his mouth and tells him to stop when he tries to joke and sing, ignores him when he gets excited about talking about dinosaurs. Which relates to my next point

The only characters who’s character bios focus on ‘escaping’ through d&d is Mike and Will.

Will in the Montauk pitch was described as having “sexual identity issues… LIKE MIKE , Will ESCAPES through fantasy gaming where he can be himself, uninhibited.” Like what is Mike escaping from… being a nerd? Because they could of said ‘like his friends’. And no it’s not because they’re best friends- they even specifIed in Lucas bio he’s “ Mike’s best friend” (which was even mentioned in s1).

.In Mike’s character description it says “ bullying and near-crippling insecurity. He has never had a first kiss, much less a girlfriend.He ESCAPES his insecurities through reading fantasy novels … retreating into his own vivid imagination. The Dungeon Master of his Dungeons and Dragons group, he writes sprawling adventures with fantastical monsters.When he finds himself on a real adventure, facing real monsters, he will discover a courage he didn’t know he had. By the end, he will even kiss a girl.”

*Interesting that Mike uses D&D to escape his insecurities about not having a gf (retreating into his imagination). While Will (who is somewhat aware of his sexuality) uses d&d to escape and be himself uninhibited. They’re foils in a sense- using d&d for opposing reasons.

So the s3 fight about d&d games has a lot more meaning

Mike equates heterosexual romance with ‘growing up’ and his feeling for Will as something childish he has to grow out of.When they fight over d&d. Mike says “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!”, then he tries to ½ apologize only to say, “I’m not trying to be a jerk. Ok? But We’re not kids anymore.” He pretty much explains, this is just the way things are-boys fall in love with girls, get girlfriends, and that’s just a part of growing up (heteronormativity). And tells Will “I mean, what did you think, really? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? We were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?” And poor Will who is probably more aware of his feelings just responds. “Yeah. I guess I did. I really did.” And after this Mike rushes to Will’s house and apologizes saying he was an “asshole.”When he tries to say he loves El . It was very forced. He can’t even use the world love or explain his feelings, “A feeling … yeah, like, something… like OLD PEOPLE say it sometimes”.

He can’t even describe love and what his “feelings” entail for El , he then says “Yeah, like something , like old people say it some times. He doesn’t even say it back in the last ep, when she confesses. It’s all talk, but no feeling, it’s just a part of becoming an adult in Mike’s mind.

In the last ep before the mileven kiss, he even invites both El and Will over for Christmas saying “ And Will too… we could all have new presents to play with and… *scoffs* Sorry, that made me sound like a 7 year old... ”

And it’s implied in the last ep (before the mileven kiss), because of the 3 month breakup Mike is back to liking d &d. When Mike sees Will put his own d&d book in the donation box he stops him.

Mike: “WHOA, dude that’s the donation box.”

Will: “ I know, I’ll just use yours, when I come back. (pause) if WE still want to play?”

So then Mike asks, shyly …

Mike : “Yeah, but what if you want to join another party?” (cough- girls , the other ‘species’, or just someone else: girl, guy or otherwise)

Will: “Not possible.” (Will will always love Mike- insert Mikes immediate heart-eye reaction to this comment).

I think people don’t notice what the subtext is here- regardless of his intentions, Mike broke Will’s heart. He made him feel “stupid” for ever thinking he ever had a chance with Mike. He always saw Mike as his forever, but Mike shot any hopes of that down in the garage. Will doesn’t trust his own instincts. Mike could straight up flirt with him in s4/5- and Will would dismiss it as his imagination. He essentially said ‘he’ll always love Mike- but if something is going to happen. It’s up to Mike to initiate it’.

Mike was queer coded since ep 1 (and he’s more queer coded than Will)!

I LITERALLY thought (in s1) Mike was queer before Will!

- 3 rainbow references. Mike in s1 in his basement has a red heart being propelled by a rainbow sign. We see this again in s3 as a drawing. Mike also stands next to Will behind a rainbow apple poster in s2. Forbidden fruit + rainbow = queer forbidden romance. Also the apple poster was in the AV Club and at that time the rainbow apple-mac sign was suspected to be in reference to for Alan Turning (the gay ‘father of computers’).

In s1:

- 4 separate characters said El looked like a boy, but Mike doesn’t care! Even one of the men thought El might be the missing ‘Byers boy’. When El loses her wig , Troy said “she doesn’t even look like a girl” to the cops. But Mike just calls her “really pretty”

-Nancy says “I thought you were acting weird, but I thought it was because of Will” And Mike responds “I thought you were acting weird too I thought it was because of Steve … Do you like Jonathan now”?” Nancy: “No, do you like Eleven?”. They literally compared the explicit love triangle between Steve/Nancy/Jonathan to the Will-Mike-El dynamic!

- Mike literally uses gender inclusive pronouns when talking about crushes using the word “someone” (3 times), and embarrassing himself because he can’t articulate the difference between friendship and romance. When he could of simply given the 80s heteronormative answer of ‘when a boy likes a girl’.

Mike: “ you go to school dances with someone.

You know someone that you like”

El: “a friend?”

Mike: ‘not a friend uh … uh someone like a” (gives up and kisses her)

-Mike’s mom said “ What’s been going on with Will, I can’t imagine what it’s been like for you. I just … want you to feel like you can talk to me. I never want you to feel like you have to HIDE anything from me” (she even emphasizes the word ‘hide” (which is heavily queer coded)

- when Will ‘dies’, “we can be heroes” by David bowie (a bisexual singer) plays, “And we kiss as though nothing could fall and the shame” is the lyric that plays when Mike returns to his house and cries in his mother’s arms over the ‘death’ of Will. Do I have to explain how ‘kissing and shame’ are queer-coded . And how such a lyric is oddly romantic- if we’re supposed to see their bond as nothing but platonic XD

-his dad jokes “Absolutely not” *turns to wife* “our son with a girl?”.

- when Lucas makes fun of his crush on EL, Lucas gets down on one knee and says “ I love you so much, will you marry me?” and literally 1s later, we’re introduced to the bullies and the idea (for the first time) that Will is ‘gay’, and Mike is in the forefront of the scene and unlike his friends he is THE ONLY ONE physically assaulted as they cause him to fall face first into a rock (like a gay-bashing) . They leave Lucas and Dustin unharmed. Even though Lucas just proposed to another guy- which should have gotten him a beating by the homophobic bullies.

It’s supposed to subconsciously hint Mike is queer like Will, and likes Will. The first interaction with the bullies, they mention Will being ‘gay’ right after they mention Mike’s crush on androgynous El and have a guy propose to Mike. Mike says to “ignore them” ( the homophobic remarks) but is assaulted anyways. And when asked what happed he doesn’t want to tell El the details cause he’s ashamed .

2nd time the bullies talk about Will, Mike is once again in the forefront, unlike his straight friends who are in the background . But this time Mike initiates the confrontation), as the bullies say Will is “flying in fairyland with all the other little fairies. All happy and gay”. Mike was literally on the verge or tears at this comment (despite being happy a few moments earlier , telling the others to ‘act sad’ because they’d look suspicious other wise). But this is the comment where Mike snaps and pushes Troy back (because he took it personally/wanted to defend Will).

The framing of Mike once again being in the front and snapping at the homophobic remarks ( gifs don’t do it justice, just rewatch the scene -Mike eyes water at the remarks). Then the last time the bullies appear , Mike jumps off the cliff and “flies like a fairy” (like Troy said) thanks to El . Troy at the police station even uses the word “fly” not levitate.

-Mike sneaking out to find Will, as Steve sneaks in to Nancy’s. They both even make eye contact (and pretend not to have seen each other).

- they share dinosaur toys , in s1 and 2 they appear to be the only ones with dinosaur toys.

- The s1 mom hug scene where Mike feels he lost Will is paralleled in s3 - signifying how he lost him a 2nd time.

- Mike in the 1st ep being the one to insist on looking for Will in the rain (callback to s3). But he never went looking for El when he saw her through his window? Even when Mike saw Will’s dead body, the second he heard his voice he convinced his friends to help rescue him!

- You remember the binder (from s1) that Mike keeps, filled with 100s of Will’s drawings, and how he caresses the drawing after thinking Will was dead. That’s totes platonic.

- Mike in s1 proclaiming “I’m the only one who cares about Will!” Seems like something a kid with a crush might say ( because obviously his other friends care about Will). But he thinks he cares the most. He was even the first to worry about Will not showing up to school, the first to suggest looking for him while speaking to Hopper, and when Hopper and his parents say ‘no’ he sneaks out anyway (and is the first to suggest forming a search party). The first to believe he was alive after seeing his dead body.The only boy to have a scene dedicated solely to him mourning Will. Mike being the only boy to stay awake at the hospital, and the first boy to see and hug Will. The only one to have a private one on one talk before Will goes missing. The only one who was literally given 100s of Will’s drawings. And yet Dustin says Lucas’ is Mike’s best friend? So what does that make Mike and Will?

In s2:

- Will in all 3 seasons identifies as a wizard. But in s2 Mike (the paladin) says Will is a cleric. Meaning this reflects how Mike actually feels about Will. In d&d, they have similar moral values, powers, and generally need and depend on each other in the lore of d&d. Paladins have similar healing powers to clerics, but clerics have stronger healing abilities - which is interesting since Mike has always been viewed as the protector. But to Mike Will has helped him (maybe deal with the loss of El and other trauma) , just by being there. And if Mike says Will is a cleric,despite Will still identifying as a wizard in s3, it shows how deeply Mike actually feels about Will. It shows he views Will as one of the only people who understands him and views him as a healing presence and his moral compass.

“ strength of conviction gave many paladins a sense of common fellowship but did not always endear them to others. In many cases, paladins did not get along quite as well with other non-paladin adventurers, with the exception of clerics with similar beliefs.”

“A Paladin tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous Paladin is fallible. Sometimes the heat of emotion causes a Paladin to transgress his or her oath (of honesty, courage, compassion, honor ,and duty). A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric who shares his or her faith or from another paladin of the same order. After a rite of confession and forgiveness, the paladin starts fresh.”

This proves Mike knows he treats Will special/different than his other friends- and unlike a relationship with El (they are still individuals who are not dependent on each other). And Mike thinks being with Will quite literally makes him a better person. Juxtaposed with how him being in a romantic relationship with El made him blind and apathetic to those closest to him .

- All the mileven s1 parallels vs byler s2 parallels were ALL initiated by Mike. If the parallels were meant to show a one sided love triangle (on Mike’s end). They would of made Will the instigator not Mike! Parallels can be watched here , start at 6:50)

-Mike initiated the “crazy together’ line- and in s3 he said ‘blank makes you crazy’. So subconsciously he knew the line had romantic connotations.

-Mike initiating the hand hold (with a zoom in shot) and in the show this is only done for romantic pairings. Also Mike being the one to initiate the ‘arm thing’ which is generally romantic. But in s3 , Lucas also does this, saying “I am spending quality time with my girlfriend’

-Mike saying, asking him to be his friend was the “best thing I’ve ever done”

-Mike constantly following Will around, asking if he’s okay or biking to his house to check on him in s2 . In s3 running out to chase Will to the garage and apologizing, and running into a storm to apologize a 2nd time.

YOU SEE A PATTERN! Mike is whipped! And is the one constantly chasing and pursuing Will, not the other way around! Before s3, people always portrayed Will as the (stereotypical- problematic trope of a) sad-pinning-gay in a one sided love with Mike. It’s like people didn’t even watch the show (and just assigned tropes/stereotypes they wanted, that weren’t actually there). Will (probably too shy or scared to- because of homophobic taunts) never initiated a single byler moment- it was ALWAYS Mike!!! If people were actually objective, they would of thought it was Mike who was the one pinning!

- Which brings me to Mike literally pinning! Mike forcing Will to dance with a girl (who has a rainbow hairclip), but you literally see Mike’s shocked expression like ‘what,why’d I do that ?’ And after this, they show Dustin looking sad about Max/Lucas dancing and then they have Mike get into the frame (next to Dustin) and look sad when Will/girl are dancing in the same exact frame as Max/Lucas. As they switch between these last 2 shots.

the cannon Spotify playlists-called ‘Mike’s basement beats’- These are character playlists that Spotify and St worked on together after s2.

-his first song is “small town boy” an 80s LGBT anthem about living in a small town and being queer and bullied. Every band member was openly gay.

-his 11th song is ‘don’t you want me’ from a “celebrate your gay pride” album

* But queer people are “delusional” for thinking Mike isn’t straight? And are told to “open your eyes and watch the show” (that was an actual quote in the byler tag). Ok? Take your own advice, then! XD

One of the Duffers cited inspirations for ST is SUPER GAY (and what they based the byler dynamic off of).

In the Will comic, Will throws an old 1970s book called “house of stairs” at the demorgorgan. And in a later chapter Mike and Will just read together at the library (just silently reading together, enjoying each others’ company-totally not a romantic cliche).And Mike warns Will the book ‘could have spoilers’ for the d&d campaign. Also look at this byler-centric cover :)

Peter (Will) is shy, quiet ,initially a pushover, and gay-coded. And as a coping mechanism he has psychological-breaks with reality where he thinks of his best friend from the orphanage, Jasper (Mike) . Another kidnapped boy, named Oliver (who looks just like Jasper/Mike) is also queer-coded (but a violent-sociopath). And, unlike Jasper who actually wanted to protect/take care of Peter -Oliver starts to gets a sick thrill out of making Peter dependent on him (which Peter catches on to pretty quickly). Oliver was insistent on being the only one to ‘wake’ Peter from his episodes (just like how Mike did for Will, in s2), except Oliver calls him pet-names like “sweetheart, baby, etc.”

And again to prove it’s queer-coded I’ll read some of the (shortened) quotes, in the order they were written. These are quotes from Peter (Will’s) pov talking about his childhood best-friend Jasper (Mike) .

-“his room. His and jaspers room. Jasper looking up from his desk, smiling glad to see him. Jasper saying . Something very important. The most important message, the secret message. He couldn’t hear him . But jasper keeps smiling , keeps talking . What was the message, jasper? What was the message? The dream had been beautiful at the beginning, terrible at the end, but he longed to be in it again. If only he hadn’t awakened.”

-“Jasper sitting on the bed and taking off his shoes ,smiling, ‘you’re okay pete, you’re better than a hundered of those slobs put together. Tomorrow I’ll tell them so myself‘ jasper’s strong, hard body as he got into bed ,so different from peter’s. Strong, to protect him to take care of him. Jasper, who always took care of him”.

-“He wanted to think about oliver it it was like having Jasper back again. It would disturb him to see Oliver go off with Abigail… the rejection quite painful. It had never been like that with Jasper…jasper.

-The room they shared with rainbow colors, murmuring comforting words to him , enclosing and protecting him. He let himself drift into it, the rainbow hues dimness.”

-“No one ever depended on him. It was he who always depended on others, on Jasper. jasper, who had always taken care of him. Jasper…”

later he admits his feelings for Jasper to Lola/el. Lola and Pete are plantonic soulmates. The only reason why they survive and don’t succumb to their dark and violent urges/psychological brainwashing is because of each other. Lola has brown hair and eyes and has a buzzcut and is heavily implied to be a lesbian (as she is the only girl in the group who is not fooled by Oliver’s ‘nice guy act’. Which makes the other girls ‘suspicious’ and alienate her). Also this was written in the 70s… she has a buzzcut and is said to “look like a boy”. It’s not that subtle! There was a reason that the author whose first name was WILLIAM (was suspected to be gay/bi when he was alive)! XD

-Peter says “ he was my friend we were always together . Jasper his name was jasper .in the dream he’s taking care of me’. Now he was beginning to cry, his throat constricting and tears welling up in his eyes .’taking care of me … he always took care of me… taking care of me, and , and … and loving me’. ‘”It was the best time in your life’ she murmured’. ‘Yes’ “

* cough protective childhood friend, rainbows, ‘best time of your life = best thing I ever did.

S3 ending (byler centric ending)

When we first see Mike during the Hopper mologue, the moving truck leaves. “Like you’re pulling away from me or something. I miss playing board games every night (d &d)”… (the last thing they talked about was Will visiting to play d&d and their fight this season started because of a disagreement about d&d.)

Then Mike looks back at the Byers house (just lingers there and looks back as his friends leave) like how Will did seeing Mike hold hands with El and leave . “But I know you’re getting older, growing, changing. I guess, if I’m being really honest, that’s what scares me. I don’t want things to change.”Mike , like Will “doesn’t want things things to change”. He doesn’t want his his feelings of friendship to become romantic in regards to Will, it “scares” him (especially in rural 80s Indiana). Right after Will cries, it immediately switches to Mike hugging his mom- to mirror the time he thought Will died in s1 “So I think maybe that’s why I came in here, to try and maybe stop that change. To turn back the clock. To make things go back to how they were.” He goes back to his mother for comfort, like he did the 1st time he lost Will. But also to reverse back time, to s1, before he realized his feelings for Will were romantic. When things were simpler.

“But I know that’s naive. It’s just not how life works. It’s moving, always moving, whether you like it or not. And yeah, sometimes it’s painful. Sometimes it’s sad. And sometimes, it’s surprising. Happy.” (byler endgame)

Will (in s2) even says everyone treats him like ‘freak/ that something is wrong with him’ (purposely leaving out Mike from the discussion). And then when Will disparages himself as a freak,and Jonathan agrees but asks Will, ‘who would he rather be friends with- David Bowie (who was openly bi since the 70s) or Kenny Rogers’? And when Will says Bowie, Jonathan agrees saying “see, it’s no contest”.

So, it’s just another coincidence that when Will ‘dies’ (in s1) a David Bowie song (‘we can be heroes’) plays. And as Mike hugs his mom, mourning Will - a romantic lyric from the song plays during the hug?“And we kiss, as though nothing could fall. And the shame” (which is heavily queer coded)?

And then in the last ep (in s3) Mike mirrors this scene in s1, hugging his mom, since he feels like he’s losing Will all over again. And right after the hug (‘we can be heroes’) plays again!? I’m not saying byler is endgame. But- WAIT THAT’S EXACTLY WHAT I’M SAYING! XD

These men literally invented ‘hetero-baiting’ (with Robin & Steve) and you think they’re going to queer bait?!

Also, if Will was a girl named ‘Willow” no one would call byler ‘delusional’ ! Even the most casual viewer would say it’s obvious they’d end up together in the end!

If the witness said about El in s1 , “ same height… it could be the Byers girl”, instead of ‘boy’ (pointing out the resemblance). Mike only meeting El cause he was looking for Willow. Proclaiming “i’m the only one who cares about Willow!” . Mike getting into fights and getting upset (almost crying) about the bullies insulting Willow. Mike only getting angry at El when he thinks she lied about Willow being alive. Mike being the only boy who has a scene dedicated to his loss of her (with the same romantic lyrics playing). Mike having a whole binder of her drawings and caressing one of the drawings, after he thinks she died. Mike being the only one of her friends to stay awake at the hospital, waiting for her to wake up- so he can see her and hug her first. People probably would of started shipping it the second Willow stared at him and was the only one who didn’t lie to him, in the first ep! Another parallel to El!

If Will was Willow, the majority of the fandom would be byler shippers. Think about it! . Mike having s2 byler scenes that are identical to s1 mileven scenes, and then additional unique byler scenes. Mike staying by Willow’s side 24 hours a day for several days (not even changing clothes), carrying her out of the hospital, grabbing her hand (with a zoom in shot),constantly asking her if she’s okay at least 5-7 times, putting his arm around her twice, being the only one who could tell something was off with her (and it wasn’t her normal type of quiet). Calling and running all the way to her house and banging on the door to check on her, desperate. Watching her sleep cause he’s so worried. That shed scene reminiscing about how they first met in perfect detail, saying “I asked, I asked if you wanted to be my friend. You said yes, you said yes. It was the best thing I’ve ever done. (like a marriage proposal)” The “crazy together” scene. Them being close since they were 5 vs the girl he knew for a week (but is somehow in love with?). In s2 if Mike sadly watched Willow dance with another guy , while Dustin does the same to Max. Forget it- everyone would already know mileven would be doomed to fail.

And again think about s3 if Will was a girl.They parallel the (comedic) mileven breakup vs (the sad/serious) byler breakup. Then Mike just complains and burps on the couch vs apologizing to Willlow multiple times/even going into a storm to apologize a 2nd time (and to ‘talk’). Willow having a breakdown over the fight vs El laughing and high five-ing Max after.The shed vs the pool shed scene- “best thing I’ve ever done” vs “you’re the most important thing in the world to me”, “blank makes you crazy’ (as El stares confused) vs “crazy together’ (where Willow says ‘yeah, crazy together’). Mike going on ‘movie dates with Willlow all the time’ right after making out with El. The last mileven kiss where Mike has his eyes open the whole time, and doesn’t kiss back. And saying he doesn’t remember saying “I love” you to El (and doesn’t say ‘I love you’ back). Right after having a talk with Willow about playing games when she comes back (the crux of their fight). Mike getting excited that he’ll be able to visit El and Willow on Thanksgiving and them visiting him on Christmas (those are holidays where family usually introduces their S.O.) Having the last scene of Mike, be him looking back at Willow’s house, and have that whole monologue about “feelings changing”, and then he goes to hug his mom like the s1 byler scene where he thought Willow was dead, signifying he lost her again. And that’s not even all the scenes- and every time byler won by a landslide. If Will was a girl, we wouldn’t be ‘delusional’! It would be obvious writing on the wall, that Mike would eventually choose Willow over El by the end of the series.

But since they are 2 boys, we’re delusional, because queer kids don’t exist … apparently.

*S3-I’m not repeating my literal essays but they’re probably better than this post so here are the links to pretty much all my s3 byler meta. (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x) (x)

gif credit: 1st few have the name stark in the gifs, 2nd byler gif (found on wheheart.com- user dream_daisy, not sure if they also have a Tumblr , 3rd livelovecaliforniadreams, 4th &10th Cath-avery, 5& 6th unknown, 7-9 eggogorgon . Tell me if you know the unknown one so I can give credit , please.

#byler #byeler

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kathi-linchen · 4 years

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my hot takes on stranger things now that I've watched all 3 seasons (this is a list of all that I disliked, I did really enjoy the whole show though)

>s1

why r mike and eleven a couple, why did that need to be a thing, u ain't making me believe some lil kid fell in love with a girl he knew for a couple days, and el being in love with mike is even more ridiculous

how did joyce and hopper get out of the upside down with will, did they just wander back through the gate they came in from

>s2

i dislike almost all of the romance, funny thing is I dislike the teen love triangle the least, also bob and joyce were cute

murray needs to stfu, him acting like he knows people and what they really want pisses me off big time

not exactly a fan of how they treated steve/nancy/jonathan in s2, especially how nancy & jonathan got together

wtf dustin and lucas, max shouldn't even want to be ur friend with ur creep act, they didn't give max a valid reason other than guilt over billy to be with the party

>s3

i didnt take the russians seriously at all, the only good thing about that plotline was scoops troop

the fuckin love drama is utterly annoying

s3 hopper freakin sucks so bad, thats not the jim i adore, thats some constantly drunk bumbling dipshit that only knows to throw hands (thats how he came across anyway)

the shit he pulled with mike was disgusting, and the way he treated joyce & everyone else even worse

nancy and mike didnt give a shit about each other it seems, and jonathan n will didnt even have dialogue together??

will sidelined hard af

the stupid terminator

i didnt care when hopper died

murray stfu again please

oh right the whole billy plotline was also rather poorly executed, why wasnt max the one to wake him up

I love the characters, dynamics and many of the relationships, and I really enjoyed watching the show (mostly) so pls dont hate me for my negative opinions on it

#stranger things #jim hopper #nancy wheeler #jonathan byers #steve harrington #murray bauman

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jancys-blue-bayou · 5 years

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Yeah so Stranger Things 3 was painfully bad

Yeah yeah big negative post about ST3 coming up. Just... holy shit, my expectations weren’t exactly high but jesus I didn’t think it’d be this bad. Wow. Mindboggling to think it was made by the same dudes who made season 1, it feels like a different show. Some of the worst writing I’ve seen in a long while, parts of season 3. This got very long because it was very bad so it’s under the cut. Starting with the few positives and then away we go...

Of course there were bright spots, I thought what we got of Jancy was generally good (just wish there had been more of it. Just like... more lines between them, a few moments could’ve gone on longer...like after the awesome hospital fight scene jesus just let them fucking desperately embrace and profess their love for each other, it was awesome how they relentlessly kept going at the monster to save the other but can we please just have a few more seconds for a comfort moment after?) I liked how they handled the fight btw, apart from the Oliver Twist comment yeah yeah heat of the moment but still felt OOC with that loa a blow. Nancy and Karen scene was nice and um... well Max and El bonding was nice. And um... Mr Clarke! And I kind of dig Murray.

My main issues with it:

- The product placement. Jesus Christ. Okay, ST has always been a show with noticeable product placement. But it’s gone from things like a Coke can prominently on display on a table in s1 (El crushing it with her mind) to literally having a straight up ad for Coca Cola in the middle of a tense scene. That’s the big offender that made me go wow you’re really doing this to yourselves huh, there are many others ofc (everything at the mall ofc, Slurpees being in hyperfocus for a bit, and a lengthy talk about Burger King. These smaller things one by one wasn’t the worst but all combined jesus it was too much, all added together and then bam the Coke commercial was wow... Congrats on the like 80 sponsorship deals and esp the new ST themed arcade hall by Coca Cola hope it was worth completely selling out for.

- Relatedly, the original fucking song. Holy christ talk about jumping the shark. That was the oddest, cringiest, weirdest shit I’ve seen in a long time. Gaten’s a great singer don’t get me wrong, but there’s a time and place for it and an original song stuffed into the middle of the tense climax of the season is not it Duffers. Just a blatant cash cow, hoping to bring in more money via the song.

- Robin. Sorry but holy cow what a Mary Sue. Hey here’s this super cool girl who’s cool™ and funny™ and super smart™ and NOT Nancy (like they seriously for real said in a scene, they actually for real had to pit Robin and Nancy against each other for no reason). And she conveniently has these specific skills needed for the plot (which she gets involved with for no real motivation other than having nothing better to do, lazy writing). Said skills were so over the top unrealistic it completely sucked me out of it. To start with, this random girl in small town Indiana in 1985 speaking French, Spanish and Italian um... does Hawkins High have the most amazing language department or what? Very un-american in that case... and okay then, her knowing those languages wouldn’t help jackshit with understanding Russian. Russian is a notoriously difficult language to learn and it is not related to the Romance languages at all, Robin knowing those languages and oh, having “a good ear” bc she’s in band (?!??! what?!) wouldn’t help her at all. Having the alphabets on the wall and listening to strange words in a foreign language she has no understanding of would never work. No way for her to understand what is she’s hearing, what letters are in the words just, nothing. It’s completely ridiculous. The good thing is she’s a lesbian, crushing Stobin that made me LOL. Btw, I don’t get what age they were writing her as? She’s still in school but later says she and Steve was in the same class, and she knows who Nancy is but Nancy, who is still in school, doesn’t know her even though presumably they’d be in the same year at little Hawkins High? Was it just sloppy writing or what?

- Too. Much. Plotting. What happened to “this season is about the characters” um there was just so much plot stuff and action sequences and barely any character driven moments at all. Those intimate moments that made s1 amazing. Generally regarding plots felt the Russian plot was messy and not well-written also what happened to the US government as the big bad? Unless they’re setting up a big Cold War thing for s4. And felt the zombie thing was wasted, could’ve been used differently like I’d have thought it’d be used like the MF spreading it’s influence over vaster areas and being harder to keep track of etc.

- Too little Will. Will’s whole thing with feeling left out etc was just dropped halfway through it felt very undercooked. His arc was just dropped wtf.

- NO BYERS FAMILY INTERACTIONS WTF. The sequence in the first episode when Jancy has overslept and Joyce wipes the lipstick off Jonathan was cute (but could’ve been even cuter I’d have preferred a short fluffy Jancy moment here just as they wake up before they realize they overslept, bc we didn’t get much pure fluff, and then it’d been awesome if Joyce would’ve just called Nancy into the house to mess with them). But like... that’s kind of it. For the Byers family. Talking to each other in the whole season. When they partnered Jancy with the kids many thought awesome we’ll get Byers bros talking and teaming up (and Nancy and Mike) but there was just nothing. Not even a family hug after the battle at the mall, just Joyce hugging Will, with all this tightknit little family has been through you telling me Jonathan wouldn’t join in?

- No Will and El bonding wtf? SUCH a wasted opportunity. They’ve built this unique awesome connection over s1 and s2 and now in s3 would finally be able to bond normally for real and... nothing.

- Turning Hopper back into an even bigger jerk than he was at the start of the show, neglecting all his character development. What was the point of the whole El and Hopper thing they devoted so much time to in s2 if Hopper’s back at it with the yelling and all now? And jeez his constant whining to Joyce about every man she interacts with holy christ that got annoying. Generally Hopper was such an annoying asshole this season I was so tired of him by the time he “died”.

- TOO MANY CHARACTERS. Jeez, I know I’m on about it all the time but jesus christ there is way way too many characters in this for 8 episodes which hurts the narrative and screentime for interesting characters is just... yeah.

- Speaking of screentime, did we really need that many identical generic fight scenes between Hopper and the Russian guy? Jesus Christ it’s so boring watching fight scenes like that, so repetitive (compare to the hospital fight scene which was dynamic and awesome). Also regarding screentime did we really need to devote so incredibly much of it to Steve and Robin being comedic relief while drugged? Yeah yeah mix light and dark and all that but jesus christ at that point in the narrative shit has hit the fan lean into the dark.

- Totally expected of course but still, the furthering of Steve Memeington. My god they actually had him literally call himself daddy... christ.

- The Billy and Karen/all the other middle age women remains gross and bad in a billion ways. Also completely pointless for the plot, they could’ve come up with any other way to get Billy to the factory. And what did it give Karen in development? Just the realization that yeah I’m tired of my husband but I’m not leaving my family and I’ll stick with him just ‘cause? Okay but did we need her almost sleeping with a kid a year older than her daughter for that? Icky. Also the editing of the scene where Billy hits her was so weird. Also that was weird as fuck.

- The ending. Okay christ my main gripe with this is because of a point above: No Byers family interaction at all! Joyce and Hopper talk briefly about her thinking about moving once or twice but she never talks about it with her kids... obviously she did in the timegap but we need to see that to build to the thing. Having no Byers interactions the whole season and then just oop we’re moving is so weird. I’m also not sure if Joyce’s motivation for moving (her bad memories of Hawkins) would be enough. For sure an argument for it, but an argument against is the one Hopper presents to her (and though he’s not around still there’s still a support system around them there, especially for her kids which she loves above all). Speaking of her loving her kids above all, she knows they love their friends/girlfriend/boyfriend to bits, have walked through fire with them and are each others support system as mentioned, would Joyce really just uproot them from that? There’s also some purely practical things that stuck out to me immediately: the timeskip for the epilogue makes it so they move when the schoolyear is already well under way and Jonathan has started senior year, feel bad for Jonathan there in a number of ways. Also, how the hell did Joyce manage to sell her house and what did it fetch? Her rundown house on the outskirts of a now infamous town with an incredibly bad rep? Even if the buyer bought it for the land the land doesn’t look special, just find it hard to believe she could get much for it. And where did they move? Where did she find a place? And work? Did she have something lined up or? I guess we’ll see.

- Oh and speaking of work, that was another thing that was just dropped, the mall killing downtown and the protests just fell out of the story. But, with what happened to the mall wouldn’t business come back to downtown (possibly reason for Joyce to want to stay if Melvald’s going out of business was another reason to move).

- Sorry but Mileven took way too much space.

- Again, no Jonathan and Will actual brothers bonding. But a whole lot of Steve and Dustin meme fanservice wank.

- Erica is just the sassy black girl trope non stop the whole season and nothing else and it’s so grating and... I was gonna say disappointing but I had no faith in the Duffers regarding this. Just because a bit character becomes a meme doesn’t mean they need to become a main. *cough* Steve *cough cough* Sorry.

- Last but not least, the woobiefication of Billy. Uggggghhhh. Disgusting. And having Max cry over him WTF?!?!?!?!?! staaaaaaahp.

#stranger things #stranger things 3 #stranger things 3 thoughts #stranger things 3 spoilers

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