#and like its not so ya know *gestures in horror and thriller genre* but like it has those tags for a reason

[punksnom]

Me reading the horror tag on a novel: well it can't be that bad hehe

Me, 40 chapters later with graphic descriptions of corpses, ghosts, and a cannibal:

[castlebyersafterdark]

That recent ask about anon’s cousins liking m/leven is so interesting! The cousin always roots for the main couple? Maybe she will switch to byler if it’s revealed THEY were the main ones all along, then? Upon watching s4 I felt that byler were magic and that the duffers WANTED me to feel like they’re magic - Vinny I believe you had a similar experience? But people who still like m/leven, yet want Will to be happy, could be ideal viewers, too. After all, byler wouldn’t be half as dramatic without a sense that mike and el COULD still work through their problems in s5. 

As for your cousins liking Mike’s monologue, I think it all depends how you perceive love and romance irl. The monologue was big, loud, and public, and some people live for grand gestures like this. They want the wedding but not the marriage, ya know? Lol. But I can also picture a bold and declarative love confession for byler in the midst of a battle - yet, tonally, everything about it feels different to mike’s speech to El! There wouldn’t be an undeniable undercurrent of doom rippling beneath the surface, for one thing. But lots of people either don’t pick up on, or ignore, anything non-verbal in the show. 

Viewers who stick stubbornly to their static opinions of certain characters or pairings are the anomaly, not the ideal, because they remove all of the writer’s power to manipulate the viewers’ emotions and move the story onward. Hardcore m/levens, for example, have an agenda. (As do many hardcore bylers who grapple with flimsy evidence rather than letting the storylines unfold over time. Oof!)

But what of the byler-ignorants, lol? The people anon fears will think byler came out of nowhere? Well… the horror and gore of s4 was pretty out of the blue for many people. Did they stop watching? Maybe. Many didn’t, though. Because it made for fantastic entertainment. So the issue is instead HOW viewers will respond to such a twist. And because I’m lame, I’m going to do a full breakdown. 

Plot twists and surprises aren’t intrinsically bad. In fact, they’re a storytelling institution and an aspirational feat of engineering for many writers, especially in the thriller and mystery genre! The ideal audience response would be:  ‘Ohhhhhhhhhh!’ And will byler be any more left-field than the sudden visceral horror-gore of s4? This show takes no prisoners, and never has when it comes to shock factor. 

But sadly, sometimes the response to a plot twist is WTF?!??!! or even I HATE THIS!!!1. Oh dear. 

Byler coming out of nowhere would only be bad if 1) it’s an unpleasant surprise or 2) it is a plot point that hasn’t earned its own payoff. These two results are usually linked by… bad storytelling. 

Now, bad storytelling is not a subjective thing. There are rules and formulas in how to tell stories on screen. Not that everyone is well-versed in these, so you end up with people who say something is ‘bad’ when what they actually mean is ‘I didn’t enjoy that.’ You will always end up with viewers like this, and they’ll usually complain loudest. But you also don’t HAVE to like a story that is objectively well-written and employs storytelling devices successfully! Personal taste, y’all. I’m sure the Duffers are well aware of the possibility for negative feedback and will either accept it with grace (if it’s reasonable critique) or ignore it (if it’s unintelligent waffle), as should any artist who shares their work with the world. 

So… the Venn diagram of people that could think byler came out of nowhere are most likely:

1) people not paying full attention

2) homophobic folk, internalised or not

3) people who will never budge from loving mileven no matter what is presented to them

4) people who genuinely did not pick up on byler’s chemistry  

No.1 camp is filled primarily with reasonable, modern GA. They shouldn’t mind byler endgame, even if it means they feel compelled to rewatch the show to make it make sense. In fact, if they enjoyed the show, they should be excited to! Who wouldn’t love a clever rug-pull that weaves lots of plot points together, even if they somehow don’t care too much for Will specifically?

Now… folk from camp no.2. Homophobic folk. The internalised ones… hey, maybe they’ll grow from the watching experience. Art is always gorgeous when it can help people do this. The outright bigots, though? What the heckins are they doing watching this show, anyway? Something went over their heads, and that can’t be blamed on the Duffers. Chuck ‘em straight into the ‘irrelevant babble’ bin. 

Then we have no.3 camp: adamant m/leven fans. They can range from terrifying and harmful to romantic and misguided, but at the end of the day, ST is a work of art that owes nothing to anyone except being as good a piece of storytelling as it can be. It’s actually laughable to me that rude m/levens on twitter think that the writers will care what they think. They won’t. This doesnt mean the duffers don’t care about their fans in general - it just means they’re normal human beings who have a larger perspective about what truly matters. 

And lastly, I'd say no.4 camp are mostly GA too, especially folk who genuinely aren’t very good at reading subtext, non-verbal cues, or picking up on emotional nuance (perhaps in real life too). This isn’t objectively a bad thing - it just means they might not have the same experience of the show as was intended by the artist. Which makes me wonder….

… whose duty it is to make a work of art clear in meaning and intention? I went to art school, and we were certainly critiqued if our work didnt manage to do what it set out to do. But then again art is so subjective, and a viewer taking something else away from my work, finding a meaning I hadn’t, was rarely a bad thing. But most m/levens aren't doing this, are they? They're not full of possibility or imaginative explanations. They're just full of denial, and are often rude. Just as long as you can provide your ‘working out’ - a.k.a show the intention behind your art even if it falls flat in the landing, then the work will have worth to someone. And considering the overwhelming fanbase for byler, + the positive response to Will’s heartbreaking storyline in s4 from regular viewers, PLUS the cast member’s excitement to portray the final chapter of this story, I would say the Duffs are very much on the right track re: Mike and Will falling, on-screen and rather unambiguously, in love. 

Or maybe cousin anon worries that their experience of the show will be ruined if s5 byler receives a lot of negative feedback. That one is out of your control, I’m afraid - and the Duffers’, too. All you can do is try to enjoy what you love and not let anyone ruin it for you. 

First, before I proceed - HOW ARE YOU DOING THE COLORS what in the world. I am so distracted hahahah

Anyway... yes, I had a similar experience! The vibes were subtly there but I wasn't super invested, but season 4 really conjured that magical ohhhh moment that made everything else make sense. I think a lot more people will feel that in five, just for the more casual or non-fandom minded person in all honesty.

But lots of people either don’t pick up on, or ignore, anything non-verbal in the show. 

Ain't that the whole truth...

people who say something is ‘bad’ when what they actually mean is ‘I didn’t enjoy that.’ You will always end up with viewers like this, and they’ll usually complain loudest. But you also don’t HAVE to like a story that is objectively well-written and employs storytelling devices successfully! Personal taste, y’all. I’m sure the Duffers are well aware of the possibility for negative feedback and will either accept it with grace (if it’s reasonable critique) or ignore it (if it’s unintelligent waffle), as should any artist who shares their work with the world. 

Loving your whole breakdown analysis, but that point in particular was great. Very, very true. Important to keep in mind.

ST is a work of art that owes nothing to anyone except being as good a piece of storytelling as it can be.

👏👏👏👏

This was an amazing breakdown of the show and a very stunning read on the perception of media in general, thank you for laying all that out!!! Ending with this one because it's the most important mantra to follow if you consider yourself a big fan:

All you can do is try to enjoy what you love and not let anyone ruin it for you. 

❤️