#mike's self acceptance journey

[bylerisc4non]

HOLY SHIT I GOT IT!! (Mike's self-acceptance journey)

Okay, so we all know that Mike needs serious help and therapy and to learn to respect and care about himself, right? Well, remember Lexi's play in Euphoria? Remember what it did for Rue? Yes. I'm proposing that they just put on a play for Mike about his life and he'll see everything, his internalized homophobia, his projection, s3 and how he was an asshole, between s3 and s4 and how he was so depressed without Will, and that's how he'll decide to change, accept, & love himself. And he'll breakdown and sob a lot and maybe scream and cry about the painting. He will leave that play a changed man and immediately go find Will to tell him he's in love with him. BOOM. Byler endgame happens.

No but in all seriousness, something like that probably needs to happen in order for him to finally come to terms with himself and his love for Will. He needs to see Will's perspective, which will probably come out in a painting fight or something. But he also needs to step back and look at himself and see that he's fucked up but he's amazing wonderful extraordinary and Will loves him for it. And he'll learn to love himself. He'll have a lot of apologies to do, like to El, but in the end he'll forgive himself and she will too.

sorry-- overwhelming brain explosion. More to this theory is that the "play" is actually just a time warp kind of situation where he sees his younger self and has to confront the fact that he's always mistreated and disliked himself, even that little boy. All of his trauma from losing Will and losing himself too (in s3 and while denying his feelings) will hit him. The hurt he felt from being lied to by Will hits him, but also hits ten times worse with the knowledge that he made Will lie to him, he was the one who made Will think he didn't need him or want the painting to come from him. Everything will explode in his face; his self-hatred, his denial, his IH, his ED, his suicide ideation. Everything is coming to light this season. Mike's journey with his mental health through the seasons is going to slowly get wrapped up, providing closure and hope for him.

Mike needs to step back and see himself the way Will sees him, as the heart. He's already begun to see this in the van scene. They will continue this journey of self-reflection in s5. He will step back and see himself, really see himself this time. Perhaps this doesn't mean he will necessarily get Vecna'd but we probably shouldn't totally eliminate that possibility. After all, with the mirror imagery and everything, it could potentially happen. And just the fact that this whole post is about the fact that Mike needs to step back and see himself, like in a mirror (*cough cough* Vecna holds up mirrors to people). And it will be hard to have that mirror held up to him, but he's slowly coming to terms with it. Eddie was a great influence and help with that. He was unapologetically himself and Mike saw that and started being himself too. Of course, there were still moments when he'd hide again, like in Lenora, but for the most part Mike really started chipping away at that mask and coming out of his shell in s4.

Why else would he be dressing more freely and doing his hair different and all that? He's starting to accept himself and he just needs to continue and wrap up that journey in s5. He'll accept himself as queer, which is the root to a lot of his other mental health problems. Therefore, when he's able to finally stand back and see himself as he really is and learn to love himself the way Will loves him, he'll be able to address those other problems. His mental health will only improve from there. However, the addressing of those issues may be messy. I have no doubt that it may end in Mike's "death." He won't actually die (hopefully) but it will be a visual representation of how everything caught up to him, of how his lack of care for himself (but also his loyalty) ended up being the death of him because he would do anything for his friends and has little self regard. He'll die sacrificing himself for those he loves.

BUT THEN he comes back to life somehow because why tf wouldn't he? And gay love saves the day as always. Mike learns to love and accept himself, byler endgame happens, and they all live happily ever after THE END.

But anyway.

In summary, Mike must see a clear vision of the person he's been through the seasons to address his trauma, IH, and mental health issues. He needs to see how he's hurt those around him, but that he's also been hurt. He needs to feel compassion for himself and learn of his importance. In other words, he needs to see himself through Will's eyes. Will sees the true him at his full potential: loyal, a leader, compassionate, kind, funny, smart. He's really, genuinely, the heart. He's started to see that in the van, however, with the realization that Will lied about El commissioning the painting, he may start to doubt himself all over again. (One step forward, three steps back.) So, the confrontation of the painting must lead to Mike seeing himself through a separate lens. He must see himself through Will's eyes and see that it wasn't El's truth but Will's truth. He'll breakdown and this realization will lead to the acceptance of not only his love for Will but of himself as a whole and that hurt in him will slowly begin to heal.

[alltimefail]

Thinking about how unreal it is that there are people who watch Stranger Things and don't realize/don't agree that Mike Wheeler is queer when literally everything (costuming, set design, and MUSIC good GOD the queer music that surrounds him) indicates that he is 😭.

I mean, the googoo gaga eyes at Will should have been the first clue but the Stranger Things team (a team which has won multiple awards for their work, mind you) has put waaaaaay too much effort in these blatant indicators for him to be summed up as a normal straight boy who is randomly an asshole for absolutely no reason to his best friend sometimes (Will) and also can't love his girlfriend for vague, confusing reasons ?!?! I mean... how does that character fit with the show's theme? How does that character fit with his "outcast" friends, nonetheless be "the heart" of said group of outcasts? How does that character serve purpose in a story meant to be from the perspective of the outcasts? Like it's a great "twist" because it is literally right. there. And some people just completely don't see it... it drives me bananas 😬!!!!

[wheelercurse]

some midlevens act like the biggest El’s defenders, but they don’t understand her character at all, nor her arc.

[wibble-wobbegong]

guys im gonna catch up on mp100 so if i come back and start yelling about a “dimple” don’t even worry about it

[willthewiz]

Will's Arc Ties the Whole Series Together

"Will really takes center stage again in [season] 5," Ross Duffer told Variety. "This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality – it’s Will coming into his own as a young man."

So in other words...

Will Byers will receive more attention in season 5 due to his importance in the story. His goals, motivations, conflicts, and decisions will make Will’s story an emotional arc. Instead of Will keeping his thoughts and feelings to himself, he’ll become more open and honest not just to others but also himself. Instead of needing protection and being treated like a child, he will stand up to fight to protect others and make his own decisions instead of doing what others want him to do. To come into his own, Will must face challenges such as going against numerous enemies and trials along the way (internal and external conflicts), and emerge stronger and wiser at the end. Once Will overcomes these challenges, he’ll be able to:

Utilize his strengths and unique qualities to his fullest extent.

Become more self-assured and comfortable in his own skin, no longer needing to defer to others or hold himself back.

Establish a strong, independent sense of self, rather than relying on others' perceptions or definitions of who he is.

Fully showcase his talents, skills, and perspectives, without feeling the need to conform or blend in.

Reach new heights in his career, personal life, or other endeavors where his true abilities can shine.

Will’s story is about self-discovery and growth. He will grow into the fullest expression of his authentic self and potential. His emotional arc will tie the whole series together because in order to defeat Vecna and save Hawkins, Will must stop clinging to his childhood and use that support from others as a stepping stone toward finally growing up and becoming a young man.

And we know Will will always need Mike. Mike is part of the key to Will's self-discovery. Mike makes Will feel like he's not a mistake. He feels better for being different because of Mike. He can be himself because of Mike. And that gives him the courage to fight on. The courage to finally defeat Vecna once and for all. That support from others will play a part in Will growing as a person, thus leading to Will becoming a young man and facing against Vecna.

As I said before, Will’s arc is about self-discovery and growth. He has that acceptance from others such as Jonathan and Mike, and that support will help him grow as a person and become fully comfortable in his own skin. However, Mike isn’t the key because of his acceptance, but rather part of the key to Will coming into his own. Becoming his own person. Will having support is important, but that’s not his story. After coming back from the upside down, Will has been clinging to his childhood. Will’s arc is not about acceptance from others, it’s about him growing up and finding out who he is as a young man. That acceptance and support will lead Will in the right direction toward self-discovery and growth.

"I think Mike is trying to be as normal as possible and try to keep on a normal path." —Finn Wolfhard

"How is he (Mike) this clueless right now? With the Will scene in the car, I remember asking the Duffers, why would he not know this? And they're like, don't worry it'll pay off in the end." —Finn Wolfhard

"I can just tell you that I'm very very excited for what's to come. I think they did a great job with Will's character this season, and beautifully addressed everything they needed to. The way they closed the show is just perfect – the story started with Will, and it’ll end with Will."

—Noah Schnapp

"Our show is an anthem for the marginalized and imperfect, precisely because the Duffer brothers know from experience that the popular and easy road is rarely the most interesting one, and that character, grit, connection, and soul are bred in the same moments that challenge us the most." —Shawn Levy

With Mike and Will becoming a team in season 5 and Will taking center stage, it could only mean one thing...

Byler Endgame

[twisting-echo]

It's time to talk about some things that have been on my mind since the two final episodes of Monsters at Work season 2 dropped.

Despite how much I loved seeing Randall in Monsters at Work, I couldn't help but feel that Randall was out of character and super extra, to be honest. I know that I'm not the only one who thought that Randall's change in character was due to Johnny's asshole influence.

Now this may be my personal headcanon, but going off of what we were given in Monsters University, Randall, better known as Randy at the time, was a sweet, polite, and self-conscious monster who lacked confidence. Yes, he wanted to “get in” with the “cool kids,” but who hasn't given into peer pressure or wanted to hang out with people who seemed fun and popular? What kind of guy tries to make friends through sharing cupcakes? Sweethearts, that's who!

When Randall first revealed that he joined Roar Omega Roar, Johnny ordered him to “do the thing,” and Randall obeyed his command like a trained dog and turned invisible for Johnny and friends to gawk at. At the moment, I assumed that Randall was the group punching bag.

I always thought that Randall's cruel actions were based solely on Johnny's approval and the validation from his peers because that made him feel seen. Little did Randall know that Johnny was just using him for his unique abilities.

Later at the Scare Games, Randall lost control of what I considered to be his bodily functions and accidentally camouflaged his skin into a humiliating pattern of pink with red hearts, which was criticized by Johnny, Chet, and other members of his fraternity. After that, I always assumed that Johnny saw no more use in Randall because his camouflagic abilities are what got him into ROR, and it's what got him out of ROR.

You want me to really believe that Randall actually liked being in ROR and flourished?!

My point is that what I saw in Monsters at Work doesn't line up with what I saw in Monsters University. The only thing that did line up was the fact that Johnny was using Randall, just like he did back in college.

I had always thought that Randall had lost pieces of himself in an attempt to become a member of Johnny's fraternity. To be honest, I was never fully intrigued by Randall until I saw this alternate side of him in Monsters University. However, I can't really explain away his actions in Monsters Inc., but gosh, do I love thinking about the emotional journey he went through to get to that dark place.

Sshhh, Do You Hear That? belongs to @assrtdj

I Just Wanted a Friend... belongs to PumpkinSoup on DA.

Reflection belongs to Planet-Spatulon on DA.

Randall seemed perfectly happy with his friendship with Mike. He was so secretly desperate to appease his new friend that he discarded his prescription glasses just because Mike offhandedly noted that his glasses gave away his invisible camouflage. Mike didn't tell him to get rid of his glasses. Randall did that himself because he made a self-conscious decision. It's like getting a haircut that you really didn't want, but your friend offhandedly said that they thought that you would look good with short hair or dying it another color. That's how low Randall's self-esteem was!

Mike was the perfect friend for him! They spent time together; they lounged on the grass while studying their homework together; they had playful banter, and it was adorable! Mike accepted Randall for who he was, and I'll never forget that. Mike is Randall's true bestie. 🥺

I refuse to believe that Johnny and Randall are “besties” because Johnny is just using him again. Randall literally said that because Johnny saved him from the swamp people, he “owed him one.”

I refuse to believe that Chet of all people was bullied by Randall during his college days, and that's why he's no longer Johnny's number 1. I love Chet as a character, and seeing what he was reduced to in Monsters at Work broke my heart. He was a former shell of himself, and he was literally walked all over by Randall.

It's almost like they retconned, or should I say, Chet-conned his character and his friendship with Johnny by forcing Randall into his spot. I mean, Chet was a loud and obnoxious guy, but in a lovable way. He brought a lot of funny moments and had a couple of good one-liners in Monster's University. But what stood out in his character the most was his devotion to Johnny.

He literally screamed, "Johnny, you're my hero!" during the Scare Games. Johnny is Chet's boy, damn it!

Roar OhMyGosh belongs to J-Spence on DA.

Full comic by @j-spencer15 right here.

[fiendforbyler]

y’all i was recreationally scrolling through the m*leven # (no bad vibes sent i swear i just feel like getting both sides of the argument is best to cement my belief) and something i saw was someone saying how el is always at her best when she is with mike. which imo is very untrue. let’s go on a deep dive together, shall we?

season 2

at the end of season 1 we know el disappears off into the upside down. separated from mike. by the start of season 2, she is trying to understand more about herself and her powers and her origins, and all of this is done seperate from mike, on her own. this solitude allows for her to find her individuality without being ‘the weapon’ or ‘mikes crush’. i think that while the 08 stuff is kind of silly, it is important to note that during that, she did begin to understand the root and significance of her powers, as well as feeling accepted properly by like-minded people for the first time possibly ever. she also finds her mother and learns about her origins, just beginning her journey of curiosity about herself. we know that finding mama was very important to eleven, and she did all of this away from mike. while she was at hoppers, she mourned losing him, yearned for him, pined, etc, and that caused tension, upset and drained her. NOT mikes fault, btw, he is my actual child and i do not believe this is anyone’s fault, just the facts. when she is back reunited with mike, yes it is a beautiful beautiful scene i cannot deny that but she is a different version of herself than when mike saw her last and therefore this separation was very beneficial to her character.

season 3

we all know how this season goes. mike and el making out left and right, no communication just sucking face. during the m*leven breakup, mike is pretty nonchalant and uncaring about it all, and max helps el on her journey of self discovery. during this time when we’ll bd mike are broken up is the first time el is introduced to trash mags, silly games, something other than being the girl with powers or mikes girlfriend. she begins to understand her likes, her dislikes, herself. no one ever tried to help her find her individuality before, not like this. this is when el also starts ‘making her own rules’ and really coming into her own, maturing into her own wonderful person without mikes presence. in fact, the breakup is very necessary for this to occur. not to mention the fact that she also solves majority of the billy mystery without mike there, in fact she solves it while ignoring and icing out mike, with max’s help. this breakup is essential for elevens character development, and that’s not an accident, certainly not since it is a frequently reoccurring then throughout the entire series!! the ending scene with the ‘i love you too’ is an awkward way to summarise a season spelt apart and i think it may also because she is still learning what she likes and dislikes, this is all extremely new to her.

season 4

oh boy. i mean, obviously el hasn’t been fitting in at school, that’s very obvious. i mean what could mike have to do with that? directly, not much but indirectly??? everything. i believe that just the fact she is in a relationship with mike is throwing her off balance and we are supposed to notice that!! then when mike arrives i mean first of all the flowers and the ‘from’ is a whole other post but immediately her situation worsens, she gets abused by angela, ridiculed by her and her friends, then literally attacks angela with a skate, and it’s all so… out of character? and the ‘you never say it’ argument… it’s all meant to make us look at the couple and go ‘these guys aren’t working anymore’ (!!!!!) i mean, el is, emotionally but also to a point physically, hindered in this relationship with mike and it’s neither of their faults!!!! they just aren’t working!!! and that’s okay!!! they need to be seperate to develop as characters and this is proven by the separation when el gets taken to get her powers back. a great way the duffers could have utilised this plot point was by making mike go with her. think about it! he learns about her while she learns about herself, all while regaining her powers and mike gaining new understanding and appreciation of her as a person! what a great way to deepen an ‘endgame’ couple’s relationship! will also could have had great development, having self-discovery with jonothan and argyle! who doesn’t want some brotherly bonding time? but that’s is not what happened. el needed the time away from mike, broken up, no contact, to focus on her self and improve and discover. this was more than essential. el thrives on solitude to become more powerful as an individual person. she needs to separate herself from mike to be the best version of herself. and that is why m*leven is not endgame. they are a a couple who do not work, they do not make each other better, and while i think a mike-el friendship dynamic could be really effective, as a couple they clash. even during the monologue, mike didn’t really achieve anything. he was kind of just saying words. i mean he canonically lied, what kind of confessional speech by a love-struck teen would be full of lies?? it doesn’t make sense. it is not supposed to make sense. we are supposed to notice these things.

i’m not even using this as byler proof, more just as the fact that i don’t find mike and el compatible, like at all. maybe as platonic buds, but not as a couple, and certainly not as a thriving endgame one. in conclusion, m*leven bones.

thank you for coming to my ted talk.

TLDR; el needs to be seperate from mike to improve upon herself in every way.

[you-were-alone-too]

although im LIVING for what seems to be confirmation of gay mike and the fact that the lyrics suggest that he wants will to confess to him first... (see exhibits a and b below)

if we assume that these lyrics are decently accurate to mike's arc in s5, then we'll see mike struggle a lot with communicating his feelings and that he hopes will makes the first move, but i don't think that necessarily means that's how it's going to happen.

mike tries and fails to communicate his true feelings to el multiple times throughout the show, and the few times that he does manage to tell her how he feels are usually based on impulse or because she's on the verge of death (and as we know, they're not necessarily his true feelings).

it's important for mike to be the one to confess to will, not only for his own emotional growth, but also to show the audience that will is the only person that he's able to be his true self with (both platonically and romantically). even though he's been able to successfully express his true feelings to will in the past, he's only been able to do so under the guise of friendship. but any time his feelings could possibly be misconstrued as romantic, we can see him acting similarly toward will like he does el: by pulling away, acting impulsively, or lashing out (like at the airport when he doesn't hug will, or at the roller rink when he says they're just friends. this is probably because mike is worried that treating will in the same way as he's expected to treat his girlfriend could be seem as romantic).

will has already done his part to try and communicate his feelings to mike. although he DID lie by saying the painting is from el, we know that mike is eventually going to realize that will lied, so will's true feelings will still be understood by mike in the end, regardless of will's intention to push him closer to el instead.

this now puts the ball in mike's court, leaving it up to him to be the one that has to confess to will. and i think that these lyrics do a great job of showcasing mike's struggle to communicate his true romantic feelings. he's so used to repressing himself and his interests and tries so hard to be "normal" that he wants someone else that isn't as scared of being different (or at least less scared than him) to do the hard part first.

so i think that mike has to be the one to clearly confess his feelings and put himself out there. this season is going to force him on a journey of emotional growth and self-acceptance. finally, mike is going to be the first one to step out of line and risk it all, even if he thinks he might be rejected. he's going to fully accept himself, not just the fact that he's d&d-loving nerd, but also that he's gay and in love with his best friend

[will80sbyers]

💚

💚: What does everyone else get wrong about your favorite character?

Maybe not everyone else but many people think he's already okay with being gay and he's only suffering because Mike doesn't reciprocate in his mind, but I think he did not truly accept himself for being gay yet, he's very depressed and self hating way more than people believe but he's not showing it yet, he's repressing so much emotion that he wants to scream when he actually thinks about it and can't keep the tears in like he really wants to... he's very close to completing his journey though, he just needs the show to reach season 5 to do exactly that lmao

Obviously my favourite is Will lol

[therainscene]

There’s a genre of anti-Byler argument that I like to call But It Was The 80s.

I’m sure you’re familiar with it: Will getting his heart broken would be good rep actually, because that’s just what it was like in the 80s; Mike being queer too would be unrealistic, because there weren’t that many gay people back then; and did queers ever really experience joy prior to 2015 anyway?

...But I think it’s worth taking a look at what the show is trying to tell us about being queer in the 80s. Stories, especially ones with fantastical elements such as monsters and superpowers, aren’t obligated to be perfectly realistic so long as they resonate with our experiences.

So how does Stranger Things resonate with queerness?

Every season so far has given us an iconic moment in which a character tries to stand up to a monster and is horribly punished for it:

In S1, Will loads a gun and faces the Demogorgon in self-defense... but he can’t fight it and gets dragged into the Upside Down.

In S2, Will takes Bob’s advice to tell the Mind Flayer to go away... but it gives zero fucks and consumes him anyway.

In S3, a small act of compassion from El inspires Billy to betray the Mind Flayer... but he’s immediately killed for trying.

In S4, Eddie decides that he’s done with running, so he distracts the bats to buy his friends more time... and succeeds! But at the cost of his own life. A waste, given that his friends’ plan to kill Vecna didn’t even work.

The show even brings this (lack of) progression full circle by paralleling Will and Eddie’s disappearances:

If we read the monsters as metaphors for the overwhelming force of bigotry and conformity in the 80s, it seems as though the show is telling us that there’s no point in trying to fight back, because it will crush you back down every time.

Indeed, we see a more literal but subtle version of this message play out in S3′s rain fight -- Will tries to call Mike out on losing himself to comphet, but Mike defensively lashes out at him, (unintentionally) reminding Will that he doesn’t have the right to question heteronormativity. Devastated that not even his plan to be Best Friends Forever with Mike was an acceptable compromise, Will takes that reminder to heart.

This definitely resonates with what it felt like to be a queer adolescent in the 80s... (and 90s... and 00s...) but it’s an awfully bleak message. Is that really the story Stranger Things is trying to tell?

The rain fight is the lowest moment in Will’s arc -- it’s only uphill for him from here.

In S4, he repairs his friendship with Mike and accepts that this is the best he can hope for, which is exactly the sort of bittersweet note a bleak story about the reality of being gay in the 80s might end on... if Will didn’t have a whole season’s worth of uphill journey left to do.

Let’s take another look at those iconic monster-facing moments. Was there really a lack of progression there, or were they, too, building up to something?

In S1, Jonathan and Joyce aren’t home and the phone isn’t working, forcing Will to face the Demogorgon by himself.

In S2, Will is emboldened by advice from an ally... but that ally, though well-meaning, has no idea what he’s talking about, and isn’t there by Will’s side when the time comes to actually face the monster.

In S3, El’s act of compassion is too little too late, and Billy doesn’t have time to fix his mistakes and team up with the party.

In S4, Eddie ignores Dustin’s demands to regroup with him, and faces the bats alone. The rest of the party are working as a team to fight Vecna... but interestingly, Will isn’t there to help them form a plan.

The problem isn’t that the monster is undefeatable -- it just can’t be defeated by any one person, nor can it be defeated without the guidance of its victims who understand it better than anyone else.

Yes, in S4 they have Max, who provides some helpful insight, but this is her first time dealing with Vecna -- she doesn’t have the level of experience that Will does. Compare to S1, when Joyce reaches out to Will through the lights for advice on how to rescue him -- he provides a little insight, but ultimately, Joyce doesn’t get the information she needs until she teams up with someone with lived experience.

This principle isn’t unique to queerness, of course, but it certainly resonates strongly with queerness.

The 80s may have been a godawful time to be gay, but it’s hardly as though gay pride didn’t exist. The progress that we’ve made since then was only possible because the LGBTQ+ community banded together and fought for their rights -- in the 80s.

And that’s the deeply homophobic core of But It Was The 80s as an argument: that queers shouldn’t remember the work done by our elders or be inspired to do the same, but instead swallow the lie that cishet society benevolently decided on its own to stop being homophobic. That we should be thankful for what scraps they’ve granted us, and wait patiently in the closet for them to grant us more.

Where Will finds himself at the end of S4 -- grateful that at least he’s loved platonically and too beaten down to ask for more -- is precisely where the heteronormative audience expects him to be. His queer arc has satisfactorily resolved itself, as far as they’re concerned, so in S5 he might as well die or become a villain or whatever.

Or, more charitably, he can unlock his powers and be the hero, but only on the condition that it’s strictly a metaphor for coping with trauma and he doesn’t get all gay about it.

But he is absolutely going to get all gay about it.

Will’s story, much like Stranger Things as a whole, isn’t about accepting the bleakness of being an outcast in the 80s -- it’s about staring that bleakness in the face and saying: “Unacceptable. I deserve to be happy on my own terms.”

[emblazons]

Thinking about how people who only (or primarily) understand Mike’s arc through a “hes queer and coming to accept it / struggling with heteronormativity/will get his happy ending when he gets with Will” lens are missing at least half of what defines his arc in the wider context / themes of the show.

Forewarning: long post (& also maybe an unpopular opinion)

Even as a queer person myself, I know that his arc isn’t solely about embracing his queerness (though it’s inherently interlinked). In Mike, you have a character who is being radically challenged by both external circumstances and his own decisions through a journey away from all kinds of forced conformity (social, familial, romantic & heteronormative) and into someone self actualized enough to live how they want…while also being strong enough to accept that they made mistakes along the way. Someone who is learning to be brave enough to say “this is who I am, what I enjoy, and what/who I love…and while it took me a lot of time to figure it out, now I can exist in the world embracing that even though it will take consistently resisting the tendency to accommodate people who think it’s unacceptable.”

Like. Even from a time before puberty (see: S3) Mike wants a life that stands apart from what’s expected of him in every area, not just in choosing a romantic relationship with another guy. He wants to continue to be a nerd and “child at heart” even though something else is repeatedly demanded of him by everyone from his parents to El in his romantic relationship. He wants to be a writer and someone who takes those nerdy interests into his adult life (cue aggressive gesturing toward the duffers themselves) and grates against all that’s been constructed for him even when he’s not (yet) brave enough to challenge it directly. Mike liking boys/loving Will is just “the final nail in the coffin” of his social and societal nonconformity—not the first (or the last) aspect of what makes him different from Hawkins or the life he was made to believe would suit him best.

Even the fact that Mike has a desire to be “normal” comes from an insecurity and fear that choosing what he truly wants will lead to him being outcasted and losing the people he cares for entirely—which is partially motivated by his queerness yes, but that also has a basis in his general interests and personality…which becomes especially obvious when you realize we are repeatedly shown that he is punished/has his wishes ignored in all areas he doesn’t conform, even long before we get into a plot where it’s clearer he likes boys.

We see it in how his parents have already started to demand he put boundaries on the time he spends playing his “childhood games” the very first scene of season one, how they demand social acceptable emotions from him when Will is missing, and how Karen & Ted want him to give up toys in S2 when he’s showing signs of depression (because they think the issue is him growing up, not that he’s struggling with loss or guilt for what happened to El).

We see it in how his own father comments about taking his CA trip away from him after calling Hellfire being a group for “dropouts” in S4 (implying that he is failing on an academic and social level that matters to wheelers—and that Nancy is good at).

We even see it in the way everyone from his bullies to his own girlfriend threaten and take things away from him when he doesn’t conform to social expectations...from Troy telling him to jump off the cliff to save Dustin in S1 (as punishment for the one time Mike stands up for himself in the gymnasium) to El jumping straight into breaking up with him and spying on him when he doesn’t do exactly what she wants him to in Season 3.

All of these moments are critical to understanding Mike as a person because they show us that, even without addressing his queerness, Mike’s desire to conform to socialized expectations involves but is not solely about him moving out of heteronormativity—it’s about him moving against everything that WASP, patriarchal, heteronormative and capitalistic and performative “wholesome American” values…and how he is learning to move past the fear of what will happen if he steps outside the lines in general, even though he already knows he hates those standards.

Mike’s “coming of age” arc is about finding the strength to choose the “path less traveled” in all areas of his life—even when it means (potentially) losing the support of the people he cares about. It’s about starting from a place of privilege and becoming okay with being outcasted from it in a way your insecurities never let you be before (which is inherently different than Will, who has always been shown to have some kind of support not just for his queerness but his artistic endeavors as well). Mike’s lack of support is why he starts from a place of deep insecurity, yes—but it’s also why him learning power of choosing to be himself, even if it means “losing” people when he’s honest about who (& what) he is will be universally powerful.

You don’t need to be queer to understand the power of what it means to know you will be okay even if people leave you. You don’t need to be queer to understand the power of stepping outside social expectations or your family’s way of raising you. You don’t even need to be queer to understand the weight of breaking up with someone you were only with to satisfy what you thought you should do, rather than be with who you want to.

The power of being strong enough to overcome your insecurities in order to “step out of line” and live and love as you want to is universal, and a stunningly brave choice no matter what or why you chose to do so. The fact that Will will be there waiting to love him in that honesty with himself is beautiful, yes—but it’s not the only lesson to be learned for Mike’s character.

Mike starting out with everything the world (or, at least America) tells would make you happy, realizing he is not happy with those things and rejecting them knowing it might have consequences is what makes his arc powerful, because he is learning (exactly like his sister Nancy) to be brave enough to accept those consequences (which for him are getting dumped, and feeling like he’s being left behind by some of his friends) to follow his own heart.

Even though The Duffers aren’t writing this into a tragic ending (aka: he’s not going to die or be left alone, because the duffers writing is inherently designed ro champion the outcast), these are the things that have (and will) make him relatable even to an audience that doesn’t know queerness. Erasing the fact that his lesson is the bravery it takes to follow your heart solely to talk about him liking guys (even Will) is to undermine his humanity, and the lessons to be learned from him by even the most general an audience.

TL:DR - the heteronormative aspect of Mike’s character is not the sole or even inherent issue within Mike, though heteronormativity is inherently built into his struggle.

There are deep dives on how his arc is also about a war against toxic patriarchy, toxic masculinity, emphasis on capitalistic and academic accomplishments over artistic ones, and even conformist relationships (whether they’re queer or not) that should be explored for his character—and I for one like him too much not to move out of just “this boy is queer because xyz” and into “let’s talk about Mike in terms of the wider scope of his cultural context and upbringing.” 🤷🏽‍♀️😂

[elmax-week2023]

Hello, nerds! Welcome to Elmax week! 💜❤️

DATE: from the 28th of August to the 3rd of September but we’ll be accepting submissions up to 3 weeks after the event

RULES

Every work you submit must be tagged as #elmaxweek2023 so that we can see it and reblog it!

Any type of work can be part of the event! Submit everything and anything as long it has to do with our girls! Ofc

This is a romantic Elmax week not platonic. Also try to avoid Elumax, please. Your works can have minor or background relationships but the main pair must be Elmax.

Also please try to keep this SFW but if it isn’t, please tag the post as NSFW and hide it under the cut so that we know!

Avoid smut but if there is, again tag the work as such!

FANFIC PROMPTS:

Roomates AU

Rink-O’-Mania fix it (Max goes to Cali instead of Mike or both go to Cali together)

1930s AU

Hanahaki AU

Post comatose Max

Second Chances

Self discovery journey and coming out

MOODBOARD AND FANART PROMPTS:

Summer days

Sleep overs and night time activities

Shopping and Music

Sports AU

Flowers and nature

Historical AU

Vacation and First Date

PROMPTS FOR EDITS AND GIFS:

First meeting

Spiderman AU

Girl In Red theme

Mileven break up

Will’s monologue played over Elmax scene

Favorite Outfits

Free day

AO3 COLLECTION

El’s Tumblr acc and Arian’s Tumblr acc

We’ll be posting some moodboards to set the mood!

And remember, we make our own rules! 💜❤️

[metamatar]

ok so i am very much uninformed on politics, i decided at a younger age that i wasn't interested in it and therefore would not read or keep myself particularly informed about it. obviously this is a bad idea, and i want to change and keep myself informed on actual politics and well, abstract[?] (wrong word but cannot think of another, basically mean like. knowing which political .. stance ?? [idk. like marxist or communist or whatever] i might be.) ones as well. what's a good place to get started here? where do i look for actual politics going on in india since i'm pretty sure ndtv or whatever isn't exactly the best source? or maybe it is? idk, like i said i'm pretty uninformed on the matter but would like to learn more

so one thing is, in india you have to accept the media landscape is just dire because being a journalist with integrity is a bit like signing up to have your life ruined. all major media has been bought by hindutva already. what you have to do is more learn to read between lines, understand people's motivations, which is a matter of practice. a good way to start is to read analysis (not news reports) of the same incident in different media and you'll start noticing patterns. even more important imo is to talk and bounce ideas with a friend at a similar place as you or someone interested in politics who won't overwhelm you with their perspective. you can try online but idt its safe or advisable anymore to do that experiment online. i had debate club in university (sad) and some socialist reading groups (better) after. the thing is this journey to self education is kind of personal and im also not pedagogically oriented or trained? so lots of first person description instead of prescriptions.

i still check what's up on ndtv because it gives me a good pulse of what english language media and liberals are thinking. major newspapers i scan hindu and the indian express sometimes. online i have a look at newslaundry (also has some youtube content) and the wire, they're reader supported and haven't turned full hindutva yet. i read longer form things in the caravan and epw, but these are subscription based. i keep tabs on the latest round of hindutva fake news when alt news debunks it.

for the abstract things, i literally did an online course bc i was frustrated by what all the liberal arts grads seemed to already agree on. i did ian shapiro's moral foundations of politics which is available online as both youtube lectures and a textbook. if you want to go that route feel free but it's not necessary, you can also try to read the entries on wikipedia or stanford encyclopedia of philosophy (more expertise) when you encounter something unfamiliar and build up like that. podcasts like bbc in our time will often interview academics to give intros to many political philosophy concepts and thinkers. whatever your learning style supports! i think the important thing is to find something you are actually interested in, and take that tack. i like history, so i might read books about historical revolutions or historical forms of organising society or listen to podcasts like mike duncan's revolutions.

For communism the usual starting points are these very short pamphlets:

Principles of Communism by Engels

The Manifesto of the Communist Party by Marx

Wage-Labor and Capital by Marx

Socialism: Utopian and Scientific by Engels

feel free to ask for more specific questions!

[wen-kexing-apologist]

Bengiyo's Queer Cinema Syllabus

Not to sound repetitive but, I had a busy couple weeks, but finally had a second to return to @bengiyo’s queer cinema syllabus. I am currently working my way through Unit 4: Heartbreak Alley, the totally light-hearted, definitely not agonizing section of the syllabus where I get to watch countless acts of violence be committed against queer people. Thank fuck I have Lesbians waiting for me at the end of this unit. The films in Unit 4 are: Bent (1997), Strange Fruit (2004),Boys Don’t Cry (1999), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Parting Glances (1986), Philadelphia (1993), The Living End (1992), Holding the Man (2015), Jeffery (1995), and Boys on the Side (1995).

Today I will be talking about

The Living End (1992) dir. Gregg Akari

Summary: Luke is a gay hustler. Jon is a movie critic. Both are HIV positive. They go on a hedonistic, dangerous journey, their motto "Fuck the world".

Content Warning: gun violence, sexual assault, suicidality, self harm, homophobia

Cast:

Mike Dytri as Luke

Craig Gilmore as Jon

___

If there is one thing I feel confident in saying about The Living End, it’s that it is very very very good at visual storytelling. Even though Luke gives the thesis statement near the end of the movie (“It’s living inside me, but I can’t see it. Can you? This just looks like regular boring old blood to me.”), I don’t even know that it is necessary because the imagery has been so strong up through that point that I picked up on the pattern Gregg Akari was giving immediately. 

My main focus when watching this film ended up being all of the symbolism that the production crew put in to the set, the wardrobe, the makeup. Blood is the name of the game. Violence is the name of the game. Red is the name of the game. When we start the film we meet Jon, who has just been diagnosed with AIDS and Luke who seems to have had his diagnosis for a while. And it becomes clear very quickly that they are on two opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their relationship with AIDS and their relationship with life. 

The first thing we get in the film is the sound of spray paint over a black screen. When we cut to the opening scene, we see Luke spray painting Fuck the World with red spray paint, in a shirt that is covered in red. We see him with a cigarette in his mouth, we see him chugging whiskey, music blasting through his headsets. When we cut to Jon there is silence, he turns his car on, he drives away, and we see the Choose Death bumper sticker on the back of his car. His opening monologue is like any other early 90’s movie, “Journal entry of April 13th. Day like any other. The first day of the rest of my life.” Except that Jon’s journal entry ends with his AIDS diagnosis. 

I kind of see this as Jon and Luke’s approaches to the world. Jon trying to maintain a sense of normalcy, status quo, to fit in to society as much as possible whereas Luke is going against society’s grain (and he literally says as much not too long after this when he graffiti’s the words I hate society on a wall). What I found so interesting about this film was these constant reminders of death that just floated around the scenery, the structure of the film. Jon says “death is weird” and immediately after that we hear a line from the song on the radio that says “I want to go to hell” 

We see Luke hitch a ride with two women, one who just is constantly talking about his dick, and giving off very creepy vibes. We establish immediately where Luke stands in his relationship to life and living when these women pull a gun on him and hold it straight to his face, and he looks…thoroughly unimpressed, bored even. There is not an ounce of fear in his face whatsoever, because he has already accepted that his AIDS diagnosis means he will die. So what if it happens a little bit faster than anticipated? Luke doesn’t give a fuck. 

Luke ends up driving away with this stolen red car and this gun, gets a flat tire, and hitches a ride with a man who wants to fuck him. Luke is then witness to a murder, and he is splattered with blood. And that is where things started to become striking for me. Because we get a close up of the murdered man’s arm, with blood running down it. We see a dog licking blood off the arm, we see Luke with blood on him. Blood borne pathogen prevention would say to treat all blood like it has something that can infect you. But what do we assume here? 

I know that for me, I defaulted to the assumption that this man’s blood did not have any infectious pathogen in it. I know I made that assumption for all of the blood we see in the film, with two notable exceptions. Within fifteen minutes of the film, Luke has had two women confess to committing at least two brutal murders, then watched a man be murdered himself. And when you’d think the night would be over, he gets threatened with a violent beating by three men with baseball bats looking for a faggot to bludgeon. 

And this is where things start to unravel, because Luke is dying, right? He knows he is dying, he doesn’t know where, he doesn’t know when, but in his mind he has literally nothing to lose. And so there is no going quietly in to that good night for him. He shoots all three men to death with the gun he stole from the women who wanted to kill him. We get a closeup of blood spatter across a white t-shirt that reads Sex, Lies, and Videotape. 

When Luke runs away from the scene, in to Jon’s car, and eventually in to Jon’s apartment, we get to see all these other little looming reminders of death that to me function similarly to the way that the backing track in Parting Glances functioned. Luke opens a closet door in Jon’s apartment and the first thing we see is a plastic skeleton hanging from the door. A literal skeleton in the closet. I don’t have the energy to type out the multiple metaphors that I can draw from that imagery, but trust there actually are multiple. 

Death looms. Jon has a movie poster on his wall called My Degeneration. Death looms. Jon says he is writing an article about “the death…

…of cinema” 

Death looms. Luke complains about how the past generation got to have all the fun, and our generation has to deal with the consequences. I am content and yet saddened by the fact that that seems to be the plight of many generations. They fucked up, we are paying the price. We are seeing that right now…

Anyway! Death looms. A man outside a store tells Jon and Luke he will kill them, tells them AIDS stands for Adios, Idiot Dick Suckers. They are all standing in front of a storefront with flames spray painted up the side. Jon, who has just been diagnosed with AIDS and is reckoning with what happens when you a poor decision just wants to keep everything calm. This dude is harassing them, but he isn’t actually a physical threat. He’s talking a big game, but he will not follow through. Luke however is going to die. We don’t know much about Luke before his AIDS diagnosis, but he sure as shit is firmly rooted in the “fuck the consequences, I’m dying anyway” camp. Luke beats that man to death. 

Jon, rightfully, freaks out and send Luke off. Jon and Darcy go out for a meal, with a piece of burnt toast above them the whole time. Darcy talks to her partner in their kitchen, with a cross-sectional sculpture of a rooster behind her, all it’s internal organs on display. Jon wakes up to Luke covered, once again, in blood and holding the pistol in his mouth. Luke has killed a cop, Luke convinces Jon to go on the run with him. In Jon’s car. With the Choose Death sticker on the back. 

Luke and Jon fuck a lot. They fuck in the back of the car, they fuck in the motel, they fuck on the road. And they don’t have to be careful if they don’t want to, because they are both positive. Luke lays on the trunk of the car with a cross necklace in one hand and a gun in the other.  What a beautiful visual metaphor. They talk about how they are animals, we cut to a video of surgery, the internal organs on display. All the insides visible. If Luke is not shirtless, he is wearing something with red in it. His t-shirts have red in them, his swim trunks have red in them. The conversations he has with Jon have red in them, behind them on the wall in posters, in graffiti, in signage. 

Just all these constant, little reminders of blood, of AIDS, of death. Luke and Jon talk about death: 

“I hear death is a lot like coming. The same chemicals get released in the bloodstream.” I am reminded that orgasms can be referred to as ‘the little death.’ It makes sense why Jon and Luke are fucking so much in this movie. Things continue to spiral, Jon continues to lose his grip on the situation, Luke continues to act as reckless as he wants to, he shoots that gun as freely as he wants to. He cuts himself when he wants to, and we see the blood on his wrist. And it is the first time I know for a fact the blood is infectious. 

Jon wants to go home. Luke does not want Jon to go home. Luke wants to drag Jon down with him. And he does literally drag him after pistol whipping him in the forehead, and making him bleed. Once again, Luke is covered in blood. This blood also infectious. Luke drags an unconscious Jon somewhere in the sand. Luke puts the gun in his own mouth and fucks Jon in what I personally would consider sexual assault, but could be a contentious consensual endeavor. Luke pulls the trigger and the gun does not go off. No death for Luke today, and so we shall not know when death will come. 

When all is said and done, Jon punches Luke in the face and walks away. But just as Luke walked away from the man who said he would kill them, the one who had a shitty little standin for the acronym AIDS and then returned after a moment, Jon returns to Luke’s side after a moment. Jon and Luke sit next to each other, facing opposite directions. Something else I consider a pretty decent visual metaphor for how Jon and Luke view the world after their diagnoses. 

They sit and they do not watch the sunset over the water. We fade to black with the sound of the waves paralleling the sound of the spray paint. Maybe Jon and Luke will die, maybe they will live. We will never know, because we leave them there on the beach, with the sunset. 

Favorite Moment 

My favorite moment is not in the film itself but at the end of the credits. A dedication of The Living End from Gregg Akari: 

Dedicated to craig lee (1954-1991) and the hundreds of thousands who’ve died and the hundreds of thousands more who will die because of a big white house full of republican fuckheads

Gregg clearly had a mission and a message with this film. I think it is something truly beautiful to dedicate a piece of yourself, work that is hard, work that is intentional, to someone you love. Even if they aren’t around to see it. I think there is something too in the fight Luke had, to give immediate and deadly consequences to the people who tried to hurt him, who wanted him dead, who harassed him and the man he was falling in love with. We try to fight back against oppression with peace, but sometimes it is violence that we need, and it is almost always violence that we are met with from those who want to silence us. 

Favorite Quote

“It’s living inside me, but I can’t see it. Can you? This just looks like regular boring old blood to me. What’s the matter, haven’t you ever seen somebody bleed before?”

It’s the central theme of the movie, in my opinion and I think having Luke say this, while he is actively bleeding, while he is spiraling towards the end of whatever rope he is clinging to is vitally important to making sure the audience understands what it is that is driving Luke to act the way he is acting. Luke killed at least five people, that reckless, violent, wild anger needs to be contextualized around the point that Luke is grieving his life. The life he had, the life he could have had, the life he can no longer plan too far ahead for. 

Score 

I think I am going to give this a

7.5/10 

I think Gregg Akari had a very clear vision, I think he did what he came here to do with this film and yet it was hard for me to get too in to. The emotional impact wasn’t there for me, I didn’t connect well to the characters, I was sometimes confused about what was happening or what had happened. The film wasn’t bad, but there wasn’t any scene memorable enough for me to pull out as a favorite. It was however very fun for the technical theater/minute detail oriented parts of my brain to come out of hibernation and analyze the set dressing for film commentary. 

[joanie07]

Anti-bylers say we hate El and Mike because we are trying to sacrifice their happiness for Byler, but that's not our goal. We aren't praying for their downfall. We just want what's best for these characters.

El is clearly not happy in her relationship. Mileven is bones, and you just don't want to admit it. She is not loved the way she wants to be by Mike. She begins the season fabricating her life in front of Mike in hopes of restoring a relationship that's already broken. By the end, she is annoyed with Mike lying to her, leaving them off on a bitter note. El’s character arc focuses on her independence. If the Duffers have been building this throughout the show, why would they ruin it for the last season and throw all this progress away so she can stay in a relationship that’s no longer bringing her joy? In the third season, when El dumps Mike, she seems so much happier. She is paying more attention to others at the party (like Max). And with her independence, we see her go on journeys of self-discovery. We see her true self shine, so she isn’t just the buzz-cut girl with telekinetic powers and a funny name. She is so much more than that, and having a relationship with Mike that relies on kissing isn’t teaching her much about herself, her surroundings, or her other relationships.

Mike, on the other hand, has been pretending in his relationship with El for the longest time. He doesn't want to seem like a nerd, so he ditches D&D to make out with her. He puts on a facade at the beginning of season 4. We know El's intentions for putting on the facade, but what are Mike's? It's almost as if he is hiding something. Once El is gone, he continuously has vulnerable conversations with Will that lead to acceptance and mutual understanding. Conversations that Mike and El have never had. The only vulnerable conversation was their fight in S4, which did not end on good terms.

I don't understand how Milevens think this is a good dynamic. How is lying to each other about your personality good for either of them? Their relationship is at its end, and I think they both realize it. Frankly, Milevens don't care about El's or Mike’s feelings. They just want to see more straight couples pop out babies and have sex, even though this show is literally called Stranger Things, and the nuclear family construct is "normal," the antonym for strange. We don't need another straight couple. We especially don't need another straight couple with no real love. Don't get me wrong, they have good chemistry, but I view it platonically rather than romantically.

Mike and Will don't have to lie to give and receive affection. They are the most honest duo on the show. I consider that a way better dynamic than Mileven. And, if you pair their good communication with the classic romance tropes used for Byler, you can't really deny Byler. 

[sevensided]

I think Mike’s obliviousness might be less of a “wow he’s so stupid” thing and more like “his self esteem issues are making him assume the worst because he feels unlovable for who he is deep down so even if he did feel that something was off, his issues made him discard that train of thought” like I think the romcomy obliviousness is doing him a disservice. Will’s “No one will love me because I’m gay” vs Mike’s “No one will love me because I’m me”

Definitely. I don't trust anyone who says that Mike is stupid: he is demonstrably not. He is an intelligent person. However, he has particular ideas around who he needs to be, and those ideas are incompatible with who he wants to be.

Mike undermines himself in his relationship with El all the time. When he talks about how wonderful she is he is telling the truth - but he's also expressing it as a matter of awe, like, 'And now you like me.' Really, Mike won't be able to embrace any part of himself until he recognises that he can be a whole person outside of El. And this is the same journey that El is on, except hers is complicated with essentially having her identity totally stripped away for the majority of her life. But the point is is that they're fighting the same issues.

I think the Duffers are playing on the typical miscommunication trope precisely because this subplot is romantic. The question is now whether the romantic subplot is related to Mike and El, or Mike and Will. Obviously, I believe that it's the latter. There's too much baggage with the former pairing for it to, at this stage, come to fruition in S5.

I've said for a long time that the central point of the show is acceptance. Accept yourself, accept that strange things happen, etc. Neither Mike or El would be happy with each other because they are learning to accept themselves, and until they do that they are not emotionally ready for any kind of relationship, let alone with each other.