#obviously symbolizes acceptance of him being gay

[snug-as-bugalugs-in-rugalugs]

Hey fellow Murdochians, I need something new to obsess over :) So if you have the inclination, please reblog this post and put in the tags (or just normal reblogs) a piece of symbolism or parallel or some other kind of connection you noticed in the show that, even if the creators may not have intended it, makes you go a little insane :)

[eddiegettingshot]

most of the time i don’t even think it’s worth engaging with this stuff because it’s stupid and continues to illustrate a lack of understanding about. stories and fiction and such. but like. the new Thing from people who don’t like eddie or buddie or whatever is being like “eddie stans care about a sexuality arc more than anything else! it’s always about eddie’s sexuality! there are other things to explore!” and the thing is that yeah, i’m sure there are people who are only interested in him being gay (which is fine?) and yeah, obviously there are other things. but like. the thing that people forget in a myriad of ways is that eddie is not buck. for a character like eddie, defined by lifelong expectations and repression and a very specific struggle with the idea of Family, the symbolism of his sexuality holds a lot more weight than the just the fact of his attraction to men (in his STORY, not in-universe!). this is not to say that buck can’t or doesn’t have complex feelings about his bisexuality, but insofar as his actual character arc, his coming out doesn’t actually touch much on a lot of the things he’s been reckoning with as a character: what his purpose is, his parental trauma and abandonment issues, his struggle to actually recognize his wants, his pathological need to please. but for eddie, coming out could and would involve a lot of that specific character growth: reckoning with the expectations everyone has always had for him, being able to self-discover, accepting and putting his wants and needs first for once rather than repressing them, rethinking what a family might look like and his place in it, maybe understanding some of his own mistakes, and continuing to be the best version of himself for his son. like yes he will also be into men and into buck specifically but this is all eddie’s specific baggage; his sexuality is a representation of his Whole Self, rather than the repressed self that caused him and the people around him pain. that’s why it’s so important to eddie understanders to see it 🫶🏽

[wellofdean]

I wanted to make a separate pose to big up these excellent tags on this post about how a show can be about misogyny when it's about men from @deangirlism101 :

#by virtue of watching the show long after it stopped airing and after years of exposure to the fandom#I've experienced a very interesting phenomenon wherein i went in expecting a very straightforward male fantasy#specifically in regards to dean#and was continuously surprised by how dean was around women who were actual characters and not caricatures#with caricatures of women dean also becomes a caricature of a womanizer#but with woman characters? with victims and friends?#dean is constantly paternal/brotherly#endlessly protective and respectful#in fact dean's utter lack of sexualization of the complex women around him in the first few seasons#kind of had me thinking he might just be straightforward gay#additionally it's interesting to point out that dean is the only one of the three winchesters who does not have a#''symbolic woman'' that drives his narrative#i.e. of the three winchesters he is the one who engages with the women around him as people and not someTHING to give him ''purpose''#which ties pretty well into his own role in his family being a typically femenine one#john endlessly relies on dean to serve the role of his mother yet he resents him when he does it so naturally#which from a queer lense is pretty much spelling out ''john can't put his finger on it but something (queerness) about dean bothers him''#anyways it just surprises me how#the fandom has perpetuated this image of the characters#and how#ironically#that image is the exact caricature dean so obviously puts on and we so obviously are supposed to KNOW he puts on

Some really nice points here, and bang on target:

Dean is not called to his adventure/journey because a symbolic woman dies like John and Sam are; he is put upon it by his father and his own sense of responsibility and love before he has the agency to choose. He wants his father's approval, his brother's love, and he wants not to be alone in a world of monsters...and...is HE a monster? A killer? Is everything his fault?

John resents Dean because what he needs from Dean (obedience, domestic work, emotional labour) is feminine. It's what women are for. Dean internalizes that resentment. Sam defies John and is driven by his own losses, and John can respect that, but Dean becomes the family repository of what they've lost. Dean is the eldest daughter who can never do enough.

John has chosen to abandon normal life and live on the fringes to pursue his revenge quest, and Sam is fighting to get back to the center -- left his family, hot girlfriend, Stanford Law, credit in the straight world, friends. But Dean? He has accepted that he will never be normal. He has accepted that he will always be a lonely, liminal weirdo who knows something terrible about the world that most people are spared from knowing.

Like:

If you leave Supernatural season 1 without realising that everything Dean pretends to be is pretty much the opposite of what he is, then you are not watching it right, full stop. The Dean Winchester he pretends to be is a character invented by a terrified, homeless, wounded little boy who doesn't know how else to protect himself.

Second, if you can't see how totally fucking queer all that is, I CAN'T HELP YOU. And,

you cannot hit that many nails on the head without knowing where you're swinging your hammer, and in conclusion, Dean was always deeply queered, and that was in the DNA of his character.

The truth is, that Dean is a very cohesive character. He is written and performed beautifully, and with intention. He is not an accident, he is an artistic creation, and he is excellently drawn. I am not "giving the writers too much credit", I am taking an Occam's Razor-type view of it, and coming up with the simplest explanation for what I see on the screen.

That said, if by some insane magic trick they managed to make Dean this queer by accident? It doesn't matter what they intended, because THE TEXT IS WHAT IT IS. I don't need the permission of the authors to see a church by daylight, and Dean is THAT OBVIOUS.

[greenfiend]

rach your byler unpopular opinion post is so fascinating. big brain moves. plz keep sharing more unpopular opinions or expanding on them cuz i'm eating it up! 💛💚🩵🧡💜😆💅🏽🫂

Lex! Thank you!

Honestly, I can go on for days expanding on the importance of Will's sexual identity/self-esteem/trauma etc to the entire narrative of the show.

Opening doors is a common motif throughout the show, and it all leads back to Will.

The door/the gate represents: his openness to the world/his sexuality... and uhhh... his "backdoor". (<- click the link for info on that... TW for mentions of sex and CSA)

The importance here is that Will needs to open his door on his own terms. Obviously just like a queer person needs to chose when they come out of the closet. For Will so far, unfortunately, it has been opened several times without his consent.

Lets break it all down:

Season 1: The gate is open and Will is trapped in the UD (deep in the closet symbolically). The gate being open = Will is exposed. Compromised. We know this because everyone in town seems to be aware that he's gay.

Season 2: The gate is open once again, correlated with the bullying Will receives from his classmates. They remind him once again that his identity is compromised. Mike also reminds him too, but in a good way. The gate is closed at the end of the season and we see Will dancing with a girl.

Season 3: Okay. THIS SEASON!! Bare with me on this one okay? It gets a bit insane... "The Russians" are trying to open a gate in Hawkins. Now. I believe the Russians represent Mike. The Russians are saying they need "more time", and right after that we see a photo of Mike with this line from a song playing "just a little more time will open closing doors". Now. Mike is NOT being malicious here okay? His presence in Will's life just keeps reminding Will of his own sexuality. He is "The Key" to Will's door, thus is leading to his "door"/"the gate" opening. Will is NOT READY, so the gate only partially opens... then it is FORCED SHUT BY WILL'S OWN MOTHER TO PROTECT HIM! But uhh yeah. The whole Russian operation this season is inspired by the movie Inside Out!!! I could go on but I'll stop for now...

Season 4: So, Will is separated physically from Mike but is not able to separate himself from his sexuality (and his love for Mike). He's coming to terms with it, slowly. More gates are opening up... After Will decides to "rip off the bandaid" and admit his feelings under a disguise... the gates/doors open up even more. The "bandaid" was covering his sexuality (on a meta level to the audience) but now he's really really exposed. POSSIBLY even exposed to Mike now too.

Season 5: Will will be more explicitly gay this coming season, with his "door" fully exposed and open. My theory though is that the gates/door will be FULLY CLOSED OFF at some point. This will be really bad because Max will be trapped on the other side and others possibly as well. The "door" will need to open. Will will need to find a way to accept himself then allow Mike to open that door as "The Key". When I say that Mike will help open the door, I mean that literally (a portal door), figuratively (the closet door), and uhh this way too.

I have an idea of how this will all play out using quite a bit of evidence from the show. LONG post on that coming soon!

On Mike: No, Mike is not just simply Will's love interest. He is struggling as well, but not in the same way. I do think that he will accept himself first though, and "give [Will] the courage to fight on."

[anxious-witch]

I would like to talk about Edwin, Charles and asexuality for a moment and why I personally like hcing Charles under the ace umbrella rather than Edwin.

To preface, this is obviously just my opinion, and if you like ace Edwin, relate to him or hc him as such, totally valid! I am just basing this off some of the narrative purpose that Edwin's sexuality plays in, and how in parallel, Charles' seems to fit into the flavor of ace-spec I am more familiar with.

Splitting this into two part bc again, I cannot seem to stop talking. This part talks about why I don't see Edwin as ace, part two will talk about why I can see Charles being ace/on the ace spectrum.

Edit: here's part two

Anyway! To the actual reasoning.

Let's start with Edwin. First thing we need to remember about Edwin is that he was born and raised in 1900s, and so that some of his behavior, habits and the way he talks about sexuality can't be judged by modern standards. Plus ofc, added layer of trauma of decades of hell.

So his dislike for being touched, his inital reaction to being flirted with etc, can all be contributed to that, imo.

But let's look at why I think it's important for his character specifically to experience sexual attraction.

Given his upbringing, and growing up with what was likely lots and lots of shame and repression around being a gay man, Edwin seems to completely block out any sort of feelings or wants he might have around other men. (Which is why he didn't realize he was in Charles until he was forced into situations) With his added trauma from hell, in which we know he, at least for a time, believe he deserved it because of being gay, I think it makes perfect sense he didn't wanna acknowledge any of it.

The first hurdle in his path was, of course, the Cat King. Now, you can love him, you can hate him, but I hope we can all agree that what Edwin experiences around him is sexual attraction. I touched upon that in my analysis of their interactions and how symbolic it is for Edwin's sexuality so I will try to keep this short. The way Edwin gasps and looks at the Cat King up and down when he transforms into just a coat and underwear, the way he recalls their meeting with the focus on the wink, on the CT's abs, the way he stares at his lips at their second meeting in ep 4. I don't think Edwin has feelings for the CT, except for maybe last ep where we can see a crush forming, but before that? That looks to me like pure sexual attraction.

It doesn't translate just to the Cat King either! We see it when CT transforms into Charles. Edwin is stunned, yes, but I think him pulling away and saying "Stop it!" Very sharply when he realizes it's a game is very telling. Sure, having romantic feelings for your best friend isn't easy to accept, but to realize you want him, in a sexual way, for even a few seconds? That must have been devastating for Edwin, due to him thinking of such desires as shameful.

Which I think is supported again when Edwin is caught by Lust in Hell, falling back into his shame, and Charles pulls him out. Because experiencing lust towards another man isn't a sin, but Edwin thinking it is is what briefly gets him stuck.

I am also not very keen on making Edwin ace due to the implication of "oh, Charles could pull him out of Lust because Edwin's love for him is pure and not lustful" because well. Being gay is no more pure or no more sinful than being straight. Gay people can have sex and it's not more morally wrong than a gay-ace couple that does not. With the rise of purity culture I feel a bit...uncomfortable with the implication of Edwin only coming to terms with his sexualityis due to the fact he only likes men romantically and there is no "sinful' sexual part. I think it kind of...defeats the purpose of his arc, especially the part where he meets the Cat King in the alley and the Cat King holds no power over him due to the fact Edwin is finally at peace with wanting him. Because that's okay. He can be attracted to him, be fine with it and not let it go any further(for now at least, hence idk what they are gonna do with s2).

So yeah. Again, not faulting anyone for any hcs or fics, if you like Edwin as ace, totally do your thing, I just feel like Charles is right there, with much more interesting dynamic when we apply ace lenses to him. But more about that in part 2

[starsandaces24]

I was thinking about light in the show, then the cat king scene happened and... First shot of it is Edwin with the blue light behind him like a halo. we know that blue is the color of Death/a happy afterlife. that's the only time we see him with the light behind him. the halo symbolism is pretty obvious

Next is the cat king, who has the blue halo behind him when he's hitting on Edwin at the start... until he traps Edwin with the bracelet. then he sits down and you get the red crown above his head. Red, like hell. At the end, as he gives Edwin the other option, he walks closer and blocks out the crown, leaving only the blue halo. If we're going with 'the bracelet symbolizes being gay', then here's my reading of the scene (keeping in mind it's my interpretation, you can 100% have your own and it will probably make more sense):

Edwin thinks the situation is safe, at least until the cat king traps him. now, he's kind of been outed and he's stuck, which means he's going to hell (if he's stuck, he'll get caught). The only way out is to accept his sexuality which he won't do, and being repressed is also associated with hell (Edwin's speech to Simon). When the cat king gives him a different way out, he sees the metaphorical and literal light at the end of the tunnel.

I don't know, it's obviously what happens in the scene, but it's interesting how the light ties into it and sets up the red/blue-hell/heaven dichotomy so early.

[star-dot-net]

i haven’t actually seen the episode in full yet but uh. something i’ve observed I suppose?

Izzy Hands. He dies yes? Yes. It makes sense narratively. I can understand being upset, but I’m telling you!! Izzy was the last attachment Ed had to being Blackbeard; the last reminder that he was this bloodthirsty pirate, the last reminder that he was unhappy. Izzy Hands was never a character for the sake of a character; he was written as a plot device, and will continue to be one if we get a season 3, I’m sure.

Just because you love him doesn’t mean him dying is illogical. It makes sense. It is Blackbeard finally being dead. It is Edward Teach finally being free. Izzy was queer, Izzy was depressed, Izzy was tortured. We saw this coming. Some people are saying “We thought DJenks would be better than this!!” but this is storytelling. Thinking about Izzy as a plot device rather than a separate character shows a lot more— he is used as a direct analogy. He represents Blackbeard. The death of Blackbeard was long time coming. Blackbeard wanted to die; Ed wanted to live. Izzy singing and becoming comfortable as himself is literally an analogy for Ed becoming comfortable as Ed.

That out of the way, here’s my thoughts about the seagull on Izzy’s grave.

One idea is that the seagull is Buttons. He is a symbol of magic this season, obviously. So, in theory, because magic is real, we could be getting Izzy back via Buttons magic.

My other theory is that Buttons being on Izzy’s grave is a reference to “to love […] requires change”

In order to love Stede the way Stede needs to be loved, Ed needed to change; Blackbeard needed to die. If this is the case, then Izzy was the remaining part holding Ed back from changing.

Anyways sorry about this but it’s so frustrating having people complaining about this. Being upset is fine, but the show writing itself is absolutely magnificent. Bury your gays does not apply to this situation because these are the “bury your gays” definitions:

Gay Guy Dies First: When the often only queer character dies early on, before straight characters.

Gayngst-Induced Suicide: When an LGBT+ character commits or attempts to commit suicide because of reasons connected to or caused by being LGBT.

Homophobic Hate Crime: When a character is attacked and often murdered by homophobic characters.

Out of the Closet, Into the Fire: After a character comes out they are quickly killed, harmed, or cosmically punished.

Tragic AIDS Story: The story involves the miseries of HIV/AIDS, often starring gay men, sometimes treated like a punishment for homosexuality.

Vasquez Always Dies: The most lesbian-coded character, or the closest thing the work has to a butch character, always seems to get killed off, or has the most violent and drawn-out death.

The closest possible one, if this were bury your gays, would be “Out of the Closet, Into the Fire”. HOWEVER!!!!!! Izzy is not killed because he’s queer. He’s not killed “after he comes out”. Plus, literally every main character in the show is queer. Every single one. I do not believe this is a bury your gays. I believe this is a purposefully heartbreaking kill; you’re SUPPOSED to like Izzy by now! Because Ed likes Ed now. He’s accepted himself. That’s what Izzy was for; showcasing Ed’s internal journey.

[b3lz33bub]

[warning: Enstars brainrot is back after a whole year, I still ramble like a nerd, spoilers for Raison d'être event story]

Valkyrie - Le temps des fleurs

*:･ﾟ✧ Lyrics, video and story analysis :*✧･ﾟ

(even if it's so obviously gay)

I have resurrected my enstars obsession and I found myself fated to dissect Valkyrie's intriguing songs once again, as it seems their relationship has progressed much since last time I had checked on them. This is one going to be elaborate since the song is heavily tied to the event story Raison d'être and to the stage performance which is filled with plenty of symbolism.

˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚ Relevant links ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚

Lyrics translation by ForeverAsia

Raison d'être translation by Mika Enstars

Official MV

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ Title *:･ﾟ✧*:･

The title of the song, Le temps des fleurs, which translates to "The time of the flowers", could be a reference to the infamous french song from the late 60s with the same title. The original song sung by Dalida directly derives from a russian romance song and depicts the tale of a woman who misses her lover and commemorates the time when they were together, young and carefree.

This is important to note once we provide context from the event story.

*:･ﾟ✧* Raison d'être *:･ﾟ✧*

In the event Raison d'être, which translates to "reason for being", a common french expression, we discover Shu's grandfather wishes to hold a live funeral and turns its preparation into a competition between the other family members. He creates a rather elaborate scenario in order for Shu to uncover the truth about his youthful days in France. Shu's succesful deduction, with Mika's help, enables him to prepare an opera for the funeral.

But Valkyrie had decided to partially cover the truth from the rest of the family in the narration of the opera. Thus, the story birthed actually ends up as an allegory for the relationship Mika and Shu have. (That is why, I will refer to the characters in the story by whom they represent)

Shu, a foreign student in France, passed by a mansion covered in roses and sighted through the window Mademoiselle, whom he fell in love with. Each time he had seen her, he fell deeper and deeper, ending up entering the mansion, unable to contain his feelings.

To his dismay, the beautiful woman he had fallen in love with turned out to be just a life-sized doll.

But the story isn't simply just that. In the mansion was also, of course, a dollmaker, Mika, who had modelled Mademoiselle after his appearance in women's clothes. Deeply moved by Shu's devotion, who had been sending love letters and had been whispering his love in the night, Mika had fallen in love with him, only having been accustomed with the solitude of his own mansion up until then.

But since the discovery of Mademoiselle's true nature, Shu had fallen depressed. Mika decided to dress up in women's clothing and warmly recognise the man's feelings.

「 Je t'aime 」

"I love you"

Mika thought it would end up as a heartfelt, passing moment and their lives would fall back into monotony. But Shu's wishes had just become true — the woman he loved had loved him back.

Since then, he had visited the mansion time and time again. Everytime there was a knock at the door, Mika would hurringly put his women's clothes and makeup on.

This concludes the first act, a comedic tale about the tumultuous existance of a same-sex relationship in a time that wasn't very accepting of it. (As stated by Shu himself)

The second act is an epilogue of the events. Shu had gone back to Japan to fulfill the duties of his family, but promised himself he'd reunite with Mademoiselle. Years later, upon his return, the mansion of roses had decayed, the flowers withering. The only thing left was an inscription on the walls, written in red as if it were fresh blood:

「 Je t'aime 」

"I love you"

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Instictually, you'd think that the roles of the story should be reversed. Since Mademoiselle is an extension of Shu, and Mika is a devout follower of Shu as an artist, wouldn't it make more sense for Shu to be the dollmaker and for Mika to be the foreign student?

That is clarified by the diverse use of the pronoun "I" in japanese throughout the retelling of the story by Shu and Mika. When talking about the foreign student, they use "boku", the pronoun version Shu usually uses. The dollmaker, instead, uses "ore", the pronoun version Mika uses. With that in mind and a little thought put into it, you'd see the pieces falling into place.

The first act depicts the relationship Mika and Shu had up until that point. Shu had fallen in love with Mika, the marionette, but the events of Valkyrie made him realise Mika being a mere marionette in his eyes was inhumane — it wasn't real love, but a devout admiration. Mika, though, had proven himself, slow and steady, to be a real human with free-will, wishes and ambitions, in front of the person he loved — an equal. Thus, Shu could truly love the person he only dreamed of loving previously because love can only really bloom between two equals.

The second act depicts Shu's fears about their future. At the beginning of the event story, he reveals he had already prepared a room for Mika to live in Paris so they will continue their lives together. When Mika told him about wanting to remain in Japan after graduation to maintain Valkyrie , Shu spirals out of control, betrayed and fearful. In his eyes, Mika refused maintaining, or even strenghtening, their relationship. In the opera, that is what Shu imagines would happen if they remain separated; one day, Shu would not find Mika waiting for him, having dissapeared from his life, their love withering.

Unlike the opera, we will discover the song, Le temps des fleurs, "ties the knot" of their thread of troubles and feelings.

*:･ﾟ✧* Lyrics & MV *:･ﾟ✧*

[Shu] - pink

[Mika] - green

[Shu and Mika] - blue

In the stage background is depicted the Eiffel Tower to represent where the story takes place, in Paris. This coincides with the city where Mika and Shu sort out their feeling about their future.

Mistakably compared to a marionette, those blue eyes seem vacant

As this foreign romance spun with a stranger begins to close

Wayfaring through an illusion, traversing on streets of stone

Wandering, endlessly, like melting wax dripping in diurnal rhythms

The two commemorate the circumstances of their early relationship, Shu mistaking Mika, a masterful artist, for a mere marionette, leading to a temporary love that couldn't truly exist this way, that melts with each passing day under the sun rays.

The night burns into the dawn, and the heart that yearns without reward

Has long since overlapped

Even if it’s the same as the breeze, that blows through in its flurry of gales

Even if Shu finds out the truth, that love for a doll can't be truly love, he still holds onto it despite all the misfortunes that have come his way, mainly the rough days of Valkyrie. His love for Mika was a "breeze", a gentle wind, in the midst the despair reminiscent of a "flurry of gales", a circular mass of strong winds that entrapped him.

In the MV, during this part, Shu and Mika hold hands and sway together as they sing. It is a crucial moment since (from my knowledge so correct me if I'm wrong) Mika and Shu haven't made such heartfelt gestures on stage before. It highlights how the songs have gradually become more concentrated on themselves, rather than Valkyrie talking to the audience like in the past.

O city of flowers, this love too can bloom, even on the wayside.

It shall remain as a single song

Sear that gorgeous splendor onto each other’s hearts

As this beloved shadowed silhouette[1]

Turns this into a phantasm tale

From the story of the opera written by the two, we can conclude that flowers represent love. Paris, the city of flowers in this case, is also the city of romance.

Even if their feelings seemed impossible of becoming reality because of the rather troubled beginning of their relationship, their strenght had led the two to believe it is possible to achieve, "even on the wayside". They would even accept it even if it were just a passing moment, "a single song", as long as it was real and satiatied their desires by "searing that gorgeous splendor on each other's hearts". When the moment of love would cease to exist, if it ever does, they believe it will be immortalized in their memory as a "phantasm tale", thus having no regret ever experiencing it.

During this moment, the MV background switches to the Temple of Love on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. The choreography in front of this place dedicated to the women "loved" by the french royalty[2] is also very suggestive of the ignition of romantic feelings. Mika and Shu reach out their arms to each other's hearts as the camera focuses on their shared gazes during the moment. Not long after, the camera focuses on their hands as they join together in front of the Temple of Love, signifying their romantic union.

[1] The original translation on the fan wiki says "silhouettier", which is a word I couldn't find on any online dictionaries. I will assume they meant "silhouette", like other translations.

[2] The factuality of that statement could be debatable, but I am no expert in the matter, nor is it the focus of my point.

-------------------------------------------------------------

[The following segment isn't in the MV so it will be delimited with red.]

Even if we cling onto such ridiculous prayers

The feeling of hopelessness will never disappear, will it?

In that case, let’s leave the meaning of our encounter behind

As we change the regalia belonging to coincidence and fate

In this verse, they seem to be voicing each other's perception of their new relationship.

Shu is still on the edge about their future, as seen especially at the beginning of the event story. Despite both of them having shared such devotion for each other, he cannot help but feel hopeless that it would all end at any step.

Mika recognizes this and keeps looking forward, wanting Shu to adopt the same way of thinking. He has also been the first push that had led to the rehabilitation of Valkyrie, with the help of his faith in his mentor and the love he harbors for him. In this verse, it is also suggested that Shu isn't quite over their relationship during the ex-Valkyrie, thus the source of his hopelessness. It is also evident in the event story when he keeps mentioning Mika had become a human, probably fearful they would regress to their past dynamic.

Some things are unforgivable

Rather than grieving over those sins

Shall we dance the night away instead?

As I reach out my hand to you

And for you to look back at me

They seem to accept their irredeamable past that had led them to the present moment. If it meant reaching that point where they could share their love, "dance the night away", reach out their hands and look back at each other, it was worth it.

Is it possible to worry about the destination of an endless dream?

Even if it’s something that is not finite in nature

Let’s keep it forever, the shine that lasts only in this world

As we are sought and lured by each other

While having our souls turn into a phantasm tale

Unlike the love for a marionette that would melt with each passing day, this love, the love of an equal, is an "endless dream" and "not finite in nature". This current love that they share is more important that their "destination", meaning that they shouldn't worry about the future, which they did at the beginning of the event story, since their love would triumph even against time. This act of being "lured by each other" is compassionate enough to not just dissapear, get immortalized in their memory as in the first chorus, but instead the devotion for each other would be the one to immortalize them as lovers of a "phantasm tale".

-------------------------------------------------------------

Before the bridge commences, the background of the MV becomes pure white, turning Mika and Shu into mere silhouettes. The atmosphere is heavy. When they try to reach out for each other, they miss each other's embrace, unable to look back at one another. This could represent the moments when they feel lost during their relationship, an example being the opening scene of the event story.

Even if it’s worn and arenaceous

If you lift its casing, its contents will overflow

So even if time is bound, the shades and chromes will still remain

Painting the future in a blinding iridescence

Each verse of the first three is split in half between the two, representing a separation, but proving that, despite the circustances, they share the same feelings about their relationship.

Even if their love is "worn and arenaceous", almost on the brink of dying, "if you lift its casing", its coffin's lid , it will prove to be as strong as ever, "overflowing". Even if their love will die out, its impact will leave an imprint on their lives.

In the final verse, their voices join and their gazes meet. The conclusion is that, no matter the outcome, their love would brighten their future with "a blinding iridescence". Stripping themselves of the worries about both past and future, by embracing the present moment of their love, they have freed themselves.

In the background, the Arch of Triumph is revealed and the stage is filled with blooming flowers, a symbol of their love as established earlier. Then, the second[1] chorus begins.

[1] It is the third chorus if we talk about the entire song. But since this chorus mirrors the first one, it would be more suggestive to call it the second one, like it is in the MV.

O city of flowers, the entire town itself is wrapped in your love

Even the days that passes on by has bloomed and scattered

Let this continue to reverberate forevermore inside each other’s hearts

As this beloved shadowed silhouette

Manifests for this very reason to make you dance

Alongside this song of love, this song of love

The choreography is the same as the one in front of the Temple of Love. If the first time it was about the reciprocity of their feelings that had no clear duration, this time it is the confidence that they are eternal. Mika and Shu are victorious in their love's battle against time and, once again, can reach out for their hearts, look back at each other and join hands.

The final statement is made as their love is finally triumphant over all the hardships Valkyrie had to endure. Their love is so radient, "the entire town itself is wrapped" in it. Even if these moments of love, which have bloomed, would "scatter" in the past, they believe their feelings would keep "reverberating forevermore inside each other's hearts". The song ends with the acknowledgement of its true nature, it being a "song of love".

The MV ends with Mika and Shu looking into each other's eyes, arms ready to reach one another, but far enough to not yet be touching each other — for it is only the first step in their true relationship. The camera pans to Shu's face who, usually, doesn't allow for his affectionate side to surface easily, lovingly looking at Mika.

On a final note, it is really important to mention the outfits. There could be many interpretations for the split appearance of them: funeral and marriage, shadow and light, masculinity and femininity. Either way it may be, the outfits themselves represent union. If in the past, for example in "Eternal Weaving", Mika and Shu were distinguished by a certain symbol, like shadow and light, through their love, they have attained balance. It is both a funeral and a celebration of love. The clothes are the recognition that the lovers are both composed of light and shadow and that they complete one another. They are a symbol about appearance and essence, where one half is seen by the world (Shu in a tuxedo, strong and independent; Mika in a dress, soft and innocent) and the other only by the lovers (Shu in a dress beause he is quite emotional and compassionate; Mika in a tuxedo because he is strong-willed and would do anything for their hapiness together).

In the silence that follows, we can only have faith their love would prevail over anything in their way of looking into each other's longing eyes.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ

Thank you for bearing with me! I am so crazed by their love story I had to go all out. I don't think straight romance has achieved this kind of depth yet, I am afraid. (Don't try to prove me wrong, I am right).

[apatheticlexicographer]

i think i finally understand the exact reasoning behind how both will and mike's sexualities are presented, and how those presentations flatter each other.

will is barely queercoded from a subtextual perspective because there's no need to queercode him. the writers verbally establish in season one episode one that people percieve this kid as gay, so you're immediately guided to see him through the same lens, at least subconsciously. people continue to refer to him as gay and he continues to "act" gay, and most of the audience is able to see this for what it is very easily without the need for heavy symbolism. will being gay is simply treated as a fact from the start by both the characters around him and the writers themselves, for better or for worse.

MIKE, on the other hand, is so heavily queercoded it's barely even funny. he's the one with the queer imagery, the blocking, the set design, the lighting. he's never explicitly referred to as queer, it isn't so much as suggested verbally, but the sheer amount of incredibly blatant subtextual material that surrounds him is insane. none of the characters within the show have the slightest clue that mike is gay. there's a good chance that mike himself doesn't know, or has only begun to realize very recently. even the writers do their damn best to make it appear like they themselves don't know. still, the fact remains that he is, it just isn't expressed in a way that the homophobic masses both within and outside the show are capable of picking up on. when he comes out it will be a shock to the characters and the majority heterosexual audience, but not to the queer people who pick up instinctually on the signalling. basically, you only know mike is gay if you have a genuinely functioning gaydar.

in this way they're so strongly representative of two very different gay experiences, both of which are important and both of which are treated respectfully by the writers, despite the setting.

will is the kid who never really gets the luxury of choosing whether to come out to people, because everybody has had him pegged from the start. even his own family: jonathan tells will he accepts him before will can even hint toward the topic himself. however as much as we're told that he "seems" gay to other people, all we are shown subtextually is a totally normal child who happens to have feelings for another boy. this is important because it subverts the trope of making "being gay" the "obviously gay" character's sole or core trait.

mike is the kid who people would never in a million years guess was queer. it's not just that he gets the luxury of choosing when to come out of the closet; he's so deep in it that he's drowning in winter coats. he's the "twist queer character," except he's not. his subtextual queercoding has been there beneath the surface for just as long as will has been textually referred to as queer on a surface level. this makes it clear that him being gay isn't some kind of last minute decision and the subtlety of his presentation wasn't an accident. if you don't knkw mike is gay now before it's revealed then you aren't supposed to.

they're foils like that. they're the archetypal queers, and i think it's kind of beautiful.

(and if anybody tries to argue that one expression of Queer Experience is more important than another then i'm coming for their kneecaps. having both experiences not only represented but thoroughly explored is so rare, although there are people all over the world who resonate with each.)

[jonathan-cranes-mistress-of-fear]

"He certainly is a queer fellow" || The Scarecrow and his LGBTQIA+ Metaphors

From his first appearance, to the early 90s, there was one word used to describe Scarecrow that fans have really attached themselves to. And that is the word "Queer" (please note: I don't want discourse over the word itself on this post, please be respectful in your comments and tags)

In his first ever comic, his fellow professors call him a :"Queer Fellow" (Note: mine is a reprint, but if you find scans of the original comic, you can also see that Jonathan refers to himself as "Queer" instead of "Strange") (They would often replace the word in later retellings of his origin, all except for in the 90s with the three issue story God of Fear, where they use the word once more)

Obviously, as with lots of words, Queer did not meant what it does today. It was just another word for weird. I'm not going into the history of queer, as there's still a lot I don't know myself. BUT--whats more "weird" then being queer? In the eyes of those professors back then, that is.

And of course, who can forget "Queer Grasshopper Leaps" which appears not once, but multiple times in various comics. With all this said, it makes sense for queer kids of our generation to feel like Jonathan. Weird. Unliked. Different. Queer. Let them raise their flag in the name of Scarecrow, I say!

And the thing is, Jonathan learns to accept himself. If they're going to call him queer, he's going to embrace it. He's going to be a symbol of poverty and fear, something they couldn't even begin to comprehend. It's all very similar to internalized feelings of inadequacy related to ones queer-ness. Learning to love oneself for who they truly are

And that's not all....

In Scarecrow Year One, a story rife with religious trauma, there is even more to discover. In this story, Jonathan is yet again fired for shooting a gun in the classroom, but the classic queer metaphor is missing. This time, to be replaced with a gay/trans allegory.

Jonathan, a young kid is obsessed with reading. He reads all kinds of books, Most notable--Jame's Joyce's Ulysses. The kids who bully Jonathan in the backstory call it a "fairy book" and try to burn it. But great granny? She takes it a whole new level

It's one thing for a boy to read a so called "fairy book"--possibly effeminate of him? But it's another to suggest he's masturbating to it. That's just downright ignorant.

Ignorance is something queer kids often face. They get told how sinful they supposedly are, and how they're deranged and weird. Weird huh? Like...queer?

Depending on how you read year one, it's possible to see a trans or gay allegory hidden in it's pages. It's also possible to see some racist notes, should we image his father as Native American. Either way, there's a lot of deep conversations that can be had about this origin. Whether you headcanon Jonathan as trans, gay or both, these stories are great fodder for headcanons and character development.

There's one thing that can be said about all this, if you headcanon Jonathan as LGBTQIA+ -- you are valid and amazing, and the comics support you. <3

[melancholic-fig]

An interesting thing about this person of interest (because he has not been proven guilty people) is that people call him alt-right. Or right-winger. And I think they lack context on why he seems like that and I can give it because fuck it. Everyone already said that he did more for the Left than a million online pundits, but as far as I’ve looked there were 0 arguments on why are his politics so muddled.

So, buckle in! I’m starting with facts:

Male spaces are full of right-wing propaganda. Basically boiling 24/7. Computer science, stoicism, self-help, gym advice and generally liking women with big jugs, all these spaces basically require you to prove you’re “one of them” to be accepted in. These things used to include talking about women in an objectifying manner, liking beer and not being gay. Now they include a bunch of AI-based algorithms that will recommend you 1000+ hours of anti-woke and transphobic content. And all your peers are watching it. I’m pretty sure if we found his phone, or just bought a new one, opened Youtube or TikTok and just wrote his details on the profile, his 4th or fifth video would be a dude “cringe reacting to sjw’s”. If you click that, the next video will be “why women destroy societies”.

Now I’ll speculate:

Looking into his found reddit and his goodreads, he shows no sign of leaving the “centrist” political space aka he didn’t read anything on political theory (unless you include 1984 and Lorax in that). He’s not reading Evola or Steiner. There’s no info on the “globalists” which shows he never went down the rabbit hole. But yeah, our guy seems to have listened to Jordan Peterson and Tucker Carlson. Which means he most probably borrowed the symbols and surface level ideas of alt-right but not the thing behind the euphemisms (he probably has made “degenerate” jokes but doesn’t know what that means). He probably uses the “okay” sign or Pepe memes but he most probably knows but is profoundly uninterested in Kekistan.

The Alt-right is organized and smart. And it uses these “normies” (not anymore man) to covet their ass. They make sure to become popular with IT guys and nerds and introduce them to memes that are secretly dogwhistles specifically so those not on the know use them too. And usually know someone is recruitment material when their higher level machine touches you (you start believing the globalists are sending immigrants). As far as I’m aware, and considering the gigantic backlog of information we collected on this guy, he’s never been material for further recruitment. Either he was too well-educated to believe some ideas or too successful with girls and queers to be isolated into the manosphere.

So opinion:

Okay, so why do I think it’s bad to call him “right-winger” then? Didn’t he retweet Peter Thiel? Hated the “woke mob” in the other tweet?

Yes he did! He also tweeted some leftist takes and liked some pro-violence stuff. He also likes the Unabomber. I’m sure if you had him talk for 3h with a tankie he’d come out as a Lenin fanboy. And after his chronic disability took away his previous life and identity, which we can actually notice from the increase in activity and the posts, chances are he’s been listening to whoever was available from behind the screen. The guy seems impressionable, which is quite normal for his age bracket. So, to what extend are his ideas his, should we care for it?

I say this as a leftist, the vast majority of people will probably never identify as leftists even if they actually strongly believe in leftist ideology. Even if their lives are so obviously fucked up by capitalism. Why? Leftism is cold and rational, and this unfortunately shows to others quite unlikeable truths. To he a leftist you have to join a group that will forever be in disagreement with you. To accept that you will never read enough theory. That the life you want and the life you have are disjointed by corporations and you cannot take down anything by yourself. And everyone you talk to about these ideas thinks you’re crazy and you want to starve people like communist Romania.

Right wing ideas are short, quippy and emotional, usually the emotion being hate, superiority or disgust. But they get positive feedback because people get a dopamine boost when they share emotions, even if the emotions are quite shameful but covered in the thinnest layer of social acceptability. All the phobias hidden under “freedom of speech” are used by people who never met the minority group they disdain - to share with others that they “think alike”. There is little depth, the suffering of minorities is used as a replacement for “don’t you hate mondays too mate”. This is only true because right wing media spent a fortune blaming the ills of capitalism on minority groups. So, it got very popular with the least politically educated people because it helps them show to the world they are 1 part of the majority group and 2 feel the same alienation.

So, assume our boy here Luigi has a leftist thought (dammit, healthcare CEOs are parasites). He tweets it, he gets some angry responses and needs to battle his phone for 2h. Then our boy has a right-wing idea (damn the freedom of speech is taken omggg). He tweets it, he gets angry responses from people he was actively taught to ignore and a lot of praise from other bros that “agree” for the reasons I explained above. So, whatever Luigi thinks and what he posts are two very different beasts and one was shaped by an internet landscape that wants him to the right. The other is accused of shooting the Healthcare CEO.

My point is, we will never know how he actually thought in his day to day life and in what point. But his internet history is not him showing a true self underneath, his internet persona is the result of his gender, age, occupation and status - which have shaped him to *present* a certain way, but not necessarily to *be* . Beyond his alleged manifesto, we cannot argue what he really thinks or has meant by one thing or another, and searching for it is useless. His tweet choice was probably as well-thought as his expensive backpack and his adidas, aka whatever he grabbed when hanging around.

[moonisneveralone]

I'm not trusting y'all again. I got my beef with Kendrick. He's a good artist, but he's still got some hotep tendencies that I can never really accept. HOWEVER. Y'all really had me believing Auntie Diaries was this embarassing no go, when it really wasn't.

I can totally accept that it's jarring. It is. It's like most black people are tired of seeing black people suffer on screen right? I distrust most of these movies, but once in a blue moon you will get a Moonlight or a Get Out. For people who staunchly dislike black suffering on screen (because of real life obviously) it will still be a jarring and uncomfortable watch, but both movies are amazing and well done. They nail their subject matter.

And so did Kendrick. Auntie Diaries is not a song for trans people in that sense. It is pro trans, but again it is not there to meet trans people where they are (ahead of us cis people). Which is why I'm not trying to speak over trans people or telling them they have to like it. It is about meeting cis people where they are. And arguably black religious cis people.

It is also about Kendricks own journey to understanding his family members who have transitioned and how his behaviour harmed his relationship with his family members. Yes he uses slurs, but critically towards the end of the song he stops doing that and censores the slur as "F-Bomb". Because the song is supposed to symbolize his learning curve. He also turns it around and says we can all use it together, but only if we say using the n-word is okay. Something that he has experienced himself. At one of his shows he asked a white fan to not use it and gave her the mic she then proceeded to censor it once and then say it thought the verse.

The end of the song is him saying he chose humanity over his religion. He wants to love his family and that he also wants to stop being a hypocrite.

My personal assesment of him is that he is a hypocrite. But humams contain multitudes right?

He just really isn't a hypocrite about this.

But I also just followed whatever the hell people on here were saying and never confirmed shit for myself so who am I to judge?

Again I'm not saying he deserves flowers for this. Even though I'm very sure this could have been and interesting conversation to have. I also think anti blackness and maybe just a valid general distrust of cis straight men (and to white people the fact that he's black) played into this incredibly uncharitable reading of this song.

And I guess today I'm extra mad about it, because I saw someone come for Megan the Stallion about her not actually being bisexual. How is openly dating a woman as a famous person the standard? How many lesbians who are famous only really go out with their partners when it's long term? How many famous white lesbians can you name that are out in town with women they aren't married to? Yeah, do you think that it might be because the scrutiny is draining and scary? Do they need to show up with a girl so you can tick it off in your little who's really gay box?

I really can't help but feel white LGBTQ+ people don't want us to be a part of the conversation at all. And if we are a part of it it has to be in a demure and simple way. There is no room for complexity or to bring up issues. Truely in a glitzy glam respectability era.

Also stop acting like y'all grew up super unproblematic. I know some of y'all were straight up acting like demons because y'all couldn't accept yourself. If we can hold space for that complicated journey why not for a man who struggled to understand and accept his family members, because of all the conflicting messaging he was getting, but then found his way to love them and put them above his religion?

[phoenixisobsessed]

About me / Blog !!

Hiiya everybody :3

The name’s Phoenix (He/him). I am a gay trans-man and also have some craaazy AuDHD chat. I’m extremely obsessed with transformers, and unsurprisingly, this blog is going to be about Transformers related stuff, plus, honestly just whatever the hell I feel like posting. This is an ask blog (if that’s the right term? Lmao). It’ll mostly be me answering asks in my inbox and such (more details on that further below).

I try to post as often as I can, but I am indeed still getting my education, so no promises that it’ll be daily.

HERE’S MY UNCENSORED STUFF (Bluesky)

HERE ARE MY OCS (Toyhouse)

FAQ

⚠️BEFORE YOU CONTINUE !!!⚠️

This blog is a safe space. Everything here is LGBTQ+ accepting, and we don’t want any bigots/r@cists/ableists/sexist ECT!!! Some posts are also 18+.

Tag guide on my page!!

#100 cat transformers - The entire catformers series. (Newer ones are just tagged with #catformers)

#oc - Anything oc related

#redesign - My redesigns of existing characters for my AU!! Love doing them sm.

#art ask - Any asks that are art related

#yapping post - Any post/answered asks without art

#comic yapping - (maybe upcoming??) yapping my thoughts about the transformers comics as I read them!! (WILL INCLUDE SPOILERS)

#valveplug - 18+ STUFF!!!

About my ask inbox! (Under the cut because it’s long)

So, basically, you can ask for whatever the hell you want. But!! I do have a few categories of things that I do specifically if you feel uncertain of what to ask for ;3 (Note: Categories can overlap)

Additionally, I’ll add a ⚠️ at every category I am currently really interested in doing. Might make this a consistent thing I update!! (You can ofc still ask for anything but yk xD. People sometimes give me the “what do you want people to ask you for??” So-)

⚠️Inserts

So, this category is basically just images you want characters drawn into! Send in an image, and tell me what characters you want ;3. These can include:

Cat pictures. (Had a series with the tag #100 cat transformers)(“End credits” video here)

Blursed images. (?)

Silly group pictures.

Generally images with people!

Skits/comics

I am an enjoyer of drawing comics and skits. I probably have a bunch under #comic ngl. This category is mostly:

Requesting comics of certain interactions/situations.

Sending skits (or “tiktok audios”?) to have characters do.

Drawing trends/memes (If I can call them that? Example: That one dress, “I’m not calling you a good boy.” Ect.)

⚠️Redraws/Character redesigns

I love character design and the symbolism over it. Besides, why choose one gen when you can have them all in one?? Anyway, this category is:

Asking for a redesign of a character.

Also “X in your style.”

Redraws of comic panels. (mostly crossing generations, but any redraws are cool)

Maybe you’ll even be lucky and I’ll recreate some animated scene.

You know what? Fuck it. Ask me to draw a completely new character from an idea of yours. It’ll be great.

⚠️Ocs/Headcanons

I have some personas plus AU’s. And I love ocs. Please.

Question about my AU’s or ocs.

Drawings of my ocs in certain situations??

(May answer questions in their POV if that’s specifically requested someday.)

Headcanons!

YOUR ocs.

Your ocs with my ocs??

Ocs. Ocs and AUs and Headcanons everywhere. All of it.

Ship art / valveplug

Of course, this is also on board. Including:

Any ship. Self-ship, canon ship, rarepair, I don’t care.

Robots being absolute FREAKS. Together, or alone? You decide.

Also cute wholesome stuff if you just want fluff.

General drawings

This is just other stuff I am also willing to do:

Drawings of characters.

Drawings of characters in certain situations.

Ngl as long as it’s related to transformers I’m willing to do it.

Answering any questions people may have!

I will answer any and all questions people have. Other than obviously super intruding things but I think people are smart enough not to go asking for my address.

Questions about my (least) favourite anything.

Questions about interests.

Questions about my AUs or headcanons!

Questions about specific ships.

Stupid questions. There are no stupid questions.

(Also I will take fanfic recommendations. Just noting that.)

Basically everything. I love having an excuse to yap.

❌Stuff I am NOT willing to do❌

Answer politically related asks. I’d just like to keep my blog politic free for the most part. It isn’t relevant to my blog.

Do drawing requests from other fandoms. (unless if it somehow involves transformers, like idk a crossover.)

Answer questions about me that are very intrusive! I think the boundary here should be kinda easy to figure out.

NO pro shipping 🫶 yup. (I don’t do TFA Bumblebee ships either, since I kinda interpret him as a child as well.)

[greenfiend]

i was thinking about some scenes from s1 that could be recontextualized in a v interesting way with did theory:

mike giving el his 'friendship watch', considering that only he and will wear that exact same model

lucas teasing mike at the schoolground about how he acts around el and how he only pays attention to her now

plus other little moments in s1 that otherwise are still up in the air (is it heteronormative confusion? extra accurate projection? both? /hj)

Oooooh yes! Honestly viewing El's interactions with the party (and specifically Mike) through the DID theory lens is just very interesting.

(This theory also explains how El somehow knew who Will is...)

El doesn't want "mom" to know about what happened because she was likely threatened into silence by "bad people". This is exactly what I believe Will went through... hence the "I'm gonna kill you!" being the last words spoken to him prior to his disappearance...

Mike is almost immediately protective of El. He also is the first one to trust her. There's something about her that he is drawn to... not romantically though. But she bares resemblance to Will. Mike knows Will quite well so I do think he saw aspects of his best friend within her.

I think Mike giving El the watch also symbolizes Mike giving time. I do think Mike is frequently associated with time (always running late, "Wheeler" = wheels of time, Dustin goes to Mike for "a ride" while we see the Delorean on screen... etc).

It's funny because the way he was treating El was nearly exactly how he treats Will normally. But Lucas doesn't see it that way because of heteronormativity.

We all pretty much agree that Mike has been projecting his feeling for Will unto El. She is, the perfect "sub" for Will. El shares many similarities with Will and she's a girl so it's socially acceptable for Mike to "like" her. She's also a "blank slate". She magically emerges after Will vanishes, and after she vanishes, he re-appears. They "swap places".

The way I see it is this: Will has been bullied relentlessly for appearing gay and feminine. So the night he "vanished", he "split" into two... a boy and a girl. The girl, of course, representing the feminine side that he has been pressured to repress. El is Will's Jungian anima aka his female self (credit to @byler-invested for this!). El is also his protector and gatekeeper alter, she controls access to the gate and holds his repressed memories...

So, basically, this changes the perception I have of Mlvn. Mike is currently in a relationship (or was...) with an aspect of Will. Not Will as a whole, but an extension of him. Obviously this isn't working out, Mike wants to be with the complete Will.

This is why I believe El will "disappear" in the end but not die... she and Will will become whole again...

[bethhiraeth]

A literary reading of byler

so in school (and outside of it) most of the subjects I am taking and my interests are some form of literature, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on byler from a literary analysis standpoint

when you are analysing literature, it can be divided into three major buckets: narrative, aesthetics and text. Let me quickly break down what they actually mean

Narrative: This one is pretty self explanatory. It is how the overall structure of the story fits together, including plot, character arcs, and all that big picture stuff that spans the whole text.

Aesthetic features: Also sometimes called stylistic devices, they are the artistic elements that contribute to the text, often adding new meaning/emotions/ideas to it. In the case of cinema, these are pretty much everything you see on camera, like lighting, costuming, props, camera angles, etc. Often these are used to establish literary techniques such as symbolism or narrative foils.

Text: This one is also pretty obvious- it is all the words and actions of the characters. Dialogue and movement are what primary make this up. Think of it as anything in the script (or what the actors say/do if it is improvised), and any directorial choices relating to that.

What I find so interesting about byler is how it has tons of supporting evidence in all of these. What you will see with most ships that are non-canon is that they have a few bits of 'evidence' in one, or two at most, of these categories. Within the fandom, steddie is probably a good example of this. In canon they are physically positioned close to each other a lot of the time, and a lot of their shared dialogue could be read as 'flirty'/having romantic connotations, so they have the textual box checked. However, there is really no grounds for thinking it will be canon (even putting aside eddie being dead) because there is arguably nothing that could really be considered 'evidence' in either the aesthetics or narrative.

Which brings us back to byler. I am going to list a few examples of evidence supporting their endgame for each of the categories just to provide some context, but this is definitely not all of it.

Narrative

In my opinion the most conclusive evidence for byler endgame narratively is the character arcs of mike, will and el. this has been gone over many times and there are many great posts that explain this in more depth, so I won't go into detail, but all three of them have been following their own character arcs since the beginning. in essence, will's is about accepting that he is not broken/a mistake and deserves a happy ending, el's is about finding her independence from the abusive men/other people that have controlled and learning to be herself, and mike's is about realising that conforming to societal expectations is not the path to happiness. they obviously each have other sub-arcs, but imo these are the main ones that are followed throughout the whole show.

Basically what this achieves is setting up a satisfying ending for each character. And really the only way to resolve all three of these in that way is for el to be on her own, and for mike to accept that he does not conform (is queer) and for him and will to be together. that is the only way. any other ending would be wildly unsatisfying

Other evidence within the narrative includes things like tropes, eg a love triangle with childhood best friend and seemingly perfect person, and how the best friend is always the one that ends up with the protagonist.

The overall themes of the show also tie into this. Arguably the whole show is about 'freaks and outcasts', and how "forced conformity is killing the kids". therefore it doesnt make sense thematically for the one (currently) canonically gay boy to end up alone and rejected after going through his whole arc, or for one of the main characters to have nothing really defining him as an outcast if he is not queer.

Lastly, to quote that one person, who the fuck writes a slowburn rejection? It makes absolutely no sense to drag out will's feelings for so long if they are not reciprocated.

Aesthetic

This is my favourite section for byler evidence. There is just so much of it. Which is extremely interesting because in every other non-canon ship I can think of, this is the area where they fall woefully short.

The first thing that springs to mind is the queer imagery constantly associated with mike. He is repeatedly placed in front of closets, his wardrobe is s4 is almost entirely the colours of the gay flag, he is associated with rainbows, fruit, triangles and words like 'men' and 'boy', etc. These were intentional choices made on the part of the production crew.

The blue and yellow motif also deserves a mention here as well, given how prominent the association with them is in their costuming, lighting, etc. There are many aesthetic devices that are used, eg symbolism like mike's flowers to el dying in her hands, byler always being blocked together alongside other couples, using the same music in a scene with mike as they did when robin told steve she was a lesbian, I could go on.

What is so interesting about these is how intentional everything has to be, especially when there is this much of it. You don't accidentally have a light focusing only on two character's faces during an emotional scene, or dress a character in a particular colour scheme or have them looking at another character's lips. With textual and narrative features, you can fuck up or have a coincidence fairly easily, but it is an obviously deliberate choice to have a character standing in front of an open closet the first time his girlfriend tells him she loves him.

Textual

These features are the most obvious to the general audience, so often they have to be a bit more subtle.

Every scene in the show uses dialogue and/or action, so there is plenty to draw from. The 'crazy together' scene is a really good example on multiple levels. Not only is it a very emotional scene that shows mike deeply cares about will via dialogue, the line itself (crazy together) calls back to the audience's mind other scenes that establish the word 'crazy' as a stand-in for 'love', such as the jancy scene in the police station in s1.

Additionally, a very clear shot is shown of mike reaching out to grab will's hand, something that is likely to be intended to be read romantically, due to the parallels with other canon couples.

The same could be said for almost any other 'byler scene'; "cool" "cool", "we're friends", the van scene, etc. Speaking of the van scene, all the lip glances are fair game to include in this section too!

-----

The Duffer's arent stupid. They know this stuff. looking at this from a literature student standpoint, saying it is a compelling argument is a wild understatement, and I am certain any reasonable lit teacher would agree.

We are not the delusional ones. At this point, if byler isn't canon the show was written wrong. Its as simple as that

[old-school-butch]

here is my second anon, on same-sex attraction and the fuckery i've experienced around it in the trans community. i wonder if any ex-TRAs and TIFs will recognize this, or if it's only me who managed such a convoluted mental somersault? also, please forgive me for venting in your inbox, i have no better place. but alas.

i thought myself a gay man for 10-ish years. and yet i had... very clear sexual attraction towards women, clear enough that i've genderswapped 80% of my fictional male crushes so they would have breasts and vaginas, while still considering them "men" because i kept their he/him pronouns. seeing females as men allowed me to tell myself i was only attracted to males. i think a mix of biphobia and lesbophobia, stirred into gender-think. i was only allowed to love women if they were actually "men". because it was ok to love men.

i had crushes on girls as a teen and i'd always feel gross and predatory when i shared the locker rooms with them. i remember so badly wanting to sneak looks at my crushes but doing all i could not to. bc i "knew" that it was wrong. however i never developed into accepting this same-sex attraction as normal, because i got swept up in genderism, and became a "man" and... all my attraction towards women suddenly felt EVEN MORE predatory and violating. i swept it away as male gaze, objectification, leering, still predatory. etcetera etcetera. genuinely did all i could to suppress/explain away my obsession with female bodies. i centered my male attraction, and as the trans movement is very male-centered to begin with it was only encouraged. people (straight females) calling themselves f*gs left and right. every time i started thinking about breasts (i'm boob obsessed for real) or having sex with women i pushed it down as male depravity. i also thought me wanting to fuck women had been conditioned into me by advertising. like, yes, of course everyone wants to have sex with women bc they are trained by society to want this :)) logical. this totally happens to all female people. oh you love the smell of pussy? advertising taught you this. -_-

obviously as a TIF, i felt somehow that male identity and pronouns was a prerequisite to be fully human/be the way i was inside. misogynistic as fuck. it seems i felt this for other women, too. you told me i'd feel the weight of the harm i'd done along the way, when i sent the first anon; this is a heavy one. having viewed women and myself this way for so long. and having written off my same-sex attraction (i salivate when i see bare chested women lol) because, well, i'm a "man" and i violate them with my eyes.

the power dynamic between TIFs is funny/tragic too. ssa ones being treated as if they're straight males and culpable for everything those do. osa ones being the ones with more social capital. bisexual ones centering males bc well, the whole movement shits on women and you don't wanna be "straight" or bi ending up in a "straight" relationship. a lesbian TIF just enters a world in which her attraction (which she's likely felt predatory for her whole life already) is REINFORCED as bad. because now she's a straight man. and when a real heterosexual male is not accessible to shit on, she will be the target of the "gay" ones. god, the trans community is such a complicated type of homophobia...

i feel so good now to be out of it. i've been butch my whole life, i had a buzzcut since i was 14, up until my 20s. tomboyish always. now i have a long braid, and i considered cutting it off when i peaked, but i can't bring myself to do it. i miss my breasts very much and my braid is a body part as well, one that i can still hold on to. i can't let it go. it means something to me, i suppose, symbolically. but i don't feel like i'm a man anymore, and my attraction towards women is not to blame for their oppression. it is so liberating. i no longer feel like i'm degrading or harming women by being attracted to them. and most of my friends who dropped me were osa TIFs, binary and nonbinary... they have a lot to lose if they should give up that identity. they'd get booted out the "queer" community, lose the oppression they built their identity on. it's weird looking back at them. ah, i ramble so much, but thank you, even if you don't end up posting this, for having a space open here to go to. it feels so valuable, and it helps to read others anons.

Oh, I've definitely read wilder somersaults. It's amazing how confusing it is when reality is upside down. A lesbian becomes a gay man, or a straight man depending on the identity of the women she's attracted to. All nonsense, but I do wonder if it allows people to contemplate relationships they had rejected previously. Like, if you're a straight man who decides he's a lesbian but then meets another TIM then you're supposed to also include him, or women might have idealized views that relationships with men might not be so bad if you can escape 'being the girl'. Women, according to the stats, are the most likely to twist ourselves into these pretzels, of course, female socialization at work. So, we must forgive ourselves and each other for our roles in all this.

I'm glad things are working out well for you. There are times when I feel isolated being gender critical, but then I remember the headache-inducing mental repression I had to endure to make myself believe all this and I feel much more free and real.