i love how angry jonathan is with mike at all times in s4. he’s so real for that.

I'm gonna keep it 300: Once I realized that byler v mlvn (at least in canon) was never a competition of "ships" or even heteronormativity versus queer rep but a conversation about thematic points being made by the duffers, I ceased feeling any real doubt about the outcome of this segment of the intertwined character narratives.

Why? Because The Duffers (while notoriously mum about their plotlines and twists) are vocal as hell about what they value & what "lessons" they're trying to drive home.

With The Duffers (unlike a lot of TV writers today) its "find the thematic line and you find the endgame plot." That's literally it. And tbh, even if I was someone who couldn't stand byler for whatever reason, from a narrative theme perspective, its pretty clear that

"15 year old boy who both longs for and fears the consequences of nonconformity finds the bravery to get out of a relationship that fuels those insecurities while leaning into his relationship with his fellow-nonconforming best friend"

tracks more with The Duffers value system than

"boy and his superhero love interest spend their 5th consecutive season barely seeing eye to eye on interests and problem-solving while relying on other people who know them better than they know each other to fix their relationship before dramatically separating and coming back in a melodramatic flourish."

Like. I don't even need to do more mental work than that to understand whats happening with this part of the story, because after 7 entire years of watching the rest of the show, its clear they'e written Mike and El into the same corner that's broken up every other dysfunctional relationship in Stranger Things, from Stncy to Joyce and Bob: a lack of common interest and a lack of common goals.

When you look at that, and combine it w/ any knowledge of the—

"What's wrong with playing DnD as an adult" "we are nerds and children at heart" "we hated HS & did other people's assignments to stay relevant" "one of us married a fellow horror fan who shares our interests (Ross) and the other has decided not to officially partner (Matt)"

—Duffer Brothers? lmao.

The only snag I ever hit trying to understand that was the S3 tone shift...and even they admit that was their narrative "play" season, which (however you feel about that as a writing decision) says every single thing about what's gonna happen when things get "more serious" (while moving back to S1 energy) in S5. 🤷🏽‍♀️

Why I Think the theme of Stranger Things Supports Byler Endgame

Ok... this will be hella rambly (all my posts on here are just rants tbh lol)

But I think the themes and messages of this show STRONGLY support Byler endgame over anything else to be honest.

The first thing I want to make abundantly clear: STRANGER THINGS IS NOT AN 80s NOSTALGIA BAIT. It drives me insane for so many reasons when people say this.

For one: Stranger Things is not just looking at the 80s from an idealistic pov. Stranger Things to me critiques the era more than anything. Sure, we do have our fun 80s moments like malls and riding you bikes with your friends, and all the retro tech. But it's so much more than that. When you watch the show just for the vibes~ you miss the context.

The party is comprised of people who're disabled, black, and gay living in a small town in Indiana. They're not just seen as weird because they're nerdy to other kids, they're seen as weird because they are inherently different than what society deems as acceptable. All these aspects are something they can't and shouldn't need to fix. Also in S1 the idea of the loveless relationship between the Wheeler's was right in your face.

Jonathan critiqued the idea of Nancy ending up like her parents. Something comfortable, maybe- but not passionate or romantic. The man gets a nice job, they get married, get a house, have babies, the mother is the caretaker. The nuclear family. The Wheeler's are the embodiment of doing everything "right" by the 80s standards, but the show has not shown that as a positive thing; it's quite literally the opposite. It's depressing.

Idk to me I disliked the idea of Mike and El ending up together long before I liked Byler, not because I disliked El (anyone who hates on her can choke) but because I couldn't see how that could be her ending. When people who ship them say they want it to end with them getting married or having kids idk... I just don't see how that fits with the story the show has always been trying to tell.

That it's okay to be different. Different from whatever bullshit thing society has to say, and how in Stranger Things society is in the form of 1980's Hawkins Indiana, a place where they're God-fearing, and if you stray from being just like them you're bad.

I think all the characters fit that in some way or another. Except... Mike? Well, for those who say he's straight, anyways.

And with El, seeing her with Max in S3 was like a breath of fresh air, seeing the positive feminine influence and Max wanting El to stop thinking of others, think what she wants.

Some people don't like a possible El independence arc, because she does deserve love. I get that angle, but idk to me her ending up on her own isn't sad. I think it's sad that a woman ending up without a romantic interest is even seen as sad. Why?

In the 80s and even now the idea of a woman NEEDING a man was the expectation. If you were happily alone that was seen as wrong. You should want babies, and a husband, and you should want to be a housewife/stay at home mother. Honestly, it was terrible.

So: We don't want Mike to end up like his father (the scene in S4 when El leaves the table paralleling S1 with Karen) and we don't want El to think she needs to be in a relationship to feel happy and loved and content w life.

Then honestly I think the way they've set that up makes a Mike and El breakup super likely.

And with Will's feelings towards Mike confirmed, Stranger Things wrapping up to be a gay love story is incredibly fitting with the themes of being different and turning the 1980s film and television tropes on its head

sorry i haven’t been posting i lowkey forgot i was real. but anyways back on my bullshit let’s go

fearless. y’all know the drill

Fearless: Steddie. Eddie to Steve. 1) i’m a sucker for fics where Steve just decides “who cares about homophobia, i’ll intimidate them until they leave us alone” (i know it’s unrealistic just let me have this) and Eddie is just starstruck anytime Steve stands up for him. also the line “run your hands through your hair” screams Steve. “you pull me in and i’m a little more brave” Eddie just wants to be brave, to stop running.

Fifteen: El. “somebody tells you they love you, you’re gonna believe them” “next to a redhead… and soon enough you’re best friends” her and max. “you’re dancing around the room when the night ends” you can’t convince me she didn’t do that. “your first kiss makes your head spin” “i swore i was gonna marry him but i realized some bigger dreams of mine” and “in this life, you’ll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team” we only know about el in her relations to other people. the other characters have pieces of their plots that show us who they are outside of the group. el, however, only has the rainbow room and her interactions with the party. even in california, we can see the heavy influence from her old friends.

Love Story: Lumax!! “i close my eyes and the flashback starts” she thinks about Lucas for her happy memories. “daddy said stay away from Juliet” Billy tried to keep them apart; it’s not hard to imagine her stepdad would have an issue with him too. “escape this town for a little while” it’s not unlikely that they would want to leave hawkins. “they’re trying to tell me how to feel” both the racism and people trying to help her through Billy

Hey Stephen: STEDDIE!!!!! from Eddie. “i know looks can be deceiving” “as we walked, we were talking and i didn’t say half the things i wanted to” “of all the girls throwing rocks at your window, i’ll be the one standing out there in the cold” the whole chorus reminds me of the joke that Eddie hates loving a jock, but he just can’t help it. the references to shinning and i just know eddie would call steve his “knight in shinning armor” “all those other girls are beautiful but would they write a song for you?”

White Horse: El and Mike. I think El would get her ideas of romance from fairytales and movies. “this ain’t hollywood, this is a small town” “i was a dreamer before you went and let me down” “this is a big world, that was a small town” she’s gonna move on and be okay

You Belong With Me: Byler. the whole song is about being in love with your best friend. ignore the internalized misogyny and view it as “you guys are so different, but we fit together at such a good level” “i’m the one who makes you laugh when you know you’re about to cry” and the “crazy together” where they comforted each other.

Breathe: Nancy about Barb. there isn’t a huge reason other than the fact that this doesn’t fit any of the breakups and i think we don’t discuss the nancy-barb thing enough

Tell Me Why: Stancy. “you know you got a mean streak” about both of them. “i remember what you said last night” and the halloween party. “you tell me you love me then you cut me down” steve did not do enough to help nancy deal with losing barb. i feel like their relationship would have been very on-again-off-again and toxic tbh.

You’re Not Sorry: Stancy again. like i said, on-again-off-again

The Way I Loved You: Jopper. “he” is bob, “you” is hopper. i fully think they dated before she got with lonnie. and that it was a rollercoaster relationship. i think they were on-again-off-again and when they were off, she got with lonnie and ended up pregnant so they stayed together. i don’t care if it’s canon or not, that’s what happened.

Forever and Always: Byler fighting. “we almost never speak, i don’t feel welcomed anymore” they used to be so much closer. “i stare at the phone, he still hasn’t called” mike didn’t write will. “did i say something way to honest?” mike telling will “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” “here’s to everything coming down to nothing” tearing down Castle Byers

The Best Day: El. the first part about hopper. “i know you’re not scared of anything at all” and saying hopper is her hero. the second part about max. “i don’t know how my friends could be so mean” and her breakup with Mike. “we talk and window shop till i’ve forgotten their names” “i have an excellent father. his strength is making me stronger” the last part about joyce. “ you set up a paint set in the kitchen and you’re talking to me” joyce would show her so many different hobbies. “you’re the prettiest lady in the whole world” and “i love you for giving me your eyes” she starts doing her hair and dressing like joyce.

Change: the whole group, talking about the 4-year battle with a mirror/hell dimension “i’ll do anything to see it through” “the time will come for us to finally win.” “it’s hard to fight when the fight ain’t fair” “fight for what we’ve worked for all these years” “it was the fight of our lives”

Jump Then Fall: Steddie from Steve. “i watch you talk, you don’t notice” “i like the way your hair falls in your face” “i love each freckle on your face” from eddie “when people say things that bring you to your knees, i’ll catch you” i also just think this is how steve loves

Untouchable: ronance. robin loves the stars, you can’t convince me otherwise “untouchable like a distant diamond sky” “it’s like a million little stars spelling out your name” “i’m reaching out and i can’t tell you why” i also love the idea of “untouchable” being because robins scared to make her move (as we saw during her opening scene in season 4)

Come In With The Rain: stobin. platonic of course. i have a horrible feeling steve is gonna die in season 5 and i doubt robin will handle it well. “i know all the steps to your door but i don’t wanna go there anymore” the entire chorus “i know you by heart, and i don’t even know where to start”

Superstar: steddie. very steddie album. but imagine eddie going on tour and steve joking he’s gonna have to fight off all the groupies in love with eddie and he surprises him at one of his shows “you played in bars, you play guitar” “you sing me to sleep” steve would totally call eddie “superstar”

The Other Side Of The Door: lumax. we know max pushes people away when things get tough and we’ve also seen her and lucas fight and break up various times but she still loves him and misses him.

Today Was A Fairytale: i honestly can’t think of one

You All Over Me: Stancy, from steve’s perspective. he changed *because* of nancy. he’s a better person because of her. “i still got you all over me” “we were never really meant to be so i lied and i cried and i watched a piece of myself die” “held out and held on, god knows, too long”

that’s all i got

b, n, + w for the ask game!

OKAY!!

B- ima go with my current fav ship from my og fandom that, as much as I hate it, I still love it which is voltron. Technically no one themselves convinced me, but I saw the relationship in a fic by one of my favourite authors at the time that I liked, so ima count it (I'm usually the one convincing others with random rare pairs so) i was given Lance x Matt and utterly fell inlove. Like before hand I wouldn't have pared them but now i just want matt to marry lance to officially make him pidge's older brother!!!

N- 3 things I wish I saw more/in in stranger things is (1) kali, I really wanna see more of els sister tbh and I also really want to learn more about her escape and how she did that!!

(2) please please please can we adress Steve's truama!?!? My boy was thrown into this mess and managed to take down a demigorgan without even knowing what it was, got emotionally cheated on most of his relationship with nancy, was nearly killed by demodogs, then billy, then by the demodogs again in s2 all bc he wanted to protect these reckless kids (I dont even think he ever got an actual apology from nancy for the bullshit she put him through either) GOT TORTURED AND DRUGGED BY RUSSIAN SOLDIERS IN S3 no to mention the guilt he must feel for dragging robin into this mess aswell as putting the kids in danger, then watching billy die in front of max??? Then in s4 he has to watch max (someone he sees as his lil sister at this point) fighting this monster on her own with such a limited time left, then got literally dragged into the upside down, STRANGLED, PARTIALLY EATEN ALIVE, then after getting out, have to go back before he was even fully healed from the first time then the vines STRANGLED him AGAIN!?!?!?? Only to after severely hurting vecna, come back to Dustin (basically his little brother) holding the (potential bc I dont believehes actually dead) corps of eddie, his new friend he was definitely crushing on. Eddie who has apparently died the same way he was attacked before. LIKE THERE IS NO WAY STEVE IS OKAY AFTER ANY OF THIS?? YET SOMEHOW ITS STILL PLAYED AS A JOKE???? (I am very passionate on getting these characters therapy bro they've been through so much)

(3) let this fruit salad of a show be gay, we all know it is so just let it be gay!! Give steve his metal head bf!! let robin and vickie be cute band gfs!! Let byler be a thing and let them be happy!! Let max have both her gf and her bf el and Lucas!! Let us have our stoner bfs Jonathan and argyle!!! Let us have single queen nancy who knows shes bi but also knows she doesn't need to constantly be in a relationship!!!!!

(Bonus 4 bc I need to have wayne and eddie interact, they care so much for eachother and we were robbed of having them reunited)

And finally

W- (besides all the sex or die, sex pollen, and everything else that involves questionable consent) I have the most irrational hatred for time loops!! Idk what it is but even if it's the only completed, checks every other box for my dream fic, if it has a time loop? Fuck nope just no. I would rather read the fic from 2016 thats incomplete. I just despise it and I really have no clue why, no fandom would make me want to read that trope!?!?

Anyway hope you enjoyed this lol

what was your favorite and least favorite part of s3? (could be w scenes, characters, whatever)

Oh, good question! This is a bit hard to say.

I think my favourite part was the way they developed certain relationships. Elmax was great, I love how she finally got El to start being her own person and figuring out what SHE likes and wants. Max is the best thing that has happened to El. The first person who actually treated her as her own individual. That is amazing. I also enjoyed Robin and Steve... well, the Scoops Troop in general tbh. I know a lot of people were disappointed with Byler, but I actually liked their development. They were acting like a couple with dates, bickering, and a break up. Also the ending was great with flirting and the heavy Byler implications. I think a lot of people have misread Byler in S3. It wasn’t like in S2, but it is far from dead - I actually think it is starting to rise.

My least favourite part was Will being shunted. I was so disappointed that once again El hogged the spotlight. 🙄 I enjoy El, but it’s old and tired. Yes, I get it... she has powers. Will was supposed to have them too (which better still happen or I will riot). And the Mind Flayer targeted Will for TWO SEASONS and suddenly El was his target all along and he doesn’t recognize Will. 🙄 I rolled my eyes so hard at that. Give me a break. Also wasn’t a fan of them trying to make me feel for Billy. I don’t HATE him but I dislike him. He was a racist who tried to KILL CHILDREN. I can’t say I will miss him.