vivi-fics

[everybodydeservesbetter]

Will giving misogynist gay boy in S3...

look this is not hate, and it's probably a lot of internalized misogyny, coupled with self-hatred and redirection of "i don't like girls" to "i hate girls, they're stupid" because he wants to "justify" that he's not atracted to them like the rest of The Party.

but really, my boy be running around calling El and Max stupid like twice per episode, and saying that "they ruined The Party"-

i'm just happy they forced him to actually coexist with El so he could humanize girls for once T0T

(again i'm not hating, it's just an observation. i understand he's not actually misogynyst. please don't fight)

[livelaughlothcat]

Imagine you’re Joyce Byers and your boyfriend died a few hours ago and you just got done exorcising a demon out of your son and you get back to your house that was already trashed but now there’s also an unconscious teenage asshole with a mullet and a needle sticking out of his neck in the middle of your living room and there’s food all over your kitchen floor because one of your son’s stupid friends put one of the monsters that killed your boyfriend in your fridge. And also you have to go and vote in like two days cause if you don’t your other son is gonna get really pissy about the fact you didn’t do anything to try and stop Reagan from getting re-elected

[onceuponlia]

I’m truly baffled by those posts that “genuinely” ask about the evidence for Byler and then, after being presented with an overwhelming amount of it, completely dismiss everything by saying that, because it wasn’t explicit, none of it mattered.

Well, of course it wasn’t explicit – queerness is rarely depicted directly in mainstream media. It’s almost never afforded the same treatment as a typical straight romance.

Even Will was consistently described as not being gay but simply “slow” to grow up. And yet you expect there to be a clear “Guys, I’m queer and in love with Will” scene from Mike, when they didn’t even have Will explicitly say the word “gay” or directly confess his feelings?

It’s not our fault that you’re not open-minded enough to see beyond your heteronormative lens (and are so clearly bothered by Byler for some reason).

So please stop asking Byler shippers to explain everything to you, only to have them waste their time while you dismiss it all anyway because you’re not willing to consider something you’ve already decided you don’t see.

[everybodydeservesbetter]

i love when i link the Byler Marketing Analysis and the same people that asked for signs go like:

Netflix pushed HARD for my boys and then pretended it didn't happen, but there's proof, and facts and it's SO OBVIOUS. but sure, go ahead and said "well it isn't explicit". well you know what isn't explicit either, fcking Mike telling Jane he loves her, so what about that? guess if we're being explicit Mike is fcking asexual then, good for him

[everybodydeservesbetter]

💛💙

it was new years eve, 2026

my aunt was visiting and we were having hot chocolate. she agreed to watch Stranger Things with me (even tho she had never heard of it and couldn't care less). we toddled to the sofa, watched a recap so she understood the context, and started the new episodes. i had waited to see Volume 2 and 3 together because i wanted the full experience.

first, Shock Jock. then, Escape from Camazotz and finally... The Bridge.

she's been hearing me scream every single time Byler interacts. she's asked if they're a couple. i say "not yet". i'm glued to the tv. i know it's coming any moment now.

Joyce is talking to Will. i'm shaking at the edge of my sit. "is gonna happen" i say. Mike enters the frame. I scream my head off. IT'S HAPPENING, IT'S FINALLY HAPPENING.

they pan to a room full of people. ok, maybe it's not how i wanted it to go, but it still goes, right? it still goes because they've been hinting at it all season. it's a long time coming. even my aunt can see it and she's known of the existence of these two boys since a couple hours ago.

Will says Mike is... just his Tammy? my aunt asks who is Tammy. i explain. she just says "huh, weren't they a couple?". i remind her that not really. Will finishes his monologue. we go straight to battle. ok, i think, they're focused on survival, it's not time yet.

we finish the episode and immediately jump to Episode 8. The Rightside Up.

i'm thinking the episode will probably finish with this wrapped up, so i'm not waiting anything at the start. but i'm a little less shaky. i'm not that nervous. but then they start to climb the tower.

Mike is holding some type of yellow juice as Will enters the frame. the whole background is blue. I squeak a little. the hints are there. They start talking. I start shaking again.

"that came out wrong- well, not came out wrong" I'm nearly crying. it's happening now. my aunt laughs and says they're cute. they really are.

"what matters is that you're still here" yes it does, you guys are together "and that you think we can still be friends" wait what- "friends? no thanks. best friends" ... what?

i look at my aunt. she looks at me. she just puts her arm round me and we watch as they leave the tower. what comes next is just a really, really painful death. with every scene, i get a little bit more discouraged.

i'd been waiting for this for months, years. and the realization that it was never coming creeped in. still, i hang onto a little bit of hope. hey, maybe this makes sense. i love this characters, if Mike is just straight that isn't a crime. crushes don't have to be reciprocated to be okay.

but then Jane decides she's better off. and my aunts grabs me a little bit tighter. i know we both know it's sad. i know she knows watching the message that someone has to kill themselves to break free of the cycle of abuse is hurting me. we don't say it. we haven't talked about it in years. we just know.

we watch as the guys play DnD one last time. they all convince themselves that Jane is okay in some far, far away land. and that she's better off.

everybody is crying. but they don't look like happy tears. they look like tears filled with regrets and sadness and pain. they don't look like "we're going off to college but we love each other" tears. they look like "i hate that this is how we end" tears.

my aunt says it sucked. i say i'm sorry. she says we can kick off the year better. so we play a little uno and call it a night.

but i haven't been able to stop thinking about that night. i've cried multiple times, not being able to understand how could i be so wrong when i was so sure. but i've also laughed my ass off with people that share this same pain, sharing stories and thoughts. we felt ignored, used and, in a way, scammed. when all we wanted was to be seen. to have a little bit or representation here and there.

and these thoughts have keep pilling and compressing into a corner in my head.

Robby and Vickie didn't have to break up at all. Not with a lousy reason at least. Nancy and Jonathan either, maybe so, but they didn't have to. Steve could've felt like he had a purpose after highschool. Dustin didn't get to acknowledge Susie, or his dreams, not a lot of things really. Lucas isn't just a boyfriend. He is also his own person. We never get to see that. Max shouldn't have to be a perfect recovery story when she has so much to work through and she deserves to do so. Jane shouldn't have been cornered into killing herself. Mike should accept himself, instead of looking regretful at every turn. And Will should feel wanted and loved.

so I've decided I'm rewriting Stranger Things. since season 3 at least (more details to come!)

because at the end of the day, everybody deserves better.