hammer and nail bracelet matching pfps are u kidding me they did not just softlaunch their relationship they also softlaunched their sub/dom dynamics lmao
ik noah's fictional crush must be mike wheeler (his ass tries to be nonchalant about it but i noticed his excitement when he got gifted that mike figure) so do u think finn ever got jealous of himself
If anything I got a vibe that Finn was acting quite distant from Noah there, focusing more on interacting with Gaten, Millie etc(even blowing a kiss to Caleb) and even his body language was very closed off/blocked off from him, and he wasn’t really looking at him or bringing him into the conversation much beyond bringing up the shoot out filming.
Absolutely agree with this, I thought the same exact thing. When I saw Finn blow a kiss to Caleb and his body language seeming a bit closed off towards Noah, I honestly felt a little… idk… bad for Noah? I felt the discomfort radiating off of him and he had a bit of a dissociated look on his face throughout the interview. I know this because his body language was very similar to mine whenever I feel left out from a group in my own experiences— wanting to fit in and communicate, but scared that I’ll say too much or make a fool out of myself somehow, so I’m very hyper-vigilant about what I say. Selective mutism kind of deal. I think that Noah has a lot of charisma that he hides from the world and even his closest friends sometimes (I’m assuming mainly in public settings— the dynamic may be totally different behind closed doors and the public eye). BUT I really hope he fully steps into his light and expresses himself exactly the way he wants to, he deserves that. He also deserves someone to love and cherish the shit out of him. Sometimes Finn’s indifference towards him upsets me, and sometimes I don’t like to ship them because of that reason. Such a cutie boy who should have the world and more. Ok rant over 🙂↔️
Who Wants to Live Forever? : Stranger Things, Nosferatu (1979), and Queen
This is essentially a companion piece to my Death and the Maiden analysis. I would suggest you read it first, as my theories here reference/build on a lot of the ideas and themes from that piece.
CW: discussions of CSA, homophobia, AIDS, dubious consent
There was one shot towards the end of the trailer that really struck my gothic loving heart because of its shockingly similar composition to the iconic Nosferatu shot:
The innocent maiden laying before Death incarnate.
I’m just going to go out on a limb and predict Werner Herzog’s 1979 Nosferatu adaptation was on the S5 movie board (I predicted Eternal Sunshine serving as inspiration - maybe I have a third eye or maybe the Duffers just aren’t that sneaky with their movie refs).
I theorized in my previous post that S5 would see Vecna (Death) stalking Will (the Maiden) in pursuit of reclaiming him, symbolizing Will’s internal conflict of resisting the pull to Death because of his shame regarding his sexuality and past trauma.
While I feel that the initial interpretation is still valid, the trailer emphasized the abusive nature of their dynamic.
In the pursuit of Will we saw in the trailer, Vecna’s handling of him is delicate and incredibly predatory with its strange…sensuality? (this is where I want to make it clear I am NOT shipping these two characters when I use the word sensual to describe the mood of the scene. Sensual, especially in gothic narratives, doesn’t automatically mean sexy, healthy, or reciprocated).
Concerning the composition of the scene, it makes the SA subtext very apparent. Will is laying down, immobilized. He is sweating and writhing, and Vecna controls his movements, bringing Will towards him in order to hold his face (an action that Vecna only ever did with female victims).
Vecna’s actions are possessive because Vecna feels that he owns Will - he forcefully took Will’s innocence in S1. S5 has Vecna asking for Will to surrender more of himself.
Thinking back to Nosferatu, the Count sought out Lucy because he wanted her to submit herself to him. In one scene, he visits her in her bedroom:
This desire the vampire has to possess something of the Maiden (whether that be her love, her blood, her mind, or her body) is often read as an allegory for loss of autonomy, sexual assault, or taboo desires.
Lucy refuses to give up her love to the Count, so the Count offers Lucy a transaction.
(for context, Lucy’s husband Jonathan is ill after being imprisoned in the Count’s castle)
I think a similar scene will transpire between Vecna and Will prior to the downtown massacre, with Vecna demanding Will offer up something of himself. I believe (as do many others) that Vecna wants Will’s powers/abilities; it’s pretty heavily implied in the trailer.
“William. You are going to help me. One last time.”
Will’s emerging powers run parallel to his maturation and trying to regain his autonomy - autonomy Vecna violated in s1 and s2. Vecna demanding Will submit to him in exchange for Mike’s safety, or else, would build off of the copious amounts of Mike-Death imagery we have gotten over the seasons.
(I mean, that Demogorgon LUNGED for Mike’s head. My boy is not safe with Vecna running around!!)
I think Will making a deal with Vecna (yes that was a Running Up That Hill reference) like Lucy and the Count is what is occurring in the shot below, with Will likely coerced by Vecna threatening his or his loved one’s safety.
I feel that offers a possible explanation regarding the mood in the climax of the downtown massacre.
The blocking in the first image echoing the shot of Lucy sacrificing herself to the Count is one thing, but Vecna bringing Will towards him and holding him at eye-level suggests that Vecna views Will as his equal; he thinks that they are on the same page. It’s very different to how he approached his victims in S4 by towering over them. The bone-chilling tenderness with which he cups Will’s face communicates both ownership and awe. Will’s fear is visceral by comparison, emphasizing the violation he is experiencing, possibly made worse if he felt he had no other choice but to submit.
I want to add that Lucy’s sacrifice was also in an effort to save Wisborg from Dracula’s plague. There are reports that there is some sickness infecting the children of Hawkins - Will offering himself up to Vecna to put an end to the plague would be another Nosferatu parallel.
I’ve seen a lot of talk wondering where the hell are Mike and Joyce while Will is being brought to Vecna. I don’t have a specific theory, but I do think Mike being too late to save Will from Vecna would call back to Mike starting every season running late…
This brings me to the song choice of the trailer. Who Wants to Live Forever by Queen is a power ballad about mortality and the brevity of love. IMO, its use highlights the Death and the Maiden dynamic and Byler’s love story:
Will’s romantic feelings for Mike through the lense of the Death and the Maiden motif likely share similar feelings to those expressed in the song: Will doesn’t see a future that doesn’t involve death. (Remember that this is the 80s and the political and social climate towards LGBTQ+ individuals was worsened by the misconception that the AIDS crisis was a “gay plague”).
Yet the song is ultimately hopeful as seen in the chorus: Touch my tears with your lips / Touch my world with your fingertips / And we can have forever. (If you want my theories on S5 Byler’s arc read this!)
Will is ultimately going to be proven wrong in his belief that he cannot have a forever with Mike. Will is also going to get to reclaim his autonomy and agency through his relationship with Mike. Their love is not wrong or ill-fated - their love for each other is literally going to save the world!!
In conclusion, I’ve never been more stressed and excited for a character arc in my life!
Do you remember that video the Duffers made of them shot listing with the Funko pops? I don't think we've seen that scene in the show yet, unless that was the original idea for episode 4. Still so much mysteryyyy
Definitely not a formation we've seen yet, but I also wonder if they were just messing around to fuck with us and it's actually just improv nonsense haha
snowghoul
yousharknotpass
discoholicmusic
