🪐 september 🪐

Call me september • byler enthusiast • Stranger Things obsessed • Heartstopper • She/they

[ofroseandivory]

i’m not calling you a liar, griddlehark song of all time. “just stop haunting me”? “and i love you so much, i’m gonna let you kill me”?? “there’s a ghost in my lungs and it sighs in my sleep”??? “then it walks with my legs to fall (to fall, to fall) at your feet”???? “but for the grace of god go i, and when you kiss me i am happy enough to die”?????

[reaandull]

...🦴

[harrirats]

the ninth

[maezanilla]

Griddlehark modern au shenanigans ✨ I was so obsessed with this drawing from Andy that I just had to make fanart of it…!!!

[finderheart]

I can't believe it took me this long to post these I finished this like nine months ago

An idea I had for Blood of Eden propaganda/recruitment posters featuring some of our favorite guys - combo of digital-print cyberpunk graphic design style with oldschool Saturday Morning Post covers like you'd see Leyendecker paintings on

I was gonna post these ahead of tabling at a small con and selling prints of them but ended up not tabling because turns out grad school is hard

maybe next year... figured tumblr would like though

[bbluesidess]

I wrote this before the finale came out, but it ended up being very similar to #that scene, so I guess you can pretend this is a rewrite. With flirting as it should be.

[williamwheeler]

my main takeaway from mike's character

[rowan-the-sorcerer]

im pissed and disgusted by the queerbait so

here is a masterpost on everything that doesnt make sense because byler isnt canon, plot holes that exist because byler isnt canon, all the ways mikes character was ruined by making him straight, AND how it was homophobic. i include explanations and categorize things by color coding! this includes scenes in the show, interviews, and posts from the stranger things team. (note: im not going to include things noah said-explained in tags)

warning, it’s very long because im including EVERYTHING. I found and listed 114 examples here. enjoy—or don’t.

1. mike and el’s fight in season 4. specifically, “it was like a fight you can’t come back from.” and then their argument is never resolved. they have barely any scenes or chemistry in season 5, and they remain a couple. plot hole because: where is the explanation as to how they got back on good terms? keeping them together is a direct contradiction of the narrative that’s been set up.

2. mike being unable to say “i love you” to el. even when he says goodbye to el in the void before she disappears in the season 5 finale, she is the only one to say “i love you.” mike does not say it back. ruined mikes character because: it makes him out to be an asshole. plot hole because: they never explain why he goes from being able to say “i love you” in season 3 to being unable to in season 4 and 5.

3. mike not reacting to el’s kiss in season 3 at the end of the season finale. plot hole because: he was interested in el earlier this season. what changed? no explanation given. only makes sense if he is no longer romantically interested in her and/or he is gay. neither is true according to the series finale.

4. robin and will’s “signals” scene. plot hole because: why would will ask for signals if he didn’t have anyone in mind? why would he ask clarification with “how obvious?”

5. mike and will flirting in the field in season 5. doesn’t make sense because: why would will flirt back with mike knowing el and mike are together? why would he do so if he “knew” mike is straight?

6. mike being in will’s reel in sorcerer. doesn’t make sense because: robin said her reel only had her in it. robin said she didn’t need tammy to realize and accept herself. why would will need mike, then, if that isn’t how robin did it AND they’re setting up will to parallel robin?

7. will saying “i know he’s not like me” and “he’s just my tammy” and “i HAD a crush on someone” in his coming out scene. doesn’t make sense because: why would will flirt with mike knowing that? how is it possible for will to get over his years long crush in the span of a day? homophobic because: you’re downplaying a GAY character’s love for someone as a crush and being something that could be easily tossed aside. this is not done with any other character.

8. will being the only person in the cast without a love interest. plot hole because: if robin and will are meant to parallel each other, why doesn’t he get a love interest? we get a glimpse of him talking to someone at a bar—that’s not a confirmed partner. that’s not even crumbs. narratively him getting a partner was necessary. homophobic because: you are singling out a gay character.

9. mike not being able to hug will at the airport. plot hole because: we never get an explanation for this. they weren’t in an actual argument, and they ended season 3 on good terms. if mike isn’t gay and didn’t suspect anything, this has zero purpose in the story. ruins mikes character because: he has no reason to dislike or distance himself from will because he is confirmed to not have known about the crush, and he is not gay canonically. he was just being an asshole.

10. mike not reaching out to will when he moved to lenora. plot hole because: again, if mike and will’s ended on good terms and he doesn’t canonically have feelings for mike, then WHY didn’t he call? there was zero narrative or emotional payoff for this, either. it serves no point. ruins mikes character because: it goes against mikes own words. he said they would stay best friends, and then didn’t. and he admits regretting this and missing will. so again, if there was no motive or reason for this underneath that, he’s an asshole.

11. paralleling stancy to mileven through the “you can’t say you love me” plotline. plot hole because: why parallel your characters and relationships only for that parallel to not have any payoff?

12. paralleling rovickie and vickie’s boyfriend to byler and mileven in season 4 through cinematography. plot hole because: again, why parallel to have no payoff? this serves no purpose now.

13. the rain fight between mike and will in season 3. ruins mikes character because: if mike wasn’t projecting, then he was just being homophobic and an asshole. plot hole because: making a callback to that fight in wills coming out scene without an apology from mike is just bringing up wills trauma needlessly and without resolution. homophobic because: that comment is so fucking homophobic i don’t even NEED to explain why. it’s obvious.

14. mike apologizing to will after the rain fight, but not el after their breakup. ruins mikes character because: mike is shown to simply not care about his girlfriend. plot hole because: it is never explained to us why mike cares more about will than his own girlfriend.

15. using the painting to help fix mileven. ruins mikes character because: mike can’t say i love you unless the world is ending and needs his best friends support for it. homophobic because: using a gay characters pain to keep a straight couple canon is fucked up

16. not addressing the painting after season 4. plot hole because: mike had all the pieces to understand the painting came from will. el told him in the letter he was painting for someone he likes. mike now knows will loves him. will used similar language in both the painting and coming out scene. the lack of confrontation doesn’t work narratively and comes off as forgetfulness and an unfinished plot.

17. mike refusing to play dnd in season 3 but playing it again after will moves away. plot hole because: if mike didn’t want to play because “they’re growing up,” then that doesn’t make sense. if he changed his mind, it should have been explained. but mikes back and forth feelings on dnd are never discussed. ruins mikes character because: he’s a hypocrite and bullied will for no reason.

18. mike flirting with will in season 4, specifically “i didn’t say it. you didn’t have to.” doesn’t make sense because: why play it with that tone if it meant literally nothing????

19. the writers referencing korrasami and catradora. doesn’t make sense because: it’s two gay ships that get together in the end. that didn’t happen to any couple at all. and nothing ever came close to either of these ships in this show. homophobic because: you’re promoting your straight, queerbaiting show with genuine queer representation in other media.

20. jancy paralleling byler in season 2, specifically with mike and jonathan helping will and nancy get back safe on halloween. plot hole: again, why parallel if it’s for nothing?

21. “the painting will payoff” in interviews. doesn’t make sense because: that was literally a lie. homophobic because: you lied KNOWING it would give queer fans hope.

22. “byler fans are the loudest” said by the duffers in an interview. homophobic because: why are you mocking a giant part of your fanbase?

23. “will and mikes story isn’t over yet” said in an article in reference to the finale. homophobic because: that was a lie and it was to bait hopeful fans. doesn’t make sense because: it’s factually not true. their 20 second conversation was a throwaway and did not give us any new info about their relationship.

24. mike promising will they would be a team at the end of season 4. doesn’t make sense because: they were not paired up in season 5. they were not a team. ruins mikes character because: he’s an inconsistent friend.

25. creelby and byler parallels. doesn’t make sense because: they said the first shadow content would make its way into season 5 and it barely did.

26. shawn posting only the posters of will and mike on his story. homophobic because: you’re baiting people.

27. hans and leia parallels to byler/mileven. doesn’t make sense because: it was all for nothing

28. paralleling the rink o mania byler fight with high school musical (a canon romantic pairing). doesn’t make sense because: if it wasn’t romantic then literally why?

29. paralleling the byler rain fight to a canon gay couple from another show. homophobic because: it’s literally baiting and uses an actual queer show to hurt queer viewers

30. any and all byler posts on stranger things accounts. homophobic because: obvious baiting and playing into hopes of queer people getting decent representation

31. paralleling “crazy together” to “only love makes you that crazy”. homophobic because: you want us to think they’re romantic in some capacity and then you lied. it’s misleading.

32. forgetting wills birthday. homophobic because: even if it WAS an accident, it’s so fucked up it happened to the one character who’s been traumatized the most, doesn’t get a satisfying ending, and is gay. ruins mikes character because: not only did he forget wills birthday, he complained at him all day. thats supposed to be his best friend. plot hole because: you make your plot about wormholes, have a clock and time theme in season 4, make henry’s birthday the same as wills, make will be chosen for a reason by vecna, and then you never explain any of it with this.

33. “we asked finn and noah to carry a lot of emotional weight” homophobic because: most actors carried more emotional weight than finn did. he had ONE SCENE in the entire season where he showed emotion. meanwhile gaten, natalia, and maya had way more emotion and you CHOSE to single out finn and pair his name with noah’s because you knew what bylers would think. doesn’t make sense because: not true. finn did not.

34. “it’s a shitty knockoff” in reference to mikes california outfit, obviously talking about how he’s not being himself. plot hole: you set us up for that, and then never show us what he’s hiding and/or what makes him not himself.

35. “mike is the heart this season”. homophobic because: you purposefully used language that refers to the painting scene, which is about wills love for mike. doesn’t make sense because: it’s factually not true. lucas did more for the party than mike did.

36. paralleling wills self acceptance arc to robin’s. plot hole because: if you’re going to make wills entire coming out scene, entire self acceptance arc with the film reel, etc using the tammy storyline and robin’s advice—and go step by step in the same order of events that robin went through—then narratively you have to conclude that parallel. robin gets the girl. will does not get the boy. homophobic because: instead of giving will an original storyline, you’re just recycling another queer character’s experience

37. will repeating some of robins exact dialogue such as “it was always about me,” “tammy,” etc. homophobic because: again, recycling another queer character because you’re too lazy to be original. not all gay people are the same for fucks sake

38. “will learning that sometimes your crush doesn’t like you back was the important message we needed to tell” said by the duffers in an interview. homophobic because: first of all, why are straight people telling queer people what we need? you don’t know us. secondly, this is not an original concept. stories have been using this trope and narrative for ages. thirdly, telling other characters they need love to get past their struggles only for that pattern to not follow the gay kid is crazy work.

39. showing a clip of mike looking at will while he’s possessed in the trailer of season 5 as a parallel to season 2. doesn’t make sense because: this clip literally has nothing more to it in the show. it has zero purpose.

40. saying in one interview that the intent was for people to see mike understood will was talking about him in the coming out scene, only to then backtrack in a video interview, AND THEN throw that away with a vague conversation with mike and will in the finale. homophobic because: you were lying to keep queer people hopeful after the backlash so you wouldn’t lose finale viewers.

41. saying you were originally going to write wills coming out scene to be during the painting reveal/in the van. doesn’t make sense because: why did you change your mind? it would have worked better than the shit show we got. plot hole: so mike is oblivious to what the painting means. was he meant to not be oblivious then? that would’ve changed the course of byler.

42. the finale scene where will asks for them to stay friends and then mike says “no. best friends”. homophobic because: i shouldn’t even have to explain that. are you fucking serious? bait bait bait bro. fakeout scene. ruins mikes character because: it’s shitty to give will hope for no fucking reason

43. mike apologizing to will for not realizing will was struggling with being gay. doesn’t make sense because: literally if mike is not gay, what would him realizing this have changed? what would he be able to do? after “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” it’s clear mike would’ve been useless. plot hole because: he could’ve apologized for literally anything else. laundry list of apologies he needs to make for will. choosing this instead was weird.

44. keeping mileven ambiguous until literally the last 45 minutes of the series finale. homophobic because: you knew what you were doing giving people hope and trying to keep views up. plot hole: it made mileven so weak. they had no chemistry. mike and els goodbye scene fell so flat because of that.

45. “see what happens, michael?” comment ted makes at mike for wills disappearance (implying it’s because he’s gay) in season 1. plot hole: why imply mike is gay if he’s not gay??

46. “you can tell me things” karen says to mike about wills disappearance—which is exactly what she says to nancy about steve (canon couple at the time). bonus points because el was in a literal closet during that scene. plot hole: why imply their friendship is different if it never was meant to be?

47. ted wheeler breaking mikes closet during the demo fight. doesn’t make sense: why that symbolism if for nothing?

48. mike having a one way sign into his closet. doesn’t make sense: again, why if not gay?

49. costume designer making robins season 4 outfit have triangle imagery to showcase her queerness and giving mikes custom shirt a triangle, too. doesn’t make sense: why is he gay IF HES NOT GAY?

50. finn saying “mike is just trying to stay on a normal path” in reference to season 4 mike. doesn’t make sense: mike literally says in season 4 that he doesn’t want to be popular. he says he’s been bullied his whole life. this is just not true.

51. the party’s bullies throwing homophobic insults about will at mike SPECIFICALLY. doesn’t make sense: why at mike and no one else? it only makes sense if it’s because those gay comments are also about him

52. mike is bullied by being called frog face, while everyone else is bullied for being a minority. doesn’t make sense: why is mike the only one without such an insult?

53. the cali plotline as a whole, which only existed to establish and build upon mike and wills relationship. plot hole: if mike and el were built up for a breakup, and an entire season was spent discussing how in love will is with mike, then why did it lead to nothing? the narrative flow abruptly ended.

54. “a brush of the knee, a bump of the elbow, a shared look” all being signs someone likes you, and season 5 gives us all of that with mike and will. homophobic because: BAIT. plot hole: why build this narrative only to abruptly end it?

55. “in the closet” playing when mike starts to regret fighting with will at rink o mania. doesn’t make sense because: it could’ve started playing when we saw el but they chose to make it on mike.

56. “we’re friends. WE’RE FRIENDS” plot hole because: no one implied you weren’t. that was all you making it have romantic connotations, mike. confirmed by the fact that mike was oblivious to wills feelings here. ruins mikes character because: he has learned nothing from “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls.” same shit different font.

57. “the first i love you” playing only during breakup scenes. but it plays with mileven…only for no breakup to happen. doesn’t make sense because: you can’t keep making parallels and patterns and breaking them.

58. mikes reaction to will gaining powers in sorcerer. doesn’t make sense: it was shot romantically and choosing to focus on mikes reaction more than wills mother was…a choice.

59. mike constantly correcting everyone on will being a sorcerer. plot hole: why is mike the only one being so pushy and adamant? how is this supposed to be read if it’s not romantic? the other characters reacting weirdly to his insistence speaks volumes.

60. small town boy being on mikes official playlist. homophobic because: bait.

61. mike liking butthole surfers and robin disliking it. homophobic because: bait.

62. will asking robin if she got with vickie after coming out. plot hole: sets us up narratively for will to end up with someone. doesn’t happen.

63. “jonathan helps will get something he wants” said in an interview. doesn’t make sense: didn’t happen. was a lie.

64. the blue and yellow lighting. plot hole: building a pattern and storytelling with cinematography for nothing.

65. the lighting choices in the field scene: soft romantic and hopeful. doesn’t make sense because: all this for what? im tired.

66. the van scene taking 12 hours and specific comments being made on how they tried to get the lighting just right. doesn’t make sense: why then? just why.

67. mike having imagery with women and frowning, and then having imagery of men and smiling. homophobic because: obvious queer coding for nothing.

68. mike being paralleled to brenner in season 4 with “what did you do?”. plot hole: why make him look so bad and incompatible with el only for them to never resolve the arguments and be a couple in the next season? ruins mikes character: bad bf for not comforting el after she was bullied at rink o mania.

69. mike doing a triple take in season 4. homophobic: gay for nothing bro. playing into romantic tropes to have no payoff.

70. will talking about being scared because “what if they don’t like the truth” only for mike to nod and agree in season 4–in reference to will being gay. plot hole: mike is scared to open up. and then he never opens up. to anyone. for season 4 AND 5.

71. mike not reacting to will being in danger. or his parents being in danger. or holly being in danger. or nancy. for all of season 5. ruins mikes character: if it’s not because he was bottling up his emotions and hiding something—which we now know wasn’t the case and he was just genuinely acting this way—then he’s an asshole. we know he can react and emote, he’s done it in seasons prior.

72. having will be in love with mike for 3 entire seasons at minimum. plot hole: narrative build up tells us it was a slow burn. but then the candle went out and nothing happened. it doesn’t follow narrative storytelling. homophobic: giving will the character and us the viewers hope for YEARS and knowing it wasn’t going to happen is cruel

73. having will be in love with mike. homophobic: for will to have an acceptance arc and a gay arc, he didn’t need a crush. he didn’t need a love interest. making it canon and then treating it this way is queerbait plain and simple.

74. mike telling el “i feel like my life started that day i found you in the woods”. homophobic because: will byers has to listen to his best friend say his life started the day he went missing. like what the fuck? ruins mikes character because: it contradicts what he said in season 2—he said the best thing he ever did was ask will to be friends. it also just makes him an asshole because he knows how will has been traumatized since that day.

75. this

homophobic because: self explanatory. bait.

76. this scene

homophobic because: someone in production literally told them to hold hands. the bathroom is named dick. come on. queerbait.

77. ALL of the dick jokes. robin saying “i like dick” then panning over to mike and will looking at each other. the bathroom being named dick. homophobic because: come ON. QUEERBAIT.

78. will being in almost every shot of mileven in season 4. doesn’t make sense: genuinely if not for the love triangle imagery, why was will haunting mileven constantly?

79. mike and el reuniting in season 4 after they find project nina. mike looking at el and then will smiling. and then the smile drops when he looks back at el. doesn’t make sense: if not romantic confusion, what purpose does this serve?

80. mike and el reuniting at project nina EXACTLY like will and el do with a hug and pressing foreheads. doesn’t make sense: why compare SIBLINGS to a ROMANTIC PAIRING?? weird weird weird if not meant to be read as platonic mileven.

81. robin looking at mike and will in the field being framed exactly like how steve looks at vickie and robin in season 4. doesn’t make sense: for the billionth time i am asking WHY the parallel if it was for nothing?

82. “i don’t believe in coincidences” -lucas in season 5. plot hole: you say that but then the whole season is FULL of coincidences—either plot holes, or mistakes, or things that straight up don’t work. homophobic: arguably bait.

83. mike being oblivious to the painting, will flirting in the field, and literally the past 5 seasons, but understanding that will was talking about him in the coming out scene. plot hole: you can’t paint mike as oblivious and then make him not understand concepts that are handed to him on a silver platter, but then write him to understand will is talking about him when ZERO indication is given in the dialogue. ruins mike character because: you pick and choose when he’s emotionally intelligent and when he’s not. you’re calling him dumb when he is NOT DUMB. homophobic because: willful ignorance of canon and purposeful twisting of mikes character to avoid addressing the romantic subtext.

84. “i miss clouds. i miss you” doesn’t make sense: this is not giving the “he’s just a crush” energy you claim.

85. mike finding a new party after will saying he’s loyal to their group. ruins mikes character: he had no reason to hate on will. he’s a hypocrite.

UPDATE/EDIT: i remembered more. he’s a screenshot of my reblog.

EDIT NUMBER 3: there’s more!

and guess what? even more

UPDATE/EDIT 4:

101. having mike linger on will’s dnd book and crying. doesn’t make sense: why is he crying over will????

102. wsqk hinting at byler via songs and talking segments. homophobic: queerbait

103. having the show pop up when byler was written in the netflix search bar, but not doing the same with mileven. homophobic: queerbait

104. mike telling hopper he was going to run away with el in the epilogue. plot hole: he said he wanted to leave with the whole party initially. also el didn’t gaf about his dnd storytimes. ruins mikes character because: it’s uncharacteristic of him to want to abandon everyone.

105. mike having the painting in his future room. plot hole: does he even know it was from will? no, he does not. he still thinks it’s from el and his final perspective of her is based on a lie

UPDATE 5:

106. the end of season 4 pairings in the field, putting byler with canon couples and having el stand on her own. doesn’t make sense: why do this if jancy is bones and mileven is still together?

107. 70/30 split of yellow and purple flowers from mike to el in the airport scene. “there was too much yellow” which is will’s color. doesn’t make sense: if it doesn’t have any greater meaning, why spend so much time explaining?

108. those flowers dying in the field at the end of season 4 and in the hospital during the season 5 rovickie scene. doesn’t make sense: why use the exact same flowers if there is no symbolism?

UPDATE 6: because of course there’s more. there always is.

109. the costume designer for season 4 stating that it was intentional for el to look like will, as if she was wearing his hand me down clothes. doesn’t make sense: what in the andrew-in-drag is this?

110. the show uses lots of queer songs, like purple rain and music by david bowie. homophobic: you can’t use a queer artist to promote your homophobic storyline.

111. the coming out scene focuses on mike’s reactions during the dialogue where will says he doesn’t like girls specifically. doesn’t make sense: why do that if it had nothing to do with mike making an epiphany?

112. will planning on telling just joyce that he’s gay, and intentionally having mike be the one to interrupt the scene. homophobic: bait

113. in the season 3 finale, mike hugs his mom after the byers move away to parallel his reaction to when will died. doesn’t make sense: this parallel means that mike was sad about will moving away, not necessarily el. but then his actions in season 4 don’t reflect that.

114. the interruption trope—which is used for other canon ships like jopper and lumax—playing out constantly when mike and will are talking throughout the show. homophobic: it’s bait and shitty to use romantic tropes if you’re not gonna actually have the ship become canon

[madlovesbyler]

At least we‘re finally making peace ❤️

[sentimentalrent]

I've been very vocal about disliking the DB's writing, but for a change I wanted to highlight something positive: thank you Paul Ditcher.

Writing is something I'm really passionate about. So, naturally, after finishing "Sorcerer", I went to check who wrote it because it's simply one of the best pieces of media I've watched lately-- and I needed more. Turns out, the man behind the script also wrote some of the best rated episodes of the series (S4E4 "Dear Billy"; S1E8 "The Upside Down"; )

I'm sure there's a bunch of talented people working for the show, but I wanted to appreciate this specific chapter because it singlehandedly made me a fan of the show again. It gave me hope.

In times of underestimating the value of human art, being original is so important. We are human because we can feel. And that's what art is: creating with feeling. Art is communicating beyond language barriers, it's sharing, it's leaving a mark... But it became simply a way to grab money from the masses, not caring about anything else than that. The ST finale is proof that writing is overlooked most times, prioritizing conformity of a general audience and not taking chances on anything that might be seen as controversial.

That's why it's so refreshing to find someone who puts effort into creating; I'm sick of everything being a remake of stuff that worked before or not knowing when to stop a show. It's not about complaining about mainstream media (because even when I criticise it, I enjoy watching it) but more about being tired of the way to consume cultural products and how we can't change it.

Anyway, In all of the chaos that streaming platforms created, I'm thankful for all the people out there who are passionate about creating and have this beautiful way of telling stories that make us engaged and move something in us

[daniartonline]

The Party ⚔️✨

[basilosu]

college byler

[the-archivist-14]

So- I finally watched the stranger things finally bc I was waiting to see if conformitygate would be like- canon or not and now that it’s pretty much not I finally decided to watch it and yikes…

As much as I didn’t think there was gonna be an episode 9, it is baffling they didn’t just come out say ‘Vecna won’ on jan 7th just to get people off their backs. Like at this point it’s an easy fix it for all the mistakes like-

(Live reactions from Michelle’s viewing displeasure brought to you by the potato chips and pettiness)

1- How is there water in the upside down? HOW IS THERE WATER IN THE UPSIDE DOWN?

2- Why are they calling Dimension X a planet, those are two separate things??

3- Mike walks up the tower 3 times in a row- (this made me laugh out loud, it was so fucking funny)

4- All the Henry creel inconsistencies and first shadow unexplained shit literally made me mad, like it’s so inconsistent to what we were told it just convoluted everything. First he’s bad, then he’s good then he’s bad again

5- I’m like 99.9 percent sure that when Millie said the finale was ‘meta’ it was them going to see the play in the show but you know, still weird

6- 7 seconds and the screeching sound between Steve’s fall and getting saved was odd, why specifically 7 seconds? Why the screeching sound? Why put a black screen at all?

I stopped trying to find logic around point where the kids went into the cave so i wasn’t actively writing them down until the fight scene except for like- this meme right here and my general fury that they killed Kali so cruelly:

7- Where are the demos?

8- How did they get up those cliffs?

9- why is the fight scene shorter than Will’s coming out scene (which I actually didn’t hate btw, it was weird and odd in some places but i didn’t hate it. I like the sentiment but y’know)? El got thrown around and held Vecna in mid air, Will tried to reason with him and then used his powers a little (remember when they said that Will was going to be the center of this season? Arguably he still kinda is but come onnnnn), then Joyce cut his head off with an axe. The mind flayer was burned alive and poked in the stomach and that’s all it took? Really?

10- El’s death was deeply unnecessary wtf? And yes, I say death bc there’s no way she could’ve survived. Or should I say- there was no way Kali could’ve survived that long to cast an illusion. Tho maybe bc his power set in the credits is called “illusionist” maybe it was Will who faked her death for her? Idk it sits better logically but it still doesn’t make any sense. Maybe that’s the real reason why Hopper wasn’t torn up about it in the epilogue?

11-Is Mike just straight up hallucinating his last encounter with Eleven (haha)? If we’re taking the “it was actually Will behind the illusion” then is Will just giving him the closure (which feels deeply weird to me)? How did she bring him into the void if it was her?

Honorable mention to Mike’s hands throughout that entire scene, comedy gold (not a dog on mileven’s btw, we both were screwed over by this show)

12- Purple Rain and El’s conformity to social standards in the one flashback took me out. Especially when she dressed up in that blonde wig and pink dress after she said “you could always see the real me”

Mini note- Dustin’s reaction seemed wayyy more genuine and heartbroken than Mike’s reaction. I don’t know what to do about this information.

13- you’re telling me Will Byers was not at all concerned when Joyce said his best friend/crush(?) was missing?

14- HOPPER IS LOOKING AT US WHEN TALKING ABOUT FUCKING SUFFERING-

STOP IT GET HELP-

15- assuming that conformity gate was not the desired outcome of the finale, why on earth did you use “the trooper” a song about dying in war in your triumphant “THIS IS OUR YEAR” speech? I think they audibly pitched down the audio so you couldn’t hear the fact that the lyrics during that part are “But on this battlefield, no one wins/The smell of acrid smoke and horses' breath/As I plunge on into certain death, oh, oh”

16- The way the waiter was like “chief, Mrs Byers always a pleasure” as if Joyce wasn’t the town crazy lady for like years bc of her search for her son.

17- why on earth did hopper propose on the boy’s graduation? I have just graduated recently (last year) and like we were all having family dinner together, idk as corny as it sounds I would’ve preferred a shot of the group all at dinner or something but idk it feels weird- shouldn’t they be celebrating the boy’s victory (over high school)? I know they’re playing dnd but come onnnn (nitpicking but idc)

18- is that patty???

19- the song she’s singing is “at last” which feels charged, especially with the “my love has come home” however i don’t have the emotional capacity to dive into that rn.

20- the fucking people. The fucking people. It’s not even just the people who literally are staring, it’s the fact the whole restaurant ends up applauding. It’s super weird, group mentality maybe?

21- this fucking guy

wtf is going on with his eyes?? Maybe it’s my camera but who knows?? Why does his pupil look like a slit??

22- it’s been said several times that Max would not break shit in her anger and I have to agree I mean it just feels so off.

23- something something Will is still bathed in light at so many points while Mike’s eyes are casted in more shadow than usual

24- is it just me or does Will have brown eyes in the epilogue?

25- Max calling out Mike for the ending when nobody seems to care is something interesting to me. Idk how to explain it, it’s just interesting.

26- maybe I’m deaf and i probably am but where did we learn that Will’s epilogue boyfriend was named ‘Carlton’?

27- why is Will, the boy who had an abusive alcoholic father going to a bar?

28- y’all remember my squawk theory? Well guess what I found…

What is the purpose of this? Mike wake up-

29- again, how? Kali was shot in the gut- and btw this is not me saying I want El to be dead I’m literally just questioning the story’s logic. Either way i don’t like her ending still, regardless if she’s dead or not.

30- Will looking at us but also seeming more emotional devastated than the rest (again, you can argue it’s about El or that they won’t play dnd anymore even tho they got all summer but again, suspicious.)

31- good luck Mike, you’d have to stop the world just to stop the feelinggggg

32- idk i think the shot of mike looking over at the group is cute, 9/10 can’t complain about really anything except the weird fart joke (?) at the end.

33- Byler haunting the ending even now.

Overall I’d say if you turn your brain off it’s not so bad but uh, i didn’t even catch all the inconsistencies and it was still pretty eerie. Idk something about it just kinda makes my skin crawl idk. I’m not gonna mention heroes bc like- some people say it’s a byler song others say it’s proof that the ending is fake bc of the fake outs it’s used for (like Will and Hopper’s fake out deaths), I’d rather not get into it.

Obviously the “friends, no way…………………✨best friends✨” absolutely destroyed me with how much I laughed. Like what? Why would you think of doing that?? Mike, I’m sorry they’re screwing you up on purpose at this point.

Also it’s my hc that Will’s ambiguous epilogue boyfriend (if this is actually real and not Vecna) is totally just Mike not wanting to tell the party that fact yet so Will came up with a dumbass name “Carl…ton, Carlton. Yeah,”

Idk let me have this for once

Also Lucas is easily my favorite character in this show and the fact he gets so little to do in the epilogue kinda kills me. Fucking hell, him and his sister got sidelined so hard. At least Lumax is still peak as always.

[sparks-olivarpente]

"How did they get up those cliffs?" < my thoughts while watching...

"Max would not break shit in her anger" < my idea for that is, if she's in the illusion too, part of her know it and act out but it can't last

"Will seeming more emotional devastated than the rest" < if he's the illusionist, could he be partially aware of what's going on?

"something about it just kinda makes my skin crawl" < same, I enjoyed the episode (before crying for 2 days) while feeling confused and not knowing why. It reminded me of when I'm being gaslighted: I knew something was wrong but not what. I hate it, now I can't think of volume 2 without feeling sick

[elevenenthusiast]

I really wish they’d kept the Mind Flayer in its true form and let Will be the one to defeat it, while El took down Vecna. You cannot tell me that wouldn’t have been more impactful.

Will the kid who was haunted by it, possessed by it, and controlled by it finally getting the chance to face it and overcome it makes so much sense for his character.

We could’ve had a moment where Will is standing in front of the Mind Flayer, flashing back to season 2, remembering everything it put him through, and still choosing to stand his ground. That’s where the line “I’m not afraid anymore” would’ve worked best.

El defeating Vecna and Will defeating the Mind Flayer would’ve felt like a natural direction for both of them. The story was right there and they just didn’t take it. COME ON!!

[prismhearts-electric]

Everyone's been focused on The Truman Show, but I think we should look at Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind just as much (which the Duffers recommended we watch).

Screw the secret real finale episode that didn't happen on the 7th, fuckery is going on in season 5 and that's worth looking at regardless of predicted dates.

People have pointed out that Mike disappears in one shot on the tower, and that Will's face is uncanny in one or two shots, like his features disappear. This sort of thing happens in Eternal Sunshine as memories are erased; people glitch and look uncanny, facial features disappear, people pop out of existence.

If we take the title of the movie, we can theoretically apply it to our characters if they lost to Vecna/the Mindflayer and are now trapped in an illusion of Hawkins: their minds are spotless, wiped clean, and they can live under the old saying 'ignorance is bliss'. It gives them comfort and happiness. But it's not authentic.

I think the illusion started in volume 2, reality started to warp here. This theory was popping off before the finale, as people theorised that Will was under Henry's manipulation, and people noticed the dials changing colour. This theory shouldn't die just because people predicted a secret episode for the 7th, it started days before the finale even released!

Now, the main reason I decided to rewatch Eternal Sunshine, is because Mike and Will are dressed like Joel and Clementine. This is either conformitygate or queerbait, no in between. Joel wears a dark green beanie, same as Mike; Clementine wears an orange hoodie, same as Will. In this movie that the Duffers told us to watch. So the question is, why? Why are they dressed the same? We'll never know, I fear, but I might as well compare them and try to paint a picture of what might be happening for Byler in volumes 2 and 3.

I find it interesting that Clementine erases her memories of Joel because their relationship was painful and she wanted 'to move on'. Will, in his coming out scene that is full of suspicious lines, says he realised Mike is 'just his Tammy'. I've even seen non-bylers, who never thought Byler would happen, say that diminishing Will's love to a crush like this feels wrong. So, maybe it is wrong? His feelings have been, essentially, erased. The importance of Mike has been erased.

There's a scene where Joel goes to see Clementine, but she doesn't recognise him. It's a heartbreaking scene for Joel who doesn't yet understand what Clementine has done. Reminds me of Mike's face during Will's coming out, which apparently some non-bylers interpreted as Mike having feelings for Will? The ambiguity of Mike Wheeler's face will haunt us forever. Maybe in this scene, Mike - wearing Joel's beanie, as Will wears Clementine's hoodie - has memories of his feelings for Will; but it is erased next, just as Joel's memories of Clementine start to be erased.

To forget Clementine, Joel needs to take everything he has that reminds him of her - including childhood photos?? And drawings. It reminds me of the film reel, that's all I can say. Maybe that film reel did have importance.

Another thing that reminds me of the film reel is how Joel protects his memory of Clementine by pulling her into his own childhood memories, a time when Clementine wasn't there. Remember when we thought childhood memories would be a huge, important plot point after volume 1? Joel tells Clementine, 'I wish I knew you when I was a kid.'

And because we're all obsessing over that damn 'for Will' tape: yeah, cassettes are important here. They contain the memory, the story. Every client who undergoes the procedure has a tape in their file, their reason for having it done. It allows people to learn the truth and reclaim their pasts.

Looking at the coming out scene, the milkshakes at Melvald's and getting lost in the woods, it seems like Will is forgetting. He has an inaccurate memory of their childhood. False memories are invading which could mean that true memories are being erased.

I also want to add that, in their DnD campaign, Mike sends Will to Villaki, which is a town under enforced happiness. No one is truly happy, only playing along. Isn't it strange that Mike is essentially forcing Will to be happy without him? Even though Will cannot truly be happy?

We do get a montage of memories for Mlvn in the finale, and Mike will never forget her. That may be relevant, yes. But why are Mike and Will dressed like Joel and Clementine? It just feels like queerbaiting. It feels like something I can see with my eyes, I can see the direct comparison, but I'm just gaslit out of it, made to question my understanding. And at the end of the day, that's queerbaiting.

This little rundown of the movie feels completely useless, because what can we do with the knowledge that they're dressed like the romantic couple of this movie? That the Duffers recommended this movie back in October? That it fits the conformitygate theory pretty well? It feels useless because unless we get a resolution, this similarity is left as a question for all of us, with no explanation. That's why I'm writing this post. Conformitygate should have a purpose, the theory began after volume 2, and it just developed into conformitygate after the epilogue. And the theory cannot be separated from Byler. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is now somewhat tainted with my memory of Byler bait. But hey... even the painful memories are worth keeping because the whole is beautiful. And Byler is a beautiful story whether we get it properly or not. I know what I saw: a beautiful queer story in the making, and no one can erase that and take away its significance.

[thecelestialsyzygy]

This video has me dead 💀 and us byler get the recognition we deserve

[fideesy]

he's been listening to "good luck, babe" for three hours now

REALLY proud of this animation, this idea has been stuck in my head since the vol 2

AND the point of this gif is that you can make him listen to any song you want (internalised homophobia playlist)