This Is Me @theuninterestedsoul - Tumblr Blog

The painting I've been wanting to draw some Fanart loosely based on it for a while. Just a coloured sketch for now. Maybe I'll render it fully later.

Sorry, Lucas, for putting you in the background. It's because the stupid horse is so big that I couldn't find a place for it in the composition. Please don't kill me.

Btw Will could easily fireball the dragon to a crisp, but he holds back so Mike can heroically save him.

#Byler

bylerworld

the fact that it's canon that will makes mike giggle and blush and look away with his compliments

together they're homotron 7000

#Byler

hawkinsschoolcounselor

So, the whole point of the painting lie was just to get Mike secure enough to be himself with El because he now thinks El likes his dorky side.

Then we see them act all awkward all season, including her totally pushing back on his three waterfalls thing multiple times. Mike must have been all sorts of confused.

But, no, she loved him all along. It was just her turn to not say it for months until it was a matter of life and death. For...reasons.

This is the Duffers' idea of true love, everyone. Not a lifelong devotion that is strong enough to pull someone back from the brink of possession or the inspiration to create a work of art full of unspoken feelings, but two people who met in a moment of trauma, were separated more than they were together, shared no interests, and fought all the time.

Mike not understanding the painting sure paid off, alright. If he knew, they would have needed some other piss poor reason to force Mike and El to stay together and claim to be in love.

All three characters involved deserved so much better.

#Byler

bbluesidess

height difference smooches anyone?

#Byler

spookeart

Mike realises his feelings a little too late

#Byler

ab0g1arka

why stranger things peaked when it was weird, and then capitalism said “absolutely not”

listen. i love this show. i do. i have spent years of my life thinking about children riding bikes and fighting interdimensional monsters. but if we’re being honest — and we are being honest — seasons 1 and 2 were the soul of stranger things. everything after that was… a brand.

and no, that is not me being nostalgic. that is me having EYES.

⸻

what stranger things was supposed to be

at its core, stranger things was about:

• weird kids

• outcasts

• small-town horror

• quiet dread

• government secrets

• and something deeply, deeply wrong under the surface

it was eerie.

it was slow.

it was mysterious.

it trusted the audience to think.

season 1 was basically:

what if your friend disappeared and nobody believed you but you knew something was wrong

season 2 was:

what if the kid who came back, came back wrong.

that is GOOD SHIT.

⸻

why the general audience loves season 3

ask a random netflix viewer what their favorite season is and they will say season 3 with their whole chest.

why?

because season 3 is:

• colorful

• neon

• funny

• nostalgic

• full of montages

• full of jokes

• full of action

• and El is back to main character era

it is the most “easy to watch” season.

and here’s the thing no one wants to admit:

season 3 barely matters.

you could skip it and miss, like, three plot points and a russian subplot that goes nowhere emotionally.

the cast themselves have said it’s basically filler.

but it’s filler that feels good.

because capitalism doesn’t care about story — it cares about money.

⸻

season 2 scared people because it “wasn’t fun”

season 2 is actually one of the best-written seasons.

it has:

• horror

• mystery

• possession

• emotional fallout

• real consequences

and it centers… Will.

and that’s why people hated it.

because Will is:

• quiet

• traumatized

• queer-coded

• not funny

• not powerful ( yet )

• not flashy

and the general audience hates that.

they wanted Eleven in her girlboss era.

they wanted cool outfits.

they wanted power fantasy.

instead they got:

a fragile boy crying and being possessed by an eldritch horror.

and people went:

ew. boring. crybaby.

meanwhile Eleven cries CONSTANTLY and nobody calls her annoying.

why?

because:

• she’s a girl

• girls are “allowed” to cry

• boys who cry are “cringe”

it’s literally gender stereotypes dressed up as fandom opinions.

⸻

superfans vs casual viewers

this is where it gets juicy.

superfans loved season 2 because:

• it was scary

• it had lore

• it had mystery

• it built the world

they hate season 3 because:

• nothing changes

• nothing matters

• it plays it safe

the general audience is the opposite:

they hate season 2 because it’s “too slow”

they love season 3 because it’s “fun”

guess who netflix listens to?

the people with popcorn.

⸻

Capitalism killed the show

season 1 and 2 were weird.

they didn’t explain everything.

they trusted you to sit in the discomfort. after that i slept with a candle stick under my pillow! iykyk😉

season 3 and onward were:

here is a monster

here is a Steve

here is a joke

here are some Russians to hate

please don’t think too hard

because complicated storytelling doesn’t sell as well as:

bright colors + action + nostalgia.

the show stopped being about:

“what is happening in hawkins?”

Why are the demogorgons on a jet 2 holiday during the final battle?

and became:

“how can we make this look cool in a trailer?”

⸻

we didn’t start watching this for marvel energy

we started watching because:

• it was creepy

• it was sad

• it was about outsiders

• it felt real

now it’s a theme park ride.

Season 3 is so colorful and loud I half expect the Demogorgon to start doing the cha‑cha behind the mall.

and yeah, it’s entertaining.

but it’s not what it was.

⸻

in conclusion

stranger things didn’t get worse because the creators got dumber.

it got worse because:

capitalism hates subtlety.

it hates:

• slow burns

• queer sadness

• mystery

• emotional complexity

it loves:

• action

• nostalgia

• easy heroes

• simple stories that hints lmbtq because of ✨money✨.

and somewhere between season 2 and season 3, stranger things stopped being a story

and started being a product.

anyway.

i’m right.

reblog if you agree.

go cry about will byers with me.

#Byler

you-didnt-have-to

akhdjargjakaejdkahauyegaj

#Byler

hawkinsschoolcounselor

I keep swinging back to anger and depression because of what the ending as written says about Mike and Will's relationship.

It means Mike only took care of Will in season 2 because it made him feel better after not being able to save El.

It means Mike really was a somewhat homophobic dick in season 3.

It means that Mike was just upset in season 4 because he didn't think Will should be friends with anyone else.

It means that the painting really was meant to be all about letting Mike know how El feels, using Will's feelings as a plot device.

It means that Mike's life really did start the night he met El, while Will was in the Upside Down. That's a clear moment of transition because Will left and El appeared.

It means that Will's coming out and the radio tower scene were meant to show Mike feeling bad about how he acted so that we could feel bad for him and be happy when Will forgives him.

So, not only is it truly cruel to Will, but it really makes Mike out to be a truly awful person who just keeps being given passes for his behavior.

#Byler #💔💔💔

leyrinoh

haunted in his dreams

#Byler

I know it’s just a tv show and they are just characters. But just the thought of what they could have become; seeing how their beautiful romance could have blossomed; potentially watching their love for each other defeat the evil in the world. It shatters my heart into pieces that cannot mend. Genuinely, it could have been such a bright star to all the freaks and queers out there. But alas, it was doomed to fail. There are some wounds that time can’t heal and I fear this is one of them.

#Byler #will byers #Mike wheeler #you both deserved better #so did el