#audience theory

[aoelustious]

It is, perhaps, one of the greatest intellectual tragedies of modern fandom discourse that preference has become confused with perversion. Specifically: the preference for fixed top/bottom dynamics in fictional ships—a practice that, until recently, was considered a harmless, even charming quirk of reader taste—has now been rebranded by certain online moralists as “fetishization of gay men.”

Darling. Sweetheart. Babygirl. Let’s slow down.

When a reader says, “I like Character A as top and Character B as bottom,” they are not standing in judgment of real-life gay men. They are not declaring that queer relationships must follow these dynamics in the real world. What they are doing—brace yourself—is engaging with fiction. They are reading these imaginary characters as symbols, as constructions of narrative, personality, and emotional tension. The top/bottom distinction, in fanfiction, is not solely a matter of anatomy. It is a vessel for power exchange, for trust, for vulnerability, for control. It is no more a literal reflection of gay male sexuality than a vampire AU reflects real-life dietary habits.

This is not radical. This is not new. Literary theory has understood for decades that the reader brings their own meaning to the text; that fiction operates through metaphor and symbol; that sex in fiction rarely means “sex” in the clinical sense, but rather enacts dynamics of fear, longing, danger, healing, surrender. The top/bottom roles are storytelling devices—like the mask in theatre, like the sword in epic poetry, like the broken glass in film noir.

But no. According to the new purity standard, preferring fixed dynamics in fanworks is no longer a matter of taste or narrative coherence. It is fetishization. How curious, that this concern only seems to arise when women—particularly queer women—express a fondness for symbolic, emotionally loaded dynamics in their reading material. How strange that nobody accuses Martin Scorsese of “fetishizing” male violence for repeatedly using mob boss dynamics in his films. But a fanfiction writer says “bottom B only please” and suddenly the alarms of moral panic ring out.

Let’s be honest. This is not about ethics. It’s about control. The idea that switching is the only healthy option—that all dynamics must be fluid, or else they are oppressive—is its own form of prescriptivism, its own quiet demand that your fantasy must match someone else’s comfort zone. Never mind that the entire purpose of fiction is to let the mind play freely, to explore structures of desire, danger, hierarchy, power—in ways reality never allows.

So no, sweetheart. Preferring a fixed top/bottom dynamic is not a crime. It is not a moral failing. It is an act of literary engagement. Of taste. Of symbolic imagination.

And until someone can prove that real gay men are being harmed because a stranger on AO3 likes their fictional warlord to always top, I will be here—reading my fixed-dynamic fics in peace. Without shame. Without guilt. Without your tired little thinkpieces wagging their moral finger in the tags.

Thanks for your concern, darling. But some of us still read fiction like fiction.

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

Glinda really had an entire musical number expounding on the theme of "success in life is not about being highly qualified or even competent, but manipulating people's superficial perception of you." and then she went into POLITICS. truly the #girlboss representation the world has earned

[hyohaehyuk]

Just want to remind everyone that loustat had their 1st time on Valentines Day. Lestat the last romantic 🤭

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

That fucking bike. It’s haunting him, isn’t it.

The bike is a symbol of his disappearance, he was riding it when he went missing.

What other times do we see him riding the bike? In s2 none, yet it’s still on the poster. In s3 after the rain fight, once, also in the poster, and in s4 none, yet it’s still in the poster. That means it’s important, that means it means something. Oh and also we see a bike in Lonnie’s house, child-sized, not suspicious at all.

The bike is, to him, a representation of the trauma the upside down left on him, and to others, the symbol of his absence, his disappearance.

When hopper finds his bike he realizes something wrong is going on, his disappearance is not longer Joyce worrying to much but something serious, “a bike like this is like a Cadillac to these kids. Doesn't make sense he'd leave it out here. He'd walk it home. He was in hurry.” At Lonnie’s house, there’s a bike, a bike in between Jonathan and Lonnie. Why is Jonathan there in the first place? Why is Jonathan talking to Lonnie, who is the (unknowing) creator of that situation? Will’s disappearance. That’s the whole reason Jonathan is there, and Jonathan feels Will’s absence so that’s why he goes looking.

In s2 he never rides it, not even when the rest of the party does, the show makes it clear. Unless the bike in the background is his, but even then, he’s not shown riding it.

In s3, the only moment I remember with Will riding his bike, is after the rain fight. So a scene where he’s sad. But also he lost so much of his childhood, he wants to continue it, make up for it, and his friends refuse, they insist on growing up and Will can’t keep up, he grabs his bike and destroys castle byers, destroys his childhood. Part of the reason he’s sad is definitely mike’s “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls” (although Mike didn’t mean it in a homophobic way), but I think it’s more the fact that Mike made it very clear, they’re not kids anymore, they have to grow up and get girlfriends and let dnd aside. Their friendship is no longer their priority, they’re not children. And yet will still feels like one, their friendship do is his priority and he does wanna spend time with them having fun. He lost his childhood, he wants to enjoy the rest of it while he can, but it’s over, apparently. Another thing the upside down took from him.

However here’s the interesting part, we’ve seen him riding it in s5. In a (as it seems to us rn, without context) happy moment. Will healing from his trauma?

[marybeatriceofmodena]

"Celeborn will be a calming influence on Galadriel" You fools. YOU ABSOLUTE FOOLS. YOU HAVE MISREAD THE WIFEGUY MANUAL. HE WILL BE 10/10 DOWN FOR THE UNHINGINESS. HE WILL BE GIL-GALAD'S SECOND HEADACHE. PREPARE FOR THE LESLIE KNOPE AND BEN WYATT OF MIDDLE-EARTH.

[audii-the-starry-eyed-wise]

WAIT GUYS--- this is somebody else's theory, but basically they said that two people in Hollys friend group might like eachother, paralleling byler, but what if it's Derek and Holly?? We've seen Derek most out of all the kids, and his actors had mini interviews with Holly's actress. It would also be a clearer parallel as well with Derek= Mike having feelings for Holly=Will, cause Will and Holly went missing so Mike and Derek went crazy looking for them. Idk if this makes sense lol but I live for byler parallels 🤭🤭

[starrycloak]

I attended a series of lectures on neuroscience these last few days (well, they were a super basic cliffnotes-esque version of the topic cause medicine/STEM is not my field of work, so apologies for any inaccuracies ahead), and when the lecturer brought up the importance of the frontal lobe, she casually alluded to what happened to Phineas P. Gage and-

wbk but also non-accidental split imagery one more time ^

She also briefly touched upon the 'cuts' of the brain (left and right hemispheres, lobes —and primary functions of each—, gray and white matter) and neural processes like synapsis —communication between neurons by chemical and electrical reactions—, but one of the things that stood out to me the most was the creation and reconfiguration/transformation/plasticity of neural circuits.

A neural circuit is a population of neurons interconnected by synapses to carry out a specific function —i.e. processing specific information and sending signals to other parts of the brain and body — when activated.

definition just for context; the point of bringing this up being what these circuits look like:

^^^this is just a guide alluding to the differences in morphology neurons can have, but they kinda giving-

and-

literally when the lecturer first showed what these cells look like I was like "neat, the tree of life. kinda, sorta. out to deliver trauma to the rest of the nervous system :))"

and (to the right, for comparison: what neuron synapses look like)

and of course, not totally accurate comparison ahead, but I couldn't resist the slight visual graphy coinkidink with the letter-assigned grid:

Additionally, zooming out, multiple neural circuits can interconnect with one another to form large scale brain networks, and the one that stood out to me was the default mode network (DMN):

also known as the medial frontoparietal network, it's a large-scale brain network [...] best known for being active when a person is not focused on the outside world and the brain is at wakeful rest, such as during daydreaming and mind-wandering.

Other times that the DMN is active include when the individual is thinking about others, thinking about themselves, remembering the past, and planning for the future. The DMN creates a coherent "internal narrative" control to the construction of a sense of self.

^ smart people, pls do with this info what you must.

the point I think I was trying to make: what if the blue UD we know has blurred the lines between being a representation of will's subconscious mindscape and also a visual abstraction of the biological/neurological state of his brain —as the two, like irl, are so intrinsically connected?

which, fortunately, means hope for will and the UD too (wbk), because by this line of thought/theory of sorts, the capacity neural circuits have to rearrange themselves, even after years and so much pain, can transform the blue UD, will's mind, as we've come to know it (the plasticity I was reffering to at the beginning of the post). However, it's important to note that to learn something new, you have to unlearn other stuff to make room for it.

I'm far from the first to talk about this topic, so check out the following posts! This one by @erikiara80, along the lines of her loop theory, dives into the implications of will's possible injury or death caused by having been hit on the head, particularly the zone closest to the frontal lobe, by a blunt object.

@conflictofthemind also has a great post about the treeflayer (shoutout and tysm to @threemanoperation for telling me about it and for prompting me to post this) with more tree imagery that evokes similar shapes to those of neurons (and it also links to Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan/Neverland parallels).

edit: everyone, please take a look at the additions other users have written on their reblogs! you won't want to miss them!

[sambyers-wheeler]

Byler analysis

Ok so I was rewatching 4x09 and the one scene with the endgame couples came up and I noticed something.

Ok so if you look at each couple, they are very clearly divided despite the expected blocking of a scene with this gravity. I’ll break down the divided sections below. ⬇️

Section one: Jopper

So the section where they are is what I would call the clearest. The air and horizon look the least contaminated and the ground in front of them only has smaller cracks. So if you look in the background of the section you can barely make out a tower that resembles a radio tower, I’ll explain the significance of this in a bit. So I would venture to say their relationship is already established, has few problems, and is not heavily involved with the supernatural plot (similar to season one). Section two: Byler

Their section is sitting directly in the middle of the shot and the largest rift, has a red looking horizon, has a heart with lightning on top of them (as does Jopper and I will explain this later as well), the ground in front of them seems very affected by the rifts. Despite them being in the middle of the biggest rift it barely divides them. They also have a radio tower in the distance, very clearly in the middle of them (probably the clearest one in the shot). Overall they are very close and have the least interference in the shot. This signifies to me that they are very crucial to the story, are involved in the supernatural plot quite a bit, their arc focuses around their relationship, and figuring out where they belong.

Section three: El

So her section is directly in the middle of the biggest plume of smoke and there is no clear horizon in her shot at all. The largest rift is directly in front of her, no radio tower in sight. Instead on her horizon is a gap in the smoke surrounded by and emitting red light. She is very clearly alone except that mike is barely in her section and very far away and Johnathan and Nancy are further into the section and closer by a little. To me this means that in season five she is going to be the main character in the supernatural plot, she is going to be dating Mike but very briefly before they both end it, and then she is going to rely heavily on platonic relationships this season.

Section four: Jancy

Theirs is interesting, in the section with their heads (that’s what I’m counting as their section) there are multiple rifts and smoke plumes, the destruction looks bad, there is a helicopter in the sky, and there is a radio tower in the distance. They are close to El so I don’t think they will be off in their own story line like season one but they will have a slightly separated storyline. The helicopter is right in front of the radio tower symbolizing an obstacle or something in their way. Steve, the helicopter represents Steve. The helicopter played a big part in helping me understand the symbolism in this shot. So I would say that they are very crucial to El and the others and they are struggling with their relationship.

Ok onto the other things.

Heart clouds:

The heart clouds represent 2 things. One is a change in the relationship, this means for Jopper and Byler their relationships will change. Why these two and not Jancy? Well let’s start with Jopper. Jopper is an established relationship and they are adults and we are going to have a time skip so it is logical to assume there will be a wedding. Also maybe a more mature change in their relationship. For Byler they have been friends the entire show, and logically ( if you are able to see very obvious subtext) they will end up dating by the end of the show. The heart represents this change in relationship from friends to dating. Jancy might breakup and their relationship might be bumpy and need repairs but overall their relationship will not change. I at least think that they will end the series by them going off to some college together and very happy. They have not had a significant chance in relationship. That is why only Jopper and Byler have the hearts. Two is the hearts also represent charged scenes between the characters since they both have lightning coming out but that’s not as important as the change in relationship.

Radio towers:

The radio towers, these really tipped me off and made me want to do this analysis. Ok so the radio towers represent a future or destination of some sort. (If you all have any better ideas of what they represent feel free to share!) they are clearly placed in front of Jopper, Byler, and Jancy. Though Jancy has the helicopter in front. These represent happy endings for the characters since they are an end point on the horizon. Now El doesn’t have one and here’s what I think that means.

El’s lack of a radio tower and what I think that means:

So, El is very obviously positioned in the biggest smoke column, which is where the upside down is bleeding into Hawkins. She doesn’t have a radio tower or even a clear horizon. This to me means that, sadly, she is foreshadowed to either not survive or be stuck in the upside down somehow. Since the radio towers represent a future/ destination and she only has something from the upside down in her section, that’s why this foreshadows that. And also what Mille said about see El’s ending.

That’s it!! Wow that was a lot of typing. Let me know if anything is off or if I should change anything. If I get a little repetitive, sorry!! I have a problem with that. If I need to elaborate on anything I totally will js ask!!!

[adhdevankinard]

Even if the writers bring in a new LI for Buck, no one is ever gonna beat Tommy Kinard. Sorry! But just look at this material:

Tommy personally knows and respects the life of a firefighter and why it’s so important to Buck, something that Buck’s previous love interests found difficult to understand

Tommy can be involved in calls and can help the 118 in a way others can’t (as we’ve seen)

Even before dating Buck, Tommy had strong connections to the main characters — the most important people in Buck’s life

Buck himself said Tommy is his most transformative relationship since Abby (whom Tommy is also connected to)

Speaking of Abby, Buck pined for her, but it was clear that Abby was ready to move on when she left him. With Buck and Tommy, both of them want each other back. Neither is ready to move on. They pine for each other.

Tommy is one of the very few people who call Buck “Evan” and the only one to do so regularly and with such affection. It was only during the breakup that Tommy called him Buck. The worst day of Buck’s life was the day Tommy called him by the name everyone else uses for him. Because Tommy isn’t everyone else. And no one else will ever be Tommy to Evan.

Tommy was a part of the call that ended with Bobby’s death. Tommy was the only one who saw Buck’s grief after losing the person he considered his father. Tommy was a pall bearer and walked with the main characters at Bobby’s funeral.

Speaking of Bobby, Tommy is the only LI of Buck’s that Bobby approved of. The only one Bobby will ever approve of. Bobby knew Tommy and Tommy knew Bobby. Tommy was part of the 118 when Bobby began again. Tommy saved Bobby’s life before Buck met him.

It was Tommy’s decision to transfer that opened the spot at the 118 that changed Buck’s life.

Literally, Buck is the happiest he has ever been when he is with Tommy. He can be giggly during sex and hold funerals for dead cowboys. Buck smiles and looks at Tommy with so much affection. And Tommy shows up for Buck – whether it’s attending the hospital wedding after an exhausting shift or making sure he’s resting after he’s injured or cooking him a literal feast or stealing a helicopter.

Any LI after Tommy would pale in comparison. The writers will do what they will but … why even attempt to outdo this ... You simply can’t!

[bisexualbrainrots]

Now it's sort of funny to me how Tommy talked about the 118 needing their own dedicated wing when, if you think about it, he sort of started their nde curse??? Like, chronologically speaking he was the first one of them to almost die and ever since everyone at the 118 has almost died/actually died and come back?? He really did THAT

[ferrigno]

it’s actually bananas that eddie helping to save the 118 means buddie canon season 9 but if i say tommy coming to help the 118 Specifically Because Buck Asked Him To is a good indication that they could get back together then i’m delusional

[lune-moon-nuit]

The General Audience Already Understood — It’s Just Heteronormativity Talking

Actually, I noticed something: aside from the Milevens who craft their own narratives based on illusions and fantasies, and the hardcore homophobes who only want Mileven to be endgame so that the idea of a gay couple among the main characters in one of the most-watched series in the world never becomes a reality — the general audience has clearly understood where Mileven stands. They just don’t see Byler as the future simply because of pure heteronormativity.

Honestly, out of everyone around me who’s watched all four seasons of Stranger Things (people who are not part of the fandom, just the general audience — and trust me, there are a lot; I was actually the only outcast who hadn’t watched it for a long time), every single one of them came to the same conclusions: Mike and El are not a happy couple, their relationship as it is now is unhealthy, and the monologue didn’t fix anything.

When I ask them if they think Mike and El are still together in season 5, the majority say they’re probably not — that it felt obvious from El’s cold reaction to Mike at the end of season 4. And unanimously, they all say they hope they’re no longer a couple because they make no sense and have no future. Every single one of them — without exception — said that Mike and El would be much happier as just friends and that their bond would thrive better that way.

And here’s the thing: they didn’t even notice Byler in the sense that most of them didn’t pick up on, or don’t even consider, the idea that Mike might have feelings for Will in return. All they understood is that Will is in love with Mike and that he sacrificed his own feelings for the sake of Mike and El’s happiness. They all feel deeply for Will and hope he finds happiness — that he ends up truly loved. They also feel for El and want her to grow and thrive. And they’re frustrated with Mike for failing to make El happy and for not noticing Will’s feelings (and they also say they just “don’t get” Mike anymore because “he changed after season 3”).

From what I’ve seen online, this seems to be the dominant opinion. The only piece missing for people — the one puzzle piece that would make everything crystal clear — is Mike’s point of view. That’s what would explain everything: why does Mike change so drastically the moment puberty hits in season 3? Why is it that the second Mike and El become a couple, their relationship becomes all about conflict and distance? Why are they never on the same wavelength if they’re supposed to be the show’s “endgame”? Why is Mike unable to say “I love you” in season 4?

“Poor Will, he’s willing to give everything out of love for Mike, but that idiot doesn’t even realize it. Wake up, Mike! Damn — doing all that for a couple that doesn’t even work? What a waste! It’s ironic that Mike is dating El when he spends literally the entire season 4 with Will and seems way more emotionally comfortable and understood with Will than with his girlfriend.” — These are literally the words my family and friends used when talking about the topic — and mind you, I hadn’t even mentioned Byler at all.

So when that final puzzle piece — Mike’s thoughts and feelings — is finally revealed, I swear the general audience is going to have that classic realization: “Aaaah — so that’s what it was! Now everything makes sense.”

But even without Byler, people already understand that Mileven is not a happy, healthy couple. If Will wasn’t even in the picture, they’d still be saying the exact same thing: those two just don’t belong together.

Before I became a Byler, I was just part of the general audience. I watched all four seasons without any outside opinions from the fandom or the internet. And yes, I noticed there was a bit of ambiguity between Mike and Will starting in season 2, but it was subtle. It was only through the accumulation of all their scenes through to the end of season 4 that I became completely certain Byler was endgame. But even before I reached that point, seeing Mileven as a romantic couple never made sense to me.

And honestly, if Mike isn’t a closeted gay boy in love with his best friend, then nothing he’s done with El since season 3 makes any sense — and it would make him the worst boyfriend ever written. That is, without question, the only logical and valid explanation for the drastic shift in his character that nobody failed to notice. Mike literally went from being everyone’s favorite character in seasons 1 and 2 to being one of the most disliked — and it’s all because of that change in behavior, which is clearly tied to the love triangle dynamic and the fact that he’s a closeted gay teen in the 1980s.

I know I’m going off on a tangent here, but my point is: I understood it. The general public around me — and online — understood it too. What’s keeping them from putting it all together is just the filter of heteronormativity that blinds them from seeing the answer that’s been right in front of us the whole time.

The people online who are aggressively against the idea of Byler are either Milevens deep in denial or homophobes who probably voted for Trump. Everyone else — the actual general audience, the people who are too busy touching grass, working jobs, and living actual lives — they got the message.

If season 5 reveals that Mike is in love with Will by finally giving us his point of view, it won’t be “out of nowhere.” It won’t be some shocking twist. It’ll be the kind of reveal that clicks into place like the end of a good mystery — like when you find out who the killer is in a movie and realize the clues were there all along: in the background, in the dialogue, in the pacing, in the way the story was told (I’m thinking Scream, for example, with Billy and Stu). And audiences love that.

Right now, they just want a clear answer to one question: What is wrong with Mike? And that’s exactly why the Duffers and Finn Wolfhard have said that we’ll see the “old Mike” again in season 5 — the one from seasons 1 and 2 — because we’re finally going to get his perspective. We’ll finally understand what he feels and what he thinks.

[everbyers]

CHURCHGATE WE ARE SO BACK

[pbeeanjay]

i think supernatural should’ve ended like the truman show. sam and dean should’ve walked away from chuck and we should have never seen them again because they actually escaped the story

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

Oh so thats why Mike had a Conan the Barbarian poster

Mike who’s the paladin… Mike who is def getting a sword next season…

[megamhafan]

Yall know how in episode 1 of season 4, brenner is doing that weird little test thing with 10 and there’s drawing involved?

Something stood out to me, brenner can’t draw at all, which is opposed to will who can draw and it’s extremely good at it.

Brenner can’t create, only destroy.

Will can’t destroy, only create.

But however…

Will shows one moment where he’s capable of destroying something.

And it’s something that’s near and dear to his heart.

(Baseball bat invoking some sinister reminders of a certain scumbag)