femmewillbyers

[femmewillbyers]

In what world would it make more sense for mike to be the one breaking gender boundaries and being visibly queer and not will lmao

presumably, you are the same person who sent both of these asks, so i will answer them in one swoop.

first of all...huh? i agree with you. it makes more sense for will to be the one breaking gender boundaries and being visibly queer. unless you're talking about my butchfemme lesbyler post, in which case, you clearly do not understand butchfemme identities. not surprising, what else is new.

anyway, femmes do not have to be outwardly feminine to be femme. femme ≠ fem/inine. not only that, but your implication is that femmes are not breaking gender roles, which is objectively incorrect. femmes are not straight feminine women, they are femme. that is not the same thing. while some femmes may present as outwardly feminine, they are still breaking gender roles...by being femme. the implication that only butches break gender roles is not only misogynistic, but lesbophobic. not only that, but it confirms to me that most lesbylers are non-lesbians.

second of all, you do not know ted wheeler personally, lmao? like i don't even know what to say to that. pretty sure most people in the 80s were reagan supporters, even if they were/are fairly liberal, because they didn't have the same access to information as us. if ted is a reagan supporter, odds would be the entire elder portion of the wheeler family are (yes, even nancy, considering children tend to form their opinions on their parents' - whether they are aware of it or not) but you probably wouldn't have the same thing to say about them. supporting a president wasn't the same in the 80s as it is today.

have a nice day!

[femmewillbyers]

as a (femme) lesbian, i rarely enjoy lesbyler. this is because they are clearly PEAK butchfemme (butch!mike, femme!will) but the fandom at large keeps making will masc/butch and mike feminine/femme. which is intrinsically wrong to me, like a mortal sin. also, i think part of it has to do with the babygirlification of mike; the fandom feels like lesbyler is their outlet to do that, even if it doesn't fit his (/her) personality.

anywho, lesbyler is butchfemme with butch!mike & femme!will! not even god himself could convince me otherwise.

[femmewillbyers]

yellowjackets (2021—) / stranger things (2016—2025)

[femmewillbyers]

not to be that one friend that's too woke or anything, but i am extremely uncomfortable with sabrina carpenter's use of the word "slow" in manchild + not nearly enough people are talking about it.

i understand that language is a nuanced concept. i understand that one word can have multiple meanings, varying from good to bad to worse. however, that does not erase the fact that some words are deeply rooted in particular prejudices.

"slow" is a word that has historically been used as a way to mock disabled people, specifically those with intellectual/developmental disabilities and neurodivergent disorders. not only is the use of it inherently ableist, but pairing it with phrases like "stupid" and "useless" and "half your brain just ain't there" goes a step further.

this isn't to say that sabrina carpenter or anyone who worked on the song is ableist, at least not purposely. ableist language has become so ingrained into society that most people don't even realize when it's being used. this also isn't to say that i don't enjoy the song, or that it isn't good.

what this is to say is that we should be critiquing ableism when we see it. what this is to say is that we should not allow ingrained ableism to just exist, but we should educate and speak up on it.

[femmewillbyers]

With the Byler fandom rejuvenating -- along with hatred for Noah rearing up once again-- I wanted to put some thoughts out there about THIS fandom and my own personal feelings of disappointment.

It's quite weird to me that so many Bylers continue to publically crap on/use abusive language toward Noah while stanning Will Byers, their precious baby boy. I just came across a post earlier today that had someone expressing their sadness that Will Byers was getting hate post-teaser because of his actor, and while it was ok that Noah Schnapp, the real human being, was receiving this harassment, hating Will (a fictional character) was simply unfair. I want to shake these people and remind them-- if Byler receives negative backlash, Noah, the REAL gay young person, will be receiving the brunt of that hatred and you know that.

I have no feelings toward those who don't care to support any particular actor for political reasons, but I find it very offputting when people try and dismiss Noah's contribution to Will Byers, which was informed by his very real experiences coming of age and to terms with his identity. Those who try and remove Noah from Will Byers, or fancast some other (usually non-Jewish lol) actor as Will-- it feels extremely gross to me. Noah's formative years from 10-18 were on this show, and he IS Will Byers, whether you like it or not. No one else could do it like he does.

Don't even get me started on those of you who censor him out of photos posted by people who clearly care for him and want him around despite your coping and seething! And then will turn around and use toddler/young child (pre-Stranger Things) photos of him for Will Byers fan posts--pictures which were probably taken by his family! Do they not see how weird and violating that is? Some people's cognitive dissonance even goes so far that they fantasize about or sexualize the character Noah plays while speaking unkindly or abusively about him online. It's not just unkind, it's dehumanizing.

All this to say, I feel so much pity for child actors/entertainers growing up under this intense social media scrutiny. Turns out few are interested in a young person's right to privately deconstruct a belief system they grew up with and wish to instead cast stones and act morally superior. Use the pretense of social justice to be hateful and hypocritical. Noah seems, while I don't actually know him, to be a kind, thoughtful and grateful young man, and I hope to see him rise above the campaign of abusive harassment he's been on the receiving end of for the last two years.

[femmewillbyers]

how is the trailer giving anyone byler doubt?

will was the center of it. most of the shots we got were of him, he started and ended the trailer, and did a majority of the voice-over. we got a shot of mike protecting those kids + will and joyce. there wasn't a single ounce of mlvn to be found (logically, that shot in the tunnels that people are trying to say is mlvn is probably hop and el: this is backed up by the fact that the shot directly proceeding it...is of hop and el). and, among all of the scene choices in s4 to show, they chose the one on the hill - where jancy, byler, and jopper are all standing together while el is on her own.

byler doubt? for what! we're winning, guys. get up!

[femmewillbyers]

we have to free mike wheeler from this fandom. we have to get him out of here.

mike is not babygirl. mike is not a cutesy, sensitive, gentle little wallflower or damsel in distress who needs rescuing from his big, manly, buff boyfriend will. mike is not stupid, incompetent, or pathetic.

mike is adept and intelligent; he's the leader of the party. he's their DM. he's the one who comes up with 90% of their plans. mike is bitchy, sarcastic, and headstrong. mike is a little shit more often than not. mike is a paladin, a class likened to knights, known for bravery and protectiveness.

i fear this fandom will never learn how to characterize him properly. the same goes for will, but the focal point of this post is mike's shitty characterization. maybe i'll make a companion piece for will.

[femmewillbyers]

wonder twins core: weird blond guy turned eldritch horror is obsessed with them, for some reason

[femmewillbyers]

it's always "ted wheeler would be homophobic" this and "ted wheeler would be homophobic" that. and while i can definitely understand why people might assume that (the wheelers are reagan supporters, after all), i genuinely think he won't/wouldn't care less. like you want me to believe ted "our son with a girl?" wheeler isn't already living under the assumption byler have been dating since they were 12?

he's never even met el - neither has karen. the only things they know are:

mike has a "girlfriend"

he started mentioning said "girlfriend" not long after will was found

he spent the majority of his summer in s3 with said "girlfriend" (mind you, karen herself says that last time she knew, he was staying over at the byers' house)

during spring break of '86, he went to the byers' to visit his "girlfriend" (remember - neither of them have met el before. ted also says, "or no sweetheart" which is interesting when you consider that sweetheart is a very gender-neutral term. he could just have easily said "or no girlfriend", but he says sweetheart)

they've also gotten a primary perspective of byler's relationship for 9-10 years. while both wheeler parents can be somewhat absent, karen is more attuned to her children than ted, and more than once she has a front row seat to mike breaking down over will. she's the one who finds mike paging through a binder of will's drawings in grief. she's the one who knows mike has spent weeks by will's side at the hospital in s2. she's the one who comforts mike both times he thinks/feels like he's lost will, first in s1 when he "dies" and then in s3 when the byers leave for california. yet again, i want to remind you that she knows nothing about el. never met her, never seen her in person, nothing. it makes sense her likely assumption by this point is that mike has romantic feelings for will.

she's also probably the one who cleans the house, including the basement, which means she has more than likely seen the sheer amount of will's drawings hung up on every wall.

the likelihood is that ted has assumed mike has been dating will this entire time, and i think it would be hilarious if they touched on that. i could genuinely picture mike nervously coming out to ted + telling him that he and will are dating, who doesn't even look up from his newspaper as he says, "yes, michael, i've known since you were 12. now go finish your chores, your room won't clean itself." i can imagine mike panicking a little, bursting out with "i mean we're together - in a queer way!" and ted still doesn't even bother to look up before going "yes, i understand. i'm old, not senile." i'd also bet anything that more than once, ted has asked karen why mike is always calling will his girlfriend when they already know he's dating will and don't care.

the wheelers might be slightly absent parents, but that doesn't mean they're stupid - or homophobic.

[femmewillbyers]

i am once again free of my enclosure

(companion piece to this for people in this specific niche)

[femmewillbyers]

almost (sweet music) — hozier ♬

[femmewillbyers]

i didn't get to post yesterday because i was having a bad day but happy birthday mike wheeler!!! i wish the fandom would stop treating you so incredibly wrong <3

[femmewillbyers]

happy birthday to the character ever!!!!!

[femmewillbyers]

i made this for my qpp, but i thought tumblr might like it too

[femmewillbyers]

in honor of s3 + my personal yellowjackets rewatch, here's a reprise of a textpost from my old account

[femmewillbyers]

a poorly designed meme for you all <3

[femmewillbyers]

everyone in the mouthwashing tag move out of my way. i have something very important to say

queerplatonic partners anya and daisuke

thank you.