#an objective and logical perspective

[salvatoreren]

writing a review of aot's final arc for my 21st literature which is purely objective and i realize that i don't really hold a grudge against eremika tbh, like not in the sense where having that ship automatically makes aot and the ending bad, it's more of personal preference, i just don't think that making a ship the face and entire focus and takeaway of aot which is about war, oppression and discrimination is a good look or idea, i prefer that the ending focused more on that and deliberately delivered a message about these overarching themes, i see love as a theme but it's not entirely prevalent nor prominent, for me, at least, nor is it something that should be discussed in an ending, for any arc, i would have been fine and i would definitely be fine with eremika being canon if it wasn't all over the ending because that's not the point 😭😭😭 and aot is NOT a lovestory because i have seen so many reduce it to that like...

[whartonists]

The way that Oscar's (heretofore unguessed-at) white knight syndrome is evidently activated by someone confiding in him that she feels trapped by the financial and social machinations of a father she doesn't feel like she can say no to IS making me wonder to what extent he is projecting. At least a bit.

[purplesaline]

... did you NEED an article about why breeding for health in dogs is good while doing so for humans is eugenics? because that sounds kind of concerning? governing how humans reproduce is much more invasive and a much bigger abuse of power than doing so to animals. human rights are not comparable to animal welfare. maybe look into theory surrounding "animal rights vs animal welfare" for similar themes?

Not at all! I was just curious about the nuances of that topic that would be addressed in such an article.

As a severely disabled queer woman with an incredibly high genetic cancer risk I am not at all confused about the topic of eugenics and why it's a bad thing, don't worry!

I do like to explore nuance and grey areas and challenge my beliefs to see which hold up to scrutiny and which ones I may need to rethink or dismantle particularly because it's very easy to not realize when beliefs are formed based on the ideals of a culture rife with systemic oppression.

I know that the reason animal breeding practices for health is seen as good while it's eugenics in humans boils down to "We can't trust everyone to act in good faith" and personal choice and agency and consent etc. Don't worry! I'm not someone you'll ever see knowingly advocate for eugenics. I was simply wondering if an article about such a topic would address any points I hadn't previously considered on eugenics or animal welfare.

I appreciate you checking in and for suggesting some direction for learning more about the topic if I had been as unsure as you worried I may be. I know in online spaces a comment like yours is more likely to result in conflict and that it takes both energy and courage to reach out, even anonymously, so thank you.

[luna-azzurra]

The Villain Checklist!

Creating a villain is a delicate art, much like crafting a masterpiece. To ensure your antagonist leaps off the page with depth, consider these essential elements for your villain checklist:

Motivation: Every great villain is driven by a potent motivation, one that fuels their actions and sets them on their dark path. Explore their backstory and unearth the core reason behind their villainy. Are they seeking power, revenge, redemption, or something more sinister?

Complexity: Gone are the days of one-dimensional villains twirling mustaches and cackling maniacally. Infuse your antagonist with layers of complexity and nuance. Perhaps they possess redeeming qualities or wrestle with inner conflicts that humanize their actions.

Flaws and Vulnerabilities: Despite their nefarious intentions, villains should be flawed beings with vulnerabilities. These weaknesses not only add depth to their character but also create opportunities for conflict and growth throughout your story.

Backstory: Delve into your villain's past to uncover formative experiences that shaped their present disposition. Trauma, betrayal, or societal pressures can all contribute to their descent into villainy, providing rich narrative fodder for exploration.

Goals and Ambitions: Just as heroes strive for noble objectives, villains pursue their own twisted goals with fervor and determination. Define what your antagonist hopes to achieve and the lengths they're willing to go to attain it, even if it means sacrificing everything in their path.

Antagonistic Traits: From cunning intellect to ruthless brutality, equip your villain with traits that make them a formidable adversary for your protagonist. Consider how their strengths and weaknesses complement each other, creating dynamic conflicts that propel your story forward.

Relationships and Alliances: Villains don't operate in isolation; they forge alliances, manipulate allies, and cultivate relationships to further their agendas. Develop the connections your antagonist shares with other characters, be they loyal minions or reluctant collaborators, to add depth to their character dynamics.

Moral Justification (from their perspective): While their actions may be abhorrent to society, villains often believe they're justified in their pursuits. Explore your antagonist's moral code and the twisted logic that rationalizes their behavior, offering readers insight into their twisted worldview.

Arc of Transformation: Just as protagonists undergo arcs of growth and change, villains should experience their own journey of transformation. Whether it's redemption, downfall, or something altogether unexpected, chart the evolution of your antagonist throughout the narrative.

Memorable Traits: Give your villain distinctive traits or quirks that leave a lasting impression on readers. Whether it's a chilling catchphrase, a distinctive appearance, or a haunting backstory, give your antagonist elements that linger in the minds of your audience long after they've closed the book.

[bimboficationblues]

so the thing about "read theory" as a mantra: in the social media sphere there is a consistent downplaying of what that kind of commitment actually entails, plus a consistent obfuscation of what exactly the commitment is necessary for.

let's say that you're interested in learning more about specifically "Marxist theory." This, I think, also raises a bunch of questions about what we mean by theory - works of political philosophy, texts on revolutionary and military strategy, political speeches, journalistic or sociological analysis, historiography - these varying things with very different discursive norms and standards of evidence or logic often get rolled into one singular object called "theory." but let's set that aside for now.

you want to learn this for maybe an assortment of reasons, here's a few (non-exhaustive) good ones:

Marxism has been a substantial historical force that has probably had a notable impact on the world around you in some way.

Learning about Marx/ism might offer some level of insight into your current social world that other things are unable to offer.

Many texts - Capital, The Wretched of the Earth, The Second Sex, The State and Revolution - are also world-historical forms of political literature, which is interesting.

Follow-up to 2 - maybe having some level of familiarity with these things will give you the ability to better articulate yourself and participate in social and political movements around you.

generally speaking the Social Media Marxist approach is to tell you to go read off a list of texts of whatever writers the author personally agrees with or whatever works she happens to have read. so you decide to start with the big guy Marx, who is at the top of the list. totally reasonable decision.

however, there are a few contextual questions that might reasonably come up when doing so.

first, it will be clear that Marx did not pop out of an intellectual vacuum; Lenin has a rather popular identification of the "three sources of Marxism" - post-Hegelian German philosophy, French socialism, and English political economy. from my perspective, these are more like three of his main objects of ire (and so in some sense are both influences and also breakages - but not strictly speaking a synthesis), but I digress. so, frequently, in order to grasp what Marx is talking about or responding to, you are going to need some level of familiarity with a lot of additional people: Smith, Ricardo, Malthus, Hegel, Bauer, Feuerbach, Hobbes, Spinoza, Rousseau, Mill, Sismondi. suddenly you are not just learning about the works of one guy, but his attitude towards all the people he relies on for support or aims his criticisms at. and each of those different intellectual relationships is going to be different. sometimes at different times!

second, and relatedly, Marx is not always the most charitable to the people he's criticizing, who were often rival socialists (so there were pretty notable political and personal stakes at work in proving them wrong or diminishing their influence over the movement). the introductory materials to the new translation of Capital also observe that Marx's approach to scholarship is, shall we say, haphazard; often he makes quotes or citations that are not actually representative of what he's citing. finally, many of the people he's criticizing have sort of been rendered obsolete historically *in no small part* due to the success of Marxism as a political orientation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. so to determine whether Marx is being fair to the people he is basing his critique on, we will have to do some level of intellectual work to check. so now we're not just evaluating Marx's relationship to different thinkers but also the substantial content of each of those thinkers themselves.

third, Marx did not pop out of a social vacuum. all of these different writers didn't just crop up from nowhere but wrote within particular sociohistorical contexts, some of which were rather divorced from the European revolutionary wave, first worldwide financial crisis, and the shifting character of the United States in the wake of the Civil War and the formal abolition of slavery - some of the historical events that Marx was more explicitly engaging with. and the radical liberals, republicans, and socialists Marx criticized all also had their own intellectual and social histories. so now we're getting a little far afield from the initial notion, which was just to read some guy, and getting into the realm of social history, and trying to understand the relationship between world history and the ideas produced within it.

fourth, you are a subject in the world, which is to say YOU did not pop out of a social or intellectual vacuum. you likely bring predispositions, assumptions, biases, and cognitive distortions to what you read; we all do. working through those and trying to note where they're happening - where they might be fine and where they might be problematic - will require a certain willingness to reflect, to write, to take notes, to analyze and self-scrutinize, and to be critical of both yourself as a reader and of the text you are reading. (a nested problem is that we have a truly staggering amount of material from Marx and Engels, and you might have to make certain determinations as to which material is important or worthwhile or more useful, and identify the standards by which you think that - all of which requires a certain reflection on your status as a political thinker).

okay, so consider all that. we started with "I wanna read this one guy," we end with "to really grasp the work of this one guy it's also important to know both preceding and contemporaneous world history, his intellectual influences, and the gaps or silences or errors in his work.” now consider that, if you really want to be able to speak on them with some level of confidence and intellectual honesty, you have to apply approximately the same level of rigor to every other writer on the Social Media Marxist approved list - Lenin, Fanon, Che, Kollontai, Cabral, Mao, Luxemburg, whoever. not to mention their critics, both direct and indirect!

Marx developed his work through an incredibly sustained engagement with enormous volumes of different material; we have entire notebooks of him poring over Max Stirner, or Spinoza, or the political economists, or the empirical observations of English factory inspectors. I'm not saying that you have to do that, or even that one strictly *has* to go down any or all of the first three rabbitholes I identified. Marx was in the somewhat unique position of sustaining himself through the support of Engels and his journalistic work, as a product of being in perpetual exile. that's not the kind of position that most of us are typically in.

the point is not "commit yourself to being a perfect monastic scholar in order to reach perfect truth" - such a thing is probably a fantasy, even if we wish otherwise. the point is that if you think "theory" is worth taking seriously, well, you have to actually take it seriously. if you don’t think it has stakes or utility, that’s fine; different people find different things useful. I think “theory” is not a set of dead letters by canonical authors but produced through social life. but if “reading theory” is a way to clarify and assert yourself as a political subject and agent, to claim some intellectual autonomy and acquire some understanding that you can put into practice in your life, then that’s demanding. it’s not impossible, but it does take real effort and a commitment to study and a certain level of resistance to being dogmatic. otherwise you are just letting yourself be rhetorically persuaded by whatever is in front of you or whatever affirms your biases.

as Marx says in the preface to Capital, Volume I, "I am of course assuming that my readers will want to learn something new, and so are ready to think for themselves."

[criphd]

At the outset of H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds (1898), Wells asks his English readers to compare the Martian invasion of Earth with the Europeans’ genocidal invasion of the Tasmanians, thus demanding that the colonizers imagine themselves as the colonized, or the about-to-be-colonized. But in Wells this reversal of perspective entails something more, because the analogy rests on the logic prevalent in contemporary anthropology that the indigenous, primitive other’s present is the colonizer’s own past. Wells’s Martians invading England are like Europeans in Tasmania not just because they are arrogant colonialists invading a technologically inferior civilization, but also because, with their hypertrophied brains and prosthetic machines, they are a version of the human race’s own future.

The confrontation of humans and Martians is thus a kind of anachronism, an incongruous co-habitation of the same moment by people and artifacts from different times. But this anachronism is the mark of anthropological difference, that is, the way late-nineteenth-century anthropology conceptualized the play of identity and difference between the scientific observer and the anthropological subject-both human, but inhabiting different moments in the history of civilization. As George Stocking puts it in his intellectual history of Victorian anthropology, Victorian anthropologists, while expressing shock at the devastating effects of European contact on the Tasmanians, were able to adopt an apologetic tone about it because they understood the Tasmanians as “living representatives of the early Stone Age,” and thus their “extinction was simply a matter of … placing the Tasmanians back into the dead prehistoric world where they belonged” (282-83). The trope of the savage as a remnant of the past unites such authoritative and influential works as Lewis Henry Morgan’s Ancient Society (1877), where the kinship structures of contemporaneous American Indians and Polynesian islanders are read as evidence of “our” past, with Sigmund Freud’s Totem and Taboo (1913), where the sexual practices of “primitive” societies are interpreted as developmental stages leading to the mature sexuality of the West. Johannes Fabian has argued that the repression or denial of the real contemporaneity of so-called savage cultures with that of Western explorers, colonizers, and settlers is one of the pervasive, foundational assumptions of modern anthropology in general. The way colonialism made space into time gave the globe a geography not just of climates and cultures but of stages of human development that could confront and evaluate one another.

The anachronistic structure of anthropological difference is one of the key features that links emergent science fiction to colonialism. The crucial point is the way it sets into motion a vacillation between fantastic desires and critical estrangement that corresponds to the double-edged effects of the exotic. Robert Stafford, in an excellent essay on “Scientific Exploration and Empire” in the Oxford History of the British Empire, writes that, by the last decades of the century, “absorption in overseas wilderness represented a form of time travel” for the British explorer and, more to the point, for the reading public who seized upon the primitive, abundant, unzoned spaces described in the narratives of exploration as a veritable “fiefdom, calling new worlds into being to redress the balance of the old” (313, 315). Thus when Verne, Wells, and others wrote of voyages underground, under the sea, and into the heavens for the readers of the age of imperialism, the otherworldliness of the colonies provided a new kind of legibility and significance to an ancient plot. Colonial commerce and imperial politics often turned the marvelous voyage into a fantasy of appropriation alluding to real objects and real effects that pervaded and transformed life in the homelands. At the same time, the strange destinations of such voyages now also referred to a centuries-old project of cognitive appropriation, a reading of the exotic other that made possible, and perhaps even necessary, a rereading of oneself.

John Rieder, Colonialism and the Emergence of Science Fiction

[canmom]

every single thing involving a computer is designed to put something into our senses. until a human looks at it, and interprets it, it is nothing. it isn't 'data'. it isn't 'ones and zeroes'. it's just some electrons and photons moving around, as is their wont.

but if we arrange those electrons just so, and let them do their thing, we can create a pattern that someone will experience as bits, registers, numbers, letters, instructions, algorithms, messages, financial transactions, videos, thoughts, worlds, etc etc.

the whole project of computer programming is corraling the electrons into situations where they will obey rules we have in our heads. electrons are surprisingly predictable, so this isn't a fool's errand. but every layer of the stack of abstractions is something we built: arranging one thing to produce a pattern we want to see. the chip arranged so the 'high and low voltages' fit our idea of 'bits' and 'logic gates'. the screen whose lights create a 'field of colour' for an organism that has this level of visual acuity, this frequency response in its cone cells, this capacity to see shapes and edges. these bits and logic organised into an 'algorithm' that takes 'data' that we think of as 'vertices' and 'triangles' and produces the appearance of 'perspective rendering', which approximates our concept of a '3D object', of even a 'virtual world'.

we have gotten so very very good at producing these patterns that it's easy to see them as something natural, and miss all the layers of orchestration behind even the simplest operation. computers are a game played between humans.

[luvsophen]

The romanced Inquisitor and the Redeem ending (Veilguard spoilers)

I often see misunderstandings and critical comments, especially on Reddit, about the role of the Inquisitor in the redemption ending. I want to explain how I see it from a narrative designer's perspective. I'll approach the topic from a broader angle, so I ask for your patience and understanding. Long read.

To understand the ending and why the Inquisitor is written the way they are, we need to revisit Solas's motivation and psychology as presented in the game. Even in “Inquisition”, it’s clear that Solas clings to the past as if it were the ultimate truth. He asks the Inquisitor to prove him wrong, but that idea feels doomed from the start. Just as I thought ten years ago, I still believe that his primary motivation isn’t solely about his people but rather a deeply complex internal crisis. Solas is a complex and layered character, and his motivation should reflect that complexity according to all the rules of storytelling. It’s incredibly unfortunate that the story arc involving the rebellion and the spirits was cut, as this truly simplified his character and didn’t give players a chance to ponder his beliefs more deeply. But we know that this motivation exists in the background and is alive. We only hear about his motivation related to his people, that is, the spirits, in the final choice with Rook. Naturally, the fact that Bioware put his personal regrets and trauma front and center is psychologically accurate, but the player should have come to this conclusion on their own, discovering it themselves. It’s too obvious, but such are the modern trends in storytelling.

Now, regarding Lavellan. The ending with a romanced Inquisitor suffers from the same issues as the rest of the game — lack of variety and exclusive choices.

I see that some people are disappointed with the ending because the Inquisitor's love and pleas were not enough. I assure you, it was never intended to make it enough. If the Inquisitor’s love/friendship had been enough, Solas's story in “DAtV” wouldn’t have even begun. Solas is as immersed in his past as any millennia-old being could be, leaving no room for anything but his burden, guilt, and despair. Left to his own devices, he will always choose the path of least resistance to his trauma, repeating his mistakes in what he believes is for the greater good until he reaches the point of ultimate self-destruction. He is truly a broken man because of all the terrible things he has done and the horrors he has endured.

The point of the storyline was to showcase the depth of his regrets, the weight of his burden and moral downfall. The Inquisitor (friend/lover) affected him in a way that no mortal ever could. Solas runs from them, and there are objective psychological reasons for this beyond simply not wanting to hurt someone he cares about. Lavellan isn’t wrong when she says she could influence Solas. Yes, if they had years and time for such conversations, but that opportunity doesn’t exist. He doesn't leave her a choice and decides for both of them.

The logic of the ending is that you need to peel back Solas's “layers”. In the finale, Solas is deeply wounded and exhausted, and it’s the perfect moment to play on his emotions while he’s so vulnerable. From a dramaturgical perspective, the focus was correctly placed: the present, future, and past must come together to lift the burden from his shoulders, show him a new path, restore his wisdom, and give him a new purpose. This is how the writers envision his salvation without killing him or distorting his spirit.

Rook represents the present — the modern world and its people. And the modern world asks Solas for mercy, pleading with him not to destroy their lives even more, reminding him that more violence won’t make “the flowers” bloom as Solas wishes. Rook delivers the first logical blow: “Who benefits from tearing down the Veil —you or all of us? You’re lying to yourself and drowning in regrets”. Solas knows this, but knowing and accepting are different things for the psyche. That’s why Rook, as a representative of the world Solas aims to destroy for the “greater good”, steps forward first, asking him to reconsider his true motivations. And Solas does ponder. By this point, he’s already filled with doubts, born long ago, but he’s still not ready to make another choice. The massive burden of the past and a graveyard of sacrifices remain on his shoulders. Solas rejects Rook, rejects the desires and opinions of the present, the modern world, just as he always has. As he must. For now.

Then the Inquisitor steps onto the stage. Whether a friend or a lover, the Inquisitor was the first to show Solas during their time together that he was wrong, cracking his convictions. This is especially clear in the letter to his beloved Lavellan.

Look at how he acts in this scene. How he freezes upon seeing the Inquisitor, how he lowers his head and dagger, the sadness and regret on his face, the tears welling up. In Lavellan’s case, he exhales painfully: “Vhenan”. After all these years of separation and his betrayals — “My love, my heart”. For me it was a emotional moment of vulnerability.

The Inquisitor is here to give Solas two things: forgiveness, which Solas cannot grant himself, and a reminder of who he is, who he dreamed of being, offering him a choice for the future. But even these gifts may not be enough for Solas because a person trapped in the past and overwhelming regrets, committed to self-destruction and mass deaths, sees no reason to choose a different future.

He has lost all hope for it. He believes he deserves neither happiness, love, nor forgiveness. And when Lavellan says she forgives him, Solas doesn’t understand why. What’s the point of forgiveness after all he’s done? Look at his face in that scene. He can’t forgive himself. He tries to prove to himself that he doesn’t deserve forgiveness: “I lied, I betrayed you”. The contrast with his self-justifications in “Trespasser” is stark. And yet, she forgives him. It means a tremendous amount to him, and he turns away from this gift in disbelief. It will take years before he truly forgives himself.

This scene is meant to show how deeply he’s sunk into his past, into his own darkness, unable to step back even for the sake of his beloved or a friend, for another path and future. He’s filled with self-justifications.

Solas explains why Lavellan’ forgiveness isn’t enough: “And then I... and then she died for nothing”. No, not because “she/Mythal” died for nothing. Everything he’s been through, everything he’s done to the world—everything—was for nothing if he keeps the Veil. And how can he live with that? All the suffering must be justified. His millennia of fears, pain, and guilt—these are stronger than his feelings for the Inquisitor. This is realistically portrayed, even if it hurts his beloved, even if it hurts you as a player. He can’t release himself from his burden and guilt. He’s come up with a thousand justifications. You hear this throughout the game from Mythal, Ghilan'nain, Morrigan, and so on. Solas is an unreliable narrator.

The present, the future, the past. Mythal is the catalyst for everything. That’s why she has to deliver the final blow, and she breaks him. For the last time. I won’t touch on the ethics of this moment. His entire tragedy began with her; his downfall started with her. He ties all his burdens to her. She embodies all his past and all his pain. Through her more benevolent version in Morrigan, Mythal shares the burden of their joint crimes with him. She doesn’t apologize or express remorse to him but directly destroys his last justification—that it was all for her. She no longer needs it. He is free. The world has suffered for too long, Solas has suffered for too long. It is time to stop. And in the finale, there’s no time for him to create another reason to justify his “delusions” and mass deaths.

Solas no longer has the strength to fight himself, and he agrees to stop. His past, present, and future simultaneously redefine his purpose. Now he has a new goal. This suits him as a spirit bound to serve his purpose. But he can't forgive himself and that's logical. The romanced Inquisitor is here to demonstrate for him immense wisdom and generosity by mortal standards, a deep understanding of Solas's spirit, and the strength of her love for him. It should break through any rational defense of his psyche. He is seen, heard, forgiven, given hope and purpose, his fear of being alone is shattered, and he is loved so deeply that he can hardly believe it. These are all the needs and desires of Solas that we have learned about from the two games. He desperately needed it and Weekes gives it to him with the help of the Inquisitor, his beloved. This is intentional. Solas is so disoriented and broken that he can't say anything to her except to give her a choice, one last chance to turn away from him, because he himself will no longer turn away from her.

Narratively, the Inquisitor, friend or lover, represents a bridge between Solas’s past and future: a factual happy future and a new purpose if you are his lover and leave with him; or you grant him a new purpose, reminding him of who he is, if you do not leave with him or are his friend. Solas faces dangerous work both on himself and on the Blight; this is not a respite.

The Inquisitor, however, will never be freed from their religious and mythical role. This character will always be tied to that role in the story.

Lavellan here embodies almost a religious myth about the great power of love that surpasses all contradictions, a bond stronger than rational reasons. It’s pointless to rationalize, and you won’t find solace in that process — their relationship is meant to be a deeply emotional romance with an irrational, mystical and mythical connection between two lovers.

Lavellan performs a strictly narrative function here, but out of respect for those players who cannot associate themselves with such an Inquisitor, there should technically have been an option to not go with him into the Fade right in that scene, instead of at the tavern.

Narratively, the writers are concluding the arc involving the story of the Evanuris, Solas, the Blight, and the Veil. Above all, the writers focused more on this overarching narrative than on how to incorporate the player's various choices into the plot. Therefore, the canonical character of the Inquisitor takes precedence here — that's how the writers envision this character.

Canonically, The Inquisitor like the HoF, is a hero with a specific, grand purpose in the plot. This is a character who brings order to a world on the brink of madness. They think on a global scale and resolve global conflicts. They don’t create problems, they solve them. The same approach is shown with Solas. He is both a global and personal problem for Lavellan. Solas forces the Inquisitor (any of them) to endure a lot of pain and unpleasantness, turning their life upside down.

Lavellan’s resentments, wounded pride, and sorrow may later be expressed or dealt with differently, but right now, the fate of not only Solas but the world is being decided (quarrels will not help anyone solve the task on a global scale; Lavellan will not be petty, nor will she be too proud, just as she won't think of herself first when faced with the world's fate; she will only think about it once the world is no longer in danger). Lavellan cannot convince Solas, but will keep trying with the influence she has.

Personally, I believe that this type of love (type of the lover) is exactly what Solas needs for his personal growth.

The Inquisitor offers him forgiveness and understanding because that is their role here — to be above it, to be wiser than Solas, to show more mercy, patience, and understanding toward others’ nature and spirit than Solas ever did toward the modern world and mortals. And this is especially valuable for the narrative. Mortals (Rook, the Inquisitor, Morrigan) give Solas what he couldn’t get in the past: the freedom to be himself, and salvation and/or love. This idea is even repeated in the game’s cut files.

According to interviews, Bioware wanted to level the playing field so that any player with any world state/choices could choose the redemption ending — I'm not a fan of this decision from the perspective of character development, but after all, this is a game, not a book story.

I’m not too critical of the Solavellan ending, even though I’m not a Solasmancer; I just like him as an antagonist and a character. I don't find the ending with his solo redemption psychologically credible. I'm sorry they didn't add at least Cole to the game to help him on this painful journey.

In my opinion, Solavellan ending is the best thing that happened in the game for Solas (and in his whole life). At least somewhere, he was given happiness and something he didn’t even dare to hope for.

The game itself is a big disappointment in terms of narrative, but I don’t want to criticize Bioware too much without knowing the reasons why it turned out this way. And for this reason, you should try to look beyond the execution and focus on the content and context of the story to understand the writer’s intent.

Thank you for reading to the end!

[luckykiwiii101]

Heyhey

First of all,

Much love to you. I know you've helped a lot of people and on behalf of everyone you've helped..a big thank you!

I found something on reddit and it made everything just click in an instant. I'll put it at the end. (for some reason I can't link it) I am sending this to you in the hope that this will really help some people who feel lost.

Sidenote: I know it's basically what you and other blogs has been preaching about, but this is rephrased differently and may help some people understand and truly apply (and stop overconsuming lol)

I CANT BELIEVE IT TOOK ME ALL THIS TIME TO FINALLY GET IT…  Tips & Techniques I’ve known about the Law of Assumption for almost four years, and now I finally get it. I always thought that when I closed my eyes to imagine something, it was my false self—let’s call her Ella—doing the imagining and experiencing the desire. But that’s not true. Ella only exists in the physical realm; she’s just another object in awareness. The one who’s really imagining is awareness itself—God, consciousness—the only thing that truly exists. Now I understand why imagination is immediate and real. It’s not Ella’s creation because she has no access to awareness. Ella’s role is confined to the 3D world. Her job is to make sense of life through logic, past experiences, and sensory input. So, when I imagine something, Ella can’t “see” it because imagination operates in the realm of awareness, not the physical. This is why thoughts like “Where is it?” or “It’s not working” arise—they’re just Ella panicking because she didn’t witness the creation happen. Ella is fixated on time and the physical world, so she doubts anything beyond her perception. But her panic doesn’t mean anything because she’s not the one imagining. She’s not capable of understanding or influencing what exists in awareness. This realization leaves no excuse not to trust my imagination. Imagination is beyond Ella’s capabilities, and its reality is not dependent on her understanding. This isn’t an invitation to hate or fight Ella—it’s about recognizing her limitations and letting her be. When I notice my mind being logical or thinking doubtful thoughts, I can let them pass because that’s just Ella doing her job. There’s no need to argue with or control her because it’s like bullying a blind person for not being able to see. She simply can’t perceive what’s happening in awareness, and that’s okay. Let her do her thing, knowing it doesn’t matter. The real work is already done in imagination, which is the realm of the infinite.

Someone answered:

Yup, Ella is herself a manifestation of consciousness and there is only consciousness. We think we are Ella, when we are consciousness, perceiving things through Ella's perspective. Good job. And that's exactly why manifestation is instant, the moment awareness becomes aware of something through your imagination, it happens. Because everything is awareness. You already are living that reality from the moment you imagined it. Ella will keep thinking. You need to not react to those thoughts or feelings of Ella, observe them, take care of Ella when she feels down but laugh a little at her naivety. Most people imagine and forget that they're not Ella but consciousness and become aware of something else by giving attention to Ella's limited perspective but guess what? Ella is a well behaved child, she will learn as soon as you discipline her. Her thoughts would slowly get on board too and so will the feelings. So let Ella be, don't react to her thoughts and emotions and become aware of something that's not what you want

People need to read this!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!

[nights-at-crystarium]

Fragments - episodes 53-58 author notes

You can find similar breakdown posts on older episodes in my pinned!

Episodes 52-53 explain Vivi's smile at the end of 49, why he believes that Exarch wouldn't harm him.

His wish is to get away from Ghimlyt Dark, from everything that his life has become. This wish gets fulfilled at the same time as he practically dies. Also,

“I still... Love it here” he occasionally almost blurts out his plans to stay on the First, bites his tongue and scrambles to rephrase it in a more vague way.

I opened up Zenos’s refs, took a good look, a deep breath, and said NOPE NOT DRAWING THAT. Though the resulting silhouette feels more evocative.

It’s a fun panel if you remember that it’s Elidibus, framed by the moon.

A tiny recap before we get into The Recap: Vivi feels safer after eating sandwiches that didn’t kill him, he approaches Exarch with an intention to thank him, to get to know him better, and possibly more, as can be deduced from his half-unbuttoned shirt :’> It’s also the first, and so far the only instance of him wearing red.

Exarch doesn't misstep, asks neutral questions, only echoes Vivi's words and generally stays lowkey. Vivi overshares, as if he'd been holding back, grasps at the opportunity to vent to someone he sees as safe. Still, from Exarch’s perspective, he does absolutely nothing to provoke this:

More under the cut~ 

Vivi wonders if Exarch's shy or dense, and takes all but the last step for him. Exarch doesn't meet him halfway, gives no consent, thus Vivi relents. He isn't really hurt by this, it's too early still, he himself wonders if he misreads Exarch and that maybe there's no attraction at all. He did the same in episode 7, and was met with consent.

Okay this’s awkward but Vivi tries to carry this, maybe there’s still a way- he's being super casual, almost holding Exarch's hand, here, here’s how we can salvage this, here’s your second chance, but Exarch still keeps the distance. Their objectives are probably different after all.

How crazy and eccentric must this sound to third party, and how utterly normal and logical it is to him. I love this lil situation because it neatly demonstrates his inner workings. There’s solid logic to everything he does, no matter how it may look to an outsider.

Can’t find the other hilarious comment that went like “RUN AWAY FROM GAY THOUGHTS”. And the other hilarious comment “he’s gotta pee”. But yea he totally didn’t have to run like a flustered schoolgirl.

Taking the opportunity to remind you that I wrote a <1k words fic about Exarch reflecting on this scene.

You can do everything right and still fail :3c He’s totally correct, but perhaps he should be paying closer attention to what Vivi says and how he looks at him.

Exarch’s under close scrutiny, but he stays oblivious to it as he's too busy having the doki.

It’s not stated in plain text, but Vivi’s budding interest in Exarch brings him to the Scions, gotta find whatever scraps of info he can. This’s a mere beginning of his detective endeavor.

Charm huh. Alisaie's aware that Vivi possesses and uses it.

You're free to look for a special meaning, but this's really how he eats when he feels at ease. And it even lands in his mouth and not on his face. Commendable skill.

I'm not saying this's why he roamed a lot around the Crystarium and even jumped up the watchtower, but there’s a non-zero chance. Also the poor Alisaie looking like “am I a joke to you”.

How did that meme go? “GASP! LA CREATURA!”

Banter is Their Thing and they do it deliciously.

Like Vivi, Alisaie hates politics and meetings. Unlike Vivi, she’s familiar with the concept of duty and responsibility. Also I just love this entire exchange. Vivi’s completely self-aware “seems a bit irresponsible”. Their power dynamic should be clear from the visual as well.

Under the spell of the manic pixie dream boy 😔 But can’t blame her, a sudden introduction to chaos, freedom and rebellion tastes good when you’re a teenager from an imposing family.

If you wondered if she’s on the floor here, yes. A girl can have her floor time. Also it’s important to note that it’s Vivi coming to her, not the other way around.

Ascians behind your outhouse. I’m 8 years old and very proud of this joke.

This scene’s full of human contradictions. Vivi happily fights by Alisaie’s side, but the best of the best that she is, that still isn't enough to qualify as his equal, thus she gets treated like a liability, something that he feels he might easily lose.

The faces they make only when the other doesn't look.

They’re deliberately filling the awkward silence with random yapping.

“I’m fine”: this’s sincerity to me. Blatantly lying in Vivi’s face even as she drops on the ground. Physical evidence instantly reveals and nullifies her lie.

Alisaie isn't the only one shaken by the event. This’s where I wanna tap the sign that Vivi invited her. This fact’s repeated twice in the following episodes just to call his ass out.

She knows that he needs her, but this isn’t really confidence, more of a bravado. Desperate to reaffirm that they indeed mean something to each other. It’s a card house trying to pass as a stone castle. It’d crumble in an instant if Vivi says something genuinely cold and hurtful, which he never does.

In my hc physical touch isn't the primary love language for Alisaie (it's acts of service) but for Vivi it is.

They know each other well enough to tell when the silence’s too tense, or the convo too awkward, and Vivi didn’t really need to dance around the subject after inviting for a walk her and her alone.

I was gonna keep going and talk about episodes 59+ here, but somehow it didn’t save the last chunk I’d just added. I’m using the drafts made via the old post editor in order to fit in 30+ pics, maybe there IS a cap after all, it just won’t tell me. Ah well, time to retype a bunch of stuff I’ve just lost, see you in the next commentary post and thanks for reading till the end o/

[sibylance]

We Need to Talk About AI Detectors

Over the past few weeks there have been two posts in particular that have come out against two authors in the community that have resulted in near witch hunts for one, and essentially driving the other off the internet from all the bullying and hate received. These posts were related to the potential use of AI in fanfiction, as well as using supposed “AI Detectors” to support their claims. With the help of friends, we have been able to look into the AI claims that were made against both The Silence and The Song and Ir Abelas, Da’ean.

We were curious about how and why these posts were being flagged with high levels of “AI Probability” when the authors have been adamant (either in chats or in public) that they have never used generative AI for their work. So we did the most logical thing, put on our detective caps, and rolled up our sleeves. We would like to note that we do not wish to have philosophical discussions, we wish to have transparency and honesty.

Spoilers: We found inaccuracies almost IMMEDIATELY.

Firstly, we looked into the weakness of AI detectors, and read through online posts where people voiced their frustrations with detectors. One thing that we noticed was that the common denominator was that well written articles were being flagged as “Likely AI”, particularly with Originality, and that the solution was to either “dumb them down” or to remove punctuation such as commas, which immediately improved the score, tipping the scale to “Likely Original”.

For the second step, we ran some of our own works through Originality AI checker–works that were made prior to the creation of AI and generative AI. However, after punctuation was removed, this magically changed from 50% likelihood of AI to 100% original work. Again, these works were from before the dawn of generative AI, and therefore could not have been created by AI. For fun, we even ran the first chapter of Harry Potter through it–a novel that is objectively without AI, which still did not come out with results stating 100% original work. We then removed almost all of the punctuation from it, and it actually improved the originality score by 3% (from 95% to 98%).

Personal fic, before and after:

Next step, we ran our own scans through Originality and Quillbot.This includes full chapters of Ir Abelas, Da’ean, both with and without punctuation in Originality, and excerpts in Quillbot. Interestingly, the excerpts in Quillbot pinged as “0% likely AI”, and that is without any removal of punctuation. Across the board, the removal of punctuation from the chapters caused an immediate and dramatic increase in the score, from “100% likely AI” to “96% likely Original”. We have found that the more grammatically correct a work was, the more likely it was to be flagged as “AI”, much like how the freelance writers were complaining about.

Chapter 1 of Ir Abelas, before and after:

Chapter 1 through Quillbot:

Chapter 45 of Ir Abelas, before and after:

Chapter 45 without commas or double hyphens:

Chapter 45 through Quillbot:

Even the Ai detection websites caution against this:

To Durgeapologist, Fangbanger3000, and friends: If you do actually read this, I hope you realize that your posts have done more harm than good to the community. You are correct that AI is a potential threat to creative spaces, but you have gone about addressing it in the worst possible way. By creating multiple posts across platforms with the intent of creating a negative perspective toward certain authors and their fictions rather than the use of AI as a whole—not to mention the counter-accusations with personal attacks rather than focusing on the issue at hand—you are creating an environment that fosters negativity, bullying, and division—none of which are directions to take a sustainable and healthy community. AI Detection is the Wild West right now. There is no way to determine if something written is AI through the use of algorithms, and it requires the use of human intervention and careful comparison to previous works to be within a certain level of certainty that it is AI. Our hope is that in the future, you will take time, step back, and consider all possible sides before causing a stir in the community like this.

[revvethasmythh]

You know, I think there's something so, so insidious to the idea that Orym's perspective of the Vanguard is "flawed/human" or that him repeatedly reminding his friends what the Vanguard does (kill innocents to achieve their means) "blocks nuance" in the conversation, etc, because it implies that, in this mythical "objective" perspective that apparently exists, the Vanguard aren't so bad. If only Orym could put aside his petty grievances, such as the murder of his father and husband, and let people be nuanced about this situation, he'd see there's two sides to this story. And why discount the Vanguard's perspective just because *checks notes* they're a massive, manipulative cult that preys on vulnerable people to join their ranks and turns them to violence, or that they work with a centuries-old fascist eugenicist literally mind-controlling psychic government with the goal of freeing a creature that could very well destroy the world as we know it and even if it doesn't, will leave an enormous power vacuum for that fascist government to potentially occupy when they invade Exandria?

I think there's some misconception people have that they think war shouldn't ever be personal and if it does become personal for someone then their logic is too clouded by their feelings to see the situation clearly, just automatically. And perhaps sometimes, in some contexts, this can be true! But not here. It's actually quite cut and dried that Orym's "flawed, human" perspective is the one reminding everyone of the human cost to Ludinus' grand plans, all in the name of so called "progress"

[apas-95]

in general it's easy to discern between liberal idealism and dialectical materialism in any given discussion over the merit of anything. if an action is a line drawn between two states, between subject and object, then the liberal perspective is one focused on the line, while the communist perspective is one focused on the endpoints. a liberal consideration is whether a certain action can ever be justified, whether something - violence, bodily automomy, authority - as an abstract movement, is acceptable or not, which can then be applied down to individual situations. the communist consideration is, as always, 'who stands to gain?' - violence by who, against whom?; whose autonomy to do what?; whose authority over whom? - in the specific and real case being identified. liberal idealism is certainly easier, once you establish a universal human right you can simply apply your principle without having to do much thought - but it's always a weak and immaterial argument. as an example: abortion should be allowed not because of an abstract principle, but because, plainly, restricting abortion in the real world is harmful, and carrying out abortion in the real world is not harmful. the idea that these two facts aren't important to the safeguarding of abortion is ridiculous - and plainly will not work in the real world. the people who say 'well maybe abortion is murder, but either way, it's my right' will convince absolutely nobody; let alone the absurd implications should the logic of absolute rights be extended to other real-world situations. there are a million other examples on the focus on 'means' over 'ends', and they're very easy to spot once you start looking out for them.

[palettepainter]

Cheese test

We're back again baabbyy!

More stuff with @muletia merformer au, this time, with Megatron! Tfp Megatron's design is so fucking cool and honestly, he might just be one of my favs from the series purely from a design perspective, of COURSE I had to write something with the big grump

Warnings: Swearing but that's cuz Megatron is a jerk, very brief chase scene? Reader briefly thinks Megatron is actually going to kill them for being too silly (don't worry they live)

Again this merformers au belongs to muletia, I went with their hc of Megatron being an axolotl mermaid

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You’re learning more and more just how hard it is to diferintiate between genuine curiosity…and outright stupidity 

You’re pretty sure this leaned more into the realm of undoubtful stupidity, and yet, your curiosity urged you to pursue with your plan 

From your place sat on the log you hum lowly and slowly, turning squinted eyes over to the massive body breaching the water and lounging tranquilly in the shallows not too far from you. His eyes are closed, face set in a resting scowl, immense form shifting with the gradual rise and fall of his deep breaths that, to anyone none the wiser, would give the impression he was snoozing 

You on the other hand, know better than to ever assume the beast of the lake is never aware of your presence in his territory 

As you stand, the dirt crunches beneath the soles of your shoes, the mers external gills don’t even lift to the sound, though you know he definitely heard you.

He is completely, utterly unthreatened by your presence, you would be to if your roles were reversed… 

A wicked smile curled onto your face

Speed walking to the water, glancing to the mer every few seconds, you carefully wade out from the shallows until the water breached over the top of your knees. It’s naturally cold, but not so cold to at all deter you from your current objective - your sense of logic and intrigue can’t agree on if that’s for better or worse 

It’s impossible to be discreet with how every movement, no matter how subtle, pulls sloshes from the water as it rippled around your legs. For a terrified second, when you hear the sound of something massive shifting behind you, you froze like a petrified goat, worried you had been too loud. 

Your mer acquaintance was not fond of being disrupted

Mouth pressed into a nervous line, you shyly peer over your shoulder to glance in his direction- and a cool rush of relief floods over your form when the source of the sound was only due to him turning his head away

Based on how steady his breathing sounded, you wager he’s not going to move anytime soon

Perfect 

Suppressing the urge to giggle evilly to yourself you fluidly dunk your hand under the water, grasping at a clutch of reeds which you easily uproot from their secured spot in the moist earth below

They wilt over your knuckles, water rushing off them in ribbons which soon turned to sad, pitiful drips that return to the lake below

You had grabbed at more than you wanted, but you’re filled with such a potent mix of giddy excitement and crippling anxiety that you don’t have any attention spare to fuss over the finer details 

Time to get that bastard back 

Your little scheme for revenge was all the stupid mers fault anyway, how were you supposed to know he was going to react in such a way?!

You’d left town for a week to meet up with family up in the city, just a general catch up to exchange how dull or exhilarating life had been since the last time you’d gathered. Of course, once you’d returned home, you’d traced the familiar woodland path down to the secluded lake to check in with the grouch of a mer that resided there

It was the first instance you could vouch were he had clingy, if you didn’t know any better, you’d think that mister cranky had missed little old you~

Of course, you had teased, just a tiny bit, the responding growl told you Megs did not welcome such behaviour, so instead, you’d spared him of such torment (though you had stashed away the event for future teasing purposes~) and instead told to him the details of your little getaway

Naturally, as with most of your visits, you did all the talking while your mer was mostly quiet, save for the periodic huff, snarl or eyeroll, which was generally as far as his emoting ever went 

You didn’t mind his silence, you’d grown quite accustomed to it, in an odd way, there was something comforting about it, soothing even 

It was when you decided it was time to leave that your grudge against the mer had started.. 

He refused to let you move. At all. 

Anchoring you in place with his giant forearm that effortlessly weighed down your legs, in spite of your fruitless efforts to shove him away. His warning growls fell on stubborn, deaf ears as you contemplated the risk of just screaming for help to see if he’d flee to the safety of the water: what you did instead was arguably more dumb

You bit him

Well, attempted was more accurate 

You don’t even know why you did, it was so random

You’d barely managed to leave a faint dent in the surface of his tough skin, all you’d gained was a weird taste in your mouth - a mix between fishy and earthy tasting - and a fucking bite to your own shoulder!

Which was NOT easy to patch up you would add!

What was worse?? That stupid, smug jerk actually had the audacity to look pleased with himself at how shaken silly you were, all blood rushing from your face leaving you a pale, ghostly, trembling mess

You really thought, for a split second, that he was going to tear your whole arm off (it would have been too easy for him to do so), but instead he wanted to return the favor. Except while your bite hardly left a scratch, his left you with an impressive - for lack of better terms - hickey

Somehow, you had managed to successfully conceal it from view under turtlenecks, jumpers and various hoodies. Though you did get a bunch of weird looks from people on that one particular hot day not too long ago

You scowl thinking back on it

‘Big meanie..’

Reeds in hand, you travel back to the shore and begin to approach the massive mer, your chest puffed out as if you had earned the right to approach him

As the space between you and him grew smaller he continued to not show any acknowledgement, even if you knew he was acutely aware of just how near you were. You stop some ways from him, just out of arms distance for yourself, but you are well within his grabbing range, still, you are not deterred

Concealing the reeds behind your back, you hop up on your heels, speaking in your best, casual voice “Hey Megs!”

No reaction, as you expected 

“Meeegs~” your voice drawled, in a way that was purposely aggravating, and to your own credit, it succeeded in exactly the way you wanted it to: the long, frilly gills that fell down the back and around the sides of Megatron’s head ghosted with movement, unable to block the annoying, sing-songy quality of your tone 

Still, he does not move 

Feeling bold, you take a few steps forward. You briefly debated prodding him with a finger, but decided that might be a bit much

“Hey big guy, I wanna show you something” 

In response, the giant mer actually rumbled, a deep sound that grumbles from the back of his throat like an alligator bellow. Seeing that you now, at the very least, hold a fraction of his attention you lean in to hammer the final nail into the coffin

“Don’t worry, it’s a gift. You’ll like it! I promise”

….Unhurriedly, his head turned in his folded arms

An ancient, crimson eye peeled open to squint at you, another soft bellow rumbling from his throat 

As he considered your words, you continued to smile, praying that your act was convincing and that he somehow hadn’t seen through your innocent facade The weight of his stare is crushing, the cold, calculated eyes of a predator, examining you as if you are a miniscule specimen under a microscope 

Or a pathetic mouse curled before him 

Positive that you’ll never be unaffected by his stare, you can’t help but shift on your feet, the awkwardness at his prolonged silence beginning to stir a broth of fresh new nerves. You avert your gaze, the muscles of your face beginning to grow sore from how you were having to force your smile from shrinking back  

In that moment, he snorted through his nose, a puff of air that hits the nearby grass and had the long blades leaning back. While his face was often carved into a seemingly everlasting grimace, even you can recognise smug enjoyment when you see it 

‘Arrogant fucker’

“Can you at least try and look like you’re interested?..” you deadpan at him, not trying to conceal the unimpressed edge to your tone at how difficult he was being

The single eye that studied you narrowed, pupil dilating to an irked slit, obviously not keen on you speaking to him in such a way

If to merely aggravate you further or because he was simply in one of his moods, but the only movement he made was a faint, just barely registered, annoyed flick of his tail in the water 

Frowning, you mirror his expression, not naive enough to believe you stand a chance of intimidating him into doing as you asked, or ever will - if Megatron could laugh you know he’d cackle unapologetically at the notion - but you weren’t going to buckle so easily, not this time

He doesn’t back down, his rumbling morphing to a shallow growl at your boldness to meet his glare evenly, daring you to keep pushing his buttons, which he would never admit you were extremely good at 

He would also never admit, even to himself, that his tolerance of you was in no way related to your heedless bursts of boldness so long as he drew breath

That you’re maddening skill to delicately tow the line between the embodiment of allurement and being a downright, brainless, half-wit moron was as delicious and enticing as it was vexing

He didn’t even know when it was his displeasure towards your very presence had begun to fade

When had it started??...Was it possibly that first occasion in which you had settled at his lake all those months ago after so many times of traversing the nearby footpaths? So unaware of just how close to danger you had placed yourself?? Just feet away from the waters edge

Was it the sheer informality in which you had gasped upon catching his eyes peeking above the water near you, and the following eccentric coeing that fell from your mouth? The way you had held out your arm above the water in some attempt to try and encourage him closer?? Were you sane??

He had been set on eating you. He SHOULD have eaten you. Why didn’t he eat you? Why did he allow you - a puny little human of all things! - to exist in his presence?..

His eye widened the next second when you leaned away, giving him a closed eye shrug, scowl wiped from your face “Well, if you don’t want to see it I guess I’ll just go home”

Megatron couldn’t help what happened next

As you pretended to take a step back and turn, with the guise of walking over to your shoulder bag sitting back by the log, you instantly smile in silent victory upon hearing Megatron’s great body moving

The pebbles of the ground shift and crunch at the movement of his mighty frame rising, the sound of the water being disrupted by the motion of a body made of pure muscle, and before you know it, one large, giant arm is slamming into the earth just inches from your side 

You pause, glancing to it, and at the way in which his claws sink and drag into the sand, easily carving miniature trenches into the dirt 

You fight yourself from smiling too widely in sucess 

When you return your gaze to him, craning your neck upward at a painful angel so that you could meet his eyes, his ruby pupils are nothing but annoyed, symmetrical lines across his face

He frowned deeply at you, and as if to drive home the fact he is anything but entertained at whatever game you are attempting to play, he huffed indignantly down at you, his breath shooting out and ruffling the hair on your head

“Glad to see I have your attention~” you don’t even have the civility to sound remotely regretful for enraging him, and quite suddenly, Megatron seemed to process bluff, the fins along the sides of his head rising at your audacity 

He snarled, lips drawing back over knife like teeth and settling in a sneer. You don’t so much as hear his growl as much as you feel it reverberating through the ground, rattling your bones as if they were frail toothpicks

Involuntarily, your pupils shrink, one single, solid reminder of the great power imbalance at play in your friendship with the mer 

With your attitude corrected, you quickly fumble an apology, especially since you don’t care for the calculating look in Megatron’s eyes, as if he was debating the reward factor of tossing you into the lake like a skimming stone 

“Hey, come on, I was just playing. I wasn’t actually going to leave!” boldly, Megatron’s brow cocked an inch up his forehead, his growling decreasing only just, but not enough for your comfort “Really I wasn’t!” you press, gesturing with your hand that wasn’t holding the reeds

“I just really wanted to show you my gift, it’s super important”

At the mention of your ‘gift’, Megatron’s head pulled back, his expression making way for puzzlement and, perhaps, just the tiniest bit of curiosity. At the very least, his growling ceased, that was a win

You take a small step back, judging the distance between yourself and his face as you mentally and physically hype yourself up for your final move

Megatron only tilted his head by a fraction to the left watching you, his eyes half lidded, resuming his typical look of boredom, as if in that moment he was only humouring you by offering his attention 

Timidly, the voice in the back of your mind peeped up to remind you that it wasn’t too late for you to retreat, but the muffled pain originating from your shoulder isn’t so numbed that you had forgotten how Megtron had bitten you

How the extent of your injury could have been worse if he had been careless, how his bite caused far more damage than yours did to him, that he had completely over reacted and that it was his fault anyway! If he hadn’t been such a melodramatic baby and let you leave you wouldn’t be in this position in the first place!

Nah, you say to your reasoning, this stupid fish deserved what you had prepared 

Bouncing on your heel again, you beam up at his indifferent face undeterred “Okay! You ready for your gift?~”

Megatron responded with a blink, the digit of his hand tapping against the dirt

A crack in your innocent act formed when you fail to restrain a snicker from passing your lips, a sound which ruffles the fins of Megatron’s head and has his frown twitching, wondering what on earth it is you have to laugh over

But before he can ponder the topic for a moment more, his eyes widen when you unexpectedly draw your arm back, and before he can blink, you catapult it forward-

SPLAT

Something wet smacked onto his face, hitting him squarely between his eyes

With a shriek that rattled within the walls of your skull, Megatron reared backwards, startling you as much as it scares you as his tail crashed wildly in the water, sending colossal waves crashing towards the boundary of where the water met the land

Madly, you leapt backwards to narrowly dodge the water that crashed higher up the earth from Megatron’s thrashing, the ginormous mer hissing loudly 

The tantrum lasts both a few seconds and an eternity before he settles, aware of how he wasn’t being attacked and that he registered no immediate pain across his body, despite how his vision was obscured

His posture was tense, shoulders tucked upward near his neck, greedily inhaling air through flared nostrils and the grand, feathery like fins that circulated his head sprung outward, making him look like a petrified, poor excuse for a sunflower 

….You bite your lip to muffle your snicker at witnessing Megatron, the giant, scary mer, freaking out over a handful of harmless reeds!

You can envision the loading symbol above his head as he analysed what it is that you just did, and in that very moment, as the reeds slowly slide down from his eyes and hook over the small bump that made his nose - leaving him blinking hard as his vision was resorted, fins still snapped open - do you lose it 

“PFT-BWAHAHA!!-”

Desperately clutching your own stomach, you try to focus on remembering to breathe between your hysterics while also trying to not fall over onto your rump. You end up in a position with your hands perched on your knees, hunched over with your face burning from the intensity of how hard you’re wheezing 

“O-Oh my god! That was! Y-YOU LOOKED SO STUPID!!” you cackled, tears threatening to pour from your eyes “You just- t-the way you LEAPED! BACK!-” 

Oh how you WISHED you had been filming that!

“I didn’t even think you would react to it. B-But-” you throw your head up to Megatron, who still sat rooted in the lake, though now, his head has turned in the direction of your voice “-but the way you- you SHRIEKED! AT REEDS!!” 

You didn’t think it was possible for somebody to laugh this hard 

Perhaps it was your own laughter that made you miss the crucial detail of how Megatron’s body had grown eerily tense..

He doesn’t make a sound, not that you would have noticed, too busy trying to catch your breath with little success

“O-Oh ho! OH! Oh my god that was beautiful! T-That was the most HILARIOUS thing!!” Gradually, your chuckling turned into winded snickers, almost making yourself light headed from the way your body comes down from the height of your giggle fit

Oh ho NOTHING you did from this point onward in your life was ever going to top that!

With one hand fanning your face and the other wiping away a single tear from the corner of your eye, you blow out a breath, exhausted from the sheer power of how hard you had been laughing 

“Whew! Wow, that was so good. Pure gold!” Still regaining control of your respiratory system you inhale a few calming breaths as you turn towards the lake- and are met with a wall of flesh 

In an instant, you don’t find the situation nearly as humorous, especially when your brain analyzes the deep, steady growling that shook the surface of the water with its intensity

…You turn your head up, and up, and up

Swallowed in the mers shadow, it was revealed that Megatron was the source of the powerful bellow, teeth bared in a ferocious display that has your stomach plummeting to the pits of hell, hissing lividly down at you, tail lashing behind him like a colossal, pissed off feline

The reeds where still hanging over his nose, but it’s very obvious that his eyes are honed solely on you

His hands and his claw tipped fingers are lodged into the earth, fisting the dirt in a crushing grip, so strong it looked painful 

Your voice of reasoning blared in your head, calculating your error

For this occasion, you conclude that perhaps you had mistaken stupidity for curiosity 

….You gulp, sweating

“Ah…ha. Um- no hard feelings?”

The volume of his growling skyrocketed

Yep. This was definitely, by far, the most STUPID thing you’d done

You bolt 

Behind you, Megatron advanced like an angry guard dog on steroids, pursuing you with a mighty roar that you swear shook the very sky itself. You dare not look back, sprinting past your backpack with all the grace of a caffeinated ostrich

“I’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’msorryI’MSORRY-” you pleaded, Megatron crashing behind you

If you knew your PE lessons back in school were going to lead to you trying to outrun one seriously ticked off mermaid you sure would have put more effort in

You don’t make it far, not before a vice grip clamped around your calf and yanked you back. Hard.

You collapsed with a scream, unable to tell if it’s more from fear or from the pain that now seized your muscle

You fall too quickly, and you don’t have a chance to process your balance being thrown off before gravity is already working it’s wonders and pulling you downward, where your front collided into the solid ground

You grunt, falling still for about two seconds before you feel how you’re being, at a painfully slow pace, dragged backwards 

‘FUCK-’

Without thinking you begin to madly claw at the ground in an attempt to latch onto anything! A sticking out root, a rock, a particularly large tuft of grass, you don’t care! Every single cell in your body scrambling for some perch of stability in the rapidly unstable situation that was the work of your own imbecilic creation

Alas, your efforts as as affect as sticking a molten knife through butter, you continue to be dragged backwards

You can hear your own pulse thundering loudly in your ears as it feels like your heart is trying to claw itself out of your chest and flee to the safety beyond the treeline 

When the sunlight vanishes, as you are bathed in the cool shade of Megatron’s shadow, you’re ninety percent sure you might just vomit from the stress

Your scrambling becomes further chaotic 

“Okayokay- I’m really sorry it won’t ever happen again I’ll never pull a joke IT WAS JUST A JOKEI’MSORRY!!-”

As you come to a sudden stop, you’re only granted a swift, singular second of peace before that same hand still grasping at your leg forced you to roll over

You gawk, wide eyed and meekly up to Megatron who towered over your measly frame, an inferno reflecting in his eyes that has you feeling like a horror stricken baby rabbit staring down the throat of a salivating wolf

Though honestly, you’d much rather prepare the rapid wolf right now..

“U-Uhm…S-Sooo-” your voice trembled with every word, but you somehow manage to pull a wobbly, professional smile, even in the face of imminent disaster “I uh…t-take it you didn’t find that joke…funny?”

His snarl was so powerful that little drops of spit land on your face, forcing you to blink 

His silver, webbed hand landed over your body faster than lightning, instantly knocking the wind out of you and further trapping you. It was weird, seeing your entire body disappear beneath such an unnaturally large appendage

His claws pierced into the soil as if it was nothing but flimsy paper, and you can’t help but morbidly imagine how effortlessly it would be for him to do the same, but with your own skin

He was leaning those glisening, jagged teeth closer..

Your eyes enlarged, your heartbeat increased, and you began desperately flailing beneath his hand as you felt the huffs of his breath brush against your skin. Fear creeped within you, a cold, icy chill penetrating your very being as all you could do was try to urgently lean your head away from him 

“WaitwaitWAITWAITSTOPMEGATRON-”

SPLAT

Something wet landed on your face 

It was cold, making you jump, and slimy, not the most pleasant feeling

At first, you shivered thinking that Megatron had licked you, but after a beat, and after no violent snarl or merciless clamp of teeth followed, do you dare to peek an eye open cautiously 

Megatron loomed frozen above you, eyes unblinking. His snarling had stopped entirely, and now his mouth only hung partially open

Fearing the moment you moved your eyes off him he would change his mind and do whatever it was he was planning to do to get his revenge, you wait another several seconds before you finally deem it safe enough to go cross eyed, investigating who or what the culprit was behind your damp face

It was the reeds

You stare at them as best you can, Megatron stared too, seemingly lost on how to proceed

….You awkwardly peered away, battling the urge to cough “Um..”

Slit pupils snap to you at an alarmingly quick speed that instantly draws a flinch from your body, trying to squish yourself up and be as small as you can beneath his stare that you can’t decipher

Maybe, just maybe, if you make yourself look as pitiable as possible, you might just escape unscathed

He doesn’t move to release you, but promisingly, he also doesn’t growl when he seems to remember he has you trapped beneath his hand like a bug he’b been about to squish 

He stared, and you squirmed, the atmosphere weighed with a sense of uncertainty for what would proceed

….The tension snapped like a string of thread when he snorted lightly, and when you finally summon the courage to once again peek to his face, you are baffled at the sight of one corner of his mouth curling upward in a smirk

You don’t have much time to remain being astonished however when, finally, Megtron eases himself back, not by much, but enough that you finally feel some semblance of ease and your body compels you to replenish your lungs

Heaving, you let your head fall back into the dirt

“Heh..So..you do find it funny, when it happens to someone else at least” you mumble, not a hundred percent sure if talking is the best course of action, but damn if you don’t need to do something to distract yourself as your heart rate gradually began to return to a normal pace 

Tilting his head down at you in amusement, Megatron lets out a soft bellow, tail idly swishing in the water before he lets it settle and rest. Without freeing you, he raises one finger, directing it to your face

Your panic spiked, and your gut instinct has you ready to propel yourself as far away as you can, leaning your head back while you try to simultaneously lodge your feet in the dirt, while his finger gets far too close for your current liking 

“H-Hey hey- Megatron buddy, w-we’re friends! Please no scratching!..”

As the very tip of his clawed finger brushed the surface of your skin you clamp your eyes shut with a whimper, holding your breath and bracing for the sting of pain 

Instead, that pain never comes

Barely, you catch Megatron huffing again, no doubt highly pleased at the look of pure, unbridled terror on your face, before he easily hooked his finger on the reeds and flicked them away and off your face

When you crack open your eyes, you find Megatron peering down at you with his head braced on the knuckle of his other hand

All bark and bite have left you, it seemed he had gravitated to a more lighter mood, and you are NOT about to ruin that by saying something snarky

You already feel like you’ve lost five years of life from the stress you’d felt in the past three minutes, you don’t fancy losing anymore

You very much like being alive…and not pinned beneath the giant hand of a mermaid 

“Hah…O-Okay, so, you don’t like jokes. Noted” 

Megatron doesn’t grace your statement with a response, his finger tapping and pressing on the material of your shirt that is now semi soaked from the water that runs down his arm onto you

You ignore the feeling, or at least, you give it a valiant effort to 

“Sooo, how about a deal: I won’t pull anymore jokes on you and uh, we let bygones be bygones?”

Again, he gave no acknowledgement, his eyes turned to the fabric of your shirt sleeve that covers your shoulder. He tugs at the collar lightly with his claw just slightly, before releasing it the moment you fear it would begin to tear, possibly intruiged by the foreign material that felt so strange compared to his scales 

Either way, you take his silence and calm attitude as a yes

“Great!” you say, clapping your hands together “Well, now that that little problem is solved, how about you uh..” you timidly tap the base of his wrist twice “Let me up big guy”

There, is when Megatron’s eyes slide back to your face

One corner of his mouth is still partially curled upward, and when you see his brows draw back, and he made a small sound at your request, do you think he was actually going to let this incident roll off his back like water 

…Then his mouth twisted into a full on smirk 

Your hopefulness died 

You grunt when more pressure was applied to the hand that kept you flush against the floor, not crushing you, but the added strength to his hold certainly has you snapping a puzzled stare between his hand and his face

The fins on his head wiggle in a wave, his entire demeanour oozing pleasured delightment at your face 

Without breaking eye contact with you, the finger that had been mindlessly prodding and poking your t-shirt snagged your collar band and pulled it aside, exposing the skin of your shoulder to his view

Your confusion growing, you soon try to attempt, and fail, to shift your shoulder to manoeuvre your shirt back into place, but that only seems to feed the mermaids ego and has his already large smirk expanding

You don’t want to say it, you really don’t want to say it, but you come to accept that you’re simply out of options..

You sigh 

“Can you PLEASE let me up-!!”

The remainder of your sentence is dashed, processing just how suddenly closer Megatron was, and the way his mouth began to part, a mischievous glint in his eye as the distance shrinks further..

‘Oh you motherFUCKER-’

You resume your thrashing, now with more intensity 

“NO! NO NO! NO. Megatron NO! D-DONT YOU-I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU!!- DON’T YOU DAREBITEMY-”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Grumbling as you pour the water from your bottle onto a small towel you’d stuffed into your backpack, your irritation morphs to a strained hiss as you gently press the cloth onto your tender shoulder 

You hold the towel there for five seconds, the cooling feel of the damp towel somewhat alleviating the fresh sting that lingers heavily underneath it 

Pulling it away to inspect the damage, you frown at the new red ring imprinted into your skin, a ring that will no doubt leave an imposing scab as it heals 

A chortle has you whirling your head to the lake, where Megatron’s squinted eyes peer over the water at you, sly and cheeky 

Your frown deepened 

“Asshole..”

[autball]

You, all right?! I learned it by watching you!

ETA:

“Are you saying that we should just accept this kind of behavior from a child??” No, I am not.

“Are you saying we can never use any kind of consequence even for safety reasons??” Also no. I myself have to use the one about the ball (and other objects) somewhat frequently. (The other three are kinda bullish!t, though.)

What I AM saying is that if your kid comes at you with something like this, they didn’t get it from nowhere.

They’re not a budding psychopath, this is not a “lack of empathy,” it’s just a simple bit of logic: Adults threaten me with something upsetting in order to get me to do what they want, so I guess that’s what people do to get what they want.

We as adults come up with a whole bunch of reasons why “it’s different when I do it!” We’re the adults, we know better, it’s a health/safety issue, it’s our job, blah blah blah. But when you have a kid who doesn’t see why things like age or status should matter when it comes to who is allowed to do what to whom (which is not uncommon with neurodivergent kids), none of that really matters. What matters is that, from their perspective, you are threatening something painful in order to control them, and they feel it’s only fair to give that right back.

So what are you supposed to do if this happens? First off, don’t panic. Don’t make moral judgments about their character, don’t flash forward to them in prison in ten years, none of that stuff. Remind yourself that they’re just mirroring what they see, and that they can still be guided in a different direction. (Collaborative parenting approaches that don’t rely on consequences are great for this.)

Also remember that, just like most people, they’re not actually able to think clearly when they’re this upset. People who feel out of control start looking for ways to feel in control again (which is why so many adults resort to threatening consequences to get compliance, BTW), and that’s what this is. You can help the situation by learning to de-escalate instead of coming right back at them with even bigger controlling energy.

Some kids will be WAAYYY more influenced by what’s being modeled for them than they ever will be by what they’re told. If you’ve got one of those, make sure you spend some time looking in the mirror and at other things/people they’re exposed to before launching into a lecture on what is and isn’t “acceptable behavior.”

[sadpartita]

How Mileven Strengths Byler?

I’ve been analyzing Stranger Things for a while now, and over time, I’ve come to a thesis: Mileven is actually the greatest proof that Byler is endgame, or at the very least, Byler is the most coherent narrative resolution for Mike, Will, and Eleven’s character arcs.

This post is my take on why that’s the case. It’s also a reflection of how I’ve come to interpret the show over the years, even before I became part of the Byler community.

The points I raise here aren’t necessarily new or original, many of them have been discussed in the fandom already. But rather than focusing on what we see on screen and speculating about what it might mean, I wanted to take a slightly different route: looking at how these characters were constructed (in this case, Mike and El), and how their very creation generates meaning.

In that sense, my central argument is this: Mileven, by the way it's written and structured, actually reinforces Byler. Not because of subtext or hidden clues, but because of the internal logic of the characters themselves.

Disclaimer: This isn’t a claim that my reading is better than others, far from it. If it weren’t for the amazing discussions already happening in the fandom, I wouldn’t have been able to develop my own perspective. My goal is simply to show that, even through a different analytical lens, Byler still emerges as the most narratively satisfying resolution.

Now for a quick intro to the framework I’m using:

Semiotics is the study of how meaning is produced, not just in language, but in images, media, gestures, and especially in stories. I’m using a specific branch of semiotics here, French semiotics, particularly the work of Algirdas Julien Greimas. He developed a method for analyzing the deep structure of narratives: what’s really going on underneath the surface.

One of his most important tools is the actantial model, which maps out narrative roles, not just who the characters are, but how they function in the story. For example:

The subject is the one who wants something

The object is what they want

A helper aids the subject

An opponent gets in the way

And a manipulator pushes the subject to act

These roles aren’t fixed to one character, they can shift or overlap depending on the moment in the narrative.

When we apply this model to Mike and Eleven, some really interesting patterns show up, and not in Mileven’s favor.

This post will walk through those semiotic concepts and apply them to Stranger Things, focusing especially on Mike and Eleven, and how their relationship does (or doesn’t) work in terms of narrative structure. I’ll also touch on Mike and Will, and why that dynamic hits very differently.

You don’t need a background in theory to follow, I’ll explain things as we go.

Oh, and just so you know: I’ll be working from the most surface-level elements to the deepest ones in each analysis. So we’ll start with the obvious... and then dig in.

Eleven

Discursive Level

First, let's understand how the show creates meaning through Eleven. Usually we are shown Eleven through the lenses of other characters, taking season 1 as an example, through the main boys' point of view of what Eleven actually is. For the audience, this creates an ambiguity, we aren't sure about what she really is, reinforcing her mysterious and "othered" position.

Also, the show doesn't expose her story line at once, on the contrary, it tells by short flashbacks through the seasons that progressively makes us understand who she really is. Not only it mirrors her identity, that is also fragmented, but also elicit us to want to know more about her and, with more flashbacks, more complacent we are to her as an audience.

Now, taking the visual clues, her shaved head and sterile clothing from the beginning of the show (S1-S2) sets a dehumanized character, more an experiment than a child. While in season 3 she starts to use more colorful wardrobe, making a shift onto individualization and social integration.

Sound also makes a huge difference when Eleven is in the scene, specially when she uses her powers, the sound is never really comfortable, and, when it is, is silence, the complete absence of any noise, which is, for us human beings, something alien. That reinforces the idea that she is different, she is, in fact, an alien (having that ET comparison established), a thought she brings with her, but she didn't want to bring.

In the early seasons, sound is used to reflect Eleven’s disconnection from the world around her. In addition to the unsettling noises tied to her powers, there is also a lot of low, ominous background music when she’s involved in scenes where she’s escaping or hiding. The sound isn’t just about the action happening in the moment — it reflects her emotional state. When she’s hiding from the lab, or when she’s confronted by forces that want to control her, the sound emphasizes the danger and the isolation she feels.

As Eleven begins to settle into her role as part of the Hawkins group, there’s a shift in how sound is used around her. In season 3, the incorporation of more upbeat, familiar music, like pop songs (e.g., her "shopping montage"), signals her increasing sense of integration into society. However, even in these moments, the underlying tension of her powers and past still lingers. The sound design starts to incorporate both the social integration of her character (through music) and her emotional and supernatural isolation (through sound effects tied to her powers).

Narrative Level

In its initial state (S1-S2), El's object of value is clear: she wants to belong, to be loved, and to connect with others. She starts as an object of manipulation, something to be used, therefore, she wants to get away from that by being seen as a human, as an equal.

Taking through semiotics term is not yet a subject, she is an object, here Mike and Hopper are the subjects, they act, protect and do things related to her. Narratively saying, she is more as an object to Mike than an active agent herself.

From season 2 onwards, El slowly gets her subjecthood, therefore she acts by her own objectives. Her stay with Hopper is overprotective, but what makes her arc go forward are her own desires, the desire to discover, to understand that moves the narrative forward.

So, that's her first transformation from an object to a subject, therefore an actant. In season 2 is the first time that Eleven has a relationship that is different from a father-daughter situation, not only by encounter with Kali, but also the romantic movies she watched on the TV, and her late relationship with Mike.

In season 3, those ideals are broken. Max comes as a disruptor in Eleven's life, the only thing El knows at that point it Brenner, Mike and Hopper, so Max comes to change this perspective. It is with that relationship that El actively becomes a subject that not only acts based on their desires, but rejects imposed desires from other subjects.

So she not only changes the way she is, but breaks up with Mike, she pushes away one of the few pillars she has, which is a big character growth.

However, in the end of season 3 she loses everything. Hopper is dead, she no longer has powers, she is far away from Max, the only thing she can get back, though, is Mike, so she does.

Now, before continuing, you see how terrible this is? To be fair, subjugating a female character to this situation is ridiculous and something that should NEVER be gratified, but I'll dive more this in the conclusion

In season 4, El lies to Mike about her situation, she wants to perform an idea that she is whole without her powers, that she can be a normal person, because, in her mind, Mike won't like her if she shows fragility, she needs to be strong. With Mike not saying that he loves her confirming that, without her powers, he doesn't see her that way, that she needs them to be loved.

And, honestly, Mike's "monologue" only reinforces this into El's mind, he was only able to say "I love you" to her when she was using them, when she was being a superhero.

Fun fact: that Mike Confession Scene was NOT a monologue, I'll explain in another post. It is a theoretical thing that no one cares, but I need to say to sound smart.

Deep Semantic Oppositions

Now comes the hardest part: summarize El's character in a simple semantic opposition. And, to be honest, there are a few of them. The reason why that is important is that, when we build the previous two steps - narrative and discursive levels - we use them to justify this opposition, therefore, they are build to reinforce it.

El's opposition I'm diving into is object x subject. Why? That's her storyline, the whole show, the desire to be a subject, but being subjugated into an object by everyone around.

In the first seasons, she is more of an object, being act upon, being experimented, but also, being the key to others' actions (Papa's control, the lab's weaponization, Mike's need for love)

While in seasons 3 and 4, she claims her agency: chooses her name, clothes, friends and battles, the turning point being the break-up, where she rejects the object status, becoming so, a subject.

Mike Wheeler

Discursive Level

Discursively, Mike is a character constructed to be an emotional anchor, he wants to protect, and, when he can’t, he feels bad, feels out of place. His self-image is about being needed, he derives identity from being El’s protector and emotional reference point. Not only for El, but for Will too.

Mike’s character says, not do. He is highly reactive, doesn’t change the world; he tries to maintain relationships and stabilize emotions. In summary, Mike rarely does something to show, he says, he promises and declares. Mike wants to be a protector to Eleven, he says it multiple times, but since Eleven has powers, he might not be necessary, and that breaks him.

However, when he can do this in season 4, when she cannot defend herself from Angela, he does nothing, he can’t react, or maybe, doesn’t want to.

When a couple is determined as the official, usually they move each other forward, both characters grow within the relationship and their motivations and troubles evolve accordingly. However, when looking at Mike, that doesn’t happen, Mike doesn’t have any major character evolution, differently than all the other main characters, which suggests that his drive to evolution is not in El, but something else.

His relationship with Eleven, therefore, is a self-validation tool, since he is in a relationship everything is fine, even so, he’s incapable of validating El’s feelings, since, for him, the status is enough and nothing else is needed.

With that said, let’s look through another lens and understand Mike’s relationship with Will. Here, Mike does the opposite: shows more than says. Which is interesting, is almost like that, with Will, he doesn’t need to reassure anything, just being is enough. Nonetheless, Mike and Will are almost always, if not always, framed into private and intimate moments, and mostly close physically, and consequently, emotionally.

Also, if not romantic, Mike isn’t as close physically to El than he is to Will, something that was really well observed by many members of the Byler community, and, the technical aspects of a text, in these cases, film, affect directly the understanding of the message. Therefore, not taking blocking into consideration when analyzing film is, honestly, superfluous. That said, Mike and Will’s relationship is more intimate, welcoming and, by consequence, less performative and dramatic as Mike and El’s relationship.

Mileven scenes, on the other hand, are fast-paced and, usually tense for reasons outside their relationship. Scenes like Byler only happen to Mileven when there are tensions in their relationship, so, it’s almost obvious to infer that when it’s a love scene, the focus isn’t their relationship, while, when it’s a fight scene, the focus shifts to them.

When it comes to protection, he’s much the same with both, however, he is more complex when it comes to Will, usually his dialogue and Finn’s acting is more complex in Byler scene than in Mileven scenes, which suggest more importance in those scenes. Framing Will and Mike’s relationship so ambiguous and complex is, for semiotics, what makes a relationship authentic, which never happens with Mileven.

Narrative Level

When it comes to the narrative level, both to Will and El, Mike isn’t capable of fulfilling the proper narrative function he’s assigned to, however, the ways he fails is different in both.

With El, Mike is the boyfriend, he has the function of supporting her romantically, so she can overcome the evil with love. Taking season 4 then, overcoming Vecna with his confession. However, Mikes doesn’t know how to help El, cannot say “I love you” when he needs to, he claims to love her, but never actively does anything to prove it and knows that he should be there for El, but rarely is.

He is therefore a failing narrative subject, someone whose role is clear, but who does not fully realize it in action. He’s given a romantic arc, but does not embody the transformation that should come with it. Mike is supposed to be a helper, an object of desire, however becomes an obstacle, a false helper (he lies, creates confusion, etc.). In summary, Mike’s narrative arc feels incomplete and, mostly, forced, artificial, there’s no emotional development or transformation.

With Will, Mike acts like the friend, but also as the unresolved desire. Here, Mike doesn’t have a clear function, but his arc is haunted by possibility. He is unaware of Will’s feelings, but knows how to support him and shows it more than just saying he does. That creates, “semiotically”, a more authentic subject.

Mike is a subject with a possibility of transformation, where he might change his relationship towards Will. Their relationship is structured as a coming-of-age arc or an identity arc that is yet to be resolved. 

In summary, at the narrative level, Mike is more of a genre placeholder in the El arc, he represents what a boyfriend “should be,” but without the corresponding personal transformation that legitimizes the role.

With Will, he becomes a subject in crisis, caught between a role he’s performing and a self he hasn’t yet discovered. It’s less dramatic narratively, but more authentic semantically.

Deep Semantic Oppositions

When looking at Mike’s semantic opposition, it’s correct to say it is Authenticity x Performance. That comes with the idea that, with El, Mike is over performative, he tries to prove every single time that he’s in love with El, while, with Will, he lets his actions shows, he just feels, creating a more authentic experience.

Also, that might encapsulate Mike’s identity crises, that’s implied in all the levels of analysis. His actions towards El feel imposed, proved by the fact that, if it wasn’t for Will almost begging for Mike to do something at the end of season 4, he wouldn’t have done. While with will he’s more emotionally authentic. However, it lacks language or social permission to express it directly.

This tension aligns deeply with semiotic theories of subjectivity, the subject is not fixed, but constructed through contradictory roles and expectations. Mike’s conflict between performance and authenticity is exactly that. The ambiguity created by this opposition is not resolved by the narrative, and that’s what makes it rich for analysis. Unlike characters with a clear arc (e.g., El’s growth from object to subject), Mike’s arc remains unfinished, precisely because he’s stuck in the performance of a role that doesn’t fully fit.

This produces tension for the viewer, and is why so many fans feel there’s “something off” about Mike’s role, it’s not that the writing is bad, but that the character is written to be incomplete.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it's clear that Mileven is not a fitting resolution for either Mike or Eleven's character arcs. For Eleven, Mileven reinforces her position as a narrative object, falling into a misogynistic trope where female characters are portrayed as incomplete or lacking without the presence of a man or male figure.

For Mike, Mileven reduces him to a passive character whose actions have little to no impact on the overarching narrative, as he relies entirely on others — especially Eleven — to define his identity.

While Mileven might fulfill the expectation of a typical romantic relationship, it doesn't serve the characters in the way a more nuanced, authentic partnership would. Mike’s emotional immaturity and lack of self-awareness, paired with Eleven’s ongoing struggle to reclaim her agency, make their relationship more of a hindrance than a fulfilling conclusion to their arcs. Their narrative roles are more about performing a "boyfriend-girlfriend" dynamic than authentically exploring what it means to be in a healthy, balanced relationship.

In contrast, Byler offers a more organic narrative, allowing Mike's character arc to come full circle and providing the space for his actions to truly resonate within the story. It creates a more organic narrative, where Mike can act like himself and act beyond this performative personality he has to Eleven. The subtleties in their interactions, framed by quiet, intimate moments, provide a sense of real connection that doesn’t rely on external pressures or forced conventions. Mike and Will’s bond has the capacity for transformation, both on a personal and emotional level, which is something that Mileven ultimately lacks.

Ultimately, while Mileven may serve as a convenient narrative device, Byler provides a more satisfying and realistic resolution for both characters. It’s not just about romance, it’s about character growth, emotional authenticity, and a relationship that drives the characters forward, rather than keeping them stagnant. Given that the creators have emphasized that Stranger Things is about the characters, not just the paranormal backdrop, Mileven undermines the very essence of the show.

Final Note: I'm NOT a semiotics specialist, therefore, it might have some conceptual mistakes here or there, however, the overall message is clear: Byler endgame :)