#and let mike have a gay crisis

[buckleydiazes]

Hello fellow bylers, I saw some tags on a Stranger Things post by @biigiiiii making conjecture about being gay in the 80s and I thought, well my dad was a gay teen in the 80s, let me ask him! And it was originally intended to just be sent via messages but then I figured it would be easier to structure as a text post and idk maybe someone else would be interested in hearing his thoughts. All of this is his own personal experience, obviously that is not universal. Hopefully someone finds this interesting or enlightening in some way though.

Gays at Large

What was the general feeling toward LGBTQ people in the 80s?

Homophobia was bad enough that people did not give a second thought to it or how damaging what they were saying was. Between the AIDS epidemic and Raegan administration, homophobia was extremely commonplace and pretty ingrained in Western culture. It was generally more prominent in rural areas than cities — that much has not changed.

The Q Word

How does he feel about the word queer and has his feelings changed at all over the years?

Well, despite rampant homophobia, there had also been a lot of pushing for LGBT advocacy in recent years. The Stonewall Rebellion happened in 1969, which had a significant effect on American society. A year later, in 1970, were the first gay pride marches. For my dad, queer was a word that had already been reclaimed by many, and so therefore meant little to him. In his words, "I'm a queer? A [f slur]? Tell me something I don't know. What, are you going to call me a [hispanic slur] next? 🙄"

Knowing vs Awareness

Was he aware he was gay as a teen? No but yes. As with many who are considered different by society's strandards, there is always an undercurrent of Knowing that you are different. You understand, on some deep level, that you are not fitting the mold that you should be. But that doesn't mean you actively aware and thinking about it. In fact, a lot of people do their best to not think about it and pretend to be "normal."

In my dad's case, he knew he was different, but he didn't "have time" to think about it that much. There was other things going on in his life that made it easier to put thoughts of his sexuality on the back burner. And yet, despite this suppression, he still was keenly aware of other people's attitudes toward LGBTQ folk, which became a sort of sixth sense.

Hypervigilance is Exhausting

As a survival instinct, my dad was always on the look out for who was "safe" and who wasn't. My dad was not a particular flamboyant person and he was into more "masculine" interests (his career is in HVAC, plumbing, and electric, and his hobbies involve listening to the news and playing the guitar); this made it easier for him to fit in, but he still could not ever truly let his guard down. This became so ingrained that he sometimes wonders if his personality would have ended up different had he been allowed to be himself without fear. Fear is a powerful tool in shaping a young mind, after all. And it's also so very wearying. Eventually, he got to a poijt in his life where he decided to hell with what everyone else thinks and feels and he would be himself shamelessly because there's not enough years in a life to be constantly forcing yourself into a socially acceptable boxm

The Curse of Internalized Homophobia

But...what about internalized homophobia? Yeah, unfortunately, he very much experienced it. And, even more unfortunately, it found its way into his speech, throwing around some homophobic slurs of his own before he came out of the closet. According to him, he has known many a gay man who shared in homophobic language during their closeted/repressed years. I don't think I need to tell anyone how terrible it is the way society can coerce you into being part of your own groups oppression.

Birds of a Feather

Did he know any other gay people though? Again, no but yes. You might have noticed or heard about the concept of gay people flocking together before any of them even know/accept that they're gay. His case is another one for the books. There were definitely a few people he knew were closeted, though he never approached them with the topic, but it wasn't for many years later that he would find out how many people around him were LGBTQ in one way or another.

Funnily enough, he married my mom out of high school, and as it turns out, she's bi and trans. (Trans man, she/her, very complicated history with gender. Also they are divorced but still best friends.)

Stolen Youth and New Hope

So, what is the overall feeling of having been a closeted gay teen in the 80s? Well, like something precious was kept from you. Those experiences that cishet folk got to have, you didn't. So many of the formative experiences many have in their adolescence were not viable for LGBTQ folks—from openly having a partner to just being and presenting how you wanted to. And, like I mentioned before, he was left with a persistent wondering about who he would have been had the world been a better place. (This isn't even something unique to his time either, many LGBTQ folks of all ages feel like this!)

That said, he is still so glad to see the positive changes in the world. He watches things like Heartstopper and is happy that, at the least, he got to live long enough to see that sort of representation on TV. And I think that's lovely. (As a personal aside: fuck you @ everyone who bitched about Heartstopper being "too sanitized", gay people deserve all types of representation on TV. If you don't like a certain kind, move on to something else and let those that do like it enjoy themselves.)

So, yeah, there's all the stuff I talked to my dad about. If you have any further questions for/about him (or my mom perhaps), feel free to shoot me a message!

[truth4ourfreedom]

THINGS NOT IN THE NEWS ANYMORE. VERSION 6.0

Things not in the news anymore….

(Version 6)

-Maui wildfires. -East Palestine, Ohio -Joe Biden classified documents as a Senator. -Fauci working with China to create a bioweapon. -Pete Buttigieg’s best friend in prison for child porn. -Cocaine in the White House. (TWICE NOW) -The BLM and Antifa riots during 2020 causing BILLIONS of dollars of damage. -The data collected from the Chinese spy balloons. -Ukraine intelligence documents released that showed they were suffering massive losses and the American taxpayer was being lied to. -Nancy Pelosi’s “documentary” film crew on J6. -Veterans being kicked out of shelters to make room for illegals. -Pizzagate “debunker” jailed for possession of child pornography. -Gay porn film in Senate hearing room. -Veterans Affairs prioritizing healthcare of illegals over Veterans. -THE SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS. -Afghanistan drawdown and 13 service members killed in an attack on Kabul International Airport, that they hid the severity of it. -Obama droning an American citizen in the Middle East. -George Bush’s false WMDs. -3 service members killed in Jordan. -Hunter Biden making over $1M for “paintings”. -J6 political prisoners that are still in jail. -85,000 missing children at the southern border. -Epstein’s clients. -Obama coordinating with John Brennan and 4 other countries (5 eyes) to spy on the 2016 Trump campaign. -Mail-in ballots were the cause of the stolen 2020 election. -Jeffrey Epstein mentioning that Bill Clinton liked his girls “really young”. -The (NOW TWO) airline whistleblowers that mysteriously died. -Benghazi (I won’t mention anything more about this because I care about my life.) -Nancy Pelosi’s daughter stating that January 6th wasn’t an insurrection. -The January 6th committee destroying encrypted evidence before the GOP took over the House. -Nancy Pelosi admitting that J6 was “her responsibility”. -House Speaker Mike Johnson claiming there wouldn’t be foreign aid without border security in the bill, which was a lie. -The recent riots from illegal criminal aliens at the southern border and the border in general. -Hunter Biden not complying with a Congressional subpoena and deemed untouchable. Democrat privilege. -Vaccine side effects. -“Lab leak” out of China -The Secret Service having to basically guide Joe Biden everywhere he goes. -Who leaked (Sotomayor) the SCOTUS Alito decision. -Federal instigators inside the Capitol including pipe bomb evidence against them. -Obama’s chef “passing away”. -HRC’s chef “passing away”. -The Sheriff that happened to be in Las Vegas (during the mass shooting) AND the wildfires in Hawaii. -P Diddy sex-trafficking allegations. Where’s Diddy? -Gonzalo Lira (an American journalist) that was killed in Ukraine -Congress approving warrantless spying violating American’s 4th amendment rights while they are exempt. -Americans that were left in foreign countries (Haiti, Palestine, Afghanistan). -The billions of dollars of weaponry left in Afghanistan and the Taliban receiving $40M a week in “humanitarian assistance”. -Biolabs found in California. -Joe Biden’s impeachment. -The scum in the UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES waving the Ukrainian flag. -The over 300k ballot images that could not be found in Fulton County, Georgia; the same county Donald Trump on trial for “election interference”. -Democrats defunding the police causing massive rises in crime. -Kamala Harris’s record as DA in California. -The Transifesto from the school shooting. -Many U.S. Representatives and Congress receiving FTX funds. -They’re already working hard to bury Donald Trump’s àssassination attempt but we won’t let them bury that story. July 13th is never going away.

The distractions are out of control.

Share to show that legacy media is dead and that WE are the media now.

Please like,share and reblog to keep people aware!

[spacebugarts]

I'm doing to Mike and Martin from V what the OG Star Trek girlies did to Kirk and Spock <3

[reality-detective]

Things that are not in the news anymore… 👇

-Maui wildfires.

-East Palestine, Ohio

-Joe Biden classified documents as a Senator.

-Fauci working with China to create a bioweapon.

-Pete Buttigieg’s best friend in prison for child porn.

-Cocaine in the White House. (TWICE NOW)

-The BLM and Antifa riots during 2020 causing BILLIONS of dollars of damage. And yes I brought this up on Juneteenth.

-The data collected from the Chinese spy balloons.

-Ukraine intelligence documents released that showed they were suffering massive losses and the American taxpayer was being lied to.

-Nancy Pelosi’s “documentary” film crew on J6.

-Veterans being kicked out of shelters to make room for illegals.

-Pizzagate “debunker” jailed for possession of child pornography.

-Gay porn film in Senate hearing room.

-Veterans Affairs prioritizing healthcare of illegals over Veterans.

-THE SOUTHERN BORDER CRISIS.

-Afghanistan drawdown and 13 service members killed in an attack on Kabul International Airport, that they hid the severity of it.

-Obama droning an American citizen in the Middle East.

-George Bush’s false WMDs.

-3 service members killed in Jordan.

-Hunter Biden making over $1M for “paintings”.

-J6 political prisoners that are still in jail.

-85,000 missing children at the southern border.

-Epstein’s clients.

-Obama coordinating with John Brennan and 4 other countries (5 eyes) to spy on the 2016 Trump campaign.

-Mail-in ballots were the cause of the stolen 2020 election.

-Jeffrey Epstein mentioning that Bill Clinton liked his girls “really young”.

-The (NOW TWO) airline whistleblowers that mysteriously died.

-Benghazi (I won’t mention anything more about this because I care about my life.)

-Nancy Pelosi’s daughter stating that January 6th wasn’t an insurrection.

-The January 6th committee destroying encrypted evidence before the GOP took over the House.

-Nancy Pelosi admitting that J6 was “her responsibility”.

-House Speaker Mike Johnson claiming there wouldn’t be foreign aid without border security in the bill, which was a lie.

-The recent riots from illegal criminal aliens at the southern border and the border in general.

-Hunter Biden not complying with a Congressional subpoena and deemed untouchable. Democrat privilege.

-Vaccine side effects.

-“Lab leak” out of China.

-The Secret Service having to basically guide Joe Biden everywhere he goes.

-Who leaked (Sotomayor) the SCOTUS Alito decision.

-Federal instigators inside the Capitol including pipe bomb evidence against them.

-Obama’s chef “passing away”.

-HRC’s chef “passing away”.

-The Sheriff that happened to be in Las Vegas (during the mass shooting) AND the wildfires in Hawaii.

-P Diddy sex-trafficking allegations. Where’s Diddy?

-Gonzalo Lira (an American journalist) that was killed in Ukraine

-Congress approving warrantless spying violating American’s 4th amendment rights while they are exempt.

-Americans that were left in foreign countries (Haiti, Palestine, Afghanistan).

-The billions of dollars of weaponry left in Afghanistan and the Taliban receiving $40M a week in “humanitarian assistance”.

-Biolabs found in California.

-Joe Biden’s impeachment.

-The scum in the UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES waving the Ukrainian flag.

-The over 300k ballot images that could not be found in Fulton County, Georgia; the same county Donald Trump on trial for “election interference”.

-Democrats defunding the police causing massive rises in crime.

-Kamala Harris’s record as DA in California.

-The Transifesto from the school shooting.

-Many U.S. Representatives and Congress receiving FTX funds.

-They’re already working hard to bury Donald Trump’s àssassination attempt but we won’t let them bury that story. July 13th is never going away.

The distractions are out of control.

Share to show that legacy media is dead and that WE are the media now. 🤔

[talesofliia]

Let’s be honest, Mike was having a proper full-on gay crisis throughout all of S4. 😂

[jbaileyfansite]

Interview with the Los Angeles Times (2024)

“This is where all the cruising happened.”

Jonathan Bailey and I are standing in Pershing Square on a bright, blustery spring afternoon, nearing the end of a homemade queer history tour of downtown L.A.: One Magazine, Cooper Do-Nuts/Nancy Valverde Square, the Dover bathhouse, the Biltmore Hotel and this, the city’s former Central Park, a haven, since before World War I, for “fairies” and “sissy boys,” servicemen on leave and beatniks on the road.

“Is it still happening now?” he asks.

“Probably not as much,” I venture.

“Well, you let me know if it’s happening,” he teases, a mischievous smile lighting up his face.

Bailey understands the uses of the charm offensive. As Sam, the handsome Lothario of Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s delightful pre-”Fleabag” curio, “Crashing”; Anthony, the romantic hero of “Bridgerton’s” second season; and John, the jerk of a protagonist in Mike Bartlett’s love triangle play “Cock,” the English actor, 36, has swaggered up to the precipice of superstardom. With roles in such studio tentpoles as “Wicked” and “Jurassic World” on the horizon, he may just break through. Yet he delivers career-best work in Showtime’s queer melodrama “Fellow Travelers,” as anti-Communist crusader-turned-gay rights activist Tim Laughlin, by leaving behind the self-assured rakes and tapping a new wellspring: soft power.

Tim may be, as Bailey puts it, “an open nerve,” but as it turns out, the devout Catholic and political naïf — who falls for suave State Department operative Hawkins “Hawk” Fuller (Matt Bomer) just as Sen. Joseph McCarthy tries to purge the federal government of LGBTQ people — is formidable indeed.

Stretching from the Lavender Scare to the depths of the AIDS crisis, in scenes of tenderness, cruelty and toe-curling sex, Bailey’s performance communicates that little-spoken truth of relationships: It takes more strength to submit than it does to control. The former demands discipline, courage, trust; the latter requires only force.

“In ‘Bridgerton,’ [Bailey] is like a Hawkins Fuller character — he is very sexy and has lots of power, has that kind of confident charisma that absolutely is not Tim at all,” says “Fellow Travelers” creator Ron Nyswaner.

But any doubt about Bailey’s ability to mesh with Bomer, who boarded the project early in development, was put to bed with the actors’ virtual rehearsal of a meeting on a park bench in the pilot. “‘Well, that’s a first,’” Nyswaner recalls an executive texting him. “I cried in a chemistry read.”

‘Am I inviting people in?’

Bailey grew up in a musical family in the Oxfordshire countryside outside London, and this, coupled with an appreciation for the morning prayers, choir practice and Mass he attended as a scholarship student at the local Catholic school, fed his precocious talents. (“I loved the performance of it,” he laughs. “Not to diminish the celebration of religious process, but I did love the idea of wearing a gown.”) By age 10, he’d appeared in the West End, playing Gavroche in a production of “Les Misérables,” an experience he now recognizes as an encounter with a queer found family — albeit one shadowed by the toll of the AIDS crisis, which peaked in the U.K. in the mid-1990s.

“When I’m asked about my childhood, there’s so much I don’t remember, and I think that’s true of anyone who’s been in fight or flight for 20 years,” he says. “I would have been in a cast of people whose friends would have died in the last seven years. I think of where I was seven years ago. I had all my gay friends then. It’s only retrospectively that I can retrofit a real gay community around me [in the theater], that I just wasn’t aware of [then].”

During the late 1990s and early 2000s, American and British culture presented queer adolescents with a bewildering array of mixed signals. As beloved celebrities came out in growing numbers, and the battle for marriage equality became a central locus of LGBTQ political organizing, the media continued to propagate harmful stereotypes of gay men as miserable, lonely, perverted or worse — and, Bailey remembers, callously turned George Michael, arrested on suspicion of cruising in a Beverly Hills restroom in 1998, and Irish pop star Stephen Gately, who revealed his sexuality in 1999, fearful he was about to be outed, into tabloid spectacles.

No wonder Bailey, like many LGBTQ people of his generation, should feel the “chemical” thrill of “validation and acceptance” during London Pride at age 18, then embark on a two-year relationship with a woman in his 20s.

“Dangerously, if you’re not exposed to people who can show you other examples of happiness, you think that’s the easiest way to live,” Bailey says. “It’s funny. You look back and you can tell the story in one way, which is that I always knew who I was and my sexuality and my identity within that. But obviously at times, it was really tough. I compromised my own happiness, for sure. And compromised other people’s happiness.”

Disclosures about his personal life have become particularly thorny for the actor since the premiere of “Bridgerton,” the blockbuster bodice-ripper from executive producer Shonda Rhimes.

“The Netflix effect does knock you off center completely,” he says, recalling the experience of finding a paparazzo waiting outside his new flat before he’d even moved in. “Suddenly, you do start having nightmares about people climbing in your windows... Even now, talking about it makes me feel like, ‘Am I inviting people in?’”

He is also critical of the media for churning out headlines about the smallest details of celebrities’ private lives, often detached from their original context. In an interview with the London Evening Standard published in December, Bailey described a harrowing encounter in a Washington, D.C., coffee shop in which a man threatened his life for being queer — and, in recounting the experience, offhandedly mentioned the “lovely man” he’d called, shaken, after it happened. Although Bailey acknowledges that the original story handled the subject with aplomb, he felt dismayed that more attention wasn’t paid to the intended warning about rising anti-LGBTQ sentiment: “The only thing that got syndicated from that story was that I had a boyfriend, and it wasn’t true,” he sighs. “It was kind of depressing, if I’m honest.”

Still, Bailey, who once turned down a role in a queer-themed TV series because it would have required him to speed along revelations about his personal life he wasn’t ready to make, is prepared to embrace the power of vulnerability when it feeds the work. Although a member of his inner circle expressed doubts about “Fellow Travelers’” steamy sex scenes, for instance, the actor intuited that they were what made the project worth doing: “I was like, ‘I’m telling you, they are the reason why this is going to be brilliant.’”

‘He’s changed my trajectory in my own life’

To those who would complain about the state of sex in film and TV, “Fellow Travelers” is the perfect riposte. All of it matters, from Tim’s first flirtation with Hawk to the finale’s closing minutes, because the series, at its core, is about the importance of soft power: the strength required to bend, but not break; to adapt, but not abandon oneself; to survive without shrinking to nothing in the process.And depicting that through sex, specifically gay sex, makes “Fellow Travelers” radical indeed.

Bailey understands that baring so much comes with certain risks. When I tell him that research for the story has filled my algorithmic “For You” feed on X (formerly Twitter) with speculation that his onscreen relationship with Bomer has a real-life element, he notes that “shipping” fictional couples and costars alike has long been part of Hollywood fantasy. But he bristles at the implication that he and Bomer are anything but skilled actors at work.

“I would love for people to know that the success of our chemistry isn’t based on us f—. It’s actually about us leaning into the craft,” he says. “It’s a vulnerable situation to be in, talking about it on record. I don’t want to rob people of their thoughts. But I do have a set of values, and as an artist, you don’t need to be f— to tell that love story.”

Underlying that craft, Bailey adds, is the confidence to speak up, as with one scene in “Fellow Travelers” that was adjusted because he said, “I don’t want to be naked today.” He learned to use his voice the hard way: In his early 20s, he recalls, he was once “bullied” on set when “someone was threatened” by him and vowed to himself, “I’m never going to do that to someone. I’m never going to allow that to happen.”

This impulse to direct his influence in support of others has blossomed further with “Fellow Travelers.” On the day of our interview, Bailey enthuses about an upcoming meeting with legendary gay rights activist Cleve Jones and shares his idea for a docuseries recording the stories of elders in the LGBTQ+ community while they are still here to tell them. He describes lying in a hospital bed on set on World AIDS Day, in character as Tim, surrounded by gay men who had lost friends and lovers during the crisis, and finding himself thinking, “What do I want to leave behind?”

“I think he’s changed my trajectory in my own life,” Bailey says.

This is, perhaps, the most common reaction I know to diving deep into queer history — the understanding that we, like our forerunners, are responsible for shaping the queer future, whether in politics, society or art. No one is going to do it on our behalf.

As we stand on the nondescript corner now named for her, I relate the story of the late queer activist Nancy Valverde, who was arrested repeatedly while a barber school student in the 1950s on suspicion of “masquerading” because of her preference for short hair and men’s clothing, and later successfully challenged her harassment by the police in court.

“What a hero!” Bailey exclaims, wondering at Valverde’s bravery. “The thing that’s so interesting with power battles is, ultimately, identity is the thing that gives you the most strength and power in your life, isn’t it?

“Because that’s one thing people can’t take away from you: who you are and how you express yourself.”

Source

[lonelymoonrambles]

I just finished watching season 3 of ds9 for the first time and here are my thoughts:

- everybody has a crush on kira but she's loyal to her hot priest boyfriend, worm girlfriend and slime bestie

- Garak is flirting so hard with you Julian, let him make you a dress please

- Rom is just a wholesome lil guy!?!! 🥺

- Miles is dating Julian while Keiko is away confirmed (Keiko suggested it)

- Odo, babe, dont pine after Kira, Quark is right there! Hiding around the corner hoping you'll pass by (about to say something extremely gay to you)

(ok but seriously Quark and Odo have some of the gayest dialogue I've ever heard)

- Lwaxana Troi, you will always be famous

- rip hot priest 🙏😔 you had a sad energy that I really liked

- Ensign Vilix'pran: a single dad who works two jobs, who loves his kids and never stops

- Nog!!? That's why he needed to go to school 😭🥺

- I do not support Sisko hooking up with the mirror counterparts of his subordinates 🥰

- crazy long hair mirror Julian can get it

- I miss Keiko :(

- Enebran Tain looks like his name should be "Mike" or "Joe" (I can't explain this thought)

- did 👏 Odo 👏 ask 👏 Garak 👏 out 👏 on 👏 a 👏 date 👏 ???!!!??

- Sisko's midlife crisis episode lmaoooo

- Dukat, you are not slick with those fireworks for Sisko... 😏

- People I think Jadzia Dax has hooked up with: everyone

- Rom defending his son and telling Quark he'll burn down the bar *chefs kiss*

- I really thought there was gonna be another Tuvix situation and they were gonna murder Curzon/Odo

- every season my love for the show grows, and so does the ds9 polycule

[bibylers]

OKAY SO MANY PEOPLE ARE DOING THIS SO IM GONNA TRY IT TOO!

Stranger Things season 5 predictions :00

So, lets start!

- Byler endgame, ofc 😭

- Jopper endgame 100%

- Lumax endgame!!!

- Elmax friendship back 😭🩷

- Thessalhydra bossbattle (basically just a irl recreation of will’s painting)

- main four back (Dustin, Lucas, Will, Mike)

- Will has POWERSSS

- Will with a gun 🗣️🗣️🗣️

- Mike having a gay awakening and gay crisis (like nick nelson 💀)

- Mike gets Vecna’d

- FLICKERGATE

- LETTERGATE

- basically the whole theory of Mike and Will having a rain kiss + Mike confessing his letters & Will confessing about the painting (a notebook parallel)

- Max NEEDS to wake up

- Max is trapped in vecna’s mind which is why El couldn’t reach her in s4 ep9

- Mileven break up (El breaks up w Mike)

- Will is connected to Vecna and Vecna will ask him to join him just like he did with El

- Will is gonna be in his badass era

- Byler will protect eachother WAYYYY too much 😭😭

- Mike and Will tells the party about their relationship

- Will (or Mike) is gonna get hurt and then Mike (or Will) is gonna be like “I thought I lost you ☹️☹️☹️”

- some of the main characters will die (also including the older main characters + Hopper, Joyce and Murray ofc)

- The ending is gonna be happy but there’s gonna be a small hint at the end that Vecna and the upside down isn’t gone yet (like a light flickering or Will rubbing his neck)

- Will and El will be close to death at some point (but survive!)

- The thessalhydra is gonna be defeated by the main four (Mike as the leader and Will with his powers)

SKSJJSJS THERES SM MORE BUT THESE ARE MY MAIN PREDICTIONS!!

[dukeofdelirium]

less than a year until byler is bones ❤️

awwww is someone scared of byler endgame? 😂

let’s look at the facts, shall we?

1) Will was deliberately written to be gay and in love with Mike

2) in the same season this was revealed, Mike was deliberately written to be incapable of telling his canonical girlfriend he loves her

3) Mike also cannot touch Will for some reason even though they are canonically best friends. Cant even hug him without having a whole crisis

4) Mike is confirmed to not know that Will is gay or in love with him, stated by the Duffers AND Finn meaning there is no reason Mike shouldn’t be able to hug him unless…. 🤔 he is perhaps in love with Will?

5) Will gives Mike a coded love confession using a piece of art he created that was never resolved, meaning it is absolutely going to come into play in the final season

6) Mike was pushed into telling El he loved her BY Will, and then afterward she barely spoke to him

7) Mike and Will ended the season at each others side, literally paralleled with 2 canon couples in the same exact frame, which is very intentional foreshadowing

8) again I repeat the lie Will told Mike, the lie that is the ONLY reason Mike even confessed to El in the first place and tried to say he loved her, has not been resolved.

What do you really think is gonna happen in s5? That Mike is gonna find out Will lied, that everything Will said was from El was actually just how he felt and that Mike’s response to said lies was a direct response to Will’s own love confession and that Mike is gonna be like “well that’s so weird and gross of you, Will!” 😂

They literally wrote Will as a second love interest to Mike. They wrote Mike as having serious issues with his girlfriend. They wrote Mike and Will together the entire season and Mike and El broken up the entire season. They ended the season with Mike and Will together and a whole lot of unresolved romantic tension between them that we again are not making up or imagining with shipping goggles. It’s literally a canon love triangle.

And you think the love triangle isn’t going to end with byler? Lol. Why even write byler as an option if it won’t be acted upon? There’s literally 0 reason to have written Mike or Will this way in s4 unless the plan is for them to end up together. It’s not some difficult narrative to comprehend. If Mike can’t tell his gf he loves her, there logically must be a reason for it. 🗿🍷 but it’s ok, I know you’re slow seeing as you’re a mileven. Take your time, maybe eventually you’ll get it <3

y’all rlly think Mike isn’t in love w Will when he’s out here looking at him like this for literally no reason LMAO bro is gay. bro can’t tell his gf he loves her cuz he’s gay and closeted. bro is gay coded more than Will ever has been and Will is the confirmed gay one 😂

[mister-eames]

1/2 I just want to point out that we have LITERAL VISUAL evidence of JGL having a Magic Mike moment & YET there is DEARTH of fics where Arthur goes undercover as a stripper (Why does he have to do this you ask? To gather info on a mark?? Idk! That's not important!!) But I think my favourite take on this non-existent fic would be everyone else underestimating Arthur & thinking he's not gonna be able to pull it off (😏 pun intended). I think people would tend to think of him as uptight & prim

2/2 But for Arthur it's just the job & he's committed & as a result he's 100% going to put his whole arussy into it & outstrip the strippers. Plus, he's not at all the strait-laced (as much as a criminal can be strait-laced...) person that his very slicked down & suited look would suggest. I guess i just need a moment where people are gobsmacked that stripping is one of arthur's rather extensive skill set & arthur meeting their incredulity with his own 🤨 elle woods, "what, like it's hard??"

Nonnie, I read this at 6am when I woke up and let me tell you how I CHOKED when I read arussy I am crying 😂.

I'm sorry it's taken me a few days to reply to this - as a thank you (and apology), I wrote you a thing:

---

Eames doesn't even register when the jacket smacks him in the face. In a cascade of cotton and silk, Armani falls into a heap straight into his lap and Eames doesn't even care because that is Arthur up there on the podium and he is gyrating against a stripper pole.

"Oh my god," says Ariadne somewhere besides Eames. "He's actually doing it."

This gentlemans club (of the strip variety) was particularly renowned for being a sanctuary for twinks and twink-lovers alike, a veritable haven for men seeking men of the slender and the slight, sexy and sassy kind. Eames could barely fault them for their taste, the establishment was called Bottoms Up after all ---

-- the crowd cheers raucously over the music as Arthur starts to unbutton his waistcoat, hips swaying with the beat.

And just like that, amongst the strobe lights, Eames is having a moment. A crisis of faith, if you will.

He honestly had thought it would be a laugh. The intel said that the mark frequented this club. The intel said the mark had a thing for svelte brunette twinks with an ass that wouldn't quit. The most svelte-est, brunette-est twinkiest twink on the official roster at the club said I'll dance and drug your guy for fifty-grand and Arthur had snorted in his face and said it's not in the budget, I'll do it myself.

Eames bet his entire earnings for this job on this.

On Arthur. The kind of gay man who Eames envisions listens to show tunes and Striesand and enjoys a sensible chardonnay on a Sunday afternoon between ironing his ties or his handkerchiefs, or whatever, before watching a football match with another glass of chardonnay and nodding sensibly at whichever strapping young team come out of top, figuratively and literally, before settling into bed.

On... Arthur. The kind of man who never let his personality get in the way of a job. Who was a team player. Who was one the last few criminals and men who cared about integrity. Who was full of hundreds of unsuspecting surprises that Eames had unearthed one-by-one over the years, fucking of course he would pull through ---

-- Arthur's actual tie, a deep crimson, goes flying into the crowd, a round of whistles escalating as a lucky bloke catches it, waving it in the air like a lasso. On the stage Arthur drags a hand down his chest, makes direct eye contact with the man and winks at him.

Eames clutches the jacket, throat dry.

He got this one very, very wrong.

Eames had put his money on Arthur being laughed off stage (and into his arms), on being too stiff and sullen to be purposefully sexy.

Because Arthur was sexy, but in a non-purposeful way. Eames has never been a man titillated by what he could get for free and that others had proudly paid for, and beat off to those daydreams of Arthur ironing his ties, and his hankies.

But there Arthur is now, legs spread, back flushed against that pole as he dips inches from the floor as dollar bills flutter around him from eager patrons like paper snowflakes, body somehow swaying fluidly to the beat - a top forty remix that Eames doesn't recognise but feels his own feet tapping in tandem, heat zipping to his groin.

Arthurs chest, now bared for everyone in the club to see, is glistening with what looks like oil, the pale, roaming spotlights of the club gives Arthurs skin the effect of being bathed in moonlight.

Their mark, a balding fifty-something, grins lecherously, thin lips spreading over cheap veneers as Arthur makes eye contact with him as he unbuckles his belt, slipping the leather through the belt hooks like a snake through grass.

Eames very suddenly hates their mark.

The feeling intensifies when Arthur deftly hops off stage, pants slug loose around his hips, body still one with the beat as he approaches the mark, coyly draping the belt around the mans neck with one hand. The man shivers with delight as Arthur slips the sedative into his drink with the other while he is distracted.

The man places his grubby hands on Arthur's hips, completely fooled, and something burns hot and cold at the same time in Eames chest.

He's about to storm over and smack the mans hands away when Arthur slips out of his grip.

Arthur turns about then leaving the mark bug-eyed and breathing heavily as he gets back on stage.

Eames can't hear his pounding heart over the cheers of the crowd as Arthur--who Eames called a stiff pointdexter two days ago--slides his back down the stripper pole and back up again, executing some kind of manoeuvre that makes his bones look like liquid--and drops his pants, leaving himself only in his briefs.

The song ends. Blowing a kiss to the deafening crowd, Arthur gathers up his clothes and heads backstage, set finally over.

There's a flurry of activity to Eames' right where Yusuf, playing security guard, is hefting up their mark who is increasingly sleepy and incoherent.

Eames was supposed to help him take him out back but his feet are already in motion, following Arthur into the backroom. He flashes his security badge at the sensor and enters.

Wiping off the oil with a wet wipe, Arthur is waiting for him it would seem, pants slung loosely around his hips, shirt unbuttoned. Through the vanity mirror Arthur makes eye contact.

He nods in acknowledgement "Eames."

"That was quite a routine out there," he says, shutting the door behind them.

In the reflection, Arthur maintains their eye contact and chin lifts a fraction in defiance as Eames slowly approaches. "Told you I could do it."

"You did."

"How much did you bet on me failing?"

"My entire commission for the job."

Arthur snorts.

"Stupid. You deserve that."

"Very stupid," Eames agrees, nodding. "I have been very, very stupid, Arthur."

His feet are still moving and suddenly he is before Arthur. His hands are moving too, out to grip Arthur's hips before Eames realizes what he's doing. He balls them into fists and drops them to his side.

Arthur's eyes follow the movement in the mirror, turning to face Eames anyway. "Aren't you supposed to be helping Yusuf?"

Eames blurts out, "I didn't know you could move like that."

Raising an eyebrow Arthur says, completely deadpan, "What, like it's hard?"

He stalks forward then, gripping Eames' hands and placing them on his hips. "Go help Yusuf," he leans in close to whisper, eyes dark, "finish the job. Impress me now. And then I can show you how else I can move."

Eames is out of there before he needs to be asked twice. He's going to impress the hell out of Arthur.

[andiwriteordie]

Mike coming out to Will sometime during season 5 before they’ve confessed their feelings for each other or anything hehe

For the writing prompt requests <3 also CONGRATS ON 1500 ANDI U DESERVE IT!!

hi elli!!! oh my god this prompt 🥺 this is so sweet, and it was so much fun to write. (side note i have now written like 3 coming out stories in the span of a week so. that's fun!) also tysm!!! <3 i hope you enjoy this!

—

you pull me in (and i’m a little more brave)

Mike Wheeler has two secrets.

He’s never really been a person who has liked keeping secrets, at least not from his friends. He’s kept secrets from his parents for his entire life, so that doesn’t really matter. But Mike has always tried to be honest with his friends. After all, the Party’s first rule isn’t “friends don’t lie” for nothing.

But Mike Wheeler has two secrets, and he’s kept them close to his chest for the past couple of years.

The first secret is this:

Mike Wheeler is gay.

Yeah, that… that had been something difficult to come to terms with. It all started back in the fall of 1985 before everything went to shit and before the world started ending and before they got trapped into an interdimensional war with One and the monsters of the Upside Down. Talk about an awful time to have a sexuality crisis. 

Seriously. Mike spent… a lot of sleepless nights, absolutely terrified that his first big secret would be found out. When you’re fighting a monster who literally reaches into your brain and brings out the worst parts of you—the parts that you’re terrified to even admit to yourself—it’s really not a good idea to have this big of a secret. 

At least… at least that’s what Will said when he came out as gay, early last year.

God, he’s the bravest person that Mike knows. There’s no one braver in the world than Will Byers—not even El, whom Mike believes is really fucking brave. But El, as incredible as she may be, is also a superhero. Of course, she can bravely face monsters and government scientists and anything the world throws at her. Mike thinks he’d be braver too if he was better than Superman.

Will’s just Will though, and he’s been through so much. And yet, he makes the decision to get back up every time the world tries to knock him down. He stands up against all the monsters and the bullies and every single being that’s ever hurt him, and yet, he still manages to be the kindest, most loving person Mike has ever met. He’s never lost sight of who he is, and everything he does inspires Mike to be braver. 

There’s no one braver than Will Byers—no one better in the world than Will Byers.

And that’s exactly why Mike decides that Will Byers should be the first person in the world to learn his secret.

The two of them are sitting in Mike’s bedroom now. Earlier, he’d asked Will if they could talk—alone, he’d been quick to add. Naturally, Will had been a little bit confused, but he’d nodded and promised to come over to Mike’s room in the lab after dinner.

And so… here they are. 

Mike’s heart pounds inside his chest, and his hands feel clammy. Of all the people in the world, Will is going to be the most accepting. Everyone in the extended Party has been accepting of Will and Robin (who’d come out a few months before Will), so honestly, Mike knows he shouldn’t worry about their reactions. But still, he’s never shared this secret with anyone before, and… and it’s terrifying.

But this is Will.

And Will makes him feel brave.

So, with Will Byers’ kind hazel eyes staring back at him, Mike takes a deep breath, and he wrings his hands nervously.

And he chooses to let his walls down.

“Will… I… I’m gay,” Mike admits, his voice impossibly soft. He doesn’t dare look up at his best friend—not yet. The memories of words so cruel and so hurtful, said years ago on a day full of pouring rain and his worst mistakes, make their way to the forefront of his mind. “I… I’ve known for a while now, and I, um… I didn’t want to admit it... But I… I don’t want to hide anymore.”

Another breath—shaky and quiet this time.

Mike dares to look up, and he meets Will’s eyes. “I, um… I said some things to you when we were younger,” Mike whispers, and though his vision is a little blurry because of the tears stinging his eyes, he can still see the recognition that flashes across Will’s face. “Some really, really hurtful things… and I’m sorry, Will. I… I know it’s no excuse, but… that’s when I was first starting to realize this about myself… And I was scared, and I took it out on you. And I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”

One more breath. In and out.

“I wanted to tell you first,” Mike says, his voice soft, “not… not just because you’re gay too, but… but because you’re my best friend in the entire world, Will. And I just… I trust you more than anyone else, you know? And also… because you make me feel brave enough to be myself. So… yeah. That’s it, I guess.”

For a moment, Will just stares back at Mike, as if he’s searching for… for something or trying to understand Mike better. There’s curiosity but also compassion and understanding in Will’s eyes, and before Mike knows it, he’s being pulled into Will’s arms.

“Oh, Mike,” Will whispers, holding him close. 

The embrace is warm and familiar and comforting, and God, fresh tears well in Mike’s eyes as he all but collapses into Will’s hug. Will’s arms wrap around him tighter in response, and Mike sniffles, burying his head in his best friend’s shoulder.

 “I’m so proud of you,” Will murmurs, rubbing Mike’s back gently. “God, I am so, so proud of you, Mike. You have no idea. Thank you. Thank you for… for trusting me and for being you. You’re incredible, and I’m so proud of you.”

Somehow, just like he always does, Will knows exactly what to say. He knows exactly what Mike needs to hear, and Mike can’t help the watery laugh that escapes his lips. “I didn’t really do anything,” he admits. “Nothing that you haven’t done.”

“Hey.” Will pulls back, just enough so they can look at each other now, and he smiles at Mike, gentle and familiar. “Coming out is terrifying no matter what, and it’s not about me. It’s about you and how brave you are and how incredible it is that you’re accepting who you are. So… I mean it, Mike. I’m proud of you, and thank you for trusting me enough to tell me.”

Will pauses for a brief moment; then, he smiles again. “When I came out,” he says softly, “Robin told me this… She said that the world becomes a better, more beautiful place whenever anybody accepts who they are and shares it with the world. So… just remember that, okay?”

Mike can’t help but smile, and he reaches up, putting his hand on top of Will’s. “Okay,” he whispers back. “Thanks, Will… Seriously. Thank you for… for everything.”

The look on Will’s face turns soft again, and for a moment, the world shrinks until it’s just the two of them. Something wildly beautiful and familiar and electric lingers in the air between them, close enough for Mike to reach out and grab it, and he nearly does.

Because, you see, Mike Wheeler has two secrets—though, he’s now shared one of those secrets with someone and is starting to find the courage to share it with others.

The first secret is this: 

Mike Wheeler is gay.

The second one is… a little more complicated than the first, and it’s this:

Mike Wheeler is in love with Will Byers.

[detachedfacade]

Though Stevie was beginning to push the boundaries of her gender expression, Dustin, like the rest of the party, didn't catch on. Though he did say things like "Your new look is...interesting" with a lingering expression at her flowy crop tops and dangly earrings. But Stevie wanted Dustin to know, even if it was scary. Even if she was worried she would lose her brother. Robin had said to her, "You don't have to tell anyone until you're ready, but if you are ready, you just gotta bite the bullet."

She really did feel ready, and given that Dustin was the one from the younger group she spent most time with, she figured it would be nice to include him into the pool of people who knew to call her Stevie, who knew to refer to her with female pronouns.  So that the times when she, Eddie, Robin and Dustin were hanging out, would be one less time she had to be Steve. 

She was at his house, he was showing her a new game he had got for his birthday. "From Suzie." He grinned. "Maybe you could get Eddie the same thing, I reckon he would like it too. Its expensive, but I know you have a crush on him. If you wanna be his boyfriend you gotta woo him." Dustin said.

Stevie tensed, let the silence linger. "Dustin." she said. "I know you've noticed I've been dressing different. Maybe acting a little different."

Dustin nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing, trying to understand where this was going. "You don't have to come out to me Steve, we figured you were gay when Mike caught you kissing a guy at Nancy's NYE party." He said it so flippantly, it took Stevie aback. Dustin misread Stevies face again, but how could she blame him? "We didn't tell any I promise, he just told us because Will was having a crisis and he wanted him to know it was cool to be gay because Will thinks you are cool, and you know, I guess I do to." He joked.

Stevie smiled. "I appreciate that but...I'm not gay. I mean I'm bisexual really and I do like Eddie, but if we got together I wouldn't be his boyfriend. Dustin." Bite the bullet bite the bullet bite the bullet. "I would be his girlfriend."

Dustin frowned.

"You don't have to understand straight away." Stevie added. "I took twenty years so....But I hope this doesn't change things."

"You wouldn't be my brother anymore." Dustin said.

Stevie shook her head.

Dustin took a moment, then said. "I have always secretly assumed you and Robin were evil twins. I used to think it was a dizygotic thing you know but monozygotic makes far more sense."

"I don't understand this science stuff you're saying." Stevie replied.

"It means I'm excited to have a sister, dingus." He said, pulling her into a hug, and then adding in a bored voice. "Monozygotic twins are identical by the way, right down to the gender. You really should have paid more attention in class, then maybe I wouldn't have to explain when I'm being nice to you." 

Stevie felt warm, at the insult from Dustin, treating her the same he always had. The way Mike treated Nancy. The way a little brother treats an older sister. 

(collection of my stevie drabbles on ao3)

[byersfanclub]

Why Jonathan is important in realizing byler endgame

Now, y’all know I’m a Jonathan girlie through and through. I love him. I love Jonathan Byers to my core. This post isn’t necessarily going over the importance of Jonathan’s character for the entire season and it’s not going over his arc in season four, but just know, I will defend him with my life. This post is specific to why Jonathan is actually a super important character to pay attention to in season four specifically when it comes to byler. 

Before we get into season four, let’s just graze over some things. 

Jonathan is Will’s older brother, meaning he’s known Mike just about as long as Will has known Mike. Give or take a few weeks probably. Jonathan has watched this friendship all these years. He knows Mike and he knows how he treats Will, how he acts around Will. Basically what I’m trying to get at is Jonathan knows Mike very well, better than a lot of characters do. He also knows how important Mike and Will’s friendship is. 

Jonathan’s hobby/passion is photography. He talks about how pictures/moments say more than words ever could. His dream is to be photojournalist, you know, the people who take/publish those photos in articles that literally can bring tears to your eyes? 

Season 4 is the first season where Jonathan is without a camera the entire time. He’s in a rut, he’s stressed about being in senior year, he’s going to be graduating high school in the next few months and suddenly college is right around the corner. He doesn’t want to leave his family and he doesn’t want to ruin Nancy’s dream. He’s depressed and his only coping method currently is getting high and venting to Argyle. 

I think it’s very interesting how much focus is put onto Jonathan during moments with Will or Byler in general. 

The first scene we get with this is the airport scene. It’s very obvious how even though he’s high, he clocks how awkward the situation is, he just doesn’t voice it like Argyle does. He notices the way Mike dodges the hug with Will. I definitely think this is why he stops Will as they drop him, Mike and El off at the roller rink, he can tell Will is upset and just wants him to have fun. 

Now, we don’t really get another scene for awhile, the closest one I’d add is Jonathan suggesting they go Police Academy 3 (which is so funny because it’s notorious for its gay bar scene) and probably notices the way Will reacts whenever Mike leaves the table. 

I think it’s so important to acknowledge that Jonathan witnessed the conversation between Mike and Will in his bedroom, maybe he didn’t hear it all, but he definitely heard some of it. They way to pan to Jonathan shows that he’d been standing there long enough to hear the end of their conversation which was a very personal and intimate conversation. The reason I think this is so important is because after this, Jonathan is shown to continuously notice, witness, interrupt these moments for the rest of season 4. 

Jonathan then barges into the room after Mike and Will’s conversation in Will’s room, he, along with hearing the tires squealing, are used to interrupt this “intimate moment” as the script put it. 

Now for probably the most IMPORTANT moment that Jonathan witnesses. The van scene. Now, this truly ties back to capturing moments says more than words. While this is probably what confirms what Jonathan has suspected (his brother is gay) it’s also so, so important that he’s not just paying attention to Will but to Mike as well. The rearview mirror shot in particular is such a great way to convey that Will is so unaware of what’s actually going on because he’s already so convinced that he’s just doomed to be alone forever. Cause that’s just how it is, the boy he loves has a girlfriend and it’s the 1980s (the aids crisis, the homophobia in general) not only does this shot show the way Mike is just watching, staring at Will but it’s showing that this is what Jonathan sees as well. 

I already know the milkvans are gonna think it’s ridiculous, but I truly think Jonathan knows that there is something happening between Will and Mike. He never really says/interacts with Mike and El as a couple besides the very awkward “I love her” scene in s3. Which is an awkward scene for ... everyone. No one really acknowledges them. Except to complain tbh. 

Back to the topic at hand though. I think it’s such a good thing they added the pseudo-coming out scene between Will and Jonathan because it needed to be there. Not only does it show us that Jonathan knows and it doesn’t matter to him because he loves his brother no matter what, but it means Jonathan HAS been picking up on the exact things we the audience have been this entire time. He’s noticed every detail, every moment, every look and conversation. The entire reason he even brings it up is because he notices the way Will is pining/jealous over Mike and El laughing because he thinks they’re flirting when we’re literally shown that they AREN’T flirting, like at all. Will is just so stuck inside his own head. He reassures that no matter what, he’s going to always love Will, hinting that he knows but he’ll wait for whenever Will is ready to say it.

The last one that super, duper important. The panning to Jonathan during Mike’s monologue. It’s so weird. The entire framing of the monologue in general is odd. Mike is cast in shadows and has Will over his shoulder the entire time, in frame, whether he’s blurred out or not. There’s no reason for Will to be in shot, it’s easy to crop him out. Now it’s weird Will is in the shot, it’s VERY weird they decided to cut to Jonathan as well??? For what? They don’t show Argyle? 

It’s because Jonathan knows that Mike is lying.

We are all Jonathan watching Byler play out on our screens. 

We see the way Mike interacts with Will, the way he reacts, the way he looks at Will. We are capturing these moments between them, because the moments themselves are more important than words. 

“I didn’t say it,” “You didn’t have to.”

[willbyersabyss]

The Upside Down Represents Homophobia

This is mostly about how Will’s queerness intertwines with the supernatural plot. I included summaries in blue so please at least read those!

Time Period

It’s no coincidence that Stranger Things takes place in the 80s. This is when homophobia was at a high because of the AIDs crisis and the satanic panic. These events factor heavily into the mindsets of the antagonists in the show. Season one is where we see this most. Troy, Lonnie, and Steve all spew homophobic views throughout the season. Homophobia was half of the evil in season one so I don’t think it would be that far off to assume that the supernatural evil and the real world evil were stemming from the same place.

Season One

In the first episode of the show, we are clued into Will’s queerness. Joyce expresses her concern over the homophobic bullying he has faced and how that might have had something to do with his disappearance. Hopper felt that Will being gay was important to the investigation as well. What if they were right? What if the Upside Down is the homophobe that took Will? Hopper tried to reassure that Will was likely with a parent but Joyce insisted otherwise. The parent would be Lonnie, an abusive homophobe.

It’s very clear that Lonnie is the person who spread rumors about Will being gay. As Joyce mentioned, he was the source of Will’s homophobic bullying. Will is referred to as “Lonnie’s kid” multiple times and people only gave their condolences to Lonnie at Will’s funeral. Troy’s dad mentioned Will being queer. Why would Troy’s dad know about that? Lonnie. Jonathan decided to look into Hopper’s theory that Lonnie, a known homophobe, took Will. He even looked in Lonnie’s trunk, alluding to Will possibly being killed by his homophobic dad. So the first suspect was notoriously homophobic and had power in the town of Hawkins.

Lets move into the town’s theory of Will’s disappearance. Joyce talked about Will experiencing homophobia to Hopper. This is implying that Will could have been killed in a hate crime. Troy says “He was probably killed by some other queer.” Once again, linking Will’s queerness to his kidnapping. The school has an assembly to grieve Will where Troy says “Will’s in fairyland now, right? All happy and gay!” And where was Will? The Upside Down. 

After being humiliated in front of the entire school, Troy tries to attack Mike and Dustin by recreating what the town assumed happened to Will. Hopper said that Will saw something, made his way over to the quarry, and fell off. When we link this with the town thought, Will may have been forced off the cliff by a homophobe. We as viewers know this isn’t what happened. Or do we? The events of the cliff scene align well with Will’s disappearance:

The similarities between the scenes could point to the town being right. Will and Mike were both sent to their deaths by homophobia and only made it out alive by a stroke of luck. Dustin would have been the last person to see both of them alive. Will was looking up while Mike was looking down which is upside down. They’re mirroring each other. (Will’s body was at the bottom of the quarry so it’s almost as if they are looking at each other?)

The scene just before Mike’s quarry scene is the aftermath of Steve and Jonathan’s fight. This is the fight where Steve says “I always took you for a queer but turns out you’re just a screw up like your father.” So Tommy H. thought that Jonathan killed Will, Steve thought Jonathan was queer but now he thinks he’s like Lonnie, and Troy thought Will was “killed by some other queer.” Jonathan is “the queer” that they think killed Will but that isn’t the case. It turns out what “killed” Will is like his father (a homophobe). Queerness and homophobia is constantly brought up when discussing Will’s disappearance. We are meant to link the two.

Both the cliff scene and the fight between Steve and Jonathan happen in the episode titled “The Monster.” This is also the only episode where Will doesn’t try to contact anyone from the Upside Down. Let that sink in. The episode where homophobia results in violence on multiple occasions is called “The Monster.” The real monster of this story is not the demogorgon.

In the scene above, Troy had just finished making homophobic statements about Will (which were directed at Mike). Mike tried to ignore the comments, but he was tripped. Dustin picked up the rock Mike fell on and they decided that it would be “the monster killer.” This rock is used in the final episode when they face the demogorgon. The demogorgon and homophobic bullying are linked in this scene. Using the rock shows that overcoming homophobia is how they win.

When they find Will’s “body” at the quarry, Mike runs home and cries in his mom’s arms. The lyrics that play over this scene are “We kissed as though nothing could fall and the shame was on the other side.” If the other side is the Upside Down, then it is equal to shame. Homophobia shames the existence of queer people just like the Upside Down. 

The only other established character that becomes a victim of the Upside Down is Barb. I genuinely believe Barb is queer. She was only in two episodes but there’s still quite a lot of queer coding in this short time. First, she noticed that Nancy had a new bra. How exactly would she know that? Anyways, Nancy is trying to fit in with her new friends and even tries to get Barb to participate. Barb reluctantly agrees and gets cut. Forced conformity. She later has a conversation with Nancy about how she isn’t being herself. Sound familiar? This is very similar to the argument Will and Mike have in season three. She has a parallel with a confirmed queer character! So yeah Barb is definitely queer. Her death cuts between Nancy and Steve hooking up. The injury Barb received from trying to be someone else attracted the demogorgon of homophobia. Nancy’s conformity killed Barb. 

We discover in season four that the Upside Down is stuck on the day Will went missing. It was a barren land of dust and rocks but once Will arrived, it changed to replicate Hawkins. Why would Will change this terrifying place to look like his home? Because the thing that makes these places evil is the same. Homophobia.

The song used to represent Will’s mindset is Should I Stay or Should I Go. “Should I stay or should I go? If I go, there will be trouble and if I stay it will be double.” Is a line I want to highlight. Will is debating whether he should stay in the Upside Down or return home. Why would Will consider staying in such a dangerous place? What trouble would he face back home that he would rather be killed by monsters? Homophobic abuse and bullying. Will’s biggest fear is his own home and this is why the Upside Down now replicates it. His fear of the Upside Down manifested into the everyday fears he faces. 

Will tries to save himself by contacting his mom through the lights and he even opens a gate in the wall. This all crumbles the second his father shows up. Lonnie patched up the hole and took down the lights which were Will’s only hope of escape. Will’s homophobic and abusive father is keeping him trapped in the land of homophobia. To make matters worse, Will doesn’t try to contact Joyce again after Lonnie does this. He’s reminded that the real world is not safer than this hellscape, not for someone like him at least. Will’s debate is finalized. He decides he will stay in the Upside Down and accept his fate. 

After Lonnie shattered Will’s chances of escaping the Upside Down, Will went to Castle Byers to wait for the monster to take him. Castle Byers was a place where he could be himself, sheltered from homophobic beliefs. This was the last place he felt safe. El visits him and assures him that his mom hasn’t given up on him. The monster then destroys the Upside Down version of Castle Byers and takes him to his deathbed at the library. This represents how homophobia will always find and destroy queer spaces. 

When Joyce and Hopper find Will, he has a vine down his throat that is killing him. Memories of Sara with medical tubes flash by. Those tubes were meant to be “healing” Sara but her fate did not change. Homophobes believe they’re healing gay people by trying to change them, but it only ends up killing them. As we now know, Vecna controls these vines. He says he “holds up a mirror” to people. It’s commonly said that gay people are “shoving their gayness down our throats.” Was the vine in Will’s throat a reflection of this belief?

Will's heart stops which is indicative of death. So Jonathan thought Will was killed by their homophobic father and the town thought Will was killed in a hate crime. Will was actually killed by the Upside Down. They were right, Will was killed by homophobia. What saved him? His mother who loves him no matter what. 

Summary: Every theory the town had about Will’s disappearance was related to him being gay and this is no coincidence. Their theories were right but instead of a homophobic person, it was the Upside Down that took him. 

Season Two

Will is plagued with visions after his time in the Upside Down. The times in which he gets these visions is indicative of internalized homophobia. Mike, the boy Will is developing feelings for, is almost always the person who is able to bring him out of these visions. How could gay love be so bad if it continues to save Will?

The first vision he gets in season two is at the arcade. Dustin was trying to win the hand of Princess Daphne in Dragon’s Lair but he loses and Lucas teases him. Keith interrupts and asks for a date with Nancy in exchange for information on Max. A seemingly meaningless conversation, right? Nope! Will’s vision of the Upside Down starts in the middle of this argument. People expressing their desire for a girlfriend set off Will’s internalized homophobia. He’s constantly reminded that he isn’t like his friends, he’s different. Mike takes Will out of this trance.

The second vision is similar to his first vision in season one. In both of these visions, he’s washing his hands in front of the mirror in the bathroom. Remember what Vecna said about holding up a mirror? When Will can see himself for who he truly is, he is pulled right back into the home of homophobia. 

The third vision occurs on Halloween night when Will and Mike are arguing about Max joining their party. Mike storms off after he complains that Dustin and Lucas are pining over Max. This leaves Will to be bullied and pulled back into the Upside Down. Yet again, he has visions after his friends fight over girls. Will doesn’t understand these dilemmas because he has no interest in girls. These constant reminders that he’s gay are very triggering after all the bullying he has faced. Mike comes to Will’s rescue for a second time. 

The fourth and final vision happens when Will is searching for Dart. He assures Dart (who represents homophobia) that he isn’t going to hurt him. This reminds me of queer people trying to assure homophobes that they’re not something to be feared. Dart scares Will and he’s back in the Upside Down yet again. This time, he doesn’t run or hide, he decides to confront the homophobia via Bob’s advice. He ends up in more danger because of this. Sounds very reflective of real life doesn’t it? (When Mike finally confronted Troy’s homophobia in season one, his life was put in danger later. Are these scenes connected?) Anyways, Mike is the person who finds Will in the field.

Speaking of Dart, remember this scene? Dart tries to attack Mike and Will only. Oh yeah and they happen to be standing in front of a rainbow here. Mike protects Will from homophobia yet again!

These visions later only show themselves as the tunnels taking over Hawkins. In the first picture, Will is drawing the tunnels. On the wall there’s a drawing of a spaceship with rainbows coming out of it. Is this the rainbow ship Joyce mentions later? Another tunnel vision happens when Will is left alone with Mike. For the fourth time so far, Mike is able to break Will out of his trance-like state. So Will has visions of the Upside Down when he’s next to a rainbow and the boy he has a crush on? Interesting. 

Now let's think about what the tunnels spreading throughout Hawkins could represent. I believe they represent how quickly homophobia makes its way through small towns. The vines diseased plants and animals. Many homophobes view queer people as “diseased” and this was especially common in the 80s. If we think about how Vecna holds up a mirror to people, the rotting could reflect on the town’s view of gay people. The only person who could warn them about the dangers of the vines was Will. This shows how queer people can see how harmful homophobia is while it flies under straight noses.

The hive mind reflects how homophobes all adopt the same narrow mindset. They cannot break free of their homophobic beliefs. Dart could be an example of the “love the sinner, hate the sin” idea. He did as he was told without second thought but made exceptions for one person that tried to show him a different mindset. I believe Dart seeing Will is what caused the Mind Flayer to try to possess him again. Though Dart seemed different from the others in the hive mind, he still upheld his beliefs when faced by someone he feared. This is very common among homophobes. 

While in the hospital, Will was slowly losing himself. The doctors said “At this rate, he’ll be gone by the end of the day.” Because they wanted to focus on burning the vines again. Instead of trying to save the gay kid possessed by homophobic thoughts, they focused on trying to keep the homophobia a secret.  Will’s personality being lost as his mind is flooded with internalized homophobia symbolizes how gay people have to hide their true selves. The only way for Will to be safe is to perpetuate the thoughts being fed to him (ex. killing the soldiers). Staying in the closet protects him.

Speaking of closets, Bob had to hide in a closet when the demodogs took over the lab. He was safe from the homophobic creatures when he hid in the closet. The second he came out, the broom fell like an alarm. He was immediately a target for homophobia which is the reason for his death. 

Another small detail: While they were trying to reach Will in the shed, Max was worried about what would happen if Will figured out their location. Lucas says that it will be “judgment day” if that were to happen. Judgment day is a common religious belief that a day will come where people are punished for their sins before death. Being gay is seen as a sin by many religious people so could this be the “sin” the Upside Down would punish them for? 

Moving on to what I think is the most important scene in season two: the shed scene. Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike all share memories with Will to try and break his possession. The memories they initially focus on show their love and support for Will. Joyce talks about how proud she was of his drawing of a rainbow spaceship (as pictured earlier). Of course, rainbows are a huge queer symbol. Joyce was basically saying she loves him no matter what and even embraces his differences. Jonathan talks about the day they built Castle Byers aka the day their homophobic father left. Castle Byers was built as a safe space for Will because of the homophobic abuse and bullying he had faced. Will was able to start using morse code after this. His family expressing their love and support successfully broke through the homophobia racking his brain. Finally, Mike recalls the day they first met. Despite everything, Mike still believes that befriending Will was the best thing he’s ever done. We now know that Will not only has feelings for Mike, but that Mike makes him feel better for being different. All three memories relate to Will’s queerness in some way. The thing that saved Will was his loved ones assuring him that they love him for his differences. Homophobia can be destroyed through love and support.

The final time we see the Mind Flayer is at the Snow Ball. Will was pressured to dance with a girl by the person he really wanted to dance with. The Mind Flayer looms over the cafeteria to show that though Will thought he was saved, homophobia will always linger behind him. He can never escape heteronormative standards.

Summary: Will’s possession represents internalized homophobia. His visions of the Upside Down occur when he is forced to face his queerness. The vines and the hive mind reflect the way homophobes spread their own ideas while not considering viewpoints outside of their own.

Season Three

It was confirmed by the Duffers that the physical Mind Flayer represents puberty in this interview. Puberty and sexuality go hand in hand. Just like his visions in season two, Will feels the Mind Flayer in moments related to him being gay. Will continuing to have a connection to the Mind Flayer after his exorcism represents how homophobia will always haunt queer people. I wonder if he gets the chill on his neck because that’s where the homophobic vine attached itself in season one? Will’s connection to the Mind Flayer represents his PTSD from the Upside Down so if the Upside Down represents homophobia, the Mind Flayer’s appearance shows his ongoing struggle with his identity. 

The first time Will feels the Mind Flayer is in the movie theater when he’s basically on a double date with Mike. At this point, Will definitely knows that he has feelings for Mike. Sitting close in a dark theater would remind him of the homophobia that lingers around him. Just like season two, Mike breaks Will out of the moment.

The second time he felt it was in the field when they were going to try and contact Dustin’s girlfriend. Will was surrounded by straight couples, leaving him to be the only one without a significant other. Mike and El decide to run off and ditch them. Will looks back at Mike and El when he gets the chill. Will’s fear of homophobia creeps up when he is reminded that he won’t get to experience love. 

The third time he feels it is at Castle Byers after after he fought with Mike over girls again. This sparked the unforgettable “It’s not my fault you don’t like girls!” line. While Mike did not intend it to be a jab at Will’s sexuality, it was taken that way. Will ran off to Castle Byers, his safe space from his homophobic father. After destroying the only place he felt safe from homophobia, the Mind Flayer came right back. I believe he felt it at this moment to show that homophobia was winning against him. This scene wasn’t only about his sexuality, but it did contribute heavily to his inner turmoil. The homophobia inside him (the Mind Flayer) became too overwhelming so he finally told the group that he felt it again.  

The fourth time he feels the Mind Flayer is during the sauna test. Again, he is standing very close to Mike here. It could also be noted that they had the silly scene of the boys looking terrified at the men in the sauna earlier in the episode. 

The fifth time is at the hospital. Will was just sent away so Mike could make amends with El after their breakup. Will is staring at Mike a lot in the hospital lobby, silently pining behind him. The second Mike and El get close and cuddly while reading the M&M’s package, Will senses homophobia close by again. (Mike looking at Will here… okay)

Will feels it again at Hopper’s cabin. This one is a bit of a reach but the scene just before this is of Karen, Ted, and Holly on the ferris wheel. Karen is trying to keep up her image of a perfect family. While she is putting on this performance of conformity, Holly can see the trees move (from the Mind Flayer) but is ignored. This entire act is based on heteronormativity. 

The final time he senses it is in the mall. They had retreated back into the mall because Billy found them. Billy himself had not been blatantly homophobic but his father previously abused him and called him homophobic slurs. Billy is a representation of homophobia and bigotry being taught. Instead of breaking the cycle, he is perpetuating it. This is why Billy was chosen as the host as well. He doesn’t try to find a way out of possession the way Will did in season two. He doesn’t reject the control of the Mind Flayer, he goes along with it. Billy is an easier target to control because he doesn’t actively fight against conformity. 

The flayed are a hive mind. Each of them were asked by a higher being to get others to join their agenda. Sound familiar? This also represents how quickly propaganda against queer people attaches itself to small towns. They teamed up to take down anyone that disagrees with them. As I said before, Will is the only one who can see the danger coming because his queerness makes him vulnerable. 

Summary: Will feels the Mind Flayer when he is, yet again, forced to face his queerness. The flayed represent the cult-like behavior of homophobes (just like the hive mind). Will is the only one who can sense the Mind Flayer because homophobia usually isn’t seen as a danger to anyone that isn’t queer. 

Season Four

Eddie’s queer coding relates to him becoming the “town pariah” that Robin mentioned earlier in the season. He was hunted for being a freak. In Eddie’s introduction scene, he is listing reasons why DND is being targeted due to the satanic panic. One reason that stands out is sodomy. This belief is rooted in homophobia. So the Hellfire Club is already being linked to queerness in its introduction.

Another important line by Eddie in this scene: “It’s forced conforming. That’s what’s killing the kids. That’s the real monster.” This partly foreshadows his own death as he conforms to the idea of a hero, but it also gives us an idea of what the monsters in the show represent. Queer people experience forced conformity in heavy amounts for their own safety. We see this happen to both Will and Robin, our only (as of right now) confirmed queer characters. Will doesn’t really deny his queerness by trying to act straight but he does still have to hide from real and supernatural dangers. Going back to the vine that killed Will, that was forced conformity. Homophobia was shoving itself down Will’s throat and it killed him until his supportive family brought him back. 

The purpose of Eddie’s character was to show how people will focus on attacking those that are different while the real problem flies under their radar. They started targeting Eddie after Jason convinced them to at the church. This is very reflective of how religious people target queer people in real life. They don’t care about the actual thing that’s killing the kids (homophobia), they just want to make villains out of queer people. This is how the Upside Down was able to target children for so long. Hawkins was focusing on the wrong thing. Troy’s belief that Will was “killed by some other queer” is another example of the town villainizing gay people instead of tackling the real problem.

Eddie is a new addition to the deaths that occur inside the Upside Down. He is one of three established characters that died there. Just like Will and Barb, Eddie was queer coded. That means every single established character that died in the Upside Down was queer or queer coded. The Upside Down targets queer people.

This is a smaller detail but it’s interesting how Robin is framed in the middle with the light shining above her. It really brings attention to the keyhole on her back. So Will is seen as the light and Robin as the key. What do these two characters have in common? Gay. Gay is the key! Also the eye in the keyhole is green and Will has green eyes (this is a joke). Anyways, Vecna passes by Robin’s flashlight first and she’s the first to be strung up by vines later in the Upside Down (right after she held Nancy’s hand). Is it coincidental that the only gay character in the Hawkins crew was detected in the Upside Down first? I don’t think so!

Here comes Will’s rainbow spaceship again. A rainbow rocketship sitting outside of the Creel house is a detail I always think about. They didn’t only show this ship, they made it a significant meeting place in the Upside Down. This is where Erica relayed messages to the others during their mission to kill Vecna. Normally I wouldn’t think twice about a swing set at a playground but since it’s next to a rainbow ship, it made me raise an eyebrow. A swingset to remind us of how Mike and Will met? So two things here relate to the memories that saved Will in season two. All we’re missing is Castle Byers. When the Creels arrive at their new home, Alice says it’s like a fairytale. What aspect of a fairytale could she be referring to? A castle perhaps? This may be a stretch but is the Creel house representing Castle Byers here? It’s definitely possible but it may not be necessary to represent Castle Byers here. Why? Castle Byers was already destroyed by Will.

When Vecna takes his final victim, the gates rip through Hawkins. Max’s gate goes straight through the playground across from the Creel house. The rainbow ship and the swing set are (presumably) both destroyed. I believe these items were chosen to show how Will’s safety from homophobia is being taken from him as the Upside Down takes over Hawkins (this could also relate to birthdaygate). The memories that make Will feel safe and proud of his queerness were destroyed by the Upside Down aka homophobia. 

So what exactly opened the gates? It was just Max’s death, right? I don’t think it’s that simple. Remember what Eddie said about how forced conformity is killing the kids? Well that was definitely foreshadowing. Eddie and Jason were both participating in conformity right as they died. Max was the only one who didn’t do this. What was the conformity that killed her then? 

It was Mike’s speech. When Mike gives his monologue, everyone is dying. Literally everyone. His love was surrounded by death. Many of the things Mike said in his love confession were not the full truth. There’s no question about that. It’s clear that Mike did not want to give that speech, he felt like he had to because El was dying and Will urged him to. Will, in a way, was forcing conformity upon both himself and Mike in this scene. I believe this act is the reason why their plan ultimately failed. There’s another piece of evidence that Mike’s monologue contributed to Max’s death in this post I made. What better to open the gates of homophobia than two repressed gay kids? 

The gates all met at the library. This is where Will was found in the Upside Down. I think it should be noted that libraries are sources of knowledge while homophobia is based in ignorance. The Upside Down destroying the library is a perfect symbol of this. 

Summary: Hawkins targeted someone they perceived as queer which blinded them from the true evil spreading through their town (homophobia). Will and Mike’s suppression of their feelings is part of the reason why the Upside Down was able to merge with Hawkins.

How will this influence season five?

Dustin and Suzie said it best: “And there upon a rainbow is the answer to a neverending story.” Gay love will save the world! The meaning behind Stranger Things has always been about accepting differences. Our beloved queer characters using their differences to defeat evil completely aligns with the message of the show! 

Will’s journey through his queerness has been extremely important since the first season. It’s been confirmed many times that he’s going to be central to season five and they’re going back to season one dynamics. Homophobia was most literally present in the first season. It makes sense for the boy who started the story to finally overcome both literal and symbolic homophobia! Will’s acceptance of himself giving him strength to defeat the supernatural evil is a beautiful way to wrap up his role in the story. 

I am a firm believer that Will and Mike’s relationship is going to be a huge factor in saving the world in season five. Their relationship has been built since the beginning and was made most obvious in the penultimate season. With Will being central again, it’s inevitable that Mike will be as well! Mike’s love for Will already helped save the world in season two so I believe something similar will happen in the finale. Will said it himself that Mike gives him the courage to fight on, now he must use that strength to save the world. 

And here’s some obvious foreshadowing for Will and Mike having a big role in killing Vecna.

While Robin and Vickie are not as big of characters as Will and Mike, their relationship will also be established next season (hopefully with significant screen time). This further proves how the Upside Down represents homophobia. Both queer relationships were left for the final season because as long as homophobia is present, they cannot thrive. This gives a lot of room for queer love to be explored in the final season through the defeat of the Upside Down. 

In conclusion, queerness has been integral to the plot since season one. It’s quite obvious that a show like this would make their monsters symbolic of real world issues. We already know that Vecna represents depression, the lab is the abuse cycle, and the physical Mind Flayer is puberty! The Upside Down is meant to represent homophobia.

[wibble-wobbegong]

Does Dustin Know Mike is Gay?

Now I know what you’re gonna say; “But Wibble! This goes against everything we know about Mike’s character! He’s supposed to be hiding, why the fuck would he tell Dustin!?” And I get the skepticism. I do. So, I am gently grabbing your hand and asking you to entertain me for a minute. Let’s consider what we know.

Number One

Thus far, Dustin doesn’t play any significant role in Mike’s arc with his sexuality. In fact, he’s the only party member who doesn’t somehow influence the way Mike interacts with his sexuality! How Will and El play into Mike’s arc with his sexuality is obvious. Lucas is Mike’s leader in understanding the Straight Man act in S3 and he’s representative of what Mike has realized he can’t have in S4 — normalcy. Mike can’t try to be normal like Lucas. Whenever Mike needs an example of what he’s supposed to be, whether to imitate or to be angry at, Lucas is where he turns (even though the S4 conflict itself goes beyond any sort of jealousy). Max is an influence by proxy. She’s another example of what Mike is supposed to want (girls) because that’s who Lucas wants.

Dustin, however, never seems to hold any real significance in Mike’s story with his sexuality. Hell, if we’re being really honest, Dustin hasn’t been much of a player at all in Mike’s story since S1. The one and only time we see Dustin brushing the monstrosity that is that internal conflict, it’s when he’s dragging on Mike and El in S3. You could argue the Phoebe Cates comment as well, but that doesn’t have as much to do with Dustin himself than another example of Mike being disinterested in girls.

This immediately gives Dustin an advantage in this argument. If Dustin doesn’t play a significant role in Mike’s arc with his sexuality, Mike doesn’t have much to fear with coming out to him compared to other characters. It also guarantees that Dustin won’t be heavily encroaching on that part of the story in S5, because it isn’t really relevant to him.

Number Two

Obviously that isn’t enough to say Mike would come out to him, Wibble 🙄. He still wouldn’t want to lose one of his best friends and he doesn’t know whether or not Dustin is okay with gay people!!!

Yes. Sort of. Of course he doesn’t want to lose Dustin, and coming out does risk that. However, may I introduce you to the most openly queer man in Hawkins; one of Dustin’s very good friends; someone Dustin is shown to care about dearly…

Edward Munson!

Eddie is at least somewhat open about his queerness, considering he wears the black bandana in his pocket to school and his whole ‘embrace the freak’ personality. The bandana is code to call out to people outside of his circle, but I have zero doubts that Eddie is open about being queer when he’s with the Hellfire members. Eddie isn’t ashamed of who he is, and the bandana is an active invitation to other people to join him. The bandana doesn’t serve a narrative purpose, seemingly, but that sign that he’s trying to communicate to other queer people that he’s also queer (and available). He doesn’t hide it. The same way he hunts down fellow freaks, he’s calling out to other queers.

Dustin clearly doesn’t care, considering how close he is with Eddie regardless of his blatant queerness. He’s defensive of him when accusations are thrown around about him being a murderer. Friendly reminder that the satanic panic and hunt for the freak is meant to be a metaphor for the AIDs crisis! There’s a reason they specifically mention sodomy in the magazine Eddie reads out of. Sodomy is literally anal sex. The activity most popularly believed to be the cause and spread of AIDs. It’s a pretty blatant metaphor, and Dustin goes out of his way to prove that Eddie isn’t a murderer like everyone claims, that he’s a good person even though he does play DND. There’s a ton of emphasis put on the fact that DND isn’t this horrible, sickening game that everyone believes it is; being gay isn’t a disease and Eddie isn’t a murderer. Having gay sex doesn’t kill people. Eddie engaging in gay sex (hence the black bandana) doesn’t mean he’s spreading AIDs and killing people. He’s not a murderer.

The point is, Eddie is openly queer and Dustin is not only accepting but goes out of his way to protect Eddie.

There’s some incredibly important timing going here. When do Dustin, Lucas, and Mike actually meet Eddie? The start of the school year.

Now, this is important for Mike because this means an openly queer man is approaching him and inviting him to do the very thing he’d just spent all his time doing since the Byers and El moved on July 4th. Mike hasn’t been together with El since before Starcourt. He’s been mourning the loss of his best friend for months by doing the very things he associates with being gay and in love with Will. He’s taken small steps forward in accepting himself, but having someone like Eddie be proud of himself and his identity was critical in his journey with queerness. Meeting Eddie at this point, where he’s been forced to face the fact that he can’t change the way he feels about boys, about Will, and has been broken up with El for months with no reason to assume they’re gonna get back together creates a golden opportunity for Mike to start exploring himself in a space without having to worry. Eddie is there for him.

At the same time, Eddie becomes the first openly queer person Dustin has ever met. Mike watches Dustin accept Eddie and look up to him just like he does. Dustin has a great relationship with Eddie and, as I already said, doesn’t just accept him but embraces him too. Dustin shows that he doesn’t just tolerate queerness but actively defends it.

Where Lucas doesn’t have a very good relationship with Eddie and is trying very hard to be normal, Dustin develops a great relationship with Eddie and doesn’t show anything less than full support. We can assume that this support we see in S4 doesn’t just occur then, considering the satanic panic is an ongoing issue we see picking up at the end of S3. That’s not to say Lucas is homophobic by any means (his acceptance is actually gonna be incredibly important to Mike’s arc in S5), as his motives are completely unrelated to Eddie’s queerness, but that Mike can’t have complete faith that he won’t lose Lucas more than he already has if he tells him. Telling Dustin, on the other hand, is something he knows isn’t dangerous.

Dustin having the relationship he does with Eddie shows Mike that he’s safe. Mike realizes he has a friend who knows Will who he can talk to without fear of losing him or of him being disgusted. Eddie can guide Mike through his queerness, but he doesn’t know Will. Dustin knows Will.

Number Three

That last thought brings me to point three; Dustin seems to be aware of Mike’s troubles with Will l specifically.

We’ve already established that Dustin is a safe person for Mike to talk to and that he’s the only safe person Mike knows who also knows Will. He’s one of Mike’s best friends. The possibility of Dustin knowing about Mike’s communication problem with Will is confirmed with his line about Mike’s whining, and we know that Mike doesn’t use the phone to talk to El. The choice to have Dustin be the one to give out this information is especially odd, considering Nancy is there and if there were problems with the phone she would know better than Dustin, since her and Jonathan have been staying in touch somehow. She could’ve been the one to point it out, but they have Dustin do it. They make a point out of Dustin having to deal with Mike’s whining.

I implore you to remember the last time we saw Mike whine. Like, literally whining.

Peak whiny Mike.

Again, we have mlvn put up against and losing to byler through this parallel. The last time Mine was being whiny, it was because he didn’t know he was allowed to call her first (or didn’t want to) and his partner in crime was Lucas, his exemplar of normalcy. Now, we have Mike being whiny because he literally cannot reach Will because the phone is busy. Mike is reaching out completely on his own and now he goes and whines to Dustin about it. It’s meant to be a romantic parallel just like the breakup vs the rain fight where we see how obvious it is that Mike will fight harder to keep Will in his life. I can’t imagine a scenario where Mike would be comfortable complaining so much to Dustin about it if he hasn’t told him. Reminder that, according to Lucas on the Line, Dustin does know Mike keeps in contact with El through letters. Also, Dustin’s not stupid. He knows they can’t risk exposing El to the government via phone call.

But all that goes to show the Dustin might just be aware of Mike’s feelings for Will. He finally has his place in this incredibly important part of Mike’s story without interfering with the other important people involved in this storyline, as he won’t out Mike to anyone. He can be Mike’s taste of normalcy in the sense that he doesn’t have to hide who he is around Dustin. I’m not saying they have these deep, inspirational conversations but that Mike has someone who won’t treat him differently if he wants to whine over Will.

[liskantope]

Looking back at the culture war battles of 2022, one development that particularly sticks out to me is the American Republican/anti-woke side latching on to the idea of everything social progressives call for that involves minors being a form of "grooming" and/or adjacent to pedophilia. This welled up during the 2022 midterm campaign season and I doubt it reached its final boil during the elections; it probably isn't dying down anytime just yet.

My first reaction, around mid-2022, to seeing this new-ish trend was that it was once again an example of the Right looking at a rhetorical tactic of the Left (in this case, finding a near-universally despised personal trait and relentlessly tarring as many opinions as possible from the opposing side as coming from that trait) and deciding that hey, two can play at this game. The main name that the Left has taken to using against as many opposing opinions as possible is "racist"/"racism", and what's arguably the one label even worse to have attached to you than "racist"? Probably "pedophile" or (more mildly) "groomer".

From that point of view, I can see where this Republican/anti-woke strategy comes from, to the extent that it's been consciously employed and regardless of how blatantly hypocritical it is. But it still caught me by surprise and feels strange, I think because of my impression of being anti-grooming as more of a liberal progressive cause. Now mind you, I know that anything adjacent to pedophilia is reviled by pretty much all parts of the political spectrum, and I also know that the conservative Right (at least in America) has a history of tarring gay people as secretly pedophiles, insinuating that open homosexuality (and other forms of queerness) corrupts and endangers children, and so on. But over the 5-10 years or so previous to the rise of "groomer" accusations from the conservative side, I had come to firmly code raising the alarm about grooming behavior as more of a progressive SJ-ish thing, naturally occurring as a part of the Me Too movement. I had been exposed to a lot of talk in progressive circles about the power differentials that come with age differentials and so on. The whole Josh Duggar scandal some years back seemed split roughly along political lines, with only conservatives (most infamously Mike Huckabee) being willing to come to his defense. And I had a vague notion that liberal people took child molestation and terrible behavior adjacent to it as a sort of higher-priority societal crisis than conservatives did, much as this was clearly the case with rape in general.

So I had thought of cries of "Groomer!" and "Pedophile!" as similar to cries of "Racist!" in that they involve a name that absolutely nobody wants to be branded with, which refers to a type of person that almost everyone looks down upon and is determined not to be but which the Right has a stricter definition of, doesn't see in as many places, and tends to think the Left is overly paranoid about. And yet, for the time being at least, the Right seems to have gotten hold of "Groomer!" and "Pedophile!".

I found this a sort of bemusing (and also of course disturbing) irony, given the extent to which so many socially progressive people around me see grooming / pedophilia / child abuse as a very serious problem and are very sincere in their concerns about it. And to be honest, one of the things I couldn't help saying to myself was, "Let's see how this goes and how people feel when 'Groomer!' is used against them, when the other side stretches at every possible opportunity to compare our side to something we truly find despicable whenever we stand for something they don't like. Maybe this will give some people a new insight about how ineffective it is to blast everything they don't like on the other side as "racist" or other -ists or otherwise coming from something purely evil. It's going to be interesting to see how this changes the dynamic."

(It's worth mentioning as a qualification that the American Right did do something like this as recently as the mid-00's with comparing everyone less hawkish than them with terrorist-sympathizers, but that was a little less direct and seems to have already faded from many people's memories. A closer example would be some decades earlier when an awful lot of Americans seemed determined to brand anyone to the left of them as a Communist sympathizer, but of course this is even further removed from the present.)

It's interesting to look back on this half a year later, because I definitely intended to write a more sharply pointed post expressing most of my paragraphs above sometime around last summer, but it got lost in the shuffle as many of my potential blog posts do. And now it seems like it sort of came to an anticlimax. Anti-woke conservatives did quite well in the midterms as long as they weren't too Trumpy, but Democrats put in a better-than-expected performance. My liberal colleagues and acquaintances mostly seem to have ignored conservative rhetoric about groomers or just dismissed it as idiotic (which, to be fair, it basically is) rather than let it bother them beyond that, either on a direct, immediate level or in terms of making them rethink messaging or persuasive rhetoric from their/our own side. All of this seems to be fizzling over, relative to what I imagined back around July.