Based On This

If I had known before that making meme art would be that fun I would have made much more

Care to debate abortion?

Nah

I think I messed up the time schedule, and I’m always one day late to the theme TvT But better late than never! Thus this is the entry for day 5: Change.

I changed their hairstyle because it’s sort of future settings and I love to play hairstyles with them :///3 

Confession? 🤭

Mike and Will are two sides of the same coin. But Mike's curse is invisibility

I really love how @aemiron-main brought to light the idea that Will is a representation of LGBTQ people who are actively targeted because of their sexuality, and hated by their parents—parents who clearly perceive them and hate them for it (or at least one of them does, like in the case of Lonnie).

Meanwhile, Mike is a representation of LGBTQ people who slip through the cracks, the invisible ones, the ones their parents can’t see even though they desperately want to be seen and understood by them.

And I think it’s such a brilliant idea to have written them this way, to portray these different realities within the LGBTQ community—because yes, the 80s setting fits, but it’s not just about that. It breaks down stereotypes by showing us the overlooked representations, the so-called invisible community, the one Mike represents—so invisible that even the general audience of Stranger Things (aside from film students who know how to read cinematic language, and LGBTQ people who understand because we’re way less affected by the lens of heteronormativity) can miss it.

The fact that Mike and Will are both gay but in completely different situations is so fascinating. Whether it’s Lonnie or the bullies, or the people in town filled with judgment and prejudice, or even the ones who mean well—like his mom, his brother, and his friends—everyone sees Will.

Lonnie and the bullies take his sensitivity as an insult and attack him for it. Joyce and Jonathan cherish it and accept him for who he is. But either way, he’s seen.

And that’s the double-edged sword: being visible means he’s an easy target for hatred and violence. That’s why no one—not even Hopper or Ted Wheeler—was surprised at the idea that Will might be a victim of a hate crime.

But on the other hand, the people who love him and accept him can see him. They notice immediately when something’s wrong. They know when he’s not okay. They realize right away when he goes missing.

Who ever noticed that Mike was suffering? How long would it have taken for the Wheeler parents to realize Mike hadn’t come home if El hadn’t saved him from falling off that cliff?

Like the post said so perfectly—people don’t recognize Mike’s difference.

Sure, he’s spared from the bullying—kind of. He still gets bullied for his frog face, for being a nerd. But before Will disappeared, he didn’t seem to be targeted by the homophobic slurs that were directed at Will.

It’s not that they hate him. It’s that they don’t see him.

And that would explain his obsession with superheroes and people with powers, but also his desire to be normal. Deep down, Mike wants to be different. He wants to be seen. He wants to be himself—but he also knows how dangerous that is. He’s seen what happened to Will. And to El.

And one really important thing that aemiron-main said (which I think would explain the cliff scene so well, and which I really hope Season 5 will explore):

Will represents gay men who die from hate crimes. Mike represents gay men who die by suicide.

Will represents gay men who are too visible (through no fault of their own), whose families and the people around them sensed their queerness from a very young age. Mike represents gay men who are invisible—not hated, but never supported either.

Will represents gay men who are tormented, or taken away by force. Mike represents gay men who run away from home—or disappear by taking their own lives.

Will is a gay boy who gets picked on and called “queer” because of how he dresses. Mike is a gay boy whose clothes go unnoticed.

Will is good at hiding because he’s visible. He has to hide because people seem to see right through him.

Mike isn’t good at hiding. He’s not good at pretending to be “normal” because he never had to. He’s invisible. No one ever saw him before.

He never had to hide the way Will did.

Will had to learn how to hide and how to act “normal.” That’s exactly why he hates when people treat him differently, like he’s a “freak.” Will doesn’t want to be treated differently—because he’s always been treated differently.

Because he’s too visible. So he had to learn how to act “normal.”

Meanwhile, Mike wants to be treated differently—because he’s been invisible his entire life.

He never had to learn how to hide, or how to behave “normally,” not really. Even though now he tries, he doesn’t know how, because he never had to before.

Where Lonnie noticed every trace of queerness in Will, Ted just… ignored everything. Too busy being passive and watching TV.

Will was so visible that he couldn’t even breathe without Lonnie noticing and forcing him to play baseball, because “that’s what boys do.” Mike is so invisible he could’ve screamed “I have a girl with magical powers in my basement who’s wanted by the government” and Ted wouldn’t have noticed a thing.

Mike and Will are two sides of the same coin.

And now that I think about it… poor Mike is just lost. He doesn’t know where he fits.

Because he’s an invisible gay kid, he doesn’t feel normal—so he thinks he has to protect himself by hiding his difference and pretending to be normal. He performs heteronormativity for the whole world to see (aka the cis-het “normals”).

But at the same time, he’s not seen or accepted by the “different” ones either—because they don’t perceive his difference.

(Like when El says “no you don’t” after Mike tells her he knows what it’s like to be bullied—because she meant being different, and she didn’t see that in him.)

Mike doesn’t feel at home with the “normal” people, because deep down he knows he’s different. But he doesn’t feel different enough to be embraced by those who are different.

So he’s stuck. He’s floating in between. He doesn’t know where his place is.

Which also explains why it’s so hard for him to develop a sense of self-worth outside of being needed. Outside of being useful.

He suppresses and denies his own trauma because he thinks it doesn’t “count.” Because he didn’t go through what Will went through. Or what El went through. So he tells himself it’s nothing.

His curse is invisibility.

Even we, the audience, don’t get access to his point of view. He’s ignored, overlooked, minimized—and especially misunderstood.

And all of this gives him that aching feeling of belonging nowhere. Not normal enough, not different enough. Not this, not that.

Mike Wheeler is Vecna’s playground, honestly. If he isn’t one of his targets in Season 5, then what was the point of writing such a painfully complex character?

Here is the post who inspired me this post.

Do first!

No, do second

...ahhhh

I don't know. They are both equally tempting

Do both

So what iffff.....

A Fudanshi who is also the biggest xicheng shipper transmigrates into MDZS world (SVSSS style) into Jin GuangYao who makes xicheng canon and who also doesn't give a fuck about power and that shit and is willing to stay in the Unclean Realm with Nie Mingjue coz A) He hot and B) He hot

Unknowingly makes the great Chifeng-zun fall for him while he's clueless about it coz he busy plotting parties to bring Jiang Cheng and Lan Xichen together. Little does he know that not only will xicheng be endgame but also NieYao 😌

Should I write this or should I write this?

Your vibe is oddly bitter and reeks of insecurity

sounds like someone needs to go in the water

Guardian + Reductress headlines, Weilan Edition - 3/?

[ID: 6 gifs from the cdrama Guardian with Reductress headlines laid overtop: Shen Wei looking in Zhao Yunlan’s fridge and flinching away from the smell, looking like he’s questioning his life choices while the headline reads, “Boyfriend ‘Extremely Sure’ Expired Milk Still Good”; Zhao Yunlan asking Shen Wei if he’s married or has a girlfriend with the headline reading “QUIZ: Are They Flirting or is it Just Tax Software Asking if You’re Single?”; Shen Wei, embarassed, letting go of Zhao Yunlan’s hand, who narrows his eyes in confusion, with text that reads “QUIZ: Did Your Souls Meet in a Past Life or Did You Match on Hinge 5 Years Ago?”; Shen Wei and Zhao Yunlan in a cab, Shen Wei looks at Zhao Yunlan, then adjusts his position to be more comfortable for Zhao Yunlan to rest against, the headline reads “QUIZ: Should You Pause Your New Relationship or Accelerate It Way Past a Healthy Pace?”; Shen Wei putting a bowl of rice in front of Zhao Yunlan, the counter they’re sitting at full with dishes he’s cooked, the headline reads “How to Cook a Beautiful Meal For Your Partner Without Appearing Domestic”; Zhao Yunlan tearfully agreeing to the bet Shen Wei suggested and Shen Wei grinning back, on the verge of crying, while the headline reads “How to Comfort Your Partner Even Though Crying is Kinda Your Thing” /END ID]