Morango

Sometimes I like to ragebait myself and look into the "pro mileven" tag. People don’t seem to actually understand things.

I'll admit, some bylers are kind of insane — I'm pretty sure this is many people's first fandom, and it can either be really cute or absolutely awful — but thinking that Mike and Jane were ment to be, just because their relationship is stabilished from season one, is stupid.

I saw some comments that gone into the "I wish the bylers were just like the people who were sad that their ship didn't happen, instead of saying the narrative didn't make sense because of it." route. And others who were just straight-up saying that people looked too much into the narrative. And while I can see why someone would make those statements, I also think that in this context, neither are true.

One scene that I think about a lot, is the one in season 3, the one were Jane and Mike are broken up and Max says that "He'll come back to you in no time, begging for forgiveness." and then she mocks both Mike and Lucas, "They're like, 'Oh, I hope they take us back.'" In the same episode both do that for Will instead, not seeming to think about it twice, and I understand that with the inclusion of Lucas in this situation it would make arguable that this is about friendship, but I don't really think that's the case. Max and Lucas weren't broken up, or more like their breakup was not taken as seriously — their cores (narrative cores) were separated because Mike's character needed Lucas', and Jane's character needed Max's, the same way that Mike and Jane's cores needed to be separated for the spying on Billy thing, meaning it was necessary for the story's progression — they didn't even argue, they weren't talking because they were in different sides of the argument — that's noticeable as well in the hospital scene in episode 5 of season 3, when Mike and Jane make up Lucas and Max don't, because they never broke up in the first place — Lucas never actually acted like an asshole towards Will either, he was dismissive, but in a way that could be considered a slip up compared to what Mike said. Mike fucked up tremendously both with Will and Jane, but for different reasons. And Mike’s reaction to said fuckups, also says a lot.

One important thing to note here is that, characters are not people. They don’t just say things. The fact that Max said something that was not executed in the way we expect is a deliberate narrative decision, that does mean something to said narrative. That's pretty much how storytelling works, and it's crazy to say that seeing that is looking too much into it. Mike didn’t beg for Jane’s forgiveness, but he immediately did when it was Will he hurt, which wouldn’t mean much if the episode didn’t say earlier that this meant something.

Mike hurt Jane, because he lied. And he doesn't seem to understand why that hurts her so much — a behavior that proceeds through season four, when he repeatedly dismisses her feelings in general. He doesn't apologize because he understood the weight that a lie had to her, he did it because he had to do it.

When it comes to Will, he immediately understands the effect of what he said seeming even to be immediately kind of embarrassed at it. He acknowledged that he was an asshole, he begged to talk to Will about it.

This is important because it's one of the many parallels that mileven and byler will have — and had, because mileven's first encounter is related to Will in a way that makes the wondertwins become somewhat connected, mostly through Mike — and because splitting Will and Mike has no narrative value, their cores tie up again just after Castle Byers is destroyed, they didn't need to be separated, the fight happening there, was not necessary besides the plot of making sure to imply Will's queerness. They didn't need to make the part that's about Will's queerness (and how it involves Mike) tie up with what Max said about boyfriends crawling back for forgiveness. They could've shown Will's queerness in other ways, ones that could be just as sad as the rain scene, but they didn't need to make the JaneWillMike triangle fight situation. They made that decision, and made byler fit Max's description better, deliberately.

This part of the narrative also sort of compares lumax and mileven in a way (because they're put together soo much) and it shows just how Mike and Jane are not compatible. They have nothing in common, they don’t talk about things, they sometimes talk about one or another feeling, and then makeout. And I think that I speak for many when I say this feels weird, the problem is not having litte to nothing in common; take Jonathan and Nancy, they are awesome, they got me rooting for them as separate characters and as a couple, and it felt extremely weird to say that they were "holding each other back", they understand each other to a level that was truly impressive, they were a couple beyond being obsessed with perpetuating gender norms, beyond being "boy, girl,kiss". This goes for lumax too, they connect through interest and can actually maintain a conversation about feelings, they like each other, again, not because "boy,girl,kiss" but because they are also friends who happen to fall in love. That's why their fights in season 3 feel so different to the mileven ones, mileven's feel awkward. (Is it just me or they literally never maintain a real conversation, they argue, make up, makeout, that's it. All of the meaningful conversations Jane had were with Max, and that's the most personality she can show all season 💔)

Mike never understood Jane, because they never gave him the opportunity to. They could've made mileven something like jancy, they could've given Jane more screen time being happy instead of being tortured, scenes were beyond being Mike's girlfriend, she was also his friend. Because to me, they feel like just those straight couples that are being held together by duck tape and, maybe, attraction. Nothing else.

Jane deserved to be treated like a human, but not even the writers noticed that.

She's not superman, she's just a litte girl whose dreams where stripped from her, and a character whose happy ending is tied to gender norms and oppression. A girl who's tied to a dude who will never let himself be, and makes her suffer in the process.

Even if Mike can't say it, I can:

I love you Jane, and you deserved to be human, you deserved have dreams that are beyond the american dream.

I will probably continue this post someday, because I still have a lot to say, but it's one a.m and I want to sleep. The queerbating will be talked about in another time.