gay people

"'fandom' is a vehicle of marginalized subcultural groups (women, the young, gays, etc.) to pry open space for their cultural concerns within dominant representations; it is a way of appropriating media texts and rereading them in a way that serves different interests, a way of transforming mass culture into a popular culture"

Jenkins, Henry. “Star Trek Rerun, Reread, Rewritten: Fan Writing as Textual Poaching.” Critical Studies in Mass Communication 5, no. 2 (1988): 85–107. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295038809366691.  

Basically, we know that in this show, stating your desires out loud dramatically VERY OFTEN means you'll lose said desire. Eddie wanting to graduate, saying it's his year ... Yeah. Hopper/Joyce making date plans s3 and then Hopper getting sent to Russia. Max and Lucas making date plans and Max getting put in a coma. I'm sure there's more examples but this is a pretty classic trope, building some emotional future plan in a moment of tension so it's even more tragic when it's taken away.

So what does Mike say? Well, he's repeatedly said he can't lose El, he couldn't live without her, and even that he was scared that admitting his love would make him lose her sooner. Whether you believe him or not (lmao), this feels a lot like it could be dramatic foreshadowing tbh. He's stated his desires out loud, and very ominously claimed that the very thing he's doing could lead him to losing her. So following the shows internal logic... Something bad might be coming for El.

Pair that with how she's faced her first loss, she's been told she wasn't ready, she's constantly trying to prove herself as a hero rather than a monster, and in s1 she seemed to sacrifice herself, this makes all too much sense. And it would still be shocking to the audience bc if how main of a character she is.

I'm NOT saying this will happen, bc of course not everyone has lost the things they've stated a desire for, and also the Duffers don't seem like they'd want to kill off one of the main children. And maybe it's not death, maybe it's just some other form of loss. But still... I'm very concerned for my girl 😥

The way he is surrounded by reminders of his past while being all alone is truly haunting. The painting, a WSQK sticker, a photo of El. He was once annoyed that Will couldn’t move on and grow up, and now he’s the one that is stuck.

Also him sitting in front of a sunlit window with yellow curtains and the blinds pulled shut. I don’t hold much weight in the color grading choices anymore, but for the sake of s1-s2 Mike, I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt.

The entire party is shown to have come into their own style in the epilogue. Mike looks like he’s wearing his dad’s hand-me-downs and goes to his dad’s barber. He is not only stuck, but he is losing himself more and more every day.

He’s gonna need more crayons…

THAT WAS NOT A SCREENSHOT YOU JUST SAW!

THAT WAS A PAINTING!!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/72695121/chapters/189346596