#queer support

i've watched countless milevens push their standards so low just to try and convince themselves mike is romantically attracted to jane, when every interaction between them on screen that's supposed to feel easy and romantic feels awkward and forced. from personal experience, i've been in long-term relationships with men, ones i've (pretended to be) madly inlove with. i'm a lesbian. it does happen. emotions are complex, and it's easy to confuse gratitude or care for love, especially when you don't see another option - like dating someone of the same sex.

most people in the lgbtq+ community recognize the signs and can point them out, but the general audience will refuse immediately because of the amount of heteronormativity that has been widespread in media for decades.

that's not to say mike doesn't have any love for el, because he absolutely does. as said in canon, he cares for her so much. that isn't a bad thing. i think more people should learn that a relationship doesn't have to be romantic to hold emotional weight and intimacy.

nothing about mileven scenes give "they're in love with each other" to me. they feel like they're trying to be, but there's always something stiff about the atmosphere of the scene, like somethings missing (great example being the void scene - it's awfully uncomfortable in a way that takes you out of the experience, not immerse you in it).

we can see the difference with byler scenes. the scenes flow effortlessly - there's natural tension and emotion. there's chemistry. that's the most important part.

the duffers, as writers, should have (and definitely did) recognize that. and moving forward with the story, should have acted on it. they created the perfect set up for it in season four, which is why no part of me believes that they were "never in the cards". if something in your story blooms naturally, to try and erase it is to force a storyline that doesn't belong, and it shows.