Let’s address this “ship war” and how we talk to each other. I’ve never done a longer post before but I just had a very overwhelming interaction and wanted to share!
Had to run back to Byler tumblr guys help. I was commenting on a TikTok live discussing Byler vs Milven and it was… well. I would just say “I’d love to see El having an independence arc and receiving love she doesn’t need to constantly ask for” and I got flamed.
Apparently I need to “stop pretending to care about her”? I would also say absolutely anything about Byler, not even mentioning Milven, and the only thing they respond with is “delusional” or “Bylers just overanalyse and act like it’s canon”. It seems to me that some people are running out of arguments and don’t take time to hear what we have to say. They only immediately flag everything as “overreaching” without backing up their points.
Whatever becomes endgame, I’d just like to say… in fandoms there’s meant to be meaningful discussions but, at least from my perspective, there’s a consistently loud hate train on one side. I try my best to deliver my points respectfully and NOT ONCE have I ever called another shipper delusional in a discussion. In media and art there is and always will be room for analysis. Always a deeper meaning. To claim evidence and analysis as “overreaching” or “delusional” is to completely disregard the meaning of creating these stories. I’d also like to point out that whenever I fight for El/Jane, I’m always told that I apparently don’t care about her. It feels like words are being put in my mouth, and the words I DO say are being disregarded. It reminds me of political debates where the other participant just randomly quotes the Bible in response to an argument…
True Bylers love and care about El/Jane. I just happen to absolutely adore her character, especially when she’s independent of Mike. I know what it’s like to be dependent on a man and you think him loving you is what makes you valuable, or even what makes you love yourself. I can see it when I watch them argue. I can see how Mike parallels his dad when he gaslights her, and parallels Brenner when he scrutinises her. Mike has said “what’s wrong with you” more than “I love you.” He’s actually never said “I love you” to her face, even when she begs him to. The only thing he seems to be interested in about her is the fact that she’s a “superhero.” How about her gentleness, her selflessness, her love, her emotional strength, her empathy, her curiosity…? Anything besides her physical powers? No? Yeah, okay…
El/Jane deserves to be her own person, where she can focus on herself, friendship and family. I hate when she’s reduced to being a girlfriend. She’s so much more than that. It upsets me that she was made to feel this way when she had just escaped a lab and knew nothing of the world or real love.
If that makes me “not care about her”, I genuinely think some people are not okay, or just want to deflect.
This goes beyond a TV show, in my opinion! These characters and stories are meant to convey real experiences, human experiences. It’s how we can navigate reality and understand others through seeing it on our screen. To both sides of the “war,” please could we all have some more emotional understanding. And if you read my post and you think “it’s not that deep,” then why are you reading an analysis on tumblr, a platform where we can be free to be deep?
When analysing any literary work, for example, Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” multiple conclusions can be made when analysing any line or scene as to their interpretation, intention or meaning. Art is for human interpretation and understanding! It’s not delusional. It’s having the courage to look deeper. I find the writing of Mike and Will to be a careful, thoughtful and beautiful love story that is also incredibly emotional and has a sense of realism. I also believe that their story has the potential to make a change in our society.
Anyway! I love Byler tumblr because everyone I’ve interacted with has excellent points and a high level of empathy and respect for the characters, something many more people should aim for…
Whatever becomes endgame I still stand by everything I’ve said! This post is mainly speaking about my perspective on El’s experience and that side of why I think Byler should happen, as it’s been on my mind! Hopefully I’m making sense, I just wanted to get my point of view out there. ☺️