âEsther Manuel was born in Hanau in 1785. In her early twenties, she married an artisan who changed his name from MĂźller to Grafemus, and they had two children. Her husband was a Christian, but there is no record of Estherâs baptism. Grafemus abandoned his family in 1808, and she heard rumors that he had joined the Russian army. Esther eventually traveled to Berlin to find some charity to support her, and because she was too poor to afford the postal service carriage, she dressed as a man to travel on horseback.Â
Once in Berlin she appealed for funds to the Jewish charities, but to no avail. In a patriotic gesture, after Queen Louise died in 1810, Esther changed her name to Louise. She was still very poor, frustrated in her continuing efforts to locate her husband. Eventually, sometime in the fall of 1812, using connections in the Jewish community, Louise went to the kingâs son and daughter-in-law, Prince William and Princess Maria, and told them of her desire to join the army. Touched by her predicament and by her passion to fight, they purchased her a horse, a uniform, and a gun, and arranged for her to enter the army, dressed as a man! She was not the only female fighter motivated to take up arms for Prussia. Berliners just then were celebrating the heroism of Leonora Prochazka, a disguised woman soldier who had just died in battle, with popular songs and poetry.
By March 1813, in the first days of the War of Liberation, Louise Grafemus was already in battle, on her horse with rifle in hand, and although she was quickly wounded, she kept on fighting. One day that spring, during a battle, by some astonishing fortune, she chanced to meet her long-lost husband, who was indeed a soldier in the Russian army. In front of all the soldiers, she tore off her uniform and revealed her identity as a woman in disguise, causing a huge sensation. But fate took away what it had just delivered, and Herr Grafemus died the very next day.
Louise then left the army, and wandered to St. Petersburg, where she worked for a Russian nobleman. In time she returned to Berlin, where she spent her days writing appeals to the government to receive a pension as the widow of a fallen soldier. When the king did give her a tiny pension of two thalers a year she became a most modern publicity seeker, finding journalists to tell her story. The owner of a porcelain factory even ordered cups made bearing her image! Her family back in Hanau refused to help her, because they were angry that she had continuously neglected them as well as her two children. Eventually she married a German publisher in Russia and settled in Riga, where she died in 1852, at the age of 67.â
How Jews Became Germans: The History of Conversion and Assimilation in Berlin, Deborah Hertz
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part of me will always feel bad for him because what the fuck do you mean he gets groomed/has a strange relationship with like 90% of the interactions with people he has... like yeah i'd probably crash out too tf đ my boy
taking a picture of my ipad to show my friend iâm on the last episode of part 1 and i accidentally took it at the perfect time iâm kind of obsessed
Shooting sensuality and unspoken intimacy in the van scene
The primary visual indicators of mood in this scene: warm tones, symmetry, sunlight, a sense of safety and spaciousness compared to other times weâve seen the van interior, with an emphasis on texture and the artistâs sensory experience:Â
the nap of the canvas, the strokes of paint, close ups on skin texture
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The Great Miscommunications of Will Byers and Michael Wheeler
Or, how to write a slow burn will-they-wonât-they [gay] romance for the ages
They understand each other in every way, except for one giant, glaring blind spot⌠how they feel about each other.
Why does this sound like a romance novel on the bookstore's front table during beach season? Itâs the legit story the Duffers wrote. Iâve summarised it below because itâs actually quite painful just how blind they are to each other, and despite all Willâs struggles, Iâm inclined to find Mike to be the more tragic character overall. Perhaps because thereâs something so pathetic (in the true meaning of the word; able to induce pathos and sympathy) about a sad little middle class boy/man who has Everything but actually Nothing.
Will has no worldly goods - we even see him give away his beloved DnD - but he has an abundance of riches in the form of a loving family. Mike is the lonely prince in the castle; Will is the stable boy with a heart of gold and a warm fire glowing in the hearth. If this were a period drama, then Mike would surely be that uptight little period drama man⢠that has haunted the pages of classical literature for centuries. He is the Byronic hero of Stranger Things, Mr Rochester scowling into his tea, Mr Darcy excusing himself from rooms and flexing his fingers after a momentâs skin contact. All he needs is a chemise and a velvet waistcoat and a pensive theme played on the clavichord.
And Will? Will is Farmer Oak from Far From the Madding Crowd, the shy and loyal shepherd who assumes that the lady of the house would never return his affection until she one day says 'but you wouldn't know, because you never ask. You never ask. So ask me.'
Itâs a tale as old as time.
.
Note : the word love, below and as in life, fluctuates in meaning. Iâve tried to capture the mindset per age group - when youâre 10, you do think youâre in love. Itâs only as you grow that you realise itâs a different kind of love that matures with you, intense in its own way. 14 year old you thinks âNOW I know love - what was I thinking at 10?â But 16 year old you says the same, then 19, then 25, then 30 and so on forever probably. So Iâve decided to embrace the word 'love' and let it change with the years, rather than imply that 10 year old Will and Mike were in true, deep, adult love.
.
Season 1
Will likes Mike in silence and shame. He has realised what kind of boy he is; perhaps he did long ago. He is ashamed that he doesnât hope it will pass - it is sweet torture to love Mike.
Meanwhile, Mike thinks Will is adorable and has loved taking care of him ever since they met. That's what friends do, right? A friend is someone you'd do anything for. So searching for him isnât even a choice, itâs an instinct. He doesnât understand why his friends donât seem to feel as strongly.Â
Season 2
Will is even more enamoured after the tales of his rescue - Mike is so brave. All his friends are. But now he feels awful and dirty, like the thing that was different about him is now also wrong. And only Mike seems to treat him as though heâs not a freak. Heâs so caring and soft. Will wishes he could give Mike something in return, but what?Â
Mike is in pain with so many losses in his life, and now Will is back, but also not back. Not his old Will. Thereâs glimmers of him, but something has changed. When itâs finally over and Will is free of the possession, things go back to normal... except something else has changed in Will too, and Mike can feel him slipping away when he dances with a girl at the snowball. Thereâs an insistent, elusive something beating somewhere behind Mikeâs ribcage; something he darenât look in the eye.
Season 3
Will feels Mike slipping away from him as they grow up, and the pain of it should help him move on from his best friend, right? But it doesnât. Everything only hurts more and more, especially when summer comes around and Mike canât even use schoolwork as an excuse for blowing his friends off anymore. Will feels forgotten, neglected, and yet drawn to Mike like a magnet. He leans into their childhood gameplay as a way of feeling some semblance of normality, until Mike says something that confirms all of Will's worst fears about his best friend.
Mike feels unseen by Will. Will seems to have returned to normal as if he didnât even see the anguish Mike went through when he was in danger. He danced with some girl at the snow ball like it was nothing. Now, Mike is spending all his time with El and Will still doesnât say anything. Does he even notice things have changed? Screw it, Mikeâs going to carry on until Will notices and starts caring about him as much as he cares about Will. Maybe he will come knocking at his house one evening and demand to know whatâs going on; maybe heâll come after Mike the way Mike has always gone after Will. Then Mike will know that Will feels as crazy and terrified as he does.Â
But Will never does. And then he leaves Hawkins for good. And this time, Mike canât bring him back.
Season 4 vol i.
Will tells himself that heâs accepted that Mike is in love with El. How could Mike not be, when theyâve been together so long? When every letter through the door is for her? When she's so lovely? Mike doesnât like Will. Not like that. But heâs his best friend, and thatâs enough, isnât it? So why doesnât he call? Why doesnât he care about him at all anymore? Maybe Will was too bold when they said goodbye? Maybe he freaked Mike out. But Mike always liked his artwork, so he paints him a picture. Truce. DnD, because Will misses playing it with the party so, so much. And if he sneaks his adoration for Mike into a tiny heart, and if that heart is a little on the nose and Mike accidentally-on-purpose realises what it truly means, well, then⌠that wouldnât be the end of the world, would it? And if he decides to dress a little more nicely than usual now that they can afford nice clothes, and Mike notices, well⌠that wouldnât be too bad either... would it?
Meanwhile Mike is navigating the darkest time of his life yet. Will is gone, and he canât save him. He canât rescue him from the Upside Down or some unknown dimension, because he knows exactly where he is; across the country in a place sunnier and cooler and better than lame old Hawkins in every way. And whatâs worse, he hasnât called Mike in months. Hasnât phoned, hasnât even written a letter or sent a photo of what heâs been up to. So thatâs it: heâs finally realised what a loser Mike is. And Mike has his final confirmation that he always cared more about Will than Will did about him. Will just wanted to play games and have fun, while Mike was slowly falling in love with him - yep, thatâs what that feeling behind his ribcage was, and on top of that, he now canât stop looking at all the upperclassmen at Hawkins High. So thatâs who he is, then? A guy who canât stop looking at other guys. Guys, everywhere. All except the one he wants to see most. He doesnât even know what Will looks like nowadays. Well, thatâs going to change soon, because tomorrowâs the day; heâs finally off to visit the Byers in California. What the fuck should he wear?? Oh, and apparently Will likes some rando girl now? As if high school without him wasn't awful enough.Â
Season 4, vol ii - Will
Will is relieved to find that being with Mike feels as familiar as it always did. Something is even actually better than usual. But Mike is so cut up about El and feels terrible about himself. Will had no idea he felt this way. He feels awful about not reaching out, about only thinking of his own shame. He gives his painting to Mike - it's still a gift, in a way, just a different kind of gift than it was intended to be. But Mike seems to love it. Of course he does - it's from El, after all. Will hears Mike tell El he loves her for the first time, though he doesn't know it. Mike saves the day, and saves El - Mike is someone else's rescuer now.
So why is El not talking to Mike? And why is Mike staying by Will's side?
Season 4, vol. ii - Mike
Every time Mike tries to stay angry at Will, he melts instead. He tries to fix their friendship, because being around Will feels good. Better than it ever did, which Mike didn't think was possible. And Will is going to come back to Hawkins with them - they'll save El and everything will be back to normal! Oh... but she's going to hate him when he tells her the truth. And Will might just hate him too. And he'll have to leave town for good because everyone will finally see who he is. Why does Will always know what to say? How does he understand Mike so well? It's like he can see right through him. Maybe he's always seen him. Has he...? No. El's dying, and Mike needs to save her. Like he always does. Saves people. It's what makes him Mike - Will said so. If he can't do this, what is he? If he's not the heart, what is he? So he tells El he loves her.
But now she's not talking to him.
But Will's still here, by his side. He always has been. Why is that? Why is he always...
... by his side?
The way it ended up sounding like a fanfic is hilarious because this is the actual story, folks. I wonder if the Duffers know they've written a classical romance that Jane Austen would be proud of and tucked it inside a Stephen King-shaped box.
Me too, Finn. Me too.
All clips taken from Pride and Prejudice and Demogorgons by Matt and Ross Duffer (2016-)
