mileswrlds

[mileswrlds]

unpopular opinion (as in i've never seen anyone else say this), spotify wrapped barely counts for those without premium.

the inability to skip as many songs as they want, to play the specific song they want to hear without having to go through five or six others, and with shuffle constantly on – well, the spotify algorithm likes to play a very small batch of many songs on the playlist, ultimately screwing up their tracking.

it's usually never an accurate depiction of what the listener actually likes. on mine, my top song was one i don't like that much. it just happened to play more due to the algorithm, and with the inability to skip songs, i had no choice but to wait it out to listen to the music i actually want to listen to.

spotify should not have a premium setting. it should be accessible to everyone, because really, the app is great. it's wonderful and it's easy to find songs and grow an audience as a small musician/band, but it's extremely hard when premium separates the experience. spotify is practically unbearable without premium. packed with ads every two songs, the shitty algorithm that makes the "shuffle" option basically useless (though you can't even turn it off because that's a premium feature), and the inability to skip more than 6 songs an hour ON THE APP. if you used up all your 6 and think, "well, i'll just check it later and then skip," you are WRONG. it only counts the hour that you spend listening to music you're not in the mood for until you finally get to the kind of music you want. and by that point, there's no point to using the skips. rinse and repeat.

maybe i'm wrong about this, it's probably good that spotify has a premium setting because their revenue otherwise would plummet, but at least make it more affordable and accessible to those who can't get it because it's $9.99 every month. some people can't afford to pay for that. it's unfair to them that spotify is basically unusable just because they can't pay ten dollars every month for years to listen to music however they want. it should be cheaper to do that. they're a multi-million dollar company, lowering the cost of premium isn't that hard.

spotify wrapped barely counts for anything without premium.

#spotify #spotify wrapped #i'm young and i'm mad #music apps #spotify premium #spotify free #spotify is unfair #unpopular opinion #hot take #don't yell at me i'll cry #i'm right #short rant #mini rant #music discussion

[mileswrlds]

lucas' character is so solid and his personality is actually realistic, he's never done anything to purposefully hurt other characters. genuinely so pissed that there are very few people who adore him like i do.

and yes, absolutely, not only black creators should be talking about this! as a hispanic/portuguese creator, LUCAS SINCLAIR DESERVES SO MUCH MORE THAN THIS FOR BEING THE SWEETEST LIL GUY.

What rlly bugs me about that favorite character poll is how LITTLE votes Lucas specifically has. he’s in the bottom three when he is objectively one of the most well written characters on the show?? There is NO REASON he shouldn’t be at least a little closer to contending with Steve like Will is, but hes not and gosh I wonder why 🤨

Stranger Things fans I see you. I see your racism. It’s not subtle. It’s actually very loud and it needs to be addressed more on here bc it’s a HUGE PROBLEM that I’ve noticed even more so in this fandom than in others.

And black creators shouldn’t have to be the only ones talking about it or even just bringing it briefly up either.

[mileswrlds]

Mike’s love for El being platonic, and not romantic, and realizing it over the course of season 3 reconciles nearly every contradiction with his behaviour.

He stands like a gay scarecrow as she kisses him in front of Will’s closet. That’s him realizing that when he blurted out “I love her and I can’t lose her again!” he meant it platonically. But her saying “ily too” WAS CLEARLY NOT PLATONIC, so now he’s left very confused (If he was simply shocked by the fact that she overheard him, he would’ve been surprised initially, and then kissed her back, and been all emotional and happy. But he wasnt.) 

In fact he probably realized his heart fluttered when Will said “not possible” to him in the scene literally 1 minute prior, but NOT when his gf was attempting to make out with him? That’s clearly a problem! lol

This leads flawlessly into season 4.

Mike has apparently been refusing to even write the word ‘love’ in his letters for 6 whole months. Why? Cause he didn’t want them to look like love letters.

Meanwhile, he’s jealous of Will painting something for a girl. So he argues with Will about growing apart.

El argues with him about not saying ily. In the fight, he deflects romantic connotations with words like “care” and superhero idolization that he seems suuuper into this season.

He NODS when Will says “What if they don’t like the truth?”. That’s him thinking “Yeah, El won’t like the truth that I don’t return her romantic feelings.”

In the van, he says their meeting was dumb luck and anyone could’ve been there for her that night. That’s hinting that he was just being a decent human. Not that it was a fated love at first sight meeting.

Then Will says, “You’re afraid of losing her”. And THAT is the true issue here.

This whole concept of ‘losing El’ (be it in relationship/daily life, or in death), is scary to Mike, because of what he went through seasons 1-2. At 12 years old, he saw another kid that he developed a bond with, die right in front of his freaking eyes. But they didn’t have a body or anything. So Mike kept getting signs and intuitive feelings that she was still alive. So he questioned his own sanity. For a WHOLE YEAR. Can you imagine how traumatic that is? And then for a kid that age?? That’s exactly why he develops an unhealthy codependency with her in Season 3. And we see it have a negative impact on the unity of the party, and on Will.

But a traumatic response doesn’t change the fact that Season 3 transitions us through the party’s puberty and growth into teenage hood. 

And because of said puberty, Mike starts to realize what actual attraction towards someone is, or in this case… isnt.

Like if we think about the first two seasons, for a 12-13 year old living in that type of society, era, and a picture perfect white suburban American family, it would’ve been really really hard to figure it out back then! Like simply becoming very close friends with the opposite gender caused everyone (cough Nancy cough Lucas) to tell him that “ooooh you must like her”. So yeah, he thinks “I really must like her”. Because he does! He just can’t separate it from actual romantic attraction at that point due to age, and strong heteronormative standards, and no role models like Jonathan telling him “it’s okay to stray from the norm bro”. So of course he acts on it? That’s the NORM. He’s like, “You’re supposed to take a girl you like to the ball”, “We’re supposed like girls now”, “This is what growing up means”, “This what old people do”. Like HELLO? Mike says stuff similar to that constantly. Dustin and Lucas do not. So yeah, it can be easily be read as heteronormativity. Not romantic attraction!

And so despite wanting to spend every day in the summer with El because of copious amounts of trauma from S1-2, he can’t continue believing its romantic attraction when his hormones say otherwise. 

Like just look at their kissing scenes S3-4:

Seasons 3 starts with him pulling her hands OFF of him when kissing. He’s voluntarily kissing her instead of spending time with his friends, cause he thinks that’s what he’s supposed to do as he’s “not a kid anymore!”, yet he’s evidently not even enjoying it if he’s taking her hands off lol. Then by the end of the season he doesn’t even kiss back, and has his eyes wide open. Then six months later, when he’s way more self aware of his own feelings, this dude wears SUNGLASSES to the airport. We (and all the characters there) can’t even see his true expression when kissing her. And what’s more, he puts the bouquet of flowers between their bodies, to SEPARATE FASTER. When he could’ve very easily put that hand/arm around her, not between them (that’s what he does with his other hand holding the bags).  

And all of this: all this repression, the contradictions, the unsaid things… it all culminates to the monologue. Will told Mike in the van that El really needed him. And then Will reminds him of this again when El is in the piggyback, cause Will is annoying! (jokes lol). So of course, all rationality, all of Mike’s realizations or progression, goes out the window. After all, he is THE HEART. He is needed by her. He can’t go through what he went through in season 1-2 again! It doesn’t matter if it’s not totally true. He needs to tell her what she wants to hear so she won’t DIE. The stakes are extremely high. So he delivers. He even takes all his knowledge of mediocre romance stories, and blurts out that it was love at first sight. It’s silly to us the audience, cause if you actually go back and watch season 1 you can see that it’s not even fucking true. 

So why would he lie? Well because he doesn’t KNOW when he fell in love with El. Because he never fell in love with her. So yeah. It’s PLATONIC with a capital P.

(And to add a cherry on top, he gives his sister’s ring to her jfc) 

[mileswrlds]

STOP IT BC IM SO SCARED FOR HIM

Awww! Mike getting two loving hugs! Good thing both of these characters hugging him aren’t both wearing grid/web imagery which indicates Henry’s presence and/or predation and abuse- oh, wait. whoops.

henry is going to get him in s5, I just know it.

[mileswrlds]

hot take but neither steve nor jonathan are the best allies. why, you may ask? well, it's because they are both gay as hell.

#stranger things #mini rant #hot take #steve harrington #steve harrington is bisexual #steve harrington is gay #jonathan byers #jonathan byers is bisexual #lgbtq #lgbtq things #gayer things #everyone is gay #everyone is trans

[mileswrlds]

jonathan protecting them w the ally flag is so real 😭

A silly little post for the gay Mike truthers<3

#gay mike wheeler #gay mike truther #mike wheeler #byler #byler tumblr #i will never forget this post

[mileswrlds]

will and el were truly meant to be pseudo-siblings.

will feels like he's a mistake; el feels like she's a monster. they both feel inherently wrong in some way.

will grew up thinking that there was something about him that wasn't quite right. he grew up and fell in love with his best friend, a boy, even after he's been told so many times that it wasn't right for a boy to like a boy. he's been made to feel like a mistake, something that needed to be corrected or fixed in some way. and the only person that can turn the volume down on this feeling, is mike.

el grew up believing that her powers would be the death of her. she hurt so many people in her early life, and regrets it. she feels like she is a monster; so evil and ill-intentioned that she doesn't deserve to love or be loved by anyone, and feels that everyone fears her. the only person that can turn the volume down on this feeling, is max.

the mistake & the monster. the wonder twins. the melancholy twins. the weird byers siblings.

they never felt a single touch of happiness in season four and i demand more scenes of the two of them being domestic siblings.

#stranger things #mini rant #eleven #will byers #byler #elmax #platonic #the wonder twins #the melancholy twins #the byers family #the byers siblings

[mileswrlds]

first hot take of the night because school is seriously kicking my ass:

Steve Harrington and Mike Wheeler are lactose intolerant on two different ends of the spectrum. Steve will consume mass amounts of dairy then severely regret it, only to do it again. Mike will melt into a puddle of agonized screaming if you drink a glass of milk near him + he would walk into a dairy place (ex. scoops ahoy) and ask if they have anything non-dairy.

#stranger things #mike wheeler #steve harrington #headcanons #hot take #me and my silly little hyperfixation #i think i am neurodivergent #steve harrington is bisexual #i felt the need to clarify #'hey watch stranger things 4 it might be cool to get back into it' #it's been seven months help

[mileswrlds]

michael "i need to be in control" wheeler. michael "i hate the way you make me feel" wheeler. MICHAEL "I CAN'T BE YOUR FRIEND BECAUSE I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH TO PRETEND" WHEELER. MICHAEL "I WON'T SAY I LOVE YOU BECAUSE WHEN YOU LEAVE IT WILL HURT LESS" WHEELER.

ok. so this will be relatively half-assed.

i think that mike is one of the most complex characters on stranger things that's really under appreciated and overhated because this complexity can come off as him being one dimensional. TRUST ME, mike is not the one dimensional asshole you think he is.

first of all, he clearly has trouble expressing his feelings. we're shown that he can express EMOTIONS relatively fine, but we are never shown that it is easy and effortless for him to reveal his feelings to someone else. and when he does, its to will.

every time mike has ever had a heart-to-heart, think about the scenes before this emotional talk. in my mind, all i can see are fight scenes. isn't that super telling that he can't express feelings without probable cause that could lead to something like..i don't know, LOSING WILL?

not only that, but he's compared to max often. in season four, their characters are paralleled quite a lot if you ever take the time to really look at each scene. this could be the way the duffers are choosing to subtly give the audience hints as to what's going on with mike. we all remember max's depression in s4, it's kind of hard to miss.

but let's not forget that mike and max both have such similar personalities in s4. they are both irritated and sort of snappy a lot. the only difference is that mike was able to have a moment of peace with will. and even then, there is clear distress and confusion in his micro-expressions (if that's what they're called).

following, at the end of s4 in hopper's cabin, nancy says that she's "seen mike's room look worse than this". this implies that mike has left a mess of his room, when we all know that s1-3 mike wouldn't ever. not only that, but the basement is a mess too. cereal boxes, bowls, plates, trash, a pillow and a blanket on the couch as if mike had been sleeping there. this is a part of depression.

his grades are slipping too, as said by dustin that he has a C in spanish before the scene cuts to max in the counselor's office discussing her grades and how they're "not like her". ANOTHER PARALLEL.

i don't know guys. as someone with diagnosed depression, it feels like mike has depression too.

i think he really deserves a thorough character analysis, and not just from the viewpoint of his relationship with will, but his relationship with himself and his family too. this boy is so good at hiding things from his friends and the audience that i think he might be vecna's next target tbh. why do i say this? bc he just like me fr

#stranger things #mike wheeler #mini rant #character analysis #michael wheeler #byler #vecna stranger things #byler is canon #byler is requited

[mileswrlds]

oh ur a byler enthusiast? ok so who is going to confess first and why is it michael wheeler.

#byler is canon #mike wheeler #stranger things #byler #byler tumblr #byler is endgame #be gay make byler canon #byler rights #byler better be canon #will byers

[mileswrlds]

don't talk to me i'm thinking about this

YOU GUYYYYYSSS HOLY SHIT HOW DID I NEVER PUT THIS TOGETHER BEFORE??? FROM MIKE’S POV, WILL IS ALWAYS BATHED IN SUNLIGHT, RIGHT?  AND HOW DO YOU ESCAPE FROM VECNA? WHAT’S THE SOURCE OF  LOVE AND HOPE? WHAT DOES MAX DO?

SHE FINDS THE LIGHT. YOU FIND THE LIGHT. 

MIKE FOUND THE LIGHT!! WILL IS HIS LIGHT!! he reaches INTO THE LIGHT. HE LITERALLY LOOKS INTO IT, IN THE CABIN.

EVEN THOUGH THEY HEARD THE SAME SOUND, WILL IS LOOKING ELSEWHERE, BUT MIKE’S IS TURNING BACKWARDS, TO THE LIGHT- MIKE FOUND HIS LIGHT!!

Just like how Joyce followed the lights to find Will, just like how Max escaped Vecna, just like how El was able to talk to her mother- you follow the light! And mike is following the light.

[mileswrlds]

*shakes fictional character* where is the rest of your information I want to know more about you

[mileswrlds]

oh nothing, i'm just thinking about how mike is will's first (and only, we can assume with s5 being the last season) love. he thought he would spend the rest of his life with mike (implied when mike asked in s3 if he thought they'd spend the rest of their lives sitting in his basement playing d&d, and he said "yeah i guess i did, i guess i really did"), he has matching watches with mike, he gives almost all of his artwork to mike (because no one appreciates will's art as much as mike does), he loves mike so much that he would sacrifice his own feelings to be sure that he is happy.

but other than that, i'm not doing anything lmao...

#byler #byler is canon #byler is real #stranger things #will byers #mike wheeler #byler analysis #short rant #mini rant #shipping

[mileswrlds]

i honestly think that lucas and max are soulmates, and not in the sense of the word where there's someone out there in the world that's tied to you somehow like you read in fiction or see in movies. i just mean like, they were destined to find each other one way or another. in runaway max, max says that she's never felt happier when she's with lucas.

in lucas on the line, despite max's depression and grieving, he tries to be there for her completely, even through their breakup. it shows that he cares for her so much, as both a friend and a partner.

another thing worth mentioning, lucas saying in season 3 that max broke up with him dozens of times and yet every single time, they got back together. just !! them!! i could talk about them for hours. they're so sweet together, and lucas is so caring and understanding with her :( especially in lucas on the line. i need them to be okay in season 5. like i don't really mind how they go about max's character to make it happen, but they need to be a happy couple again. it's literally like they were made to be with each other. max is sarcastic, a little bit mean, and prone to mostly being alone. lucas is honest, gentle, and prone to being around people. they compliment each other so well guys plea

#lumax is endgame #lumax #lumax s4 #lumax supremacy #lumax my beloved #stranger things #mini rant #runaway max #lucas on the line