#stranger things symbolism

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

I rise from my coffin The blue plaid flannel shirt represents parental roles, so when Lucas gave El the shirt to cover herself with, it was both a sign that Hop and Joyce were not going to be on her life for a while and the fact that Lucas does not ever fill that role for El, but he also doesn't let her feel alone I lie back down stiff as a board in an arc motion lest the sun disintegrate me

#do i sound insane yet? #platonic hopclair #hopclair #el hopper #lucas sinclair #stranger things #symbolism #stranger things analysis #stranger things symbolism #blue flannel #blueflannelgate

[stranger-chichka]

At the end of s4 we have this scene with Karen, who took some toys from the attic (the place where we see Vecna regaining his strength) and one of the toys is Nancy’s Mr. Rabbit. I feel this scene somehow parallels the one from s2, when Karen forces Mike to give his toys for the yard sale, even the ones that “have way too much emotional value.” On the contrary, she lets Nancy save Mr. Rabbit if she wants (however, Nancy decided “he’ll be more loved in his new home”).

We see Mike's giving away a monkey which is associated with childlike playfulness and curiosity (=Mike being forced to grow up -> "We're not kids anymore"), but he saves a dinosaur which may represent different things such as a dragon, protection (Will = protection), fear, past, Karmas, strength, courage, nobility and bravery.

(besides monkeys and dinosaurs there're sharks, a cow/bull and... is it a horse?)

Also, Dustin's wearing a hoodie with a dinosaur while he's reaching him in the same scene through the walkie-talkie and hearing Dart in his trash bin in s2 + he's the one mentioning the dinosaurs while talking about the Upside Down in s4.

We know that the dinosaurs are associated with Mike and Will. We see a lot of them in Mike's basement and Will's room. In s1 Mike shows El his toys: a Yoda figure and his dinosaur Rory ("red king"), but she looks totally uninterested in it.

In s2, when Will's drawing a "Zombie Boy" picture, we also see a dinosaur in his room (also, there's a smaller dragon toy near the terrarium and a picture of a tiger on the wall).

And in seasons 3 & 4 (credits to @howtobecomeadragon).

Dreams are an important part of s4, right? So I looked up what seeing a dinosaur in your dream could symbolise and OH MY GOD -- THAT STUFF IS SO TELLING!

A dinosaur in a dream indicates your old problem coming back and haunting you, just as you seem to have forgotten about them. Dinosaurs represent monsters from your past (=past traumas which the Upside Down represents as it stuck in the past). And they also indicate the dreamer's fear of change ("growing, changing" -> "you've grown"), fear of not being needed (=Mike's fear of not being needed), not knowing how to act & control emotions, overcoming life difficulties, beginning of a new phase and luck in your love life.

As for monkeys, to dream of them shows your desire to cleanse your life of anything immature and childish. It may also indicate a twisted personality (=Mike pretending he doesn't enjoy DnD in s3), being under the evil eye (= being watched by Vecna), not being taken seriously and some scandalous events.

Some other animals associated with Mike and Will are dragons, tigers and sharks.

Dream about dragons is symbolic of inner demons, internal (=internalised homophobia) and external (=bullies, homophobes & forced conformity) enemies, something that scares you & great prospects. If you see a dragon in your dreams, it means you are strong enough to face your fears and difficulties in life. You are also ready to protect yourself from any danger you may encounter. Seeing a dragon in dreams shows your bravery and patience in achieving your goals.

Seeing a tiger in a dream can symbolize a threat in real life. But also it's an embodiment of freedom, power, intuitive understanding, strength, courage, optimism, free spirit and protection. This mighty animal also reflects your subtle emotions and feeling of being restrained (= boys restraining their feelings toward each other)

Dreams featuring sharks may be our subconscious mind trying to get us to confront how we really feel (AND WE SEE "JAWS" POSTER IN THE SCENES WHERE MIKE REACHES OUT FOR WILL).

"We won't let him."

"Whatever it is, I think we should work together [= crazy together]. I think it would be easier if we're a team. Friends. Best friends."

A shark can also symbolise the humiliation you have faced in the past (both Will and Mike were bullied and humiliated) as well as anguish in your walking life, some challenging situations, a message for you to take action, and overcoming obstacles in real life.

And, of course, dogs my beloved (I already mentioned them here, here, here). They're associated with the boys and El. Dogs in dreams tend to symbolize human relationships, but are also associated with emotions you might be feeling toward a difficult situation in your life. Most often though, dreaming about a dog is a sign that you need to protect someone, or that someone unexpected might be protecting you.

The symbolism is insane!!!! And there're so many other animals associated with the characters, like owls, hawks, eagles, rabbits, butterflies, spiders, bears, deer, cows, bulls, horses, frogs etc. The brilliant minds, such as @kaypeace21 , @swftsrecord and definitely some others whose nicknames I can't recall already wrote about some of them. It is definitely worth being discussed in depth in a separate post because we have one more interesting scene with the toy reference.

6x04, the Cali gang is in Suzie’s house, where almost everything is from Mike’s POV. After the scene in the kitchen with two of Suzie's siblings cooking and adding salt into the dish, saying “Father’s kidneys! Father’s kidneys!” (I really like @doriandrifting 's analysis of that scene) Cornelius (the one who shoots a yellow arrow at Mike) turns off the electricity and we are shown Mike’s reaction. Eden says: “How many times do I have to tell you? That (=electricity=love) is not a toy!” Then she leads him past the boys (we can see Jonathan, Argyle, Mike and the grandfather’s clock but we can’t see Will) and sits him under the “TIME OUT!” poster with the words: “You make another escape, I’m getting Father.” Why do I have the feeling these words apply to Will? He escaped from the Upside Down in s1 and now Vecna threatens him with Lonnie?

I also found a subtle parallel to this scene from s1. I would never notice it if it weren’t for the timer. So, Karen is the one who visits Joyce in s1 and sees the lights in her house. She knocks 7 times (we hear it very clearly!!!) and brings a casserole with her.

Casse means “breakage”, “heist”, “damage”, "wrecker” from french, and rôle means “role" or “part”. Someone related to Karen caused damage/played a part in what happened to Will? 

As Joyce opens the door and talks with Karen the blue light behind her flickers.

When they're sitting in the kitchen the light from the window behind Joyce is yellow (yellow=Will=good) while it’s blue behind Karen (blue light= Vecna=evil because we see a lot of blue light associated with him). But Mike is also associated with blue, so the Creels & the Wheelers must be connected.

s1: Joyce explains light flickery as "electrical problems" to Karen when they're talking about Mike; s4: Eden says to Cornelius "this [electricity] is not a toy";

The lights flicker before Will goes missing and says "It was a 7." Light flickery = electrical problems = love problems. Mike needed more time because he wanted to finish the game = he needed more time to realise his feelings for Will, but TIME OUT. After "The demogorgon. It got me" (=Will already realised his feelings for Mike, because 7 is a capital L written upside-down -> Love) and "See you tomorrow" Mike let Will leave his house without saying anything to him. The demogorgon represents Will's feeling of shame, disgust and hate towards himself, because of 1) forced conformity and 2) the thought of his feelings not being reciprocated.

Holly is the one who notices the blinking of the lights (while Karen says to Joyce: “If you need anything, anything at all… Ted and I are here for you," then they’re talking about Mike and how he's dealing with Will's disappearance) and she follows them to Will's room. I wonder if she told something about what she saw Karen or not…I'm looking forward to Holly having her big moment in s5 (and Karen too)!

#stranger things #stranger things parallels #stranger things theory #will byers #mike wheeler #byler #stranger things symbolism #stranger things animals symbolism #stranger things meta

[sleepymrshmllow]

insp 🌸

#byler #mike wheeler #will byers #elmike #el hopper #stranger things #kydraws #reddit link jumpscare /hj but i couldnt find another place to link im too sleepy 😩 #some notes! due to misconceptions ive seen: #in my mind this is meant to be a mike centric piece representing him feeling torn between his feelings for will and the sortve #the comfort of normalcy he has being with el? (+ societal pressures). #the painting replaces the sword here to symbolize like the *thing* setting things off in mike's mind if that makes sense #the want and hope that the painting was a gift from will (the one he wants to be with) yet dealing with the conflicting feelings #of the painting actually being from el (obviously this isnt the case but lets say he fully believes will's lie about it being from her) #which is why both will and el are touching the painting but will has the paint on his hands (as well as having more of a grasp on it) #this is not meant to be a humorous piece! idk why i saw ppl implying this is meant to be a joke or mean towards el bc its absolutely not om #aand the from el tag was just mean being in a goofy mood lol wanted to add more cheesy symbolism #oh oh! and you can absolutely view this with bi mike in mind 😌💗

[greenfiend]

Back to school (in the apocalypse)

#tried to add some symbolism here #lmk if you notice any #byler #byler art #Will Byers #mike wheeler #the party #stranger things #stranger things art #stranger things 5

[gmaybe666]

wasteland baby, i’m in love, I’m in love with you

and i love too, that love soon might end,

be known in its aching, shown in the shaking,

lately of my wasteland, baby

day 1 of bylerween/ trapped in the upside down

inspired by @kidovna’s flicker gate byler artwork ✨

#bylerween2023 #trapped in the UD #I recycled this byler kiss drawing from another one #if the byler kiss happens like this in s5 the duffer brothers should pay me a million pounds and all the stranger things merch in the world #they’re kissing on the sofa in mikes basement tee hee #call back to when they sat on that sofa in the crazy together scene. im so smart and sexy #flickergate #?!? could be cute and very symbolic #byler #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things #stranger things art #mike wheeler art #byler art #will byers art

[mocha-mochii-blog]

guys I just noticed this on the left is Dr. Frank-N-Furter from Rocky Horror and on the right is Mike Wheeler’s main s4 outfit the triangle over the heart on the left was historically used to indicate people as gay and has now become frequent lgbt imagery (e.g. in Robin’s shirt) this is making me crack upppp

#byler #mike wheeler #mike wheeler is gay #stranger things #stranger things costume #byler is real #bi mike truther #bi mike wheeler #closeted mike wheeler #bylerendgame #mike gay symbolism #mike is gay #slay mike #stranger things costumes #byler analysis #mike wheeler analysis

[kingofanemptyworld]

genuine question, am I really not supposed to read into the fact that Kaneki ate part of Hide’s face, of all things? his mouth??

#tokyo ghoul #tokyo ghoul re #kaneki ken #hideyoshi nagachika #hidekane #I never actually finished re but when I found out what happened to hide… I mean #Tokyo ghoul is chock full of symbolism and I’m supposed to see some deeper meaning in kaneki’s decision here? #or hide’s for that matter??? #it’s one thing for your platonic best bro to say hey eat part of me so you can fight and survive #like. you’d go for something he can live with and possibly hide. like the shoulder. or side #or his leg #I know Kaneki isn’t totally in his right mind but that makes the decision so much stranger actually??? #his mouth. he ate his mouth #sorry I’m still losing my mind over this revelation

[thediktatortot]

“The Death Of Billy Hargrove”

(I’ve put my whole ussy into this piece and the hardest part was attempting how to color it and I’m still not satisfied 😔 oh well, it looks good regardless.)

#stranger things #billy hargrove #maxine mayfield #neil hargrove #Susan mayfield #catholic billy hargrove #religious themes #catholiscism #Billy is a Jesus reference #there is symbolism here #but also some things are just filler #illustration

[strawberrybyers]

no fr what is the symbolism of felines in stranger things because this can’t just be a random coincidence?? also the new pic of the duffer brother: that cat plushie!! a cat plushie is featured behind mike in one of the photos and that’s a screenshot from a season 1 episode 👀

#the pic on the right of suzie is a screenshot of suzie’s computer desk #it’s some doll of tiger from winnie the pooh #like what is the symbolism i’m going crazy #and the cat plushie! #what was happening in the scene of mike with the cat plushie #if they’re going back to s1 dynamics then it might mean something for s5 #byler #stranger things #stranger things analysis #stranger things theory #stranger things theories #also rip mews :(( as an orange cat owner mews death was DEVASTATING

[thatonesongyouretryingtoremember]

WHO WAS LOOKING FOR BUTTERFLY SYMBOLISM BECAUSE MAX HAD AN ORANGE ONE IN HER BEDROOM

#stranger things #max mayfield #stranger things symbolism #stranger things analysis

[luxelio]

A piece of Nate i did for @pkmnbwzine ! I think it came out very nice :)

Go check out the other cool stuff people have made there! it really is all fantastic!!

#pokémon #pokemon #trainer nate #pokemon nate #pokemon bw #pokemon black and white #pokemon bw2 #pokemon black and white 2 #I HAD SO MUCH FUN WITH THIS #IT WAS A BLAST AND TY AGAIN TO THE MODS OF THE ZINE FOR THE OPPORTUNITY #i tried to do a like- stardom news symbolism thing with this #idk how well it reads BUT it looks good so i'll take it #myart #my art #ANYWAY YEAH TY AGAIN AND TY STRANGER FOR READING THE TAGS!!

[because-life-where-change]

https://deanna-075.ftgae.xyz/tj/q9HlRsd

#dark academia vibes #geto suguru #polyamory #symbols #spicy site #dog #girl interrupted #stranger things smut #freddie mercury #what if #motherland fort salem #janna breslin #bl manhwa #aestehtic #lgbtq+

[aurorabyler]

CRITICAL MUSICAL SYMBOLISM IN STRANGER THINGS ACROSS 3 SEASONS SETTING UP FOR ST5

Will’s First Lie & First I Love You

STRANGER THINGS NATION, BYLER NATION, WATCH, LISTEN, AND READ THIS WHOLE POST VERY CAREFULLY. NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE HAVE TALKED ABOUT THIS SO PLEASE SPREAD

this is one of my favourite details in stranger things and i love how it connects the different relationships in the show. i’ve thought this melody had a lot of narrative significance ever since season 3, but now that all of season 4 is out, i’m even more amazed by how this soundtrack ties everything together—especially with byler.

my nerd brain picked up on the similarities between these three songs—The First Lie, The First I love You, and Being Different, from seasons 2, 3, and 4 respectively.

The First Lie is played during the scene where Jonathan and Nancy hook up in season 2 following Murray’s encouragement. It’s a reference to Nancy not being truthful about her feelings towards Steve and could have a few double meanings, including the LIE literally being Nancy and Jonathan sleeping together (hence, LYING together), as well as Jonathan’s trust issues that Murray talks about.

The First I love You plays during Robin’s coming out and also El saying I love you to Mike (that Mike appears confused by in season 3). My favourite detail here is that the word “love” in the song is not capitalized. This may seem insignificant, but when you look at the ENTIRE stranger things soundtrack pre season 4, no other words have been in lowercase. This was intentional, both for Mike/El’s awkward kiss, and Steve/Robin’s love for each other, which is not romantic, since Robin is a lesbian. It starts out as one-sided for Steve and then we obviously see their amazing friendship.

Here’s where the symbolism gets super interesting. There’s no way this is not intentional. In season 4 vol 2 when Will gives Mike the painting, he confesses to Mike but covers it up with El’s name. He then turns away from Mike and cries, muffling the sound with his hand. It’s been emphasized throughout the show that Will is unable to lie to Mike. Literally season 1, episode 1: “it was a seven. The demogorgon, it got me.” Lucas encourages Will to not say anything to Mike since he didn’t see the roll, but Will physically cannot lie to him. This theme is seen with byler again and again throughout the show. Will never lies to Mike. EXCEPT, in this scene in season 4.

Will covers up his feelings. It’s a weird halfway point. He lies to Mike for the first time, and he can’t bear it, combined with all his other feelings for him. THE SONG THAT PLAYS DURING THIS SCENE, BEING DIFFERENT, has the exact same melody as BOTH THE FIRST LIE AND THE FIRST I LOVE YOU.

Are you guys hearing this??

It’s both the first time Will lies to Mike in the show AND the first time he somewhat confesses the truth, that he loves Mike. The melody of First Lie/First I love You ONLY STARTS once Will finishes up his monologue and turns away to cry, realizing what’s just happened.

This is literally insane musical symbolism.

I compiled a video with Will’s scene at the end for you guys to see how similar the songs are.

Let me know what you think of this!

#byler #stranger things 4 #the first lie #the first i love you #being different #musical symbolism #subtext #stranger things #stranger things theory #st4 #byler is endgame

[fill-card-lose]

#bridal #luna #the lion king #symbols #into the spiderverse #weight loss #girl interrupted #hartwin #stranger things smut #luke hemmings imagine #jaehyun #writers #janna breslin #gorgeous #aestehtic

[gay-mike-truther]

i just... one of the main themes of stranger things is being "weird" or a "freak" or "not fitting in". and there's probably no one that relates to that more than the queer community. the show is supposed to show that it's ok to be weird, it's good to be different. so if the show ends with the gay best friend being alone and there only being straight couples... idk that just doesn't sit right with me

#byler #ronance #steddie #elmax #stranger things #stranger things s5 #does this make sense #byler endgame #byler canon #byler needs to be endgame #it's become a symbol of hope for me and so many people #to prove that queer people can have a happy ending #idk i'll just be so disappointed if it doesn't happen

[doriandrifting]

I love going through my camera roll, because I make shit like this and then immediately forget about it only to uncover it nine months later like hmmm what was the inspiration here? who knows? not me.

#i remember editing the phone next to him bc symbolism #byler #stranger things #mike wheeler #i know what you are #will byers #shitpost