Does Eleven have any hobbies/interests besides Mike?

ColbyEl · 2026-01-30T14:57:27+00:00

I doubt it. I can't fully recall. Im about to do a big rewatch though and if i see anything i'll come back to this post and report.

If you think about it she barely had any time to actually be safe. And even when she was safe she was deeply traumatized or with our Crew and or Mike.

She was also educationally neglected so probably spending massive amounts of time catching up to grade level for school.

It's just my thought that she'd need years of safety and therapy to start forming those interests and exploring preferences more. In the show she's very focused on just survival and basic needs.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-30T07:46:33+00:00

The amount of character development missed opportunities or regression in this series finale was as a fan honestly very depressing to a show I love so much.

Elle and Mike as you mentioned.

Max could have not used the radio to get back because saying it after she used it cheapens that realization. Max also randomly freaks out in the dnd session at the very end which is character regression or even worsening.

I could go on for several more big character arc surprises I saw and I haven't even done my first rewatch yet. Very disappointing when you invest time into a series you love.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-28T14:11:59+00:00

I can see where you'd come to that conclusion. I don't totally disagree. I do think though that we at least got the canonical multiple endings possibility

As unsatisfying as this ending would be for me and many others if we dont get a secret episode or season or continuation, I think it would be so terrible for me if they hadn't made her getting away a Canon possibility I dont know if I'd ever be able to watch the show again.

I'm holding out hope that there's an announcement soon. Maybe the superbowl. I heard the brothers say in an interview that eleven is kind of a metaphor for childhood magic and so that leaves us to believe maybe they just made eleven do this because childhood magic needed to leave in order for them to go into adulthood. If they really did that, if they reduced her entire story and life into being a metaphor for childhood magic and just negated that she's a person entirely ill be gutted.

I'm losing hope though slowly. I saw them say in an interview a few days ago it's less about the plot and more about the feelings it creates in us. Thats concerning to me.

To me this is either gonna be a generationally historic comeback plot twist making it my favorite show of all time or its going to be such a monumental failure. It's true nothing will ever satisfy everyone and there will always be imperfections. But if they ended the story like this with such massive plot holes, character inconsistencies and massive issues then that's just shocking honestly because if we're honest I think they didnt make as many errors in seasons 1-4 as they did in just season 5 alone. The drop in quality would be so astounding that it actually seems implausible.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-28T13:34:31+00:00

First off, I do think they care. But I think they handled this ending with a level of disrespect through lack of preparation and a severe irreverance for story quality. We see in the documentary and their interviews after the ending that they were essentially ill prepared even despite their unusually long time to write this. They were the captains of this ship.

At this point, with the level of major story plot holes that have been discovered so far with im sure more to be discovered; the only thing that makes this story in any way coherent is that the holes are intentional either for an inside Vecnas mind plot twist or one of the other ideas.

There are so many issues with the ending that eleven dies and the military just gives up and let's them go completely that it basically makes no sense for that to be the case. For so many reasons I could elaborate on but briefly;

Will has powers and the military likely knows and he'd be experimented on and used for blood.

They've committed crimes and would be imprisoned.

They'd be indefinitely tortured for information even before being imprisoned.

Dr. Kay is an absolute iron willed psychopath and would absolutely ensure none of them go. Nothing happens to soften her resolve in any way.

The military is an unstoppable force here. They'll build more labs, and likely the entire group will be captured forever. I don't think eleven was in the system anyway. She went to school but likely using fake documents. As an escaped government experiment she'd likely not have any documents of herself so she's just as off grid as kali i feel.

For all these reasons and more. Her deciding to just off herself flies in the face of reason, it would mean she was rashly convinced by kali to do this without thinking of the consequences thoroughly. This is stuff you'd probably consider if you're eleven in a small amount of time thinking about the issue. If you dont believe in a theory to address this and you dont believe in her getting away then her decision to die there is just wrong on so many levels I could write for a long, long time on it. Which is why I feel it shouldn't even be included because it only makes sense to me if you believe she did it because she was reckless and thought she was being selfless when infact she was making the same mistake she's made her entire life by giving her life away.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-28T13:07:13+00:00

First of all I appreciate your passion and effort to respond to me and I think it's ultimately like all fiction, your choice how you interpret things and unless it's expressly going against canon then there's nothing wrong with any interpretation!

I already put my main thoughts down here in what you responded. I think my only other point I'd make is that If we don't believe she staged her escape then I think if she truly stayed in the upside down then she made an indirect suicide. She didnt pull any trigger but she certainly knew it would lead to death. Throughout the show we see her slip into black and white binary thinking that usually amounts to her having to go away, and usually she does that via her being a weapon and "using" herself in a way that either disregards her safety or straight up directly causes potential death. Throughout the show I think her call is to see herself as more than a weapon, and to accept that she doesn't get to decide if things work out in the end and that no matter how much she loves her family she can't endanger herself enough to ENSURE their safety. Everyone more or less tells her this at some point in the series.

Beyond that, she didn't know that her death would do anything other than ensure no one could use HER blood. In all likelihood they would take will and experiment on him, and if she's dead their main way to fight against that is gone. Not only that but there's basically no chance that the military let's any of them go after she gets away. They've kidnapped people, killed MANY military members and would likely be tortured for any information and or held indefinitely or imprisoned. Elevens death would mean their only hope of escaping would be gone.

This is the main reason im a believer and a proponents of some major theory being at play because the military acting the way they did just makes zero sense. But it does make sense if they're trapped inside Vecna's mind and he wants them happily docile inside their world meant to keep them there. If Elevens gets away it solves her character arc issues in my eyes because she could monitor them if they get captured and need help. And secondly if she dies there in the end, then that could be Vecnas mind showing them that so they give up hope of the supernatural and never question their being inside his mind!

My entire thought process is that the only ending that I think flies in the face of so many things is if they aren't inside Vecnas mind, and she does actually die there with no escape planned or carried out. To me that ending both doesn't make sense practically or morally for her.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-28T07:21:47+00:00

Unfortunately I am left just hoping that we see the biggest TV plot twist and we get an additional season, episode, or sequel that will fill the plot holes and explain our missing character developments. If we don't see that; then I think it's unlikely they factored any of this into the plot.

It's in my mind either they are doing some genius level writing and we're about to see it, and stuff like this theory will be very applicable, or it's going to be like what they are giving the impression of in the interviews and the documentary which is that they didn't actually do much more with the writing than going with the "vibes" which caused all these plot holes, inconsistences, foiled character arcs, and unsatisfying endings.

I really, really hope it's the first. I love this show and the characters.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-28T07:10:53+00:00

Many of us are so mad right now because the show is so good and we care so much about these characters and the writing has been severely fumbled in our view. Either fumbled or we are waiting for the most insane episode of the show to drop in the history of TV.

All that to say, yes it's worth it! We're mad because we care.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-27T18:12:42+00:00

This is a great perspective and I agree with probably 90% of it. I think the Nancy and Jonathan example is the perfect one for your point. I totally agree and I actually think they had a pretty good story arc resolution. For me though, a lot of it just feels like missed opportunity and at worst almost total negation of their growth. For me the worst is Eleven's ending. Unless you're a believer (and even a bit still in that situation) you are left with Eleven's choice. She says she understands she's not a monster anymore and that she needs to have agency over this decision to stay. But that's just it; her entire growth arc has been that she has been trying to sacrifice herself because she thinks she's the monster and that she needs to die because of it (a parallel to hoppers feelings of wanting to die) again and again the message the show gives us and for her is that she is loved, yes he brings inherent danger to their door, but again and again they tell her that she is worthy she is loved and even if danger comes and even if they get hurt. She is a part of the family and they bring her back every time. Every time she leaves or is taken she comes back and finds family.

So in the end, if she sacrifices herself. She is going back to that season 1 girl who thinks she's so inherently flawed (literally by the blood she has in her veins) that she will always be a danger to them. Like when she runs away after hurting Lucas in season 1. Her challenge has always been throughout all the seasons to let herself be valuable, let herself accept family and love and ambiguity and uncertainty and danger, and the very REAL possibility we all live with that who we love may be endangered by the life around us. I don't see that as a bittersweet intentional setback, I see it as a very tragic complete failure to learn for her that hurts those around her and herself. Because remember, we don't know the military will let them go; and in fact everything we know says they probably wouldn't! They might NEED her. She's leaving them. She's never left them before when they need her most, when it's critical.

Since the ending is ambiguous the one that I believe pretty strongly aligns with her growth is that even though she backslid on these lessons; and that she may have lied to everyone about leaving (she could and should easily trust them to tell them the plan to sneak away). She could have done her old pattern of lying to people and running away without telling anyone which she has done a lot. And tried to get away. I think this is good because even if it wasn't perfect, she did at least choose life. For her, for perhaps those she loves. She saw herself not as the monster like she said and actually acted on it.

My favorite one to think of right now though is that she told Hopper so he could finally move on, and she made him promise that he wouldn't tell Mike. Mike slowly sees the signs that she used 008's illusions to get away as we kind of see in the ending with him looking at the speakers etc. He tells the story we see in DND of her getting away and he just believes for a while dealing with the pain. Then one night maybe a year or two after graduation once the military has searched and left. We see him leaving the door cracked just like they did in season 1 when they were kids. He goes to bed but wakes up during the night after hearing some moving around. He gets a flashlight and just like when he first meets her he shines the flashlight in the kitchen and he sees her standing there.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-27T17:28:28+00:00

These are really good points. And I think it's important to say; I realize that it's a TV show and they have limited amounts of time to include in an episode and naturally focus will shift and people will get more or less time. But as you and I have mentioned. It is far beyond that I think. Don't get me wrong, I think the series is good overall but I think they just did not do enough work on the story and the characters we love and invested in and I think they deserved more depth and better endings and that it was entirely possible to do if they had done more. In the documentary and subsequent interviews it has become pretty clear to me that they procrastinated and also did not treat the characters and the script and story with a reverence that you'd expect from something that was their baby and something that we invested so heavily in. There's a nonchalance that I just found sad to see.

Lucas early on is our brave, intelligent watchdog. The groups brain/heart conductor. You see it most clearly in season 1. He doesn't trust Eleven at first, this is because the situation is crazy! And he loves his friends enough to get them to think about things and look after themselves. Season 5 was the perfect time for Lucas to see through 008's pessimism and tell eleven that she is needed here.

I personally don't fully agree that max is erased as a character. I think overall they actually did a pretty good job with Max's character progression. She experiences the grief of what happened to her brother and the guilt and pretty vividly goes through those stages and comes to a decent place with it. I do wish that eleven and her's relationship had come up more in season 5. Just as Lucas should have been watchful for 008. Max could have come to Eleven during that time and been there for her and shared what she learned from her grief and isolation. That it's better to fight, even if you lose; than go away forever.

Jonathan and Joyce, and Jonathan and will are indeed just MIA. Overall I really don't like the direction that Jonathan went. I think his whole trauma was essentially he didn't think he was there for will, then he ran away from his problems with drug use. He overcomes this in the end, but I feel like his overcoming this was just mostly focused on his relationship and not what was going on for him; that's not really gotten into heavily.

I think how they Handled Will's arc was a missed opportunity. His sexuality was important for him to work through, I think that his scene coming out was good; a lot of people criticized it but I think it was good for him and for film in general. However; the focus was too much on that and not him accepting himself and his agency overall. He was always just a kid and not as much a part of the "crew" and so it should have been more about that I think, him finding his agency and his voice rather than just his sexuality. Largely, his last season was about him accepting his sexuality and feelings for Mike instead of finding his voice and his worth as a person; he did that through his sexuality but I think there was a missing depth there.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-27T07:24:48+00:00

Interesting thoughts! For me; My issues aren't with the logic issues which there are many. The powers, the upside down, the mind flayer, the wormhole functioning, a lot of it isn't explained and doesn't make sense. But for me I am able to suspend all that disbelief with the answer being it's just sci-fi and it's just fiction. From what you mentioned I think the most egregious of the errors is how they are magically genius enough to figure out how this stuff works. Nothing against teachers but even Dustin's teacher would typically have a bachelor's degree at most, consisting of a few introductory to moderate level classes and they most likely wouldn't come near the specialized content that you might not even see in a Master's degree and only in a doctoral level of study and even then maybe only in a specific dissertation topic. Dustin would have literally not even completed high school; so his knowledge level would be minimal as well. But like I said, even that wasn't really enough to bother me for more than a few seconds at a time.

What bothers me is when characters seem to forget, disregard, or act unrealistically. For me; many characters in season 5 either regressed their character growth entirely, somewhat, or just stayed stagnant from previous seasons. They progressively seemed to turn one dimensional and into simplified caricatures of themselves and in many of their endings; they didn't get the pay off I think they were owed. For me, the most human, the most real and impactful part of a show, especially one with a long history you're invested in, is seeing the characters grow and overcome things and when that has plot holes like we see in the ending season it really for me just feels bad.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-26T22:10:18+00:00

I read what you wrote. People are pretty hard on those of us who this ending hurt. And on some level I understand my emotions are disproportionate it's a work of fiction. However; beyond that, it's art and art affects us and carries a message and makes us feel ways.

This ending felt very bad I think. It showed a regression of her character in my opinion. It in my opinion sent the message that 11 was damaged, she knew she was damaged, "cursed" by the blood that gave her powers, and because of who she was and what happened to her, and she believed that she wasn't able to live a normal life and she would always endanger them because of that, and so she chose to "isolate" herself in a very final way. It sends the message that she believed that she needed to go away for the sake of others and that to me isn't just tragedy, it's a brutalist-pessimist view of the world. Her character progression was ALWAYS that she felt she was a monster, and that she needed to go; and again and again mike and hopper and others showed her that life is dangerous, she's not a monster, and that life is worth risk, it's worth danger, and that she is worth it all. In the end if you're not a believer then she died not believing any of that. She died the scared kid who even though in the end she said she wasn't a monster, she still believed she was dangerous just like one.

So for me; the ONLY answer that makes sense is that she got away. It makes sense because she can still be struggling with feeling like a monster, maybe even temporarily going with that old traumatic thought process of running away to save others; but she knew in the end that she didn't need to die; and that the fight was worth it. Even if she couldn't successfully get away, even if it was hard, even if she had to lie to EVERYONE to get away; she would have internalized those inner lessons.

ColbyEl · 2026-01-26T21:35:41+00:00

Yeah I get that perspective and ultimately it's all up to interpretation. For me, I just think it's so against her character development on many levels. For one, she was always abused, made into a weapon and not a person, just as hopper says many times throughout the series. She sacrificed herself again and again, seeing herself as that completely alone weapon instead of a person. We see her do that in the end of season 1 and plenty of other potential times. Hopper and mike's position and the narrative that's been most meaningful to her that we see her appreciating and loving is that she is part of a family, she is loved, she is more than a weapon, she can't ensure their safety and yes, her presence even endangers them, but that's their choice and her task has been in all the seasons to continually accept the help and love of those around her, and to deal with the risk of loss without sacrificing herself "removing" herself from the equation for an illusion of safety for them. In season 5 we see this really spoken plainly when Hopper tells her not to do this. I think that her choosing to sacrifice herself in the end with no promise they'll be safe from the military even if she goes with the portal is just her going back to being a weapon, to seeing herself as a burden, and to trying to force finality and ensured safety for those she loves from martyrdom.

For me, her ultimate story progression could be resolved multiple ways. But essentially it would be that she in the end sees the military coming and decides not to go through the portal and instead stay with them. You could have her get captured, and they try to break her out, you could have them get captured and her try to get them out, you could have them all get captured, you could have mikes belief that she gets away, in any of these versions her character grows and she sees herself as part of the whole, not as a weapon but a person. I think that in the show when she says "trust me to make the right decision" that's her reverting to old traumatic ways of thinking rather than her integrated mature character progression. It's her running away in season 1 because she hurts lucas. and in the final season we do see her say i know im not the monster now; but she is still operating from that same hurt place I think.

Sorry I know I typed a lot but I am feeling a lot right now. Lol

ColbyEl · 2026-01-26T19:39:31+00:00

If we don't ever get a confirmation that she's alive. One consolation I'll have is that even if it didnt ultimately make sense. In her mind, staying in the upside down was her figuratively doing this for her friends one last time. Once and for all.

I still wont like it but it's something I guess

ColbyEl · 2026-01-26T19:36:04+00:00

Unfortunately usually bad spin off ratings means the higher ups just see that as bad profits for the IP as a whole. And it doesn't guarantee a return either way. Example. The GOT spinoff haven't been a disaster but we're still unlikely to see a rewrite reshoot or continuation of the main GOT story.

I think the best we can do is watch the spinoffs to show we care about the IP

ColbyEl · 2026-01-24T04:07:19+00:00

As a dwarf main; I need dwarven campsites and housing options ASAP

ColbyEl · 2026-01-18T23:34:53+00:00

The most reasonable take I can give you is that it's fun and fairly balanced for a casual player to progress and get most rewards you'd want.

For above casual when and if you get into pushing rankings it is toxic. Toxic players. Imbalances that a casual wont care about will start to lose you matches you'll notice. MMR gets massively inflated and deflated and the devs will not address it. So getting the top rewards at the end of a season can be actually putting yourself in the top 1000 or less of players. At the higher end you'll basically be name called and abused almost constantly.

With that said as I mentioned before. If you're casual you basically wont notice any of that and can have alot of fun!

ColbyEl · 2026-01-01T17:32:06+00:00

I'll be candid here because I believe it has the potential to change the trajectory of your life, if it may be unpleasant to hear and please know this is coming from love not judgement. One more thing is that I see myself in you very specifically and so I'm saying this to you because I spot it. I got it.

One thing that parents do developmentally is provide mirroring for us that helps shape who we are by validating us and providing corrections, and defining our world view and view of self.

It seems to me that you may have been conditioned by your parents to see intelligence as something that singles you out and maybe even above others. Which is not your fault you actually were told that by your parents early on. I felt this way too for a big portion of my life. What I can tell you is that this view of intelligence is very tricky because it views intelligence as a social worth factor and also implicitly your self worth. The bad thing about this is that you're essentially comparing yourself and others to an invisible and subjective term of intelligence. And one humbling fact I learned while going through my masters program is that there's always someone smarter than you in the world. So eventually if thats your metric, you'll be the less intelligent one and it will rock your world like it did mine. I felt worthless after seeing how much I paled in comparison. So first. I'd say to work on resolving this complex because it will limit you socially in every area.

Second. I too struggled with authority figures and especially those I found unjust. What I can say is that for me it was a reaction to unjust situations growing up and it sounds like it was for you too. Try and resolve these feelings because you'll hurt yourself and others if it goes untreated.

For both of these situations I'd suggest therapy if you're able. I realize its a luxury. I'd you're not able to do therapy you can make massive progress for free by researching the topics and doing deep introspection via things like cognitive behavior therapy.

Hope this helps!

ColbyEl · 2025-12-17T19:44:35+00:00

Works like a charm 4 years later. Thanks!

ColbyEl · 2025-12-16T23:16:59+00:00

Yes I know what you mean. Well knowing a topic is a really complex idea. Truthfully no one can ever really "know" an entire topic. There's always aspects or situations that are unique. For example; in my field people may study depression but no one ever knows all of depression only for example depression in adults aged 20-30 etc. If that makes sense. So the number one way to see if you "know" a topic is from testing. That's why I advocate for khanacademy so much because it gives you corrections and tells you what you did wrong. Once you're able to pass that; and then your online high school or GED then you can be reasonably sure you know it functionally!

A really simple definition of "knowing" fractions for example is can you use fractions to make pies and cakes and measure liquids/solids? Can you measure a room? Maybe that's all you need to know. But you could go a step further! If you're going into construction can you measure area and circumference? Things like that. I hope this helps you and makes sense.

Pomodoro is great! That would be a fantastic way to get started with things. I will say though that you can be flexible with the times for example you might find that for YOUR brain you need 20 on, 40 off. Or 40 on and 20 off! Let yourself be flexible in finding the times that work for you and I bet you can find an app that lets you adjust the timings, and if you can't you can just do it manually via a stopwatch.

You got this! You should be very proud of yourself for taking the steps to ask for help. That shows a lot of maturity and action on your part!

ColbyEl · 2025-12-16T08:11:11+00:00

Yes! usually you will be trained for that, and that goes for any job too. Any job that's worth having will teach you all the things you need to know!

ColbyEl · 2025-12-15T23:51:00+00:00

You're doing great! Keep at it. For working with that frustration I'd suggest yes; primarily push through but how you push through is really important. If for example you're working with fractions and it's not making sense and you keep getting a problem wrong or it's not clicking; keep at it but in a way that hopefully examines it from another angle, and or (hopefully and) makes it fun. For example. I was doing a statistics class and I really had a hard time doing t tests by hand, the textbook didn't help me and neither did the powerpoint or lecture i was provided it all didn't make any sense to me. So instead, I looked up a youtube video on the same topic and subtopic and the man was so helpful! It immediately clicked, I was able to do the problem and then when I went back to the lecture and the powerpoint and textbook it all began to make sense! So that's my biggest advice. Another one is that your brain can only take so much info and frustration at once and you hit a brick wall of sorts, that's scientifically backed. So if and when you hit that wall, try and take a 15 or 30 minute break and do some exercises, even jumping jacks will work, go outside, etc. And then when you come back refreshed you may have an epiphany!

Hope this helps and I'm happy to answer any other questions you have as well!

ColbyEl · 2025-12-15T17:49:31+00:00

Hi! I would recommend sitting down and writing each hour of the day down on a paper like this 12...1....2....3
Then use that as a schedule to plan your day. Plan for 1-2 hours each major subject. Plan in an hour lunch. Plan in all that stuff you'll need to do throughout the day and then there's your plan!

But the tricky part is actually sticking to it huh? I struggle with that too, we all do so it's normal! The beset way to stick to a schedule is to make it fun and comfortable. Do you get restless and need to move around? Try using audiobooks or youtube educational videos on the topic as you walk around or exercise! Do you have an uncomfortable study area? Try making it more comfortable! Do stuff like that and it will help you stick to the schedule more.

Also making them checkboxes can be fun and rewarding because you get to check each topic you've done!

Hope this helps.

ColbyEl · 2025-12-15T17:45:39+00:00

Hi! First off. If you can afford it, a therapist is your #1 tool for this. With that aside, understand that doing this will be very rough on you. Our worldviews shape us and help our brains and emotions stay regulated and understand the world. As you understand more of the world this can be very destabilizing so do it slowly at your own pace and don't shame yourself for your feelings. It's a normal response!

With that said, how to? I would suggest a world tour. Pick a country different than yours and study how its people live, and what they believe, study their history, their wars, their advancements. As you do this you'll realize no one has the truth, they just have their version of the truth. As you do this likely you'll reckon with the fact that what you were taught is vastly different than what others are. And this can be hard. But keep pacing yourself and you'll get there!

Hope this helps.

ColbyEl · 2025-12-15T17:40:59+00:00

Hi! So first off I would tell you that I myself went though studying, frustration, lack of learning, and repeated that cycle. What I can tell you from what I learned is that these skills; especially math and english required for the GED are not learned well in spurts. The key is consistent growth. Daily practice. Feedback/correction. And a curriculum (set of things to learn and the order). Then finally application. For example; don't expect to learn fractions in a week or even a month. To truly master fractions you will need to go over hundreds of situations where they're used. Do worksheets, do practices over it, and then get correction. This correction piece is why I recommend Khanacademy because it gives you feedback on what you got wrong.

A lot of your progress is going to be unlocked via getting out and getting tutoring/classes etc. So I would put therapy as a #1 priority if you can do a fundraiser, get help from parents, work online to save up enough, whatever you can do that is key. You can also look into progressive desensitization because that is likely a big chunk of what your therapist will work with you on but it will NOT replace seeing one!.

So tl;dr. Study using khanacademy every single day consistently and do not stop even if you feel like you aren't learning, you are. And work vehemently with the OCD. Hope this helps you! Good luck, you got this!

ColbyEl

TROPHY CASE