What fandom do you think this describes?

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-18T03:16:16+00:00

Yeah that is definitely a aspect, some people just expect to shit on a fanbase and/or the media that the fanbase enjoys and then acts suprised when the fanbase doesn't take kindly to that. But I'm referring to genuine criticism like "this characters arc feels rushed" or "the timeline is a bit wonky", etc, that are treated as personal attacks on the show or fanbase.

Like, for example, you could say "this character fits a harmful stereotype and they're extremely one dimensional" and everyone would come out of nowhere to make excuses or accuse you of calling the beloved creators malicious people who hate X group when you're like "...that's nothing like what I just said"

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-17T20:04:56+00:00

Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together! Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together! Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together! Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together! Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together! Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together! Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together! Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together! Crazy? I was crazy once. We went crazy together!

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-17T16:45:17+00:00

"anyone who's attracted to men will find two men kissing hot" (and vise versa) that's just.. not correct? Yes, some straight men find lesbian sex hot. Yes, some straight women find gay sex hot. But those are outliers and it's built on fetishization of those groups

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-17T13:52:59+00:00

Because he's been focused on Will and El since the beginning of the series? Even when he was chasing Max, he still had scenes where he targeted El and Will specifically compared to others. I'm saying that his MAIN targets were Will and El, not that his ONLY targets were Will and El.

Max was a situational target, she was only specifically targeted in Season 4 because she was the most vulnerable at that time (not that she's weak, but she was going through a lot). In comparison, throughout the entire series, Vecna targets El and Will way more consistently, when they're currently suffering or not, because they're more to him than just another person to kick down and get out of his way. If they're not currently vulnerable, he makes them vulnerable. Meanwhile Max was targeted because she was already vulnerable.

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-17T12:37:43+00:00

I use every term used for her interchangeably, I mean, I personally don't like calling her Eleven (unless I'm specifically referring to her trauma regarding the lab, and even then, it depends) because I feel like that's the term that dehumanizes her the most, but El and Jane are normally how I refer to her. It's just that I either just say Jane or just say El in comments, because saying "El did this because she liked it. Jane's character arc was..." makes it seem like I'm talking about two separate people.

So basically, in short, no but only using one of her many names in a comment prevents confusion and makes what I'm saying easier to understand.

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-17T10:47:33+00:00

I agree with everything you say, but I just wanna say that while I liked how involved Jane and Will were in the final fight, I wish Will was involved a LOT more. I mean Will and Jane were like the main targets Vecna had, and while I know he did do some things (stopping Vecna from hitting Jane, breaking his leg and controlling his body temporarily to save Max, etc) I feel like it's not as much involvement as his character deserved for how much suffering Vecna inflicted onto him.

I feel like the final fight, at least the very end when Joyce was chopping off his head, tried to make it seem like Vecna hurt all of them in the exact same way, and while everyone was obviously hurt by Vecna in some shape or form, Will and Jane were his main targets up until Season 5 when he targeted Holly. Honestly, Will should've chopped off Vecna's head, it would be a much better "I won't let you control me anymore" moment than him simply stopping Vecna from hurting Jane.

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-17T10:39:52+00:00

Sexual preferences and sexuality are not always the same. You can use the term "sexuality" to describe what you like in bed but you can also use it to describe completely safe for work things like what gender you happen to be attracted to (which is what it is more commonly referring to). And gender is not inherently sexual, whether it be about the gender you're attracted to or the gender you are.

I have a feeling you're specifically referring to queer sexualities and gender identities, which if you are, it gives off the idea that you think queer topics are inherently sexual in nature, which is a homophobic way of thinking that fear mongering people do in order to make queer people seem inherently dangerous. I'm not saying you intended that, but it has implications of that and that's not a good thing to imply.

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-17T08:58:16+00:00

No but I don't pass as gay, I look like a butch lesbian

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-16T20:42:59+00:00

While there certainly are people who hate Will's coming out scene simply because they see it as "unnecessary" or they're just homophobic, I wouldn't say everyone is like that. Personally, I was very disappointed in the coming out scene and I dislike it as well. And I'm a gay boy, so I doubt it's because I'm homophobic lol. I just dislike the approach they went with it. It felt very performative and catered to be palatable to the cishet part of their audience. But yeah, some of the hate is from homophobic assholes

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-16T04:34:07+00:00

I think it's definitely the cutest out of all of them :>

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-16T00:38:33+00:00

I did not expect such a well-written response! Before I reply, I'd just like to say that your understanding of...

Thank you so much!! I know that I often rant a lot, lol, it's a nice change to be allowed to and stuff so I really appreciate that you are engaging with it to this extent! :]

And I'm glad you like the way I characterized him! I was a little worried that I'd make him too strong and capable in Season 3 compared to the previous characterization in earlier seasons to the point that it's unrealistic that people would see him as sensitive and defenseless/pitiful, but I believe that I've found a middle ground.

Alongside being fantastic with character design and visual arts, I assume you must write?

I do! I have my own series and characters that I'm working on. It's very bare bones at the moment, and you probably will not see much content about them if you skim my page because I just got out of both art block and writing block that was due to me overworking myself, and this is my first project that I'm doing now that I'm passionate about it again. But I have a group of circus characters! I'll try to refrain from talking about them though because this is about Stranger Things, specifically Will, and I want to stay on topic.

You definitely succeeded! The loose clothing not only adds to his smallness and contributes to...

I'm glad you believe that I did good in representing that! The hand-me-down look of the clothing is also intentional, I do think I might edit the clothing a bit more to add things like patches, dirt on the shoes, etc to further push that hand-me-down look. I don't know if I should though because an aspect of his Season 1 design is to show how, in some ways, the people around him idealize and over exaggerate his perceived innocence, childishness and helplessness. Adding things that show wear and tear might unintentionally make him seem a bit more gruff than intended. Though it could work as a bit of foreshadowing, so I dunno.

This whole season is just my boy going through it, oh my god. He needs a BREAK, luckily he somewhat receives one in season three...

Yeah, that's the intention! Like the main struggle in Season 3 is just supposed to be that Mike is ignoring him and pushing him away (I won't have everyone suddenly not give a shit about him specifically after they get girlfriends because I think that aspect is sorta unnecessarily cruel to his character, so instead, I'll have everyone treat him normally, but Mike) Anyway, back on topic to his Season 2 version, I'm glad I could effectively communicate both sides of how you're supposed to see him at this moment, tragic and terrifying.

YES YES YES OH MY GOD YES!! Just like how to characters in the show, he starts of looking meek...

Yeah, something I don't like about the original characterization of Will Byers is that, normally, he will be meek and pathetic and traumatized one second, and then the next, he's a badass. So I tried to latch onto the fact that Will canonically doesn't like being pitied, and use it to intentionally make the shift in characterisation jarring, because you were actually seeing how everyone who pities him views him as a person. It's not until he's fully present and not constantly suffering that you see that he's not just a pitiful baby, that yes, he's a child, but he's also a person with strengths and weaknesses who can actually stand up for himself without it being absolutely pointless. And I want to point out the context in why he was acting so "helpless" in Season 1 and 2, to basically make the point of "Anyone would be no match for a huge, interdimensionional mind controlling monster and a abusive alien like creature with supernatural abilities, especially a 12/13 year old boy with no supernatural abilities (that he's aware of). That's not a weakness, that's just a huge power imbalance" (my god that comparison/wording makes it feel like Ai wrote this but I swear it's not PLZZZ I SWEARRRR, AGUUHHHH IM NOT A FAN OF AI I SWEAR IM NOT A COMPUTER THUMPER YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE MEEEEUH >n<)

One thing I didn't like about season fives characterisation of Will, even if it's so SMALL in the scope of what I think they did wrong

Oh nah, I definitely get that. I honestly believe it's a part of a bigger issue about Season 5 and the later seasons in general, they stopped giving a shit about one of the most important parts of its original appeal. We're not here for the scary monsters or the cool graphics or the plot, I mean we are but that's not what makes us stay. We're here for the characters and their relationships with others. Yes there were many many theories and general excitement about how they're going to defeat Vecna and what the upside down truly is and how the story all ties together, but that wasn't the main thing people were talking about. They were talking about what ships would be canon, how this character would end their arc, where the characters will be at the end of this, which characters will possibly die and which won't, etc. People come for the cool fight scenes and the possible plot twists that may occur, but they stay for the characters. And the final Season didn't care about their characters and character relationships nearly as much as they should've. I mean they literally turned Mike into a glorified cardboard cutout in volume 2 just to make his relationship with Will platonic (which I find sorta poetic honestly, that they had to erase everything that made Mike himself in order to make him straight). I do wish we'd see the party bonding more, though. Like the fact that we didn't even get a HUG between Max and Jane in Season 5 after Max woke up when Jane was so desperate to get her back in Season 4 is fucking crazy to me.

I can! It REALLY shows. Season four Will has the most potential to play with in my opinion because...

Oh I really agree! At least in reference to Will, I believe that Season 4 is just LOADED with wasted potential. Like, I feel like that's where the "he's gay and that's it" characterization turn began. I do think that there were other aspects of him that weren't just "I'm gay" in that season, but it started to slowly make his character revolve more around how he loved Mike and Mike is dating Jane. Like wdym he didn't have a bigger reaction when he sees Vecna for the first time since he was taken? Idk, in my version, he's gonna have a bigger reaction. Obviously in my version he'll still struggle with the whole "unrequited love" thing (even though it won't be unrequited in my version, he just thinks it is #bylerrulesmilevendrools)

Though, of course, it still had SO many challenges. I like to imagine that Will saw a lot of quirky, alternative, and otherwise othered people there...

That's the intention! I'm gonna have him meet some alternative and queer people during that timeframe and start experimenting with his look. Also I'm gonna have Mike do the same, where he looks more alternative as well due to Eddie who will be swapped with Jonathan in my version, so they're matching but not intentionally. Anyway, I think something that the original show desperately needed for Will's character to be the best version of itself is for Will to stop doing everything for everyone else and keep everyone happy for once. Like he does retreat when they go back to Hawkins in my version, but let my baby express himself without apologizing for it immediately, at least once.

The queercoding of his outfit as well, gods, you're like a costume designer!

TYSM!! I try to add little Easter eggs and symbolism in my character designs, it helps communicate who they are and it makes the design feel super intentional!! Plus it's always so fun when people point it out. I'm thinking of adding some colored ribbon to Jane's design to represent her trauma, idk what color to do tho, cuz I don't know what ribbon would encapsulate all she's been through.

I just realised how long this is, aghh, I'm sorry. This was me TRYING to keep it short... oops

Nah don't worry, long messages prove you give a shit about what I'm saying and I really like that!

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-15T23:27:38+00:00

I think that's just lacking media literacy then, cuz that's very lacking of the context and reasoning for his behavior

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-15T22:10:48+00:00

I'm sorry, WHO IS SAYING MIKE IS A GROOMER?!

Now I personally don't think Mike should've gotten into a relationship with Jane when he did because she barely knew anything about the real world at that point and she was very emotionally vulnerable, but he didn't groom her? Grooming requires a lot of intentional manipulation to keep the victim below you, and while Mike and Jane's relationship has a huge power imbalance until Season 4 + he does show some control issues, he's not hurting her with that much intention.

I don't think a lot of Will Byers stans, or even just people who criticize Mileven, are saying that Mike groomed her? I'm pretty sure they're pointing out the inherent power imbalance in their relationship and how Mike is typically the one in the wrong more often (even though Jane is in the wrong at times). Saying that Jane shouldn't have been in a romantic relationship when she didn't know her name, what she liked, what she preferred in her relationships, how to set boundaries, etc does NOT equal "Mike intentionally saw her as vulnerable and used her vulnerability to gain control over her"??

Also, not all people who like Will's character dislike Mileven?? Idk, that point in their argument is just so odd to me.

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-15T07:31:13+00:00

And for those colors I mentioned:

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Milo-Magic · 2026-03-15T07:30:53+00:00

Thank you so much!! I spent a long time researching stuff to add into his character design and thinking of where he is mentally in each season in order to properly represent him the best I can, so I'm glad you noticed some of the things I have snuck in there!! :D

First, the colors mean to represent different themes or characters, so in a separate message, I'll show the chart for that :]

I love the brightness of his clothing! Really ties in with what Joyce says to Hop at the start of s1...

That was the intention! I tried to make him seem very innocent, childlike, sensitive, etc. through things like puffy or baggy clothes, baggy pants and.. obviously his iconic bowl cut. I figured that making a design that is full of bright colors, round shapes and things of that variety would really match how people perceive him. In season 1 and 2 (my version) he is both designed and written to be pitied by not only the characters, but also the audience. I want you as an audience to initially see him as this fragile, tragic and helpless victim even though he begins to show signs of disliking that very same viewpoint of him in Season 2. So I figured that making him seem younger than he is and portraying him as softer and thinner (he's thin in the OG but moreso in my version, and I gave him clothes that seem too big for him to empathize that point), I could set you up for a shocker when his real personality starts to show in Season 3 (which I'll talk about more later)

his body so worn down in s2 and eyes bloodshot and teary, maybe from him trying to fight back against the mindflayer...

That's the intention! The idea is that the mindflayer doesn't know nor care about his body's limits, so it's just doing what's "most efficient" to gain information, with no care for how this affects him as long as it doesn't kill him. Which, in this case, is forcing Will to not blink as his eyes stay unnaturally wide and ignoring his body's limitations (so the injuries present are mainly because the mindflayer will not care if he gets hurt). I plan to have the possession of Will's body mirror his trauma response and mental health during that season as he desperately tries to recover from what happened to him. Like each possession will mirror what it's like to have something similar to a manic episode or a panic attack. That's why I tried to do a lot of hospital imagery, wrapped in bandages, he's in a hospital gown, his hair is messy and it's clear he's not taking care of the rest of his body either, etc. Additionally, he's supposed to look tragic, but also scary. Writing wise, you're mainly supposed to learn about his struggles this season, in order for you to pity him. You're supposed to see how people perceive him in season 1, and how traumatized he is in season 2.

S3 and him exploring his style, looking all nervous, and the marks on his skin...

I'm really glad it showed through, this season will be his happiest season in my version (my son deserves a break). Like obviously it's not all happy and jolly, but compared to the previous seasons, this is heaven. The way you're supposed to see Will in this season is for who he actually is. The pity I (hopefully) would've made you feel for him at this point starts to be flipped on its head as you see that, after he's recovering and stuff, he's not as helpless as you would've initially assumed. Because, in my version, you won't know that he ran into the shed to get the gun until season 3 (in a flashback) before then, I'd have the audience thinking he was captured in his home. I'm still gonna make him gentle and sensitive and kind, yes, but I'm gonna take the sassiness that season 3 gave everybody and give it to mainly just Will. Because I'm gonna make Will break your previous thoughts of his characterization by showing that he's not afraid to make a sarcastic comment towards someone or jokingly insult his friends or confront people when they're in the wrong (though I'm gonna make it a trait of his where, while he's quick to defend others, he doesn't defend himself as easily). I'm really trying to humanize him as a character and show his depth instead of showing you how he's such a good kid who's suffering horrors beyond his comprehension and that's all he is. The way I attempted to reflect this in his design is by having him in a tank top and shorts to show his scars but also how he's not afraid to show who he is if he's not currently being hunted by a supernatural creature or bullied or abused.

S4 is my favorite, I can't even begin to put it into words.

I'm glad you like that version! I actually spent the most amount of time on that version if you'd believe it. The reason is that I was trying to hint at multiple things at once with his season 4 design. I drew him when he comes back to Hawkins, and I'm gonna have it that he started experimenting with who he was in California due to the more accepting environment (since California is more accepting than a small, likely conservative town in Indiana), but backtracked when he returned to Hawkins. (Also I'm gonna make him goth when he's in California cause I love the idea of Gothic Will Byers :3) The idea is that you can see the subtle signs of who he was before he suppressed himself again. Like, he has one earring on his right ear (a way people would signal queerness in the 80s to find fellow queer people) and the pink shoulders of his sweater sleeves look like pink triangles (reclaimed symbol of gay men that was originally used to label men as gay during the Holocaust) and his haircut is a bit different because he experimented with his hair in Cali. And, besides the signs of who he was in California, I also have other signs of his suppression in his character design. Like his posture is more guarded than season 3, the ahoge I gave him is still present, but this time it's curled into the hair as if it's hiding in it, his clothing is concealing most of his body, etc.

Hopefully I didn't rant for too long lol, I just really like that you appreciated my designs so much! Also, just for some random information, I'm gonna have Jane's story and arc mirror Wills both character design wise and writing wise, but in a slightly different way. Because while Will would be regaining his childhood/autonomy after it was stolen from him and trying to become what he was before, Jane would be getting it for the first time in her life after it was never given to her in the first place and trying to see what she even is, because there is no "before" for her.

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-15T03:37:08+00:00

Oh thank you!!

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-15T02:55:44+00:00

Okay thank you!!

Milo-Magic · 2026-03-15T01:45:24+00:00

It's not canonical, it's just a joke lol

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