#el is important to byler and that is a FACT! | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

demobatman · 11 months

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elmike will always be one of my number ones i am so sorry im rowing this boat alone

#platonic obviously #but they are so important to ME #about to start engaging with melvin content im crazy im fucked up #(i absolutely will never.)#elmike up there with byler and lumax and i mean it #same with the wonder twins but they are so powerful and familial its on a whole nother level #el is literally mike and wills best friend im sorry #el is important to byler and that is a FACT!#my girl #this is just a one off post i didnt see anything to inspire this #bee tee dubs #i just luv them #elmike #platonic elmike

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chirpsythismorning · 6 months

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Ya'll catch the final rose ceremony at the end of s4?!

#byler #stranger things #'last nights episode ended on a cliffhanger with the audience left wondering who bachelor-mike would choose--'#'will he choose the one who walked around the rose delicately to stand with it framed neatly in the background between the two of them?--'#'or will he choose the one who bulldozed it?'#'all will be answered tonight on the series finale of bachelor apocalypse'#no but seriously is that flower in front of el cgi?#depending on how many takes this shot took... i don't think they'd have something like this occur unless they wanted it to #i know they hand picked flowers for these shots #but it's not like that rules out them using movie magic #especially in this case where it was apparently important enough for them to handpick in the first place...#meaning there is in fact some significance to it #i hope this shot puts the 'it's not a love triangle' allegations to rest #like idk why fans would rather believe the duffers are sorcerers who can do dozens of things coincidentally all fitting a specific narrativ #bc that would honestly be way more impressive to me than them just using basic film techniques and tropes lmao

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rotisseries · 1 year

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paintingformike · 1 year

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both sides had their own faults in the mleven fight in season 4 and im tired of people only ever blaming and villainizing mike and putting all responsibility on him when the situation never would’ve unfolded that drastically bad if el was being honest to him 🤷‍♀️

#breaking my silence again #im tired of having to sugarcoat things like people actually need to realize this #el didnt have any ill intent when she lied to mike but it still happened continuously #and will was right when he said that mike didnt deserve that #how could they expect to have a strong relationship if el couldnt even confide in him or trust him enough to open up about her problems?#and before their conversation in el’s room turned into a fight #mike genuinely tried to empathize with her and hear her side. he tried to be vulnerable and talk about his own experiences in bullying #people conveniently ignore the fact that he did make an effort to connect with her and it was el who chose to dismiss it #all im saying is. the poor communication in their relationship comes from the shortcomings of both sides #and its important to acknowledge that bc people get so blinded by their hatred for mike and forget he wasnt the only one at fault #byler

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stranger-chichka · 2 years

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#idk where im going with these parallels #but the fact that the scene with russians goes before the intro and the one with the song right after the intro should mean something right #and there's always not enough time ughhhhhh #byler #stranger things #it's after overhearing the russian guy el hears the demogorgon in s1 #there must be some sort of connection #+russians have the stars on their uniforms and the mall where they're opening the doorway underground is called starcourt mall #what the heck #i don't want to post about these motherfuckers because i hate them SO MUCH but that russian plot seems so important

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maddy-ferguson · 1 year

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i feel like the fact that barely anyone who watches the show thinks of will as the main character might be indicative of the fact that he isn't

#and like i say: brf slt #just realized i said the fact twice. this was worded differently at first #i'm very sorry #(not about the the fact thing about the will mc thing)#if you ask anyone who the main character is after seasons 3 and 4 they'll say el #it's not the el show and will is just as if not more important to the supernatural plotline like obviously nothing would've happened if he #hadn't gone missing and he has a connection to vecna no one else has and #everyone's love for him is basically what makes all of s1 happen #but he's literally not there. i've seen people watch the show for the first time recently and guess who was the main character to them #while they were watching the first two seasons? mike! literally elliott in E.T and the YA protagonist in the middle of a love triangle why #does everyone take his main boy status away from him...we first meet the characters at HIS house in HIS basement we see HIS family first #it's HIM we follow all throughout season 1 in the kids part of the show basically like idk #yes he's not el and he's not will in terms of connection to the supernatural but like #in seasons 3 and especially in season 4 you don't really think of him as the main character anymore but literally no one but bylers think #of will as the main character like i'm just saying. i don't think trying to pick a definite main character makes sense anyway because #there's kind of a shift around season 3 where it becomes...the el show. even if it doesn't not really. but it's not like people are crazy #and Media Illiterate for thinking that the biggest character on the posters whose actress is the biggest star and who gets paid the most is #the main character. don't people complain 24/7 about how little screentime will got in seasons 3 and 4 like obviously that would lead to #people...not seeing him as the main character #anyway. to me in seasons 1 and 2 it's between mike and el honestly and if you add seasons 3 and 4 then el #even though will is just as important like i said. it's just very different #but honestly in season 1 it's totally mike to me it's only in season 2 that i would start to hesitate #there's also joyce but i don't think anyone's saying joyce is the main character but yk i don't know if you know this but it's an ensemble #show...#it's definitely the willel show in a sense but...#mike is the protagonistest protagonist in season 1 how do people forget that #having to fight for your life to convince people that will is the main character kind of proves that he isn't😭#and i still think he's the most important which doesn't make sense i know but idk it makes sense to me

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whynotimtired · 1 year

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We all know that Will's prone to freezing and fleeing as opposed to fighting (who can blame him) and this is consistently not an issue. In fact, the two only times he didn't run he was taken/taken over by an eldritch monster. That's like. The worst thing that could possibly happen. The characters talk about how he's good at running and he's great at hiding and this is all purely GOOD. Nobody faults him for this and truly, nobody seems to even notice.

We open in on st4 and we can see Will is struggling with El being bullied, in the way that he can't help and it's crushing him. Nobody else notices, nobody cares. He has a problem with this. It's negative to him. And so, narratively, he has to overcome it. He feels guilty and powerless and weak and he's going to have his st5 moment. He will help her.

#a lot of the ga was irritated by the fact that he couldnt help her #and point blank period if it wasnt important we wouldntve seen it #if theres no payoff there wouldnt be setup #which is why when he gets vecna'd its going to be about his guilt over never helping el and prob heavily focusing on bullies #(including lonnie)#theres actually a scene in s3 i could draw back to rn #when billy makes will and mike watch him choke her. and mike hits him over the head with a pipe while will stays frozen w fear? yeah #I AM ALL OVER THIS ONE #like henry has her held and taunts her or smthn and wills like 'not so fast'#this IS a will has powers post but ig TECHNICALLY it doesnt matter #will has powers #will gets vecna'd #byler #will byers #stranger things #byeler #willel #i could go in further on how this is the only season where running and hiding is demonized #haha get it cause eddie #wills own feelings on his own habit of running away rubbing off onto the rest of the show? idk man why are u asking me

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heliumcake · 2 years

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i also have to say while i understand where people are coming from it feels so cruel to say he saw el only as “a means to get to will” or just as help in general to prove byler is canon. especially when we’re talking about s2. because at first maybe it was like that. he didn’t know her at all. she had superpowers. she was the only one who knew where will was and how to get there. but then she sacrificed herself and she disappeared. she might as well have been dead. and all of that to help find a kid she didn’t even know and to save mike’s life and the lives of his friends when she knew them for about a week. and you think mike didn’t feel guilty? that that’s what he wanted? you think mike the heart wheeler who was already showing her his toys, ready to take her in and make her a part of his family, mike who was inviting her to the dance, you think he didn’t care about her at all? that he got mad at hopper for hiding her because she could’ve helped them during s2? if anything it was the opposite and we know this from s3. mike didn’t want el overusing her powers again because that’s what almost killed her in s1. yes he sees her as a hero and he idolizes her but he’s not seeing her as a machine. he wasn’t thinking about using her. just because he wasn’t in love with her then (and probably even now) and just because it wasn’t love at first sight it doesn’t mean he only saw her for what she could be useful for, and if he did in s1, what follows only proves how guilty he felt because of it and how he absolutely doesn’t want it to ever happen again.

#it bothered me so much to see this take im sorry i had to say it #the fact that mike genuinely loves and cares about el doesn’t make his feelings for will any different #and doesnt make his feelings for her romantic #he doesn’t have to care only about will for byler to happen #and i don’t understand why people are so desperate to prove he never cared about eleven #he can care about both of them #hell he can and does care about so many people #he has a big enough heart for that #mike wheeler #elmike #byler #dont know if it should go in the tag but i think it’s important because people use this as byler proof #and while everyone is entitled to their opinion #i personally think it’s misinterpreting mike’s character and it doesn’t really help

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monkeydlesbian · 2 years

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the ppl that think el would be homophobic are so weird. homophobia is taught she was tested and developed to be used as a gateway to another dimension as a child do you really think dr brenner had the time to teach her to hate gay people

#in fact i feel like if byler ever did happen el would set aside her feelings for mike for will i 100% believe that #she loves mike for sure i just think that seeing him and her brother happy would be more important to her than her own personal feelings #shes always been selfless and willing to give up something for the goodwill of others #i love her so so much genuinely i feel like i don't talk abt it enough

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poetrybypuck · 2 years

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“You just point bad stuff on milkshake and only the good stuff on byler” well… it’s not my fault that milkshake sucks when they’re together.

#it’s not my fault #just the facts #i even point out the difference in their arcs and how important it is for El to be by her own #chrissy wake up!!#byler

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jaegerisim · 10 months

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Vent post y'all are gonna hate me for.

I viscerally hate how the Duffers treat most of their non white or queer characters and I hate even more viscerally, how y'all big byler blogs in your circle jerk of other 5 big byler blogs casually like to ignore many red flags the show has.

Y'all like to say: "tHe DufFeRs ArE gReAt WrIteRs" and it's like girl, who are you lying to??? They aren't top shit writers at all. The Duffers are pretty mid imo. Yeah, they run a good show that's fun to watch and theorize abt , but that doesn't mean they're good writers cuz they're not.

1. they completely side lined Will during s3 for the sake of their straight romances: lumax, jancy, mlvn, duzie and partly stobin (even if stobin wasn't endgame, thankfully, Steve's intentions were clearly wanting to date Robin and they gave it a lot of screen time). Will was sidelined bc he didn't fit the straight romance plotline bc they planned to make him gay or whatever. Now in s4 Will and his feelings have been used as mlvn toilet paper. Yes, we like to say this is build up for byler but canonically, Will's feelings have been used to clean the shit mlvn leaves behind.

2. Billy was sympathized a lot during the last 2 seasons. They gave him the sad backstoryTM in order for ppl to feel sorry for him. Billy's backstory is literally Jonathan's but whatever.

3. El's anger issues are constantly girlboss-ified. They down play her bullying situation and literally just use it for El to be a ''girlboss" without realizing how triggering that is. As someone who has lived bullying, seeing it be ignored by canon and fanon is super sad. The whole Rink-O' Mania experience must have been so traumatizing for her yet, everyone absolutely forgets abt it 🤷🏻‍♀️

4. Robin, Erica and Argyle are stereotypical characters. Robin is the quirky lesbian with social anxiety, Erica is the badass black woman and Argyle is the Latino stoner that sells weed to white kids and works as a pizza delivery guy.

5. Altho Argyle and Eddie both do drugs, (Eddie actually sells K-12 to a minor and nobody batted an eye. He has a huge fan base). Eddie is held in a pedestal bc "poor thing 🥺 he lives in a trailer with his uncle 🥺". Tell me a single fact you know abt Argyle that isn't "he smokes weed", "he is Jonathan's only friend", "drives a van" and "he works at a pizzeria". Exactly, Eddie is given a useless backstory and Argyle isn't.

6. Dustin stopped being important to the plot sometime around s2 and s3. He is only there to curse and be mildly funny. My guy needs to hangout with ppl his age cuz he only hangs out with seniors.

7. El needs to stop having so much "I'M THAT BITCH" screentime like I need in s5 for El's arc to not just be her becoming more powerful and falling in love with Mike. I need the Duffers to explore her trauma and problems.

8. Angela should have been run over by the van.

9. Patrick should have been given a backstory that isn't the basic "strict black parents that hit their kids cuz they are a disgrace". Patrick's backstory is actually racist af, fight w the wall.

10. As Lex already said, they didn't trigger tag the ep where Jason and his friends assault Lucas and Erica. Like wtf? Why was that necessary? Why did I have to see a black boy being held at gunpoint by some white guy?? Was it relevant to the plot?? I don't think so. And then I've got to see ppl online be like "Jason wasn't that bad. He was just mourning" like bitch you can stfu. This is what happens when you make the racist assholes conventionally attractive.

Also the fact that Lucas's arc is fulfilled by him fist-fighting Jason and "embracing his weirdness" aka accepting he is black. His arc was not fulfilled at all cuz that ending spoke so loud to me. It showed how little empathy ppl have towards the struggles poc ppl living in the Midwest have. Y'all circle jerks can only see racism when it's super obvious.

Furthermore, parents complained when ST showed "an excessive amount of smoking" yet nobody batted an eye when Billy tried to run over Lucas, when Erica (an 11 y.o ffs) was chased by white kids or when Lucas was held at gunpoint by Jason.

All of this happened while they focused on Max's guilt and mourning that, yeah, are important but certainly not less important than racism!!!

11. In s3, they gave us that whole Nancy vs The Bigots arc that was honestly just triggering and useless. It didn't help Nancy's character at all, quite the opposite it put unnecessary angst.

12. Lonnie being presented as an abuser just for him to never be spoken of again. Can we please get to explore the trauma he left the Byers's with?

13. The fact that both queer relationships are considered "sloppy seconds" is extremely sad. Both Vickie and Mike are rebounding from their failed relationship with Robin and Will. These 2 ships have caused more commotion than Jancy and Jopper together! (These last ships are technically sloppy seconds too but everybody forgets that. Shocker!!)

14. Last but not least, ppl blame Argyle for being the one to get Jonathan into smoking weed as if Jonathan probably wasn't the one looking for it. Let me tell you, that you only find weed if you look for it.

#P.S: I'm gonna pay attention to how many ppl send me hate bc of this or block me #stranger things #lucas sinclair #st vickie #robin buckley #jason stranger things #will byers #dustin henderson #eddie munson #argyle #jonathan byers #erica sinclair #byler #← target audience #byler target audience

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talesofliia · 3 months

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They can scream that Byler will never happen all they want, but the facts are the facts:

Mike Wheeler cares about Will Byers very much (shown throughout the whole series). They have a strong bond and connection (even just as friends).

Mike puts Will above his other friends (“Dustin, Lucas, and Max are great – but it’s Hawkins – it’s not the same without you.”)

Will is canonically in love with Mike, making Byler semi-canon.

Mike behaves differently with Will, especially when they’re alone. His face shows a gentle expression many times he looks at Will, proving that he cares about him a lot (even in just-a-friend way).

Will and Mike have shared many emotional, intimate, and heartfelt moments throughout the series (official scripts and captions explicitly used these words to describe their scenes). In fact, almost all of their 1-1 interactions have been incredibly tender and heartwarming (especially in S2 but in the other ones as well).

They have a lot in common: their hobbies and interests (e.g., D&D), interrelated passions (drawing+writing = comics), a shared trauma (related to the Upside Down as well as bullying).

Will and Mike understand each other without words (“Oh, I didn't say it.” – “You didn't have to.”)

Asking Will to become his friend was the best thing Mike’s ever done (his monologue to him in S2) whereas meeting El was “simple dumb luck” (Mike’s words to Will in S4).

Mike is frustrated and heartbroken at the thought of losing Will (shown in the whole S1 & 2 + him saying “I felt like I lost you” in S4) and wants them to be “a team”/best friends again (their heart-to-heart in Will’s bedroom in S4).

It was Mike who never gave up on looking for Will. It was Mike who cared about Will as much as his mother Joyce (“I'm the only one that cares about Will!”; “All I know is Will is alive. Will is alive! He's out there somewhere. All we have to do is find him.”) It was Mike who always had to make sure Will was okay (S2 & 3).

It is Will who Mike goes to apologize to after their fight and not El, who was also waiting for Mike’s apologies (twice).

It is Will who desperately tries to make Mike feel loved and save his relationship with El.

Will and Mike have been, are, and will always be an important part of each other’s lives no matter what happens. Even as best friends, their bond is too strong to be broken, as proved and reinforced in S4. Friends or lovers, these two will always care deeply about each other.

#byler #byler tumblr #byler nation #byler is canon #byler endgame #will byers x mike wheeler #will x mike #will and mike #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things

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runninguplenorahills · 1 year

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I just wanted to remind everyone that no matter how much better Lenora objectively was for Will than Hawkins, he was not happy there!

Will might’ve not been bullied in Lenora but he had no friends either which was not a deliberate decision btw. I see a lot of people claiming that Will could’ve made friends if he wanted to but didn’t because he rather spent time with El and I just don’t think that’s the case. Will is not an extroverted person who makes the first step when it comes to making new friends. He’s introverted in general and shy when he’s surrounded by people he doesn’t know so making friends is a struggle for him in general and has nothing to do with him sticking with El in Lenora. And while we don’t know anything specific about if Dustin and Lucas sent letters or called Will, we do know that Mike did not. Furthermore it’s canon that Jonathan wasn’t really there for Will during the time spent in Lenora either and while it is never specifically said it is heavily and obviously implied, it’s shown, that Will was in utmost need of his brother’s help and support! And El did not replace Jonathan in that aspect! Jonathan being distant from Will does not and did not equal Will and El becoming close on the level that Will and Jonathan are. I know I talk about this a lot (that willel isn’t as close in canon) but I just had to say it again because to me it seems really clear that a lot of people think that Jonathan not being there for Will somehow led to Will and El sticking together. Like it’s them against the world while that was never the case ever! Will did not once seek comfort in El because Will didn’t simply need a sibling, he needed Jonathan. Jonathan and Will have a close and deep bond and it’s unique because Jonathan isn’t just fulfilling the role of a sibling for Will. So Jonathan cannot just be replaced by another sibling or anyone at all. Point is, when Will realized Jonathan was being distant he started bottling up everything he wanted to talk about. He did not talk to El instead because quite frankly, they don’t have that kind of relationship (El also didn’t tell Will about her and Mike’s problems and the lying).

So Will had no friends in Lenora, he almost lost all connection to his closest friend whom he’s also in love with and his big brother whom he could always count on for support wasn’t really there for him either. Mike and Jonathan are literally the two people Will always knew he could trust with anything because he knew they’d understand in one way or another. But then neither of them was there for him anymore for reasons unknown to Will which lead him to feel as though he can’t talk to either of them anymore. He wanted to talk to them! Desperately! But he just couldn’t. And all of a sudden Will was all alone. Lenora wasn’t fresh and happy and so much better than Hawkins. Lenora was lonely.

Did Lenora allow more room for personal development due to the lack of the upside down and bullying/rumors? Of course it did. Will’s willingness to make and present a project about Alan Turing is hinting at some positive development. In that aspect Lenora was better for Will than Hawkins but in every other aspect it wasn’t, simply because Will was on his own.

The fact that Will felt lost and alone in Lenora is also important for byler’s love story btw. Will telling Mike that he felt lost without him throughout the months he’s spent in Lenora is so significant because it’s a reply to Mike telling Will: “It’s Hawkins. It’s not the same without you.” Mike has called Hawkins his home throughout his entire life but once Will wasn’t there anymore the feeling of being at home left as well. And Will could move anywhere with his family but if Mike’s not there he feels lost nonetheless. The place where they feel like they belong is not a place at all, it’s the state of being together. Will feels found with Mike and Mike feels at home with Will. Mike makes Will feel better for being different and Will makes Mike feel like he’s not alone. Hawkins, Lenora, that doesn’t matter because it’s not about the place!

Will not being happy in Lenora without Mike is exactly as important as Mike not being happy in Hawkins without Will. Erasing that creates a different narrative, destroys the story they’re trying to tell. Simply because people are making it seem like Will can do just fine without Mike while Mike loses his mind without Will which is just not the case. The whole of s4 showed us that Will is not happy without Mike and that he needs him! Will literally tells Mike that he’d fall apart without him and still there are people that try to depict Will as having a good time in Lenora without Mike. Feeding into Mike’s insecurities and undermining Will’s love for Mike! And this is honestly something that makes my blood boil! People who constantly feel the need to undermine Will’s feelings for Mike are completely missing the point.

And this is kinda a different topic but I’ve seen this trend where people headcanon Will to have been on a sports team in Lenora and I just think that these people are once again missing a point that’s been made in the show. Will not being into sports serves a purpose in the telling of his story, It’s a story telling device. And while I do of course know that the focus is on baseball specifically, baseball seems to stand as a symbol for sports in general which then again are a symbol for conforming to society. Being into sports is what society thinks you should be into as a boy. “You shouldn’t like things just because people tell you you’re supposed to” is what Jonathan tells Will in s1 in regards to Will going to baseball games with Lonnie. Will does not like baseball = Will does not like sports = Will does not conform to societal standards. And Lonnie dragging him to the baseball/sports games is him trying to force Will to conform to societal standards. And Basketball was this big symbol of forced conformity in s4. Therefore being into sports and joining a team in Lenora totally defeats the purpose of a rather important story telling device in canon and therefore just isn’t compatible with the character. I’m of course well aware that Will wore a letterman jacket in the stranger things experience clips but owning a letterman jacket doesn’t automatically equal being on a sports team. It was a popular fashion item in the 80’s just like it is today. And I think it’s more likely that Will wore the jacket because he liked the jacket and not because he’s on a sports team because, again, that’d be missing the point. And as I said, the Alan Turing project hints at positive development while Will joining a sports team would hint at negative development so it simply doesn’t make sense for Will to have been on a sports team in Lenora.

#byler #time for lenora’s opinion #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things

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wheeler-fan · 2 months

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I feel like no one is talking about that, bc why if u ship byler and u believe that mike loves Will back, but let's think about that for a while cuz it's a serious topic. WHAT IF mike is actually not in love with Will? what's gonna happen to him in this fandom then? what people are gonna do to him? bc if u like it or not that's a fact:

if someone rejects a straight person who's in love with them bc they're gay, that's completely okay, that's not their fault that they're gay right? it's clear to everyone. The problem is when someone rejects a gay person who's in love with them bc they're straight- then everyone will be like "oh he's homophobic ew" just because he CAN'T feel the same even if he wants to? (in many situations like that a "gay person" is someone actually important to the "straight person" and it's literally hard for them to reject them, but everyone always talks only about the "gay person" side)

i know u guys don't wanna think about this bc u believe that mike WON'T reject Will and that's totally okay, but as a mike wheeler defender and mileven shipper as well i need to think about that, I'm really worried that my fav, my comfort character will be terribly hated by the whole fandom just bc he's not in love with ur fav character.

Cuz if Mike would leave El for Will, what can mileven shippers say? bylers are gonna jump on everyone bc hating on mike would be homophobic then

(it's hard to disagree!ofc whatever happens i will be on Mike's side so don't worry I'm not talking about my situation here)

But if mike will stay with El then practically everyone will judge him and idk if i can manage it😕 he's my little boy. I feel like most people like him rn bc of the idea that he's in love with Will, but what if that's not true? what's gonna happen then?

#stranger things #mike wheeler #mileven #byler #st5 #mike wheeler defender

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queen-of-hawkins-why-ler · 5 days

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Am I the only one who thinks that the thematic and narrative climax of s5 (and low key the whole show) will be almost a direct parallel to the "You said yes" scene from s2?? Like same exact narrative and cinematic setup of Will being controlled by Vecna to the point where he's nearly gone or on the brink of death, and Mike being able to bring him back to reality with words of love???

Like I low key feel like that scene in s2 was supposed to serve as a precursor and foreshadowing to the climax of Byler rather than just standing on its own as an isolated event. We always talk on here about how Mike's monologue to El in s4 was supposed to directly contrast that scene and demonstrate how false and unnatural Milkvan's supposed "love" is, but we never really talk about just how awkward of a placement it is for the true and "authentic" love confession (Byler s2) to precede the clunky and false one (Milkvan s4). Like, imo it kind of leaves things on an awkward note and kind of hanging.

The only way it wouldn't be awkward or unfinished is if there ends up being a followup scene/parallel to the "you said yes" scene, and I think this is what's going to happen. I think Mike's monologue to El comes after the more romantic, authentic confession not only because it's supposed to contrast it but because the show is serving us two different "choices," two different options for Mike, two different scenarios. Not just for the sake of his character arc but in a meta sense as well, kind of like asking the audience, "which choice makes the most sense for Mike given the events up until now and the themes of the show? Can he be his most authentic and happiest self with Will or El?" And the natural followup to posing this dichotomy would be to answer this question for us by showing us in no uncertain terms why Will makes more sense for Mike as a long-term love interest.

The other reason why I believe this to be the case is because of the blocking of the s2 scene and the way it's set up: with Will being unable to move, unable to say anything or regain any control, and with Mike opening up and being vulnerable about his true feelings for Will [here comes the most important part lol] IN FRONT OF the other characters like Jonathan and Joyce (I can't remember if it was the entire rest of the cast in this scene or just those two?? I think it might've been everybody bc weren't they trying to get Will to communicate with them using morse code? I don't remember lmao) but anyways, I don't think it was a coincidence that Mike gave his grand "Do you remember the first day that we met?" speech not only to Will himself but in front of the other characters. Remember as well that Mike also confessed his "love" for El in front of an audience, and I don't think that's a coincidence either. I think it's leading to a final confession from Mike that will also take place in front of an audience and will serve as the "choice" that Mike makes between El and Will as well as the "choice" the Duffers present as being the correct narrative and thematic choice for the show. It's important that Mike's initial two confessions took place in front of an audience and also that his final one will, because this will also serve as Mike's "coming out" moment to the rest of the characters and to the audience. I think that Mike is going to have a second speech to Will that isn't just "I love you I love you I love you" over and over again like it was to El. It will be sweet and unique to Will and Byler's relationship except this time it will be explicitly, undeniably romantic so that no one will be able to even think that what he feels for Will is anything short of genuine, passionate, romantic love.

I wouldn't even be surprised if what Mike says closely parallels what he said to El except basically the opposite, alluding to the fact that it wasn't "love at first sight" for him but a slow, gradually building and gradually cultivating love that blossomed over the course of his entire life. Instead of "I knew then and there that I loved you" like he did to El, he could say something like, "I didn't realize it yet when I met you, and I'm not even sure I know when it happened, but I think I've spent my entire life slowly falling in love with you." And he says it with tears in his eyes and in front of all of the rest of the characters, who will also be crying (especially Joyce lol). And of course Will will just be sobbing even through Vecna's control over him, but it will be Mike's love that ultimately frees him from Vecna's hold over him. This would make sense, because unlike El, Will's story has never been about independence and breaking himself free, but about him and Mike breaking themselves free through teamwork a la "I think that we should work together. I think it'll be easier if we're a team."

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bylrlve · 2 months

Text

Warning! Potential spoilers for Stranger Things 5!

To recap, Alex received this dm on 13/2/23, seemingly confirming mileven breakup

She received this message on that day, which states that mileven are still together and happy. However it’s also instantly debunkable bc they’re absolutely not going to do the Hopper-Mike feud bs again. That is beyond clear.

On this past Tuesday, 20/2/23, she received a second message outright stating Mileven breakup.

Finally, on Wednesday, 21/2/23, she received this message full of pretty plausible statements, with mileven breakup included as fact. Interesting.

This person claims it’s all fake, with no rationale or alt info - what, is Will not important now?

Worth noting: Millie is currently doing promo for Damsels, so she’ll be out of commission re: filming for a few weeks. Early March is probably when she’ll come back, but Finn will be be busy with his Ghosbusters 2 promo.

Two conclusions:

1.) there will be no mileven scenes filmed for a few weeks. Filming schedules are very tightly planned to accommodate other actor commitments, so it doesn’t seem like this posed a massive issue. Hm.

2,) Millie will likely be doing any scenes she has with Sadie and Caleb, aka Max and Lucas, when she gets back. As this message says.

This person is probably just smart and well-informed enough to figure this out, but it’s interesting.

There has been some very intriguing activity on a stranger things set a few days ago - red UD ligthing, castle Byers.., and Will Byers. Will’s plotline for season 5 seriously looks like everything us Will stans have been dreaming of in terms of plot relevance, emotional catharsis, etc. This pic dropped yesterday, and the spoiler acc seems to have confirmed it’s Will:

Lastly,this also dropped today:

(Credit to @1987byler on twt)

Very strange framework, here. If the goal is to set up Will being rejected gently by Mike, but understood and accepted, why not focus on that? Why not have Vecna say ‘you’re afraid he’ll be disgusted by you. You’re afraid he’ll see you as the disgusting, broken boy you are’ or something like that? Elsewhere in the game, it’s being reported by players that Will is being taunted about how his friends are all ignoring him, and how Max fits into the group better than he does. This is canonically a sore spot for him - not so much the Max part, but the general point. So why not emphasise his fear of Mike’s rejection, rather than his hurt at Mike picking El over him?

Maybe because, if this is carried into s5 and we get scenes of Vecna taunting Will about Mike choosing El, it’ll be certain that Mike will indeed pick Will. Maybe this is a means of hinting that?

(Side note: at this point in the time line, El was really just a concept to Will. The one time he met her, it was for barely a minute as a delirious, dying child. By s4, it’s very clear that they’re close and loving. I’ll hear no critique of him for apparently not wanting her to come back - it’s very obviously Vecna twisting things, as he did with Max in s4 to make it seem like she actively wanted to murder Billy.)

Also worth noting: the best Mike can say about the girl he supposedly loved at first sight, after a whole week with her, is that she’s ‘cool’, ‘different’, ‘awesome’. Very lacklustre. Compare to how Lucas would describe the comatose max to a newcomer in s4.

Finally: Will quite literally utilises a never-seen memory of Mike and him in Castle Byers as his happy menory, his safe place. You know,like the Snow Ball and those other memories of good times with Lucas that Max clung to in s4?

Credit to @will80sbyers

This post by @nebulousfishgills reports Vecna saying that Will is ‘the key’, manipulating Will’s memories, and directly saying “You’ll finally matter to someone, Will.” Byler kind of has to be endgame, right? For this to make any sense as a narrative? ‘We can still be friends’ won’t cut it, not if, as the messages Alex is getting make out, Will is still so achingly in love post-time jump that he’s staying by Mike’s hospital bed after everyone else leaves and kissing his forehead (a). Not if they’re still emphasising that Mike is his safe place, his home, his light, in (technically) pre-season five promotional material.

All of this is… interesting, to say the least.

I’ll leave off by sharing the posts made by the wonderful @solgmorell on the set leak (x) and the VR byler stuff (x, y).

(a)

ETA: two of the previous dms Alex has gotten state that Will struggles with his friendships with the other party member this season due to being closeted. This game touches heavily on Will’s feeling disconnected from his friends, at least partly bc of his sexuality…. One is above, the other is here:

#byler #mike wheeler #el and mike #stranger things season 5 leaks #st5 leaks #look away if you want to stay a spoiler Virgin #will byers #is slaying #noah schnapp

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