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Just to remind you all, this was absolutely, 100%, done on PURPOSE, the writers chose to add this line for el in the script so that people could pick up on what is relevant to it.

Now,

I find it interesting how Mike used the phrase “a year” twice in comparison to will using it just once, considering he’s the one with the arc in season 4 that reveals his love for Mike and continues to show him pining for Mike.

This lets some insight in on how the move really did effect Mike, more than people would think. In one of the stranger things novels(Lucas on the line(?)) it recalls that Mike would stay in his basement all day playing video games after will and el left Hawkins behind, left Mike behind.

“Emotions can make it speed up” hence, mikes emotions were so uplifted in the most negative way possible that to him, 6 months multiplied x2. What’s very interesting though, is that Mike never says anything along the lines of how long it’s been when he talked to el, they never even had a proper conversation let alone a private one come to think of it. Only in episode 3, where el clocked the way Mike was acting and how it’s making her feel insecure both in herself and their relationship.

Getting a conclusion from this, it’s safe to say that the show is trying to let us know that will leaving Hawkins effected Mike to a significant degree, more than will himself would think, more than the naked eye would think. Especially that airport scene where Mike pulls a shoulder pat full of tension, when taking that scene and Mike referencing to time speeding up when talking to will, it clashes. All of a sudden, that airport scene gets more context.. Mike was never just, distant from will, his emotions hit deeply when will wasn’t there. He doesn’t know how to deal with himself.(this is not to say el moving didn’t affect him too, however in this context will is very noticeably center stage.)

The last clip, “it’s not the same without you.”, is also a hint by singling will out of the others shortly after Mike said “the past year,”. Mike singles will out when compared to Joyce’s quote in many ways, both actively(not explaining time speeding up with el instead of will) and verbally like I’ve explained just a second ago.

Soooo yeah, byler is endgame.

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Just saw a Mileven think that Mileven having a lot of parallels with Stancy was a good thing💀

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I just found out that milevens use the one way sign pointing to the closet as prove that byler is one sided, like what?!?!?!?

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Guys this drought is terrible give us something pls. You could give me a 10 second audio that doesn't even say anything explicit and I'd worship you rn 🙏

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there's absolutely nothing ambiguous or vague or hard to catch about this btw. they didn't have to film it this way; they could have framed jonathan and argyle in the circle. they could have even chosen not to film it like this at all. but they specifically chose to frame mike and will lollll.

the entirety of mike and will's plotline in season 4 is the duffers being very overt about their relationship to the point it takes effort to deny their endgame lol.

there is no byler doubt to be had. trust.

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”byler endgame. they kiss and are in love.” i begin to walk offstage, but remember to look behind me. finn, noah, matt, ross, shawn, joe, millie, charlie, caleb, natalia, maya, winona, david, gaten, priah, brett, amybeth, gabriella, jamie, and eduardo are all SWEATING. they’re looking in every direction but mine. they’re fidgeting and nervous and in that moment,

i know i’ve won.

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They’re all Emmy Nominees 🥺🥺

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MAX COME BACK I MISS YOUUUU

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Having absolutely 0 byler doubt is driving me insane it’s like I unlocked a secret safe of future plot

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Mike jumped off the cliff because he lost his will to live

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i genuinely think whatever the duffer “don’t stop you’re the heart” brothers are cooking for byler is gonna be 10000x cornier than anything ever seen on ao3

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the way mike looks at el🥹🥹

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I don’t think we talk enough about how all the other boys at the party have shown romantic and sexual interest in more than one person, except for will. he only allows himself to show romantic interest in mike (and he doesn’t even show it, we only know it because we see it from his pov), and exclusively romantic. and the guy is 15 years old, it’s normal to show sexual interest, but unlike mike, who has posters of shirtless men on his wall, will doesn’t have ANYTHING that gives any clue about his sexuality beyond the painting. It’s clear that he’s sexually repressed, which makes a lot of sense, he’s gay in the 80s and has been bullied his whole life for his sexuality. and when you’re gay, people ALWAYS talk about your sexuality only in sexual terms.

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Byler would be queerbaiting

I still can’t believe people deny byler wouldn’t be queerbaiting in 2025. Let’s start with the very obvious truth; the Will-Mike-El situation is clearly a love triangle:

“A love triangle is a situation where three people are romantically involved, either with one person being pursued by two others, or one person being romantically involved with two different people at the same time.” 

I truly believe the inability to see this love triangle is through no other fault than watching the show through a heteronormative lens. Last time I checked, Mike is being pursued (not really “pursued”, but well) by Eleven and Will. 

Mileven has been built up since season one and remains as the canon couple. Byler is not canon, but Will’s feelings for Mike have been confirmed already. So, it is canon that Will likes Mike (to put it lightly). Oh, there it is! The love triangle people say doesn’t exist. 

Now, let’s look at the definition of queerbaiting: 

“The incorporation of apparently gay characters or same-sex relationships into a film, television show, etc. as a means of appealing to queer audiences while maintaining ambiguity about the characters’ sexuality.”

So, on one side, we have the canon couple: mileven. On the other side, we have byler. We know Will’s feelings towards Mike (nothing unambiguous there), but Mike’s feelings towards Will are…? What exactly? 

“Friends! We are friends!” 

Ah, the common trope where the other character states that they’re friends in a futile effort to deny the feelings for the character they’ll obviously end up with. From tropedia, because I couldn’t find any other definition, this trope is used by “teasing a romantic relationship between two platonic friends”. 

“The force with which the two deny any feelings is always inversely proportional to the truth. Just Friends is in essence, a relationship, a potential relationship or teased relationship between people who are simply Just Friends, in a normal, and regular manner. When a character uses the line “We’re just friends” but no-one seems to believe them, this is likely to be the trope involved.”

Not only there’s a love triangle, but also the usage of a common trope with one of the parties of the love triangle. Besides that, Mike and Will haven’t acknowledged their feelings to each other at all. Will did a veiled confession (that ended up serving the straight main couple) and that’s it. There was no reaction from Mike at all, like, at all.  

So, Mike’s feelings towards Will are left ambiguous.  

Time and time again, the narrative leaves Mike’s feelings up to the viewer’s interpretation, because apparently he is completely oblivious. 

Like, really? Are we supposed to believe Mike―best friend for more than ten years―can’t tell something's wrong with Will as he cries his heart out in the van? The same Mike who told Will he had been moping and hadn’t smiled all day at Rink-O-Mania?

“Mike just doesn’t suspect Will is gay.”

Okay but we know Mike is not oblivious to the concept of queerness. He has to have some sort of knowledge about it, given the remarks he must have heard from his bullies to himself and Will. It is implied his dad teases him about it. Hell, there’s even a scene where he pushes Troy because he calls Will a fairy. 

In the fourth season, they had the perfect set up to show us Mike’s suspicions on Will’s queerness. The only scene close to such a thing is probably during the desert scene where Mike looks up to Will (who’s already looking back) and avoids his gaze. 

Regardless of this, in many other instances, they could’ve made it clear that Mike doesn’t reciprocate by showing just a tinge of a reaction. If they’re not going for byler, the fact that they held onto concealing Mike’s feelings and keeping them ambiguous for four seasons would undoubtedly be queerbaiting. 

Honestly, it gets to a point. It’s saddening to see people discredit all bylers as m/m fetishizers when all that is needed to ship byler is to read the literal text. You wouldn’t see this treatment in any hetero love triangle. This “will and won’t they” between Mike and Will is a deliberate choice. 

The Duffers could’ve written Will’s gay arc without needing to throw Mike into the mix. It’s just a strange narrative choice to make, given the modern reframing the show gives its other characters. More so when you realize the main gay character, one of the characters who has suffered the most throughout the show and believes he won’t ever fall in love, doesn’t get a love interest until (if even) the last season.

(sorry if this had any typos, english is not my first language)

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how it feels to remember that the painting lie "pays off" and "something goes right for will"

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Winona Ryder As Verónica Sawyer In

HEATHERS (1988)

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The fact that Mike's POV is reserved for S5 tells me everything