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Byler is Narrative Destiny:

Decoding Mike and Will’s (rather obvious) love story

Alternative title: Subtext My Ass

Just an unapologetically nerdy breakdown of Mike and Will through colour psychology, symbolism, and Jungian Archetypes to eviscerate any remaining Byler doubt that may be out there. Mike and Will have been (quite literally) written for each other. Let me prove it.

The psychological significance of red, yellow and blue:

Let's start with the basics.

Mike's representative colour is blue, and Will's colour is yellow.

Blue is the colour of Mike's bedroom and most of the clothing he wears features various shades of blue, as well as green and teal (which are secondary and tertiary colours from blue).

And, although I wouldn't die on this hill, I do think Mike's palette could function as subtle queer-coding as it resembles the gay flag.

Yellow is the colour of Will's bedrooms in both Hawkins and Lenora. He often wears yellow and pairs it with red.

(Interestingly, the only season where Will does not wear these colours as often is season 2, when he is possessed by the Mind Flayer).

And of course, potential queer-coding with red and yellow both being 2 of 3 primary colours featured on the generic rainbow pride flag. Will's wardrobe in general is very colourful.

Unlike Mike's palette which features secondary and tertiary colours, Will's red and yellow are both primary colours. They are very distinct and especially striking when paired together.

Therefore, red should be given equal focus to yellow when we analyze Will's character design and the associated psychology of his character.

I argue that red is Will's other representative colour, because he is psychologically split.

Will having two distinct representative colours makes a lot of sense when we remember that he is constantly associated with split imagery.

This split imagery is usually portrayed using rods or other phallic-shaped objects.

The show is telling us visually that there are two sides to Will Byers, and because the imagery is phallic, it likely has something to do with his sexuality.

When I see rods, I'm reminded of the Suit of Wands in Tarot.

Tarot uses symbolism, semiotics and numerology to communicate meaning. The wands in tarot are rod-like and traditionally depicted as sticks or branches. They are phallic symbols; representing passion, lust, and vitality, as well as the element of fire.

These are all things we subconsiously associate with the colour red, too!

So, let's take a closer look at colour psychology, starting with red!

Red exudes passion: love, energy, excitement.

It makes sense.

Red is the colour Will used for Mike's heart emblem painted on his shield. (Accompanied by a yellow crown).

Red represents Will's passionate love for Mike.

Not innocent or platonic love, but a mature, sexual and romantic love. The kind a closeted gay teen in the 80s might be terrified of.

What's more interesting is that even though red and yellow are Will’s colors, he projects them onto Mike in this paiting. Likewise, blue is Mike's colour, but Will assigns it to himself through the spell he's casting. Figuratively, casting a spell refers to strongly attracting, enchanting or captivating someone.

The meaning here is twofold:

Mike is attracted to Will, and feels that he is a forbidden temptation or even a seducer (more on that later).

Will knows (or rather, feels) that the attraction is mutual on a subconscious level, even though he may logically believe this not to be true.

The imagery in Will's painting reminds me of the official artwork in which Will is casting a blue lightening bolt spell, which connects to Mike's shield featuring the red heart.

Red and blue are also the only colours depicted in this image. They are clearly significant when paired together. (Perhaps more significant than yellow and blue...)

Red also represents Will's latent manhood (and subverted masculinity).

We associate red with fire, and by extention, with gun-powder.

Will the Wise is a wizard, and wizards cast fireballs—but he hesitates to cast it. Will also literally wields a gun—but he never pulls the trigger.

(At least, he doesn't fire it in the canon of the show. Like the fireball however, Will may have eventually pulled the trigger, as depicted in the comics). When Will does shoot the gun in the comics, he does so while closing his eyes and looking away, meaning that it is unlike him or "feels wrong."

In a symbolic sense, the fireballs and gun (which is phallic) represent masculinity, aggression, and agency.

Will is hesitant to embrace them all.

And the thing is, Will's gentle and slightly more effeminate nature (at least by 80s standards) is a perfectly valid expression. There is a distinction between masculinty and manhood: Manhood is simply the sexual and psychological maturity of an adult man, as compared to that of a child (boyhood). Like how red represents Will's mature love for Mike, it could also be foreshadowing of his coming-of-age. There's no need for him to "toughen up" or act "manly" in order for him to step into his manhood. Rather, he will likely do so by reclaiming his agency.

Will is going to symbolically embrace his manhood by:

Accepting his sexuality and coming out (at least to people he trusts, because it's not everyone's business).

His emancipation from the influences of the Mind Flayer, Vecna and Lonnie (malevolent forces which represent shame, trauma and domination).

Now, let's move on to Will's (apparently) more dominant representative colour.

Yellow exudes innocence: creativity, happiness, optimism.

Will is often percieved as innocent and more child-like than the other party members, despite his advanced emotional maturity.

He wears a lot of yellow (and plaid) to represent this innocence and youthfulness.

Yellow represents Will's innocence.

According to the casting director, Will was casted to appear young and innocent, and also for his large, expressive eyes. Wide eyes (or doe eyes) are associated with innocence, children and prey animals. Will also visually resembles prey animals such as rabbits and deer.

Before he is abducted, Will appears as a metaphorical deer caught in headlights.

(The light is on him when it should be on the demogorgon. He is the prey here).

Yellow also represents Will's artistic sensibilities.

Even though some of the images depict violence, Will's drawings still exude childhood innocence and wonder: they are colouful, whimsical and fantastical.

They also represent optimism and friendship, which is very yellow-like. His drawings appear to be inspired by the antics of the party's campaigns, depicting triumph rather than tragedy.

(Mind Flayer and Zombie Boy drawings aside).

Yellow is associated with Will's halo imagery (and other religious symbolism).

When we see Will from Mike’s perspective, he is bathed in yellow light.

It’s halo imagery—and it provides a stark contrast to the split phallic imagery we get from Will's own perspecitve.

(It's worth asking, since this is Will from Mike's perspective, does it really say much about Will's psyche? Or does it point more towards Mike's own psyche?)

Light signifies optimism, hope and clarity.

A halo specifically sybmolises holiness, purity and martyrdom.

This relates strongly to Will's role as cleric (a class who use divine magic gifted by deities, which is often depicted as golden or yellow). The thing is, Will the Wise is actually a wizard. It was Mike who determined Will was a cleric in season 2. Mike seemingly placed Will into this role, because it fits how he views him.

Additionally, Will's role as spy for Vecna and his "True Sight" can be associated to yellow.

When we see a single eye, it usually signifies the all-seeing eye, also called the Eye of Providence.

The Eye of Providence is typically depicted emanating golden yellow rays of light. It's more religious symbolism connected to Will.

But this is not a positive thing for Will—it's connected to his abduction, possession and subjugation.

Mike's halo-ifying of Will tells us that he views Will as something angelic: pure, divine and holy. But Will does not percieve himself this way at all. Will is less concerned with the religious symbolism and more concerned with the phallic. To put it bluntly, Will is not as innocent as he appears, and is thinking more about his sexuality and desire than people realize.

Finally, yellow is associated with Will's metaphorical death.

Will's funeral is littered with yellow roses, and through the liturgical prayer (more religious coding) he is again directly tied to innocence.

We now have an association between yellow, innocence, and death.

Let me decode this very simply:

Child = innocence Death = loss A child's death = the symbolic loss of innocence. So even though Will lives, he lost his childhood innocence when he metaphorically died.

I hope that I've been able to get the point across that although yellow fits many aspects of Will's personality, it also seems tied to his repression and stasis.

Psychologically and narratively, yellow does not indicate growth for Will's character, in the way that red does.

Now, let's move onto one of the most tragically misunderstood characters in the series and his representative colour.

Blue exudes sincerity: loyalty, stability and trust.

This is the absolute epitome of Mike.

Mike is incredibly loyal, often even to his own detriment. Everytime Mike does a wrong, he always strives to make a right. In fact, he's prone to taking ownership of things that aren't his actual fault or responsibility. He's also deeply compassionate and determined to do everything he can to help others.

Blue represents Mike's leadership capabilities.

In marketing, brands will often choose the colour blue to subliminally communicate that they are dependable, trustworthy, and leaders of industry.

Mike is also a natural leader: he has played as both Dungeon Master and paladin, he initiated the efforts to find Will among his friends, and he took El under his wing. And this is just in season 1 alone.

He continues to protect and guide his friends through-out the series, using his sharp wit and intelligence (over brute strength) to problem-solve.

Mike's leadership is not based in ego, it's a genuine psychological need. It's where he fits into the world: helping, protecting and guiding others. It's natural for him.

Once again I look to the Tarot, and this time the Suit of Cups.

This suit represents the element of water, representing the inner world, emotions and spirituality. The cups themselves are symbols of fulfillment: is the cup empty or full?

I think we should ask the same question when we look at Mike. Is he empty or full? What is it that he actually wants? Are his needs being met?

The colour blue is associated to water, symbolising the unconscious, emotion and hidden depths.

Blue represents Mike's hidden depths (and his unmet fulfillment).

Mike is associated with water, too. In a very literal sense. He jumped into the quarry to save his friend, likely knowing it would kill him.

(And note that his jacket matches the blue-green colour of the quarry water).

Why did he do this? Was it truly just to save Dustin, or is there more here hidden beneath the surface? Much like Will's experience in the Upside Down, Mike's jumping into the quarry is never explicitly addressed. He never talks about it, and it's never explained.

This implies repression, both emotional and psychological. There is a hidden pain and depth to Mike, that is beneath the surface. He's like still water.

In both Jungian and Freudian psychology, water is associated with the unconscious. And in Stranger Things, water facilitates the transition from unconscious to conscious.

When El has to recover her repressed memories of Hawkins Laboratory, she does so while floating in water. In fact, she uses water to infiltrate other people's consciousness, too: entering their private memories. When Heather begs El for help (though she was already possessed by the Mind Flayer) she is also submerged in water. This was a message from her subconscious, which was repressed by the Mind Flayer.

Mike never becomes submerged into the water, however. In the literal sense this is a relief. But metaphorically, it's a problem. Like Will's metaphorical death at the quarry, Mike is also in a state of stasis.

Mike needs to transition his unconscious to the conscious in order to be emotionally and psychologically fulfilled.

There is no wonder why people often find Mike's character to be confusing or amorphous: he has been intentionally written to be this way.

We as the audience are supposed to experience his struggle with identity, purpose and fulfillment along with him. We're meant to feel his confusion. The story of Stranger Things is (largely) told from Mike's perspective—he's a writer and storyteller after all—and he's hiding the things about himself he does not yet want us to know, because he still needs to deal with them himself.

Okay, I hope you're still with me, because we're getting to the crux of it now.

The Jungian Archetypes:

Now that we've explored how Mike and Will's representative colours (and associated symbolism) reflect their inner worlds and personalities, we have enough information to identify their most prominent Jungian Archetypes (including their shadows).

Jungian Archetypes are often referred to as Character Archetypes or Literary Archetypes. Sometimes, this is why an ending feels “right” or inevitable. When we understand the characters, we already know on a gut level what kind of ending they will get. In way, it's a form of predictive modelling for storytelling.

Will as the Lover archetype:

If red represents Will's passion, love, and lust, then that makes him the Lover.

The Lover archetype is passionate, romantic, and driven by a desire for deep connection. Alongside the Everyman, the Lover belongs to a trio of archetypes that seek belonging above all else. Specifically, the Lover seeks both emotional and physical intimacy.

They are empathetic and sensual, and I think this relates to Will's deep appreciation for music and art. He's also very in-tune with his own (and other's) emotions, especially Mike's.

(This is the deep, sensuous gaze of the Lover. There's nothing "innocent" about it. He is drinking Mike in, and he's not shy about it).

Again, I reiterate that Will is not as innocent as he appears. When we are placed in his perspective, it's love and intimacy that he most craves. It's phallic imagery that we see. He's no longer a doe-eyed child; he's a young man with emotional needs.

It's worth noting that based off his characterization (sensitive, romantic, selfless and handsome), Will would probably be portrayed as a romantic leading man if he were straight. The one who "gets the girl."

He's Colonel Brandon (Sense and Sensibility). He's Jack Dawson (Titanic).

The Lover's Shadow

The Lover's Shadow-self may be referred to as the Addict or the Seducer.

The Addict or Seducer is hedonistic: They prioritize external validation over genuine connection, and crave temporary gratification. Will is not portrayed as hedonistic, meaning he is sitting quite firmly in the light aspect of his archetype rather than the shadow.

It suits him. It's his endgame.

However, the Seducer certainly invokes the imagery of Will being a spell-caster: one who can enchant others, even against their will.

Perhaps this is Mike's subconscious perspective: Mike feels that Will is tempting him and seducing him into queerness. Was Will Mike's sexual/ gay awakening? It's very possible.

Alternatively, this could represent Will's own subconscious fear regarding his sexuality, considering the attitudes towards gay men at the time: Will fears that he will become a sexual deviant, that his love is impure, and will lead Mike down a path of sin.

Very compelling stuff. Let's take a look at Will's other Jungian Archetype.

Will as the Innocent archetype:

The Innocent is pure, optimistic and hopeful. What they seek most is harmony and safety, and they choose to see the goodness in others.

They represent the desire to return to childhood. It makes sense that a character who had his childhood stolen from him due to trauma, and who has sexual identity issues, would project as the Innocent archetype. However, I think the Light aspect of the Innocent archetype fits better with younger Will (seasons 1-2), than with teenaged Will.

This is why I think Will uses the Innocent as his Persona (projection).

The Innocent's Shadow

The Innocent's Shadow-self is the Victim.

They are naive, vulnerable and easily-manipulated. The Victim embodies the feelings of powerlessness and helplessness.

It's certainly reminiscent of Will's continual misfortune.

From his father's abuse, his abduction and possession, to his "unrequited" love for Mike, Will has been perpetually victimized through-out Stranger Things.

As far as the Innocent goes, Will is sitting more firmly in it's shadow than in it's light.

But Will is not naive, and he's too "wise" to be easily-manipulated. I think Will has partially out-grown his innocent image, or rather, the version of innocence he is attached to (sexless, childish and victimized). Will is going evolve into a more mature (and self-possessed) version of the Innocent: optimistic, wise, and hopeful. He'll achieve this by leaning more into his Lover archetype, which will facilitate his coming-of-age.

Mike as the Everyman archetype:

The Everyman is the protagonist. They are relatable and down-to-earth. They don’t display any outward powers or extraordinary gifts, but they are humble, compassionate, and kind.

Alongside the Lover, they seek belonging above all else. For the Everyman specifically, this belonging centres around community (friendship).

Mike is certainly the Everyman.

There is nothing more important to him than his friends.

His role as the Everyman also makes sense when we remember he's the primary narrator of the story. He's the ordinary boy who is thrust into extraordinary circumstances.

He's constantly in awe of those around him: El's superpowers, Will's light and "innocence." The Everyman often mistakenly believes they are unimportant. They are too normal, while the other characters around them appear so much more distinct and larger than life.

Because the Everyman is usually so caught up in trying to figure everybody else out, they tend to neglect their own sense of self.

But the Everyman is an extremely important character: they ground the story in reality, bring people together and find common ground.

The Everyman is the heart of the story.

The Everyman's Shadow

The Everyman's shadow is the Conformist or the Nobody.

Oh, yeah. We're going there Wheeler.

The Conformist possesses a fear of standing out or taking risks, and assumes socially acceptable identities because they're afraid to dissapoint or subvert expectations. In simple terms, they are repressed.

(Would anyone like a serving of compulsary heterosexuality? Mike's teeming with it).

Speaking of Mike's repressed perspective and subconscious state: Remember his simultaneous halo-ifying of Will and characterization of him as a seducer?

That's deeply psychological too.

This is what his halo-ifying of Will reveals about his pscyhe:

Mike's tendency to place others above himself

Mike's repressed sexuality: viewing Will as something both untouchable and unattainable.

He has decided to view Will as fully Innocent (to the most spiritual degree) as a means of rationalizing his sexual repression. You can't get with the guy who wears a literal halo! That would be… sacrilegious! The religious symbolism surrounding Will may actually stem from Mike's unreliable narration and conflicted feelings about queerness.

This is what Mike's view of Will as a spell-caster/ seducer reveals:

Mike feels that he’s been enchanted or bewitched by him.

He frames his desire as something external to himself. Something being done to him, because acknowledging that it originates within would mean facing his own queerness.

Mike is in his Conformist mode, and he's going to break out of it by the end of season 5.

That's not all though, there's also the Nobody.

The Nobody feels invisible and insignificant. They often lack ambition, and have feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

This also sounds familiar.

And yeah, the fact that when Mike is in his shadow he chooses to confide in Will, and Will is the one who helps him step into his light should not be lost on us.

Will sees Mike's worth as the Everyman: the heart of the story.

He is the Everyman's Lover.

There's more to Mike, though. Like Will, he embodies a secondary archetype.

Mike as the Caregiver archetype:

The Caregiver is characterized by compassion, generosity, and a deep-seated desire to help others. Driven by a need to nurture and protect, they often prioritize the needs of others above their own.

They are motivated by structure and order; wanting to maintain the status quo, safety and familiarity.

Mike shows up as the Caregiver frequently. He is always protecting, comforting and safeguarding others, particularly those he sees as most vulnerable or in need of his service: Will and El.

While the Everyman pairs nicely with Mike's role as the narrator and protagonist, the Caregiver pairs with his role as leader. He's not a ruler; authorative, noble and intimidating. That's not his style of leadership. Instead, he's something softer. He leads by example: protecting, healing and serving.

The Caregiver's Shadow

The Caregiver's shadow may be called the Slave or the Enabler.

This emerges when when caregiving becomes self-sacrificing to an unhealthy degree, or when it's rooted in control, guilt, or dependency.

It's the incessant need to be needed, to any end.

Mike needlessly makes a promise to El that he will fix a problem he has no control over, and he breaks that promise because El fixed it herself.

Why does he do this?

Because he feels that it has to be his responsibility, even though he understands that El does not "need" him. This fills him with feelings of guilt and inadequacy, and validates his insecurities. It's very different to Mike's emotional support and compassion which he shows El in the earlier seasons. When Mike and El are dating, his Caregiver self is placed in the shadow: making him insecure, needy, and guilt-ridden.

Now, we approach the climax: Byler's compatibility.

Compatability:

Mike and Will are narratively (and psychologically) compatible, according to their individual character arcs and archetypes.

The Lover and the Everyman

The Lover enchants the Everyman: making them feel special, and convincing them to embrace their emotional and romantic needs, which inspires them to be active and bold instead of hesitant or repressed. The Everyman grounds the Lover: providing them clarity, stability, and a love which is based in sincerity and deep understanding, rather than physical or sexual validation.

Will enchants Mike by making him feel special and worthy of love, and Mike literally brings Will back to reality through his sincerity.

The Innocent and the Caregiver

Is this one not obvious?

The Innocent inspires the Caregiver: reminding them that there is good in the world worth protecting, making their servitude meaningful, rather than sacrificial. (Hello lotr reference! Mike and Will are extremely Samwise and Frodo coded). The Caregiver protects the Innocent: validating their optimism and sharing in their desire for safety, never making them feel stupid or burdensome.

Mike is inspired into action by Will's goodness, and Will confides in Mike as he trusts him to understand and validate him.

Finally, we've reached the conclusion!

The (predictive) endgames:

If characters have archetypical personalities and motivations, then they also have archetypical narratives. That is to say, we can predict the end of their story so long as we just pay attention.

Let me make something clear:

You don't depict someone as the Lover, and have them pine, without giving them their satisfying love story.

You don't depcit someone as the Innocent, and have them continually suffer, without giving them their peaceful ending.

You don't depict someone as the Everyman, who conforms and retreats into shadows, without having them surprise and subvert audience expectations.

You don't depict someone as the Caregiver, who sacrifices and gives, without having their efforts be appreciated and acknowledged.

Some stories do have sad endings, and our protagonists don't always get what they want, or end the story fulfilled. But allow me to remind you:

Stranger Things is a hopeful story about unlikely heroes (outcasts, rejects and non-conformists) beating the odds.

The characters don't just fight literal monsters, they fight metaphorical monsters that represent bullies, abusers and bigots.

The ending of the show may be bittersweet, but Will and Mike are sympathetic characters with good hearts, who deserve their happy endings.

My prediction is simple:

Will the Lover is destined for romantic union with his beloved, Mike. Mike the Everyman is on a path to embracing his true, authentic self. Will the Innocent will finally find safety, and freedom from represison and abuse. Mike the Caregiver will lead and protect with his greatest asset: his heart.

Mike is not just the narrator of this story, he's the heart of it.

And Will just so happens to be his heart.

It all comes down to them, and the show already foreshadowed it:

[fin].

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fandomcrmblrs · 5 days ago

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00- Heroes

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fandomcrmblrs · 9 days ago

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00- Heroes

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fandomcrmblrs · 24 days ago

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I have 74 diseases

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fandomcrmblrs · 25 days ago

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Byler from other people POVs fic list

some light-hearted cute fics where everyone already figured out what is actually going on between Will and Mike, before the two of them say anything.

Mike Wheeler and the G-Word

by lunii_vii

A coming-of-age fic in which everyone realizes at their own times that Mike Wheeler is queer, but leave him to figure it out himself. (Each chapter is from a different character's POV.)

14k words

13/13 chapters

Note: very cute fic, especially chapter 11 and 12, they had me giggling and kicking my feet.

almost but not quite

by Marigold_Flowers

“Lucas you have to tell me —” she pats his arm vigorously— “is Mike blushing?” Lucas takes a moment to process this but Max can tell the moment he understands what she’s been trying to say all along when he starts patting her arm back. “Oh my God, he totally is,” he says, and he sounds awed, like he’s just made a world-changing discovery. “Is this what you meant?”. “That they’re totally crushing on each other?” Screw subtlety. “Duh.”

Or -- 5 times people agree that Will and Mike have a crush on each other + the time they discover the truth

20k words

2/2 chapters

Note: y’all have to read this one it’s just so awesome. i looove happy slice of life fics, so when i read this it became one of my favorites.

this secret language that we’re speaking

by afterglowssss

“I can’t see,” Will announces, and immediately—and when Lucas says immediately, he means the second the sentence left his mouth—he jumps onto Mike’s back, and Mike has absolutely zero reaction, he just grabs onto Will’s legs so he doesn’t, like, fall off.

OR lucas doesn’t quite understand will and mike, until he does

1k words

1/1 chapter

Note: this is a private work, so you need an account to read it. this one is really nice and well written, so if you have ten minutes i would give it a quick read

mama said you can’t hurry love

by andiwriteordie

this fic is the first part of the 9 part serie “let’s hear it from the boys”, that i strongly recommend, and the first parts are all in theme with this post, but i’ll only put the two fics i liked the most. You can read both of them without reading the other parts.

Before Mike is out of an earshot, she calls, “Mike!”The young teenager turns back around. “Yeah?”“Thank you,” Joyce says, suddenly feeling choked up. “For being Will’s best friend.” Mike’s expression softens, and a familiar sort of fondness—something she’s seen more than once on Will’s face—forms on his face. “Like I said,” he says quietly, “it’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Or: Will and Mike over the years, as seen through the eyes of Joyce Byers.

8k words

1/1 chapters

Note: also private, it goes from when Will and Mike are little babies to… well you have to read to find out ;)

the winner takes it all

by andiwriteordie

also part of the serie “let’s hear it from the boys”, you don’t have to read the other parts to understand this one

“Honestly, I bet they’ll end up dating at one point or another. I’ve just got a feeling.” “I’ll take that bet,” Steve says, voice filled with certainty. “Bet you ten bucks Wheeler and Byers are just friends and don’t get together.”

Or: Robin and Steve make a bet on whether Will and Mike will end up together. Naturally, chaos ensues.

9k words

1/1 chapters

Note: another private, when the description says “Naturally, chaos ensues” believe it. I’m not sure if it is a slice of life, but it sure did feel like one lol. It’s a pretty chaotic and fun fic, and i loved reading byler on robin’s POV

i think there is someone (you love)

by fireflywitch

El thinks Will’s been acting weird. But he’s not the only one. Featuring excessive 80s pop synth, secret dance parties, the sick, ruinous embarrassment of existence, blue paint spills, motel room realizations, dictionary definitions, and that four letter word.

22k words

4/4 chapters

Note: this fic is one of my faves! the author understands El so well (this is one of the best interpretations of her character I've seen) and Will is awesome here. Follows s4 and beyond.

Dustin Henderson, the Scientific Method, and Homosexuality

by crow_of_crimes (Theyna_Shipper)

Dustin Henderson is, if nothing else, a firm believer in the scientific method. As a bug collector since age 4, an aspiring computer scientist since 5th grade, a member of Hawkins A/V since 6th grade, a science camp attendee since 7th grade, and a boy with a lifelong passion for science, he recognizes its principles: careful observation, study, and peer review. So when strange things begin to happen in Hawkins, that fall outside the usual nature of strange things that happen in Hawkins, he returns to his roots to find the answers. After all, the scientific method applies to social science, too. And if any observation ever needed careful dissection, it was this one.

Or: Dustin Henderson applies the scientific method to figure out why two of his best friends have been acting so strangely.

3k words

1/1 chapter

Note: Dustin in this fic really feels like season 2 Dustin and that was really cute

friend of my brother is my enemy (or something like that)

by rosesgf

Jonathan would never hear the end of it if Will found out what he’s doing, so he needs to be subtle. Just enough to get Mike to treat him better. Just enough to redirect things. He settles on a stern, “Mike, I think we need to have a talk.”

7k words

1/1 chapters

Note: I just loved so much how they characterized Mike. angst warning, but like it’s like very good angst

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fandomcrmblrs · 29 days ago

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the full senior promic!🍀

bonus:

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fandomcrmblrs · 30 days ago

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BYLER GATES: A GUIDE

(A masterpost explaining all the different theories, for anyone who is also lost with how many there are)

THE BIG 4

Flickergate: This theory involves a lot of time shenanigans and is connected to the Will having powers in s5 one (possibly manipulation of time or electricity). Theory claims Will and Mike will kiss in the UD, specifically outside Mike's garage, paralleling 1x01. Will is going to tell the truth at the same time his s1 self is ("it was a seven"), causing the garage light to flicker on Nov. 6th 1983.

Birthdaygate: This theory suggests that the Duffers didn't actually forget Will's birthday is March 22nd (the day of the rink-o-mania incident). It claims that Vecna is actually manipulating the characters' memories (possibly even Will's), making them forget his birthday in the process, maybe in an attempt to make him feel excluded/lonely and making him vulnerable. (Similar to the beginning of Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets, which happened to be on the inspo board for S4)

But also the Creel murders themselves happened on March 22nd.

Churchgate: More UD kiss related theories! This one claims Will is going to get Vecna'd or possessed in the Upside Down church (and that he's going to hurt/choke Mike in the process). With a crazy amount of religious symbolism, Mike would be the one breaking him out of his trance, through a kiss or a confession.

(More thorough explanation here.)

Lettergate: This gate's truthers believe that Mike did actually write to Will in the time period between s3 and s4, but never sent the letters. Said letters (signed "Love, Mike") are going to make an appearance in s5, revealing his true feelings. (Great post that has to do with this gate here)

Also related to:

OTHER GATES

Pocketgate: Very connected to Lettergate™️, this theory has to do with Mike's infamous triangle shaped pocket in S4. It suggests that the letter signed Love, Mike is hidden in said pocket throughout s4, since it very closely resembles an envelope. Triangles have also been used in ST as a queer symbol (with Robin) and Mike's pocket consistently points to Will like an arrow.

Phonegate: Kinda similar to the previous two, this gate claims Mike did actually call the Byers in Lenora. For some reason, the calls didn't go through, either because of Joyce's telemarketer job OR because of Vecna manipulating things again (cough, birthdaygate, cough).

This is backed up by one of Dustin's lines, saying that the Byers' phone line is always busy and Mike won't stop complaining about it. We know he must have been calling WILL, since the whole reason he was communicating with El using letters is that they couldn't talk on the phone.

Loverslakegate: Related to Lovers' lake (obviously). The lake is shaped like a heart, tying into its name, but it was split in two after the gates opened, now resembling a broken one (and Mike is ofc referred to as "the heart" so it could be a reference to him).

According to this theory, Mike and Will are going to kiss/become lovers near said lake/Reefer Rick's house.

Heartgate: To put it simply: Heart reflections EVERYWHERE. This one is better explained through pictures:

Also: Different heartgate but really interesting

Colorgate: I don't think I have to explain this one tbh but anyway

Blue meets yellow in the west.

Mike and Will have been HEAVILY associated with blue and yellow respectively since the beginning of the show (even wearing eachother's colours in both of their arguments). There's an insane amount of evidence that backs this one up.

It's speculated that the Russian code in s3 was foreshadowing for s4 ("The silver cat feeds when Blue meets Yellow in the west") Silver cat: Vecna who started killing when Mike (Blue) met Will (Yellow) in the west (California, literally west of Indiana)

Curtaingate: "They don't spent their lives trying to get a look at what's behind the curtain [...] They like the curtain. It provides them comfort, stability, definition" -Murray 2x05

Mike and El are pretty consistently framed in front of CLOSED (and more often than not, yellow) curtains, or ones that have closed blinds. According to this theory, closed curtains represent not being honest with one's true feeling. So, the truth about Mike's feelings is beyond the curtain and in s5 he will open it (and come out)

Motelgate: This one has to do with the dreaded two day time skip at the end of S4. Theory claims the Cali crew stayed at a motel during that time skip and the scenes were cut for time, but we'll flash back to them in s5. It's based on a photo a production assistant posted from the New Mexico filming, as well as some bts pics of the Cali Crew playing board games in a motel.

Shoegate: In S4, we see a pair of Will's shoes in his bedroom. In s5, Mike seems to be wearing that exact pair. This, in addition to the fact that they wear the same shoe size (a 10 according to their rollerskates from 4x02), lead people to theorize they will share clothes/shoes in s5. More importantly though, this theory suggests Mike is figuratively being put into Will's shoes (maybe pining?). Also, both of them wear the same shoes they wore in s2. Interestingly enough though, even though the design is the same, the colors are reversed (so their roles will be reversed too).

Possessiongate: This one runs DEEP so I'm going to link a bunch of posts

To put it VERY simply: this theory claims Vecna somehow attached himself to Mike (maybe when the vine grabbed him by the leg in the S2 tunnels- right before he started acting weird in s3 and s4) and he has been influenced/possessed for some time now.

He's not the dungeon master anymore, he's not in control. Both in s3 and s4 someone ELSE is the DM when they play D&D (Will and Eddie respectively)

More here and here

Victimgate: Very closely related to the previous one, this one suggests that MIKE was originally supposed to be Vecna's 4th victim instead of Patrick. Since Max escaped the first time, SHE ended up being the last victim but the original plan was for it to be Patrick. However, Patrick's curse doesn't fit the theme of all of the previous ones. We only see one of his visions, he gets cursed for ONE DAY, as opposed to the other 3 that are cursed for almost a week and we also know very little about him, even though we gradually knew more about the previous victims. Chrissy (no relation to main characters) -> Fred (friends w/ Nancy) -> Max (main character who we've known since s2)

More thorough explanation here

Twelvegate: This one is not really Byler related but i wanted to include it anyway

Theory claims Will was one of the lab kids (specifically 012) and him and El are actual twins. There are mentions of Will and El looking similar since s1, and a lot of twin imagery.

This theory obviously ties in with the Will having powers one and some people believe he wasn't 012, but him and El have a deeper connection/may be actually related. It could theoretically explain Henry's connection to Will, as well as things like El seemingly recognizing him in s1.(Alternatively called rainbowshipgate, because of the rainbow ship drawing Joyce mentions in s2 and the rainbow room)

Eightfifteengate: Again, not explicitly Byler but it's quite crazy.

TL;DR: The time 8:15 seems to have great significance in the show and it's mentioned all the time, if not by the characters themselves, (Eg. "It's 8:15, you're late"- El s2) then by small details in the background. There's even a whole track named after it.

Will left the Wheelers' house at 8:15 and it's the EXACT timestamp of his disappearance in 1x01. It's also the time in which most of the UD related weirdness happens and so it's very likely the UD is stuck on 8:15. (Also you know, 15-8=7)

Radiationgate: Related to the previous one! Clocks in Chernobyl are stuck on 8:15 and Hiroshima has been described figuratively as being frozen in time. Henry has burns identical to Chernobyl victims and almost all of his + his victims' symptoms can be explained through radiation exposure. As this post explains, for radiation levels between 8.3-11 Gy (SI unit for absorbed radiation), symptoms start with headaches and disorientation, move on to unconsciousness and bleeding (the exact symptoms of his victims) and finally, death happens at around 7 days (which is about how long Vecna's curse lasts AND how long Will was in the UD for)

Whiterabbitgate: The song "White Rabbit" is the first song in the show and it plays when we first get a sense of El's powers. Theory suggests it will also be the last song in the show (coming full circle) with either Will using his powers, or Willel using their powers together.

In general though, ST has a lot of similarities/parallels to Alice in Wonderland. The white rabbit constantly being late (Mike is late to something at the start of every season), great significance to clocks/ticking/time, a lot of hallucinations/visions, the overall similarities between the Upside Down and Wonderland. Henry's sister was literally named Alice Creel and there is SO much rabbit imagery throughout the show. There are also direct references to AIW with set pieces and paintings.

Soundtrackgate: This one has to do with the Stranger Things OST and the overall insane musical symbolism throughout the show. A lot of different theories talk about the show's soundtrack, but this one talks about 3 tracks in particular: Being Different, The First Lie, The First I love You

To put it briefly: "The First I love You" plays in both Robin's coming out scene and El's kiss with Mike at the end of s3 (Already a weird parallel). The three tracks not only share the same melody, but they also sync up perfectly. "Being Different" (s4 van scene) and "The First Lie" (Nancy and Jonathan's kiss in s2) especially, match up together to create an entirely new track, completing eachother. The scenes featuring those three tracks also share very similar themes at their core. (This post goes into a lot of detail!)

Playlistgate: Character playlists! At a certain point, every character's official playlist on Spotify was deleted, except for three: Mike's, Will's and Billy's. Songs were seemingly being added/deleted for no reason to the Mike and Will ones and people were struggling to make sense of it all.

Also, Mike's character playlist in particular is VERY interesting (so many byler coded songs, as well as "Smalltown Boy" a gay anthem, about a young gay boy forced to leave his home town to escape from their disapproval and homophobia.) There are three playlists on Finn's spotify that are very incriminating. "Love songs" (That has "BOYS DON'T CRY" on it, a song that Will literally has a poster of in his room), "drive" and the most recent one "STurn". These playlists feature songs like "Let her go", "Angst in my pants", "Me and Michael", "Gay thoughts" just to name a few. Basically a lot of the songs on all four playlists seem very relevant to some complicated feelings about Mike's relationship with El/Will but also with himself and his sexuality.

Scriptgate: Oh boy. Here we go.

On August 5th 2022, the byler fandom got #bylerscript trending worldwide on Twitter while waiting for the 8flix account (run by Nick Runyeard) to release some supposed s4 scripts (that people PAID for, mind you). These scripts dropped on August 8th, featuring lines like: "I hate who I am" from Will in the van scene, "His mouth dry, like a California summer" from the bedroom apology scene and also, Will seemingly recognizing Brenner at NINA, despite never meeting him in canon.

These turned out to be fake and the community was in shambles. Nick started calling people psychos, the Stranger Writers tweeted that everyone got scammed, Nick privated his account and the authenticity of some released s2-s3 scripts was questioned. This post explains the entire situation in detail.

Breathgate: This one is also script related and specifically about a Mike/Max parallel.

In the official van scene script, when Mike sees Will's painting "his breath catches." Then, when Lucas asks Max to the Friday movie date, "(her) breath catches" as well. People caught on that parallel very fast and since the latter is obviously a romantic moment, it boosted their confidence for both Byler and Lumax endgame.

Piggybackgate: This one refers to two different situations/theories.

One, the seemingly deliberate framing of Mike and Will inside the little bubble in El's piggyback drawing (and it referening to Byler). The framing is especially suspicious, because the bubble drawing was drawn two separate times (it's different from one shot to the other). In the second shot, they're framed directly inside of it.

Two, Mike in his monologue essentially piggybacking off of Will's van confession. His monologue was going off of El's feelings, but since they weren't actually El's, the speech was based on Will's feelings. It also ties in with the parallel/foreshadowing between the monologue and Suzie's house, with Will being paralleled to the "director" kid, directing a "choking" Tabitha and their dad (more thorough explanation here).

Footballgate: On December 25 2024, the vast majority of the byler community spent their Christmas watching hours of NFL football, in the hopes we would maybe get a teaser or at the very least a release date for s5. This started from leakers saying we would most likely get something during the game.

We got nothing.

People were disappointed they wasted hours of their lives watching a sport they neither cared for or knew anything about, and the only thing we learned is that we would probably get something before the end of January 2025.

THE SILLIES

(aka the joke-theories/memes)

Miniongate: Mike and Will are secretly minions. (Because you know, minions are primarily blue and yellow)

This information will be revealed to us in s5 and they will have a magical girl-esque transformation where we see their true minion form. (Original post here)

Localvillagegate: Related to the leaked Mike and El rooftop scene.

Basically, a mlvn used AI to lip read the scene and try to figure out what Mike is saying (and then posted the video on Twitter).

According to them, Mike was telling El they were going to leave the local village (AKA Hawkins) together and travel to a beautiful faraway land with "like, three waterfalls or something" (and also that she has to "improve her motivation", whatever that means).

People thought it was hilarious and started making a ton of memes based on it.

Parrotgate: This is directly connected to localvillagegate™️ and it was created by @cloudycleric in one of his streams.

Basically, the parrots are gay and represent Will and Mike, who in s5 will kiss under the three waterfalls depicted on the image.

Backgroundguygate: People making headcanons and creating backstories for random extras. The star of this gate is Barrett, an extra from the Lenora high school, who wears a barrette, bright red pants and a shirt that says "Hell".

According to this gate, he's actually gay and in love with Will. He has a goth best friend named Claire who is a lesbian and in love with El.

Chancegate: The theme of shipping Will with random extras continues on strong

Chance is one of Jason's friends and part of the basketball team. People thought he was attractive and somewhere along the line started making headcanons for him and shipping him with Will (Bychance). Basically, they're gonna date and Mike will be jealous.

Mikhailgate: More shipping Will with randoms! (I'm beginning to see a pattern here)

Originally created by @paladin-n-cleric

Enzo in S4 mentions his son, Mikhail Antonov. Mikhail is the Russian name for Micheal.

People started making jokes that Mikhail would arrive to Hawkins from Russia in s5 and shipped him with Will (Willhail), since he's like Mike but Russian and cooler. They made fanart, edits and posted pictures of Finn as Boris in "The Goldfinch" claiming it's Mikhail.

@will80sbyers then begun to ship Mikhail with El and thus the ship "Jail" was born.

Pastagate: On January 2nd 2025, Noah posted a 2024 recap on IG, which included a photo of a trailer door labeled "Rigatoni". People then started joking about Rigatoni being Will's new bf and the ship "Willoni" was born.

In reality, Rigatoni is a nickname for Noah and that was his trailer. But where's the fun in that?

Baldmikegate: Did you know Mike is actually bald and is bullied for it? Well, now you do.

In 2022, a cult was born and the byler tag was filled with edited pictures of Bald!Mike. Terrifying honestly.

Some people made posts about how the rest of the party feels about Mike's secret baldness and some even wrote FANFICS.

Gridgate/whiteboardgate/pixelgate: The Stranger Writers posted a picture of a pixelated/blurred whiteboard that had the entirety of s5 mapped out. People were desperately trying to decode it and figure out what was written on it.

On the space for episode 7, there was a "big black hole" that people went crazy trying to make sense of, only for it to be revealed as a pen holder.

Babygirlgate: The babygirlification of Mike Wheeler. That's it. That's the gate.

I think pretty much every line Will has ever said to Mike has been posted with the word "babygirl" replacing his name (it's hilarious and I love it)

Some examples here and here

Mattduffersbasementgate: Finn and Joe made up a third Duffer brother named Pete, who has no hair for some reason and is the actual writer of Stranger Things, while Matt and Ross are just the faces of it. Pete lives in a shed/Matt's basement and that's where he writes all of the scripts.

Finn and Noah are both also being held in Matt's basement however, and they're not allowed to leave so that they don't spoil byler endgame.

Lobegate: (This gate was officially named by @tripleatechie). In January 2025, a byler went undercover, sending asks to other members of the community pretending to be a Mlvn. In one of those, they accidentally misspelled "love" as lobe, which immediately became an inside joke. People starting speculating whether or not this was an actual Mlvn and an investigation ensued. On January 7th 2025, the identity of the undercover byler was revealed as @somewiseoutthere. The mystery didn't end there though, with people wondering if this was in reality a group effort with multiple culprits. Here is a list of all the possible culprits with a full timeline here.

Blankgate: On January 26th 2025, Atlantaspotting posted on Twitter a thread with controversial claims and gossip about the cast, but replaced all the names with BLANK, making pretty much incomprehensible, and impossible to figure out who it was about. Memes were then made, replacing every name and pronoun with BLANK.

omg this took SO LONG, but I will keep adding as more gates surface

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