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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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More Proof Of Byler and Other Storylines In S5

Okay, so at the end right when Max dies before she is brought back, we see Hawkins split into four sections. Four huge gate lines are created, connecting in the middle, but creating four separate quadrants in Hawkins. Hawkins is the main setting for Stranger Things, so we can assume this represents our main storylines and characters.

This shot proves that Byler is going to be a key storyline in the final storyline.

Now how is this proof of Byler and suggesting other storylines for other characters? Let's first look at this shot.

And let's assume the rest of the main characters (Dustin, Lucas, Max, Steve etc) are represented by Nancy since Nancy was in Hawkins and none of the others were.

Now let's think back to where each of the gates were created.

The first gate was created in Episode One when Chrissy is killed by Vecna in Eddie's trailer. Eddie's trailer is heavily involved in the Hawkins storyline, therefore we can conclude this represents our Hawkins characters and storylines, aka the spot where Nancy and Jonathan hold. Nancy is the only character in this shot that has any connection to Eddie's trailer.

Now this may seem vague but hear me out.

The next gate that is created is in Episode Two where Fred is killed by Vecna, on a long road. What does a road represent? A journey, a distance, traveling from one place to another. Who do we know who has done something like this during season four? Hopper and Joyce, one of the other pairs represented in the shot during the end of S4. We can infer that Murray will most likely be in this storyline as well. So this is a second part of the four quadrants in the first picture in this post. Now this still might seem vague BUT HEAR ME OUT.

Where is the next gate created? In Episode Five, when Patrick is killed by Vecna in Lover's Lake.

El is seen alone in the last shot of S4 and we've already seen plenty of Mileven's relationship so it wouldn't represent them.

We have already seen both Jancy and Jopper become couples even after having varying lengths of slowburn. So we can conclude this does not represent either of them. So the only pair of characters left is Byler.

But it's not just that, because there's another connection between Byler and Lover's Lake.

In season two, Will draws Lover's lake in his map of the tunnels. Out of everything he draws, it's the only recognizable shape and what leads to all of the other tunnels being understood better by Bob. Not only that but they show Mike in front of Lover's Lake, even though Will is helping out as well and could have been the one measuring.

He answers Bob's question about the distance between Lover's Lake and TippeCanoe (sp?) with "I'm Not Sure" even though he's not the one measuring, Joyce is. He's just holding it in place. So in retrospect, they're trying to symbolize Will and Mike with Lover's Lake, especially since he's the only one there helping Will figure this stuff out with the Mind Flayer, reiterating that they have a special friendship. If you look back to the original character descriptions, Will isn't even listed as Mike's best friend, Lucas is. This further indicates Mike and Will's so called friendship is more than platonic.

And where the last gate is created, to me, brings everything together. It's created in Vecna's house. And who is this last quadrant supposed to represent? El. She's the last one left out of the four groups and she pulls everything together for Stranger Things entire series.

We know Vecna and El have a complicated past, so it's clear that this gate represents her. I think it's going to be an amazing comparison and contrast between their characters because we already know they're so much alike with their powers and history, yet they turn out so differently at the core.

Once again, Hawkins (representative of the premise of the story) is split into four sections, conveying four different directions the characters and storylines are going to be focused in. However, remember all the gate lines are connecting, meaning these storylines are going to converge and support each other.

In the second shot notice the big piece of smoke is right in front of El and then Byler. The smaller pieces of smoke are centered towards the other main characters. This suggests the other characters are going to have important storylines but smaller in comparison to not only El, but Byler too.

Plus we already know the Duffer's said it's going back to the roots of s1 - people tend to take this as strictly Mileven or maybe Will isn't as invovled because he's barely there in season one, but it's just the opposite. The dynamic of El/Mike/Will is there the entire season and Will's name is mentioned probably more than any other characters name. So yeah, I think this is pretty indicative of Byler being a huge piece to the story along with El, by herself.

Anyway, maybe I'm delusional and maybe this theory is vague af but I couldn't help but notice the connections. Hope you've enjoy this post!

#Byler theories #byler theory #stranger things theory #mike wheeler is gay #will byers #jopper #joyce byers #el hopper #eleven #mike wheeler #stranger things analysis #stranger things #byler is endgame #byler is real #byler proof #jancy

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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El "Jane" Hopper — Independence, Selflessness and Male Trauma, A Character Analysis

Hello again. As you may know, I typically post Byler analyses and I also posted that I was working on a Mike Wheeler post but along the way of rewatching and rewatching, it became clear to me that El is the character that truly needs to be understood here, not just in regards to everything I have said in my posts, but in regards to her entire place in the show and who she represents. She is such an important character and I'm so excited to analyze her!

**So to my Byler readers: READ THIS ONE! I know you may only be interested in anything that "proves" Byler but I promise you that reading this will give you a clearer understanding of how El is the central character in this love triangle and how she's the one who holds the power in it, not Mike or Will. It's very purposeful that they made Mike her love interest.**

But without further ado, El Hopper:

I think El is such an important character on the show because her arc represents the trauma a lot of women deal with at the hands of men. And I don't want to make this post about men, this is not my intention, I want to make that very very clear, but I think for many women world wide our lives are heavily impacted by how men treat us, intentionally or unintentionally. So I think it's so important this story was told and El is an amazing character to tell it through because she is the embodiment of being independent her entire life. Also, please note that I love all the women on the show and they contribute to this theme in all types of ways as well, but this post is simply about El!

Independence And Intelligence, The Basis of Her Character

From the very beginning we know El is extraordinarily independent and strong; this is something that can never be misinterpreted because physically she's capable of a lot more than most and what sets her apart from 95% of the rest of the women on the show. But she's also emotionally and intellectually strong as well; she not only is able to endure many years of captivity and brainwash, she's able to free herself from that captivity at the mere of age of 11? 12? She's not as naïve as the some would like you to believe; when the boys find her, they suggest telling their parents, which is obviously reasonable. But El knows better, even if she doesn't know "They're going to take me to CPS" she knows telling an adult will lead to her getting taken back to the bad men. She's keen. She also points Will out of the pictures, indicating she has a big heart and would be willing to help them find Will, even though she doesn't have to even clue them in on any of it. Obviously narratively it helps the story along but it also indicates that she's a good person with empathy; she's emotionally intelligent even though she has not been lent the same empathy in most of her life. Not only is she able to care for herself but she saves the characters each season; In season one, she kills the demogorgan, in season two she closes the gate, in season three she fights til she can no longer fight and in season four she banishes Vecna. This proves that El isn't just the most independent character in the series, she's also the most selfless, constantly pushing herself to her limits in order to save the rest.

People would also like you to believe that she was/is completely unaware of social cues and norms. Which yes, there is definitely a lot she didn't pick up on because of her environment, but she's not completely unaware. In the first season she looks at the picture of Nancy and calls her "pretty", meaning she's knows what girls typically look like in society and may or may not want to look that way too. When she steals eggos, she knows she has to use her powers to get away because she has no money and she looks like a lost child. In season three, she doesn't automatically believe what Mike says about nana - she goes to Max because she knows something is off, even without a lot of social interactions and examples. All of this shows that she's a very perceptive character and understands other people a lot more than you think she does when you first watch it. The fact that she can go and find people in her mind also represents that she's very perceptive to others even if the main story line would like you to think otherwise. She's also very smart and finds other creative ways to describe what she wants to say. Despite knowing nothing about DnD yet she's able to use the game pieces and board to convey where Will is. She has survival skills. At Benny's she gets out of there as quickly as she can. Before that, she only tells him as little as possible in order to get food. She understands what he's saying and could answer "yes" or "no" but didn't. Most children would if they had been lost in the woods and homeless. Furthermore, she survives in the woods for presumably at least a little while, while it's freezing out. She finds food and warmth. She doesn't need someone else to come and save her, even though Hopper does. Further along in S2 she goes off entirely on her own in the Lost Sister episodes and is confident that she can survive out there by herself; she knows to some degree how independent she is. In season three, when Jonathan is trying to remove the creature from her leg, she tells him to stop and does it herself - she is completely capable on her own and knows how to survive without anyone else and there are plenty of examples of it throughout the show.

So now we have established that El is the most independent character on the show. But what we haven't talked about is if El views herself that way - which she doesn't. Of course to some degree she knows she is because of her powers and is seen by the risks that she takes but she still has codependency issues because of Papa, which is what we will see her come out of in S5.

Male Trauma

El ends up having three main males in her life: Brenner, Hopper and Mike. Now at first glance they all seem like completely different characters, and they are, yet they hold similairities when it comes to El's life and expericences with them. Now hear me out because I know that may sound insane. Hopper and Brenner? Alike? Mike like either of them?

However, there are clear and distinct parallels between them. Hopper and Mike actually truly care for El and that's why it makes the dynamics difficult for not only El but also us; it's harder to see.

So we know Brenner keeps El locked up her entire childhood. He's not outwardly sadistic towards her majority of the time though. He has a gentle voice, he pretends he's helping her with her powers rather than reducing her to a lab experiment, he convinces her that he protects her, calls her daughter and refers to himself as her Papa, etc. We as an audience can see how sadistic his behavior is but El herself doesn't fully understand until years of abuse and even after she escapes she still struggles with it, because it's all she knows until the of 12. That's a long time to go in an atypical abusive environment. Because she doesn't fully understand him being a bad person she has conflicting feelings for him. Her relationship with Brenner sets the tone for all of her relationships with other men; confusing poor treatment with love, fearing they don't love her for her but for her powers, fearing they're scared of her for her powers, fearing they're not telling the truth, etc.

Hopper, on the other hand, clearly cares for her, and we as the audience know it. El knows it. We know he keeps her inside to protect her, and in the beginning El understands this too. Even as season two progresses she on some level understands it's for her protection. But at the same time she is still a child and has been locked inside a house for a year now. This clearly resembles her previous situation, at least to her. She's heard lies from Brenner before, contradictions; and now it feels like she's hearing them from Hopper too. That he's the one keeping her locked away this time. She knows it's obviously different but to her, to this child who's emotions are only just beginning to develop into her own, it's confusing and on top of that she doesn't want to be locked away anymore. She even compares Hopper directly to Papa, indicating she definitely does have a difficult time fully understanding the difference in their behavior. Another parallel that is formed between Brenner and Hopper is when Hopper says "I protect, I feed, I teach" which is essentially exactly what Brenner did/claimed to do and what El perceives Brenner's actions as. Furthermore, once the tensions get to a point and Hopper and El begin to fight, El begins using her powers to express her anger. Hopper exclaims "What the hell is wrong with you?!" which can parallel what we figure out Brenner says to her in S4; "What did you do?" indicating she used her powers for bad and it makes her a bad person. What other character also says this to her? Mike, after she's hit Angela, this time not even using her powers, just reinforcing to her headspace that she's a bad person, this time with or without powers. This line/theme that is said to El throughout the show also reinforces the fear that the people, specifically the males, in her life are afraid of her because of her powers. Not only that but Hopper, in their fight, exclaims he can send her back to the lab, indicating to her (remember, a child) that as soon as she becomes difficult, she's to be given up on. I love Hopper and he's only saying it in the heat of the moment but he's also talking to a child who interprets, internalizes and connects things differently than an adult does. It's similar to her relationship with Mike, especially in S4; once she has no powers, she feels as though she's recognized a distance in Mike (still not being able to say ily) and that he doesn't love her anymore. She's become too difficult or useless (no powers) so now she's to be given up on (Mike doesn't love her anymore.) This is also why she doesn't tell him about the bullying even knowing he has been bullied and Will already knows; because again, she's become too difficult (Can't defend herself from bullies), and will be given up on (Mike will see me as weak and leave me.) Mike's behavior only strengthens this thought in her mind. It also goes back to her being the most independent and selfless character even if she doesn't realize it; she doesn't want or need Mike to defend her. She doesn't want to be seen as weak, especially by the men in her life, because she perceives her powers as why they love or care for her (Brenner, Mike) or why they took her in (Hopper, Mike).

Both Hopper and Brenner "lock" her away, creating a distinct parallel between them, even if they had completely different intentions. But how do we create this parallel with the last main male in her life, Mike? Well I'm sure a lot of you are aware of the subtext in the scene where Mike puts El in the closet in S1. If you're not, basically he hides her in his closet and the he has a very coming out coded conversation with his mom and many people think this points to him being gay, myself included.

However I feel as though no one has taken a look at the scene in the context of El and what that means for her character. This is yet again another instance where a man locks her away, in reality or metaphorically. In the scene El looks scared and frightened, which narratively reflects the trauma she has from being locked in cells by Brenner, creating a distinct parallel between Mike and Brenner. Obviously we know Mike and Brenner are nothing alike and Mike didn't mean to traumatize her by locking her in there, but it's very symbolic. Essentially, it foreshadows how El is going to feel in their future relationship; locked away inside Mike's secret closet, completely in the dark about what their relationship even is. And Mike, in the subsequent seasons, is totally unaware of this up until a certain point which reflects in how he comes back upstairs and is surprised to find her crying when he finally opens the door. He shouldn't be surprised though;. he already knows she doesn't like to be in closed small rooms because she told him the day before. You could make the argument that he forgot, but it's a script so it's important. He also says something along the lines of "you have to" or "it'll be quick"; can't remember the exact line but something conveying that he knows she doesn't want to go in there but she has to for his sake. Brenner did everything he did to El for his personal gain, not El's. We're not supposed to see the connection in real-time, only in retrospect.

So basically the men in El's life have all treated her similar regardless of their very contrasting personalities. By the time we get to season 4, this shows her that men will hurt her, intentionally or not, no matter how different or better they seem than the last one or the others in her life. The fact that the connections begin in the very first few episodes shows that this is a huge part of her characterization and heavily flows in each and everyone of her seasonal arcs.

In season four, we finally see her starting to let go of Mike, even though she began the season obsessed and heavily emotionally reliant on him. And although I'm sure Hopper and El will always be close, he's right behind her in the last shot, while she's descending downwards on her own, with Mike, Will and Joyce also behind her. This suggest she's not only moving on from Mike, but gaining even more independence from men and her family (Hopper, Joyce, Will). Remember, even though we as the audience know El is incredibly independent in all kinds of ways as I've explained, she has not necessarily understood that throughout all of the seasons, at least not entirely. That's why she clings so closely to Mike or Hopper and why she had trouble letting go of Papa until the very end of S4. It's obviously very reasonable that she would; Mike is her boyfriend and the first person to take her in, Hopper is her true father figure and in S4 she thinks he died, creating even more trauma and codependent issues to arise, and Papa was her very first father figure. But next season, we are going to see an El Hopper who does not need anyone and knows it.

How This Reflects In S4 and Sets Up S5

This brings us to S4, which sets up the precedent for El's final arc in S5.

In S4, we meet El where she has lost the most important male figure she's ever had; Hopper, while simultaneously being separated from the only other main male in her life who has treated her nicely, Mike. She's finally by herself, AND without powers, which gives her the time to finally understand her true self.

When she's being bullied and can't defend herself because of her loss of powers, it reflects how El thinks of herself without powers. That she's weak and can't defend herself. We see that because of her past, she has put her self worth into being a super powered person. Again, pointing to why she doesn't tell Mike. She's embarrassed and doesn't want Mike to see her as worthless now that she can't even defend herself; after SHE used to defend THEM from bullies. Of course this has to affect her self esteem deeply. She's never really been without powers, so at this point she's connected that to not just her entire persona but her value as a person. She thinks it's the sole reason other people are attracted to her, or want to help her.

This is why Mike not being able to say I love you and separate her powers from her as a person is so important to El's arc. While yes it says a lot about how Mike feels, it also says a lot about how El has felt this entire time.

Having her own boyfriend, the person who is supposed to love her no matter what, only see her as the one thing she's been told her entire life is what gives her value, hurts her deeply, especially now that that "value" has been taken away. It hurts her more than people are willing to admit. This is the one person she wants to love her for more than the surface, and he can't.

And she confronts the topic when she has no powers and says "so you don't love me anymore?" indicating that she used to view him as someone who loved her for more than her powers, even though he's never told her that verbally. Now that she doesn't have her powers and he is very obviously not saying I love you (for his own reasons), it reinforces her idea that her powers hold her value. And that's why she goes and gets them back; not because she truly wants them. I'm sure she misses them and wish she had them in certain situations like Angela, but if she had never been offered a solution or a problem (Mike wants me to have powers, my friends in Hawkins are in danger) she wouldn't have tried to find one just to get her powers back. Note that her reasons only strengthen her selflessness. Throughout the entire show she has been incredibly selfless and the journey she goes in in S4 is meant to show how in S5, she's for once going to be thinking about herself (not just being independent but knowing you are.)

This is the catalyst for El finding her true self; and it's only metaphorical that she has to look deep inside her memories for what truly happened, which on the surface seems like it's strictly related to the main plot line with Vecna or getting her powers back. However, it's extremely important for El's character development. She's going back into her mind to understand that she is not the monster, even though that is what she's been intentionally or unintentionally told her entire life, even just a few days ago by her boyfriend. This whole time this is what she has believed and for the first time she's processing her trauma and realizing the truth, that she's so much more than her powers - she's a good person (when she banished One to the Upside Down for the children he murdered). I think the idea that she struggles with knowing she is a good person because of the male treatment she's been subjected to, is further supported by her solo episode, The Lost Sister. Her sister is practically the only one throughout the show who truly shows her the value of her powers and how her powers don't make her bad, they make her strong.

The shaving of her head is also very symbolic of her journey from being independent but not feeling that way into someone who knows how strong she is. For viewers it seemed very traumatic and wrong that they did this, which I definitely agree with narratively. But it's trying to convey that El is going through a rebirth - she's cutting out all of the old and starting fresh again. Cutting the hair off is typically symbolic of this. It also shows that it wasn't her choice but she's going to have to embrace it anyway. It wasn't her choice but it's time she grows out of this cycle she's been in with others, especially men, in her life. And it's only more ironic that presumably men are the one's who cut her hair - they are forcing her to let them go. Mike's behavior is causing El to realize her self worth. Hopper's death is forcing her to confront the reality that she doesn't truly need him and never did, though she may love him deeply. Brenner being the person behind this maximizes the theme to the fullest, because he's where all of her trauma stems from, and we know she is finally able to let him go this season. She's worked through her trauma and is realizing her own independence, how strong she is.

This theme is further emphasized at the very end when she is the only one to descend into the rotting flowers, just coincidentally the same ones Mike, a male in her life, picked for her. The old is rotting away for her, her old self is disintegrating and her new self will rise. Furthermore, she's also wearing all white, which can represent many things like innocence (I wasn't the monster this whole time) and rebirth (now that I know I'm truly good what will I do with that?)

We're going to see a huge, probably amazing, shift in El's character in S4 from feeling dependent to knowing her independence. She isn't going to be paired with anyone and she's going to be a huge character because she'll most likely be more powerful than ever now that she understands herself and how her powers do not give her value. I'm not sure how this will reflect narratively but get ready for an even more bad ass Eleven for the finale season! I'm so excited for her to break away from everything she thinks she needs and grow into her own!!!

#El Hopper #el jane hopper #eleven #stranger things #el hopper character analysis #hopper #brenner #mileven #mike wheeler #byler #stranger things 4 #stranger things 5 #stranger things analysis

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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legit just wanted to say your efforts amaze me and I love your posts very much

Also, do you think mike came across The Cure on his own or with wills influence?

I love getting messages like these because I put a lot of effort into them and am continually working on other posts at the moment! Thank you so much, I'm glad you enjoy them <3

Also, I have a headcanon that Mike first heard them and then showed Will and Will became obsessed and asked Jonathan to buy him a poster and put it in his room so it further proves it's a symbol of Mike in my delusional mind lol. I think Will's the bigger fan though. It's also the side of the room Mike sits on when he apologizes to Will so... yeah take that as you will.

#byler #byler theories #will byers #mike wheeler #stranger things

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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long ass Mike Wheeler post coming, but it's very messy right now. lol.

#byler #byler theories #mike wheeler is gay #mike wheeler is queercoded

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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BISEXUAL LUCAS IS CANON

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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And if the writers address Mikes internalized homophobia in season 5 and people see that they’ve been hating Mike as much as he’s been hating himself

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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hope you feel better <3

can y’all believe i’ve been fighting with blood and tears all week trying to convince everyone that byler is endgame and midleven is but a prop? only to suddenly feel very discouraged for practically no reason

i rly don’t understand my own psyche sometimes

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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don't feel discouraged, there's too much proof

i rly don’t understand my own psyche sometimes

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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hey just wanna let you know youre an actual genius and ur takes never miss! thank u for ur service - @nancysglock

this is so sweet im so glad you are enjoying them seriously!!!! im gonna try to keep writing different analysis' until there's nothing left lol i just think its really fun.

#byler #byler theories

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snacksizedgates · 2 years

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How the Boys Don't Cry Reference(s) are About Mike, and Not Will

In this post I'm going to explain the significance of this poster, where else it is referenced besides this one shot and how the motif represents the character of Mike.

So Will, in the first episode is seen painting right next to this poster of "Boys Don't Cry" by the Cure. I know most people have picked up on this but for those who haven't and don't know the context - this song is about toxic masculinity and the internal thoughts men have while experiencing said toxic masculinity. It's also popular in the LGBT+ community.

So let's first breakdown the lyrics and how they apply to Mike; and then I am going to show you what scene it's blatantly referenced in, basically confirming Mike is gay/queer/in the closet.

This is the first verse of the song. It reflects how Mike feels when he treats Will poorly up until his apology scene.

"I would say I'm sorry."

Already this sticks out to me. If you notice in the apology scene to Will, although it is CLEARLY an apology, he never explicitly says "I'm sorry". He says the exact words "I'm sorry" to El in his failed apology scene however. A complete contrast. Very ironic. I don't think I'm looking too into it because they could have easily had Mike say I'm sorry in an apology scene and like why wouldn't he?? He's apologizing lol.

He does this because he knows saying "I'm sorry" to each of them have the same implications. No, he doesn't literally think "Apologizing to El my girlfriend is similar to apologizing to my best friend, Will, because I'm crushing on him". He just feels and intuitively knows that they're both in a romantic context, not platonic, and it makes him nervous.

"If I thought it would change your mind / But I know that this time / I have said too much / I have been unkind"

First of all just note that literally none of this reflects Will's character.

Anyway, this is why while El is still around, Mike focuses on her. He knows how he treated Will was wrong, and we know he already thinks Will has intentionally pushed him away by saying Will never reached out either. We know this is true because Will doesn't deny it. If he had reached out more he would have said so. With Mike, he's typically not afraid to stick up for himself. He'll tell him right out. Boyfriend dynamics.

So they both have not been reaching out to each other in fear that the other doesn't care about them anymore.

So basically the line "If I thought it could change your mind" means Mike feels like their friendship is done and gone and never gonna recover and that it's his fault. This can be supported not only by this line but by his line about El after the fight - that he feels their fight was something you can't come back from. And if you've read my other posts, you'll know that whatever is happening in one ship, the opposite is happening in the other. And immediately too; as soon as one is taken out of a situation, the other is thrown right into the same one.

So in all the scenes before El leaves and before Mike apologizes, he feels as though he and Will will never be close again. The "But I know that this time, I have said too much, I have been unkind" is referencing events in both S3 and S4. As you may know, we never get to see Mike apologize to Will in S3 although he intends to. And then they are swept up in the events of the season so presumably Mike never apologizes and then Will leaves to Cali. They're not on bad terms - we have all the hugging at the end - but that doesn't mean Mike isn't thinking about how and why he treated Will poorly just a year ago.

So Mike comes to Cali thinking their friendship is dead. Why even get himself attached again? If you watch the scenes of Byler in the second episode you'll notice Mike doesn't really start treating him poorly until the end, after El was bullied right in front of them both and they can't find her (so they're both stressed out) and once Will starts bringing up how he feels like a third wheel. Before that, he's basically, just as Will said, third wheeling him, or trying to stay as distant as possible. In the Airport scene, he tries to greet Will but it's awkward because since the end of S3, he's figured/figuring something out about himself. (Finn even confirms this I believe). He doesn't sound mean, or like he doesn't like Will, he's just distant and awkward because he's scared of getting close to Will again, especially now that they're teens, and doesn't want to get attached to someone he can't even be around physically (Hawkins isn't the same without you, I feel like I lost you, etc) -- he misses Will physically being there. He doesn't mind writing letters and seeing El every now and then, cause he doesn't say anything like this to her. (I feel so bad for El when I write these Byler posts 😔 like truly I hate it) But basically, Mike is third wheeling Will because 1) he thinks their friendship is over and 2) he doesn't like or understand the feelings he has for Will and would rather just ignore them. He's feeling guilty, probably missing how they were, wondering why he doesn't feel as strongly for El, etc etc.

We have ALL the context we need for Will, they put it there narratively and obviously. Whereas with Mike it's typically subtext, especially in the last two seasons.

His context is all the subtext, like this song. They put the poster in Will's room so we never even think to personally connect it to Mike, but if you read the lyrics it doesn't reflect Will at all. He's never been unkind to Mike, he doesn't need to say he's sorry, and he cries all the time. This is all the opposite for Mike, suggesting that we can take this poster and apply it to him, since they're a pairing romantically and platonically.

Also, the first time we see the poster it's juxtaposed with Will painting a picture for Mike - the complete opposite of what the song says in the lyrics. Will is being so open this season whereas it's the opposite for Mike.

So the above section of lyrics basically represents Mike because he's feeling guilty about how he treated Will and sad about how they grew apart, so it feels impossible to fix and now he thinks the best solution is to just push him away (toxic masculinity).

Most of this is pretty straightforward and if you just think about it in the context of Mike, it makes way more sense.

"I tried to laugh about it / cover it all up with lies. I tried to laugh about it / hide the tears in my eyes / cause boys don't cry, boys don't cry"

I tried to laugh about it means they tried to not care. In relation to Mike this means he tried to not care about his feelings for Will, as we can see in S3.

Think back to the scene in S3 right before the fight, and the fight. Right before, he pokes fun at Will for still being into DnD. He's laughing at Will. Trying not to care about how he really feels and move on. Maybe if I move on from DnD, I'll move on from Will. Maybe if I get a girlfriend, I'll have less time for Will. He's not actively thinking this (no teenager is) but he's acting out his subconscious feelings. Note that we know from S4 that he actually still likes DnD. So then then they go out into the storm to have their fight, where he starts covering his feelings up with lies. (Or projections.) He says its not his fault you don't like girls, even though Will never suggested it was, he suggested Mike's ruining the party over a girl. He's projecting. but we're not kids anymore, Yes they are, a lie/misperception. what did you think really? we were never gonna get girlfriends? none of them have girlfriends because both Mike and Lucas have been dumped atp, so a lie. we're gonna sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives? In Mike's basement, they only ever play DnD, not just any games, so this can allude to them figuratively playing games with each other and not admitting their feelings. And we know from S4 that Mike still likes DnD enough to wear his clubs shirt to school, so he's projecting. The fact that Mike raises his voice angrily when he says "it's not my fault you don't like girls" can point to the lyrics "and boys don't cry, boys don't cry" they get angry. But as soon as he snaps, he instantly feels bad and says he not trying to be a jerk, meaning he also has a soft side, but it's being corrupted by toxic masculinity. Note that he's "not trying to be a jerk" - he's not trying, he can't help it because he's becoming a teenager who's closeted/doesn't understand his feelings, in 1985. He's "not trying to be a jerk" and then he subsequently does all the jerky things I listed above. He's being corrupted by toxic masculinity which is the main theme in Boys Don't Cry.

He also covers up his feelings with lies/projections in S4. He tells Will "we're friends, friends." First, Will never suggested they weren't or they were something else, he suggested that Mike didn't care about their friendship anymore. Second, he says it twice, to put emphasis, because he knows he doesn't even believe it, projecting how he feels onto Will. He also doesn't say best friends even though in S3 they would consider themselves that. He's trying to distance himself from Will because he has recognized, on some level, how he feels and doesn't want to admit that. And then what happens could connect to the lyrics "hide the tears in my eyes" -- Note that Will never hides the tears in his eyes. There's tons if shots of him crying in front of others. Will suggests they used to be best friends and Mike admits how he really feels, to a degree. He says Will should've reached out more and then says why is this on me? why am I the bad guy? He makes a valid point, and based on his behavior, in previous scenes, he's felt the same as Will since Will left Hawkins. Will has no answer to why he didn't reach out, meaning he reached out probably just as much as Mike did, and Mike knows this. The audience know why Will didn't - he has a crush and thinks Mike doesn't reciprocate therefore he doesn't want to seem like he has a crush. But with Mike, the audience is not clued in on this. We think he's just ignoring Will when really he's wondering where his drawings and letters from Will are. Think back to his last shots in S3. Something that can signal that he was expecting stuff from Will is in the Airport scene when Mike and Will finally are greeting each other. The first thing that is said is by Mike who immediately looks down at the painting and nervously asks what it is. He QUICKLY pivots from greeting Jonathan to asking Will about the painting, indicating he's been thinking about it as soon as he saw Will holding it. He's nervous cause he's hoping it's for him - the precedent is there, Will always gave Mike drawings and Mike knows Will has been working on a painting for someone. Mike is hoping that someone is him. But because of his distant and awkward behavior, Will doesn't give it to him cause he's second guessing himself, making Mike feel even more like their friendship is dead. Now he assumes it's not for him. Neither of them are to blame, homophobia is.

Basically, the rest of the lyrics mirror the same theme but with different words and repeat some of the verses we already went over. The end point is that the theme of the song "Boys Don't Cry" is bottling up your feelings, not being able to treat the person you love right, wanting to apologize and open up but not knowing how to. These are all things we can see in Mike and not just in the context of Byler, but Mileven and other characters as well, mostly since S3. He can't say I love you, he doesn't know how to act in his relationship with his girlfriend, especially when there's not something supernatural going on, there's at least scenes (probably more) where he calls himself or his feelings stupid/not important, and he projects his feelings onto others. And lastly, but most importantly, he doesn't cry. He hasn't actually cried since S2. All of S3 and all of S4 he doesn't cry, even when El is dying on the table. Will can be seen at least tearing up in the background and Will cries all the time. This song absolutely represents Mike Wheeler.

Okay, so now that we're done with lyrics and established Mike's behavior as being related to this song, let's take a look at this shot, where Will is seen crying.

Notice anything? Let me put another picture here for you.

This is, obviously, the Boys Don't Cry Poster.

So let's break how this scene references this poster. This part is the quickest.

So for the poster we have a blue background, a yellow foreground, a red triangle, a sun, the desert and three trees.

In the shot above of Byler, Mike has his blue sweater on in the background. Will is wearing his yellow flannel in the foreground. They are riding through a sunny desert. And Will is crying.

Will crying IN THIS SHOT, absolutely means that the Boys Don't Cry is about Mike. If everything I have theorized thus far, in all of my theories and analysis, is true or even half true, then Mike is queer and is struggling with those feelings, so to mirror the Boys Don't Cry poster in the scene where Will is opening up, means something. He's not crying, he's in the dark and he's not moving, he doesn't look like he's casually sitting there - this indicates he's dealing with something or thinking about something. When he looks over to Will it's just a quick glance and straight back down to the painting. Will on the otherhand is shown in the light not just crying but breaking down, symbolizing he has fully accepted his feelings for Mike and is working on getting them out. That's why some of his face is shadowed, because he's still struggling. But all of Mike is shown in the dark.

The triangle on the poster represents the love triangle they're in with El, and the three trees represents each of them.

Okay now let me show you another shot.

First of all, this is in Jonathan's POV. I've explained this in another post but essentially it indicates both Jonathan and Mike know he's lying about the El commission and everything. I suggest you read at least that part to fully understand this but if you don't feel like it just go with the fact that the above shot indicates hiding something.

This shot is even more coded for Boys Don't Cry - which, going with my theory above that this shot symbolizes untruth-fullness, conveys that both Will and Mike are hiding something.

Now how it compares to the poster; We can already see it in the other so this shouldn't be difficult to spot but I'll explain it anyway. The top background part is blue (the same blue on Mike's shirt) and the bottom foreground is yellow (the same shade of Will's flannel.) They're obviously still in the sunny desert. But between the blue and yellow is a red object, just like on the poster, that says pizza. Pizza is triangular 99% of the time. So this is very very obviously referencing the poster. The entire scene does, and Will crying only emphasizes that, but this shot is the only shot that resembles the poster almost completely (minus the trees.) The one where we can infer that the both of them are hiding something!!!

I posted it on one of my other theories but someone sent me an ask and pointed out that not only is it from Jonathans "i can sense your dishonesty" POV, but visually they switch places, which indicates they are having the same problems. Something I also wanted to point out about that is the fact that they're being shot in a Mirrors. Again, this shot is only on screen when Will references El and both Jonathan and Mike know he's lying. Being shot in the mirror symbolizes they are mirroring each other in this moment. Visually switching places and you can see the mirror that they're shot in. Very interesting stuff imo.

So yeah, that's pretty much it. I know most of the post is just explaining Mike's behavior but I think it's so obvious how the Boys Don't Cry Poster is meant to symbolize Mike, not Will. There's absolutely nothing about the themes in the song that represent Will - perhaps a line by itself but collectively it does not make sense for Will.

The reason I think this is important is that its yet another symbol in the show that has coded Mike as queer. The more people find the less likely it is that Mike turns out straight lol. There can't be this many coincidences.

One last thing I want to point out that others probably already have is that the poster is yellow and blue, and we know Mike and Will are symbolized through blue and yellow.

But that only started in S3 meaning this Boys Don't Cry dynamic has only existed since S3. Think about why we even know about blue/yellow - they meet in the west. The Duffers set that up in 2018 for S4. We already know the Duffers have been planning ahead for years, so at least to me, this means everything in the Byler scenes are intentional and digging into every little thing is worth it! At this point I don't even have a single inkling of a doubt that Byler won't be endgame. It's just too much. Too too much.

MIKE WHEELER IS GAY END OF STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#byler #byler is real #byler proof #byler theories #byler analysis #stranger things #stranger things analysis #mike wheeler is gay #mike wheeler queercoded #will byers #will byers is gay #byler theory #boys don't cry

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