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[ssenthgill]

A well-executed breakup between Mike and El should be grounded in emotional maturity and mutual understanding. By this point in the story, both characters have grown significantly, especially El, who has been learning to define herself beyond her powers and relationships. The breakup, then, shouldn’t feel abrupt or driven by drama, but rather by quiet realization: they’re becoming different people, discovering their actual identity/ feelings, and clinging to the version of love they had as kids no longer feels authentic.

Mike shouldn't be portrayed as someone who has “fallen out of love” suddenly or harshly. Instead, he should be shown wrestling with feelings he doesn't yet fully understand, particularly regarding Will. The key is emotional honesty. If Mike is open with El about feeling confused, about how much he still cares for her but senses something shifting inside him, rather senses his burried feelings carving themselves out with a knife, too hard to ignore now, he comes across as vulnerable rather than deceptive. He’s not rejecting her; he’s acknowledging that they’ve outgrown the version of love they once shared.

El, in turn, should be given emotional agency. She’s intuitive enough to sense that something is different, and if she responds not with rage but with reflection, recognizing that she, too, is changing, it makes the breakup feel mutual, even if it’s Mike who initiates it. Her sadness can coexist with her understanding. This allows both characters to walk away with dignity.

Importantly, the breakup shouldn't center on Will, it should center on Mike and El, and their evolution. Mike doesn’t need to say “I’m in love with Will” in that moment. What matters is that he’s honest about needing to figure out who he really is, and that El deserves someone who loves her with certainty. Later, his growing closeness to Will can emerge naturally, without making the breakup feel like a setup or betrayal.

Handled this way, Mike comes off as a young person learning how to be honest, both with others and with himself. And El, rather than being cast aside, is respected as someone worthy of real love and real honesty. The breakup, rather than being in a sad setting, would thus be portrayed in a realistic and mature way, making the audience (other than the hardcore Milkvans) sympathise and empathize, and move on from the break up. Thus valuing Mike and El’s deep connection that goes beyond just a false version of love they had once shared.

[I'm not sure if this BTS pic is the breakup scene, but it's definitely a heartwarming and genuine moment between them].

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we fell in love in october 🍂

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Byler (s4) and Aziracrow (last 15 min) parallels

Both Crowley and Mike struggle to accept they are in love with their best friends. So in their speeches they use broad, vague words like "a team", "a group", "friends" while trying to say anything but "lovers". In the case of Byler, the thing is internal homophobia. In the case of Aziracrow, it's politics (they are kind of on different sides, ykwim heaven and hell, all that stuff).

So this is my little analysis. Feel free to add something if you see it too!

In case you haven't watched Good Omens. Crowley is a demon, Aziraphale is an angel. They lived on Earth from the very beginning and formed a "de facto partnership" to protect Earth from heaven and hell and their plans to destroy it. They both want to be together, but there lies a misunderstanding: while Crowley wants to be together on their own side, Aziraphale wants to join heaven and do good, but still be together as angels. 

Like Mike, Crowley hides behind the angry and edgy façade. And there is only one person he takes his glasses off for to show his true and gentle self (Aziraphale). He is the one who refused an offer to join hell to protect his best friend, and he knew that by doing that he endangered his existence. (does that remind you of someone?)

Like Will, Aziraphale is soft and gentle, even naïve, you might say. But he has strong morals, he wants to be good because he is, and he is optimistic despite seeing all the shit in the world. And he wants to make it better. And he represses, what he thinks is, selfish desire to be with the one he loves in favor to do again, what he thinks is the Right Thing. (does that sound familiar?)

And Crowley is unaware that their relationship is something more than just a thousand-year-old friendship until Maggie and Nina (humans who are in love with each other and parallel Crowley and Aziraphale in Good Omens) tell him about it. Also, they are actually paralleled by another pair of an angel and a demon who were in love with each other and got away with it. But until he accepts his feelings for Aziraphale, he calls their breakfast "us time" and it sounds like a date, but he can't call it that way. He struggles to call them "lovers" or even say that he loves him in his own confession speech: "We've known each other for a long time. We've been on this planet for a long time. I mean you and me. I could always rely on you, you could always rely on me. We're a team, a group... A group of the two of us. And we're spending our existence pretending that we aren't..." "We could've been us, you idiot," he says. And yeah, they are different from other angels and demons for many reasons, but he means it romantically. He wants it to be romantic, (the next thing that happens is Crowley kissing Aziraphale in that scene). They are different from others because they are "us together", as a couple.

And just like Crowley, it is Mike who always keeps questioning their relationship and makes it romantic. He denies it because he pretends that it is not how he actually feels. (We're friends! We're friends!) (Like, c'mon, you won't do that, unless you think about it for some reason.) The only thing that Will is worried about is Hawkins team and his mom and El, while Mike, who is supposed to be worried about it too puts up a smugly face the moment Will says "It was you (Mike) guys" who had saved him. (I'm not saying Mike doesn't take the situation seriously, I'm saying there are more feelings in him than he shows.) He has one of the most genuine smiles while saying "…it's gonna be us again". Man, what is it that makes you so happy? The thought of you and Will together against the world? (Just like Crowley and Aziraphale group together to prevent an apocalypse.)

Will doesn't address the fact that Mike made him third wheel and at first puts El as his priority in their conversation when Mike enters the room (basically swallows his own selfish feelings in favor of another couple). He has already forgiven Mike for their fight at Rink O Mania. He just wants to do what he thinks is the Right Thing to do, a good thing to do. (Just like Aziraphale wants to join heaven to do good because he is pure at heart.) And later, when Mike says Hawkins is not the same without him, that Will is not like his other friends, that they are better as a team, a group of the two of them, one might say, meaning that somehow their relationship is different, deeper. Yes, they are best friends who have known each other for 7 years, but Mike in s1 says to Dustin they are all his best friends. He still believes that. Then what makes his relationship with Will so special? Why does he have a special voice for him only? Why is he the one Mike can so easily apologize to? Why is Mike a completely different person when he's not around Will? 

I say Mike has repressed romantic feelings for Will. They don't tell each other how they really feel or lie about it (Will's painting). That's why they just keep dancing around each other, struggling to admit what they really are. (two idiots in love with each other)

And what I want to highlight is that in the case of aziracrow, they hurt each other because they haven't resolved their inner conflict between what is good and what is bad. But Mike and Will come together and closer because there are greater bad before them and they are on the same side of what is right. They just don't yet know that they are closer than they think.

Sorry if something is not clear or grammatically wrong, English isn't my first language.

Thanks for attending my little Ted Talk, hahaha

-ssenthgill

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😋.

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Hi, well this is my first post here despite following the series since 2016 and being a byler since 2019, basically there was a ghost shipper going on around here, but anyway, lately I've been hyper-focused on byler and I needed to share with someone (if anyone is going to read this here) about my biggest byler proof in the WORLD. I honestly don't know if this has been talked about here before, but I'm reading Dustin's book and there's a scene where Dustin, Lucas and Mike are in the Wheeler's basement after a long time (they were kind of fighting with Lucas after he joined the basketball team) and Dustin decides to call Will and this call is very interesting for several reasons, but the main ones are: 1st Both Will and El participate in the call and everyone talks to El EXCEPT Mike, he literally doesn't exchange a single word with El and neither does she with him which is strange for even Dustin to notice and think something like "they must have talked a lot that they ran out of things to talk about" but immediately compares it to his own relationship with Suzi and how they NEVER run out of things to talk about. And 2nd when Will talks about not having become a California local yet, Mike literally holds the phone tight enough that Dustin can't take the phone back when he starts talking to Will about the science fair. Anyway, as a writer (and reader) with years of experience, Mike's anxiety and lack of conversation between Mike and El on a rare phone call is kind of a giant sign of byler to me. Anyway, that's it. Sorry for the bad English, it's not my first language.

[ssenthgill]

"The knight and the wizard shouted a triumphant 'Hurrah!' and embraced each other in a joyful hug. The dragon had been slayed," Mike closes the book and yawns.

"It's quite late, you should stay over," Will suggests.

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did a study. um turned it into them

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Beautiful images and music will save me I know it I just know it

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let's run away together

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THEY LOOK LIKE THEIR BABIES

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The painting process takes eight minutes in total. I would be extremely grateful if you could watch it through.☁️☁️bgm : Pacific Coast Highway in the movies & Calendar Girl

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Okay idk why I'm about to do this but,

If this post gets 5,000 notes by July 10th then I will record myself singing The byler all I want for Christmas parody and put it on YouTube, and make my all I want for Christmas is a demo dog t-shirt into an all I want for Christmas is byler Cannon t-shirt.

Good luck.

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michael simms

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I've always been afraid I'll die before. Before what? Just before anything meaningful happens.

I was 13 or so and It was way before sunrise. I was awake sobbing to whatever gods existed to let me live. My mother would be awake in a few hours, and that would mean cereal and tea. But I couldn't sleep, I just cried until the pain stuttered my breathing and tears swelled the delicate skin around my eyes. Maybe they heard me when I begged for life, maybe that's why I'm still here. I always seem to be terrified of dying but at the same time I won't step out my front door to live.

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absolutely enamored with the embroidery on this vintage bowling shirt i saw. The Whole Person..