#They liked the other byler tweet mention as well

[chirpsythismorning]

I'm not going to say we should take every single thing official Netflix accounts post as gospel, because obviously they are not run by the Duffer Brothers themselves.

But to be clear, these people are hired by Netflix and there's more to it than just random interns scheduling posts. The people running these accounts are not the same people designing the posts made there, just like the people designing those posts have higher ups telling them what to do/not do in terms of the content they are creating. And there are plenty more levels that go beyond that, which eventually does lead to the Duffers and producers of the show, who do have a stake in how the show is promoted on a basic level to best align with their intentions and all the revelations still to come.

It is common knowledge that the Duffers work with Netflix marketing directly on a consistent basis to get their vision across, and that carries out in promotion with posters, merchandise, social media, etc., because it's really important in ST case (with it being a show made by nerds that love easter eggs), that they foreshadow what is still to come outside of the show itself.

When it comes to social media, the core purpose of those accounts is to encourage engagement for Netflix's user base, ideally ensuring they tune in to whatever is being promoted (and more), but it’s also more than that, in that it’s even more based on data and other factors.

What this leads to is the people in those less major decision-making roles, like graphic designers, simply being advised what to create, based on the information and content they are given to work with.

And so these accounts going from promoting byler subtly for years, to blatantly posting about it post-s5, is actually very, very intentional, going beyond a simple Netflix intern. It’s orchestrated by those in management positions, being advised by those in the ST production to do things a certain way, so that when all is said and done, we are able to look back and find tiny little things that point to it.

Byler can't be something they NEVER talked about even once on social media, only to have them end up being endgame with them posting about it forever afterwards when it's all said and done. It doesn't work like that, at least not in ST case. We're talking about a production that costs hundreds of millions to make, as well as being the most talked about mainstream series of our generation.

They have an obligation to make their story feel not only satisfying on its own, but to also promote the show in a way that makes the viewer feel this whole well-rounded experience, outside of the show itself as well.

And so when ST came out in summer 2022 and Netflix Geeked was making posts about it non-stop, that wasn't a rogue, low-paid Netflix intern doing whatever they wanted. That was multiple people with a job given a task and following through with it at their advisers discretion. Regardless of where it ended up, it started at the top with the Duffers informing higher ups in marketing that Byler is something that will happen, along with other revelations that they want to inform marketing about, so they can take the steps to plan ahead and create content that matches the Duffer's vision, most often to act as a foreshadowing device for the story still unraveling.

Remember when Netflix Geeked made a post acknowledging that Will the Wise drawing in El's room back in s3?? A very well known byler easter egg that only we know about??? That wasn't some ga intern watching the show once and them spontaneously coming up with content to create related to that drawing and posting about it themselves. That was very likely someone associated with the show giving suggestions to marketing, with a few of them being very incriminating in relation to byler, but with most being casual in relation to the show overall.

Just like I said in this post about how Noah didn't tweet about byler or mention it multiple times at cons unprompted bc he was feeling quirky. He was being advised to...

And look what Netflix did to that tweet Noah posted that was clearly a stunt in an of itself.? They broadcasted it and made a cheesy ass edit out of it... And it's bc several people behind the scenes were advised to make content like that specifically.

I mean, if you actually look at how social media promotes byler (if and when it does), it's arguably in the exact way that the Duffers want it to be promoted?. Just enough. Not too little. Not too much. I would argue if the Duffers had no say whatsoever in how the show was promoted, then we'd either be seeing byler constantly or we wouldn't see them at all, instead we see social media sort of dance around it, which tells me they are following the exact approach the Duffers themselves follow... because they were obviously given the instruction to.

And so seeing an account like UK Netflix, an account that as of recent has really went all out with posting Queer content since Heartstopper released, has also notably made really incriminating posts about byler over the years, but especially as of recent. And that's in large part because of what I've stated, but also based on data.

If higher ups in marketing at Netflix know about byler, then they are very likely pushing people lower on the payroll, doing more simple tasks like graphic design and social media management, to make connections to ST with other shows like Heartstopper, Sex Education, Young Royals, etc. And this is because if byler IS going to end up being this huge Queer love story, data is telling them to make these connections sooner than later, so that the eventual revelation will be a smooth transition amongst other content just like it. This works in Netflix's favor at the end of the day, which is the whole point of all of this.

Not saying you should take the most casual of Netflix posts as byler endgame proof if that's what you're asking. But to say that these accounts have NO association with the Duffer's and ST directly, therefore we shouldn’t even appreciate anything they post if it points to byler, is sort of over-simplifying things.

It's not like s5 is gonna drop and all of these interns are going to be like OHHH okay now i'm a byler so i'll post about it... Going into s5 they're going to be making some very side eye posts and it isn't going to have anything to do with them being an intern without any say in things, its gonna be about them getting a task list and following through with it bc it's their job.

[hawkwidows]

complaining once bc gotta say its actually lead to a good outcome but - definitely saying goodbye to twt, it’s literally new year’s day and I’ve seen some shit already so seems like the perfect time to start fresh lmao

I just have.. no interest in that environment atm, and maybe it’s bad on here in the fandom? (I don’t really see it bc I’ve curated my dash well, and I don’t always check the tag) but it’s still not like twt I promise you. sttwt already died like a month ago and some shitty people left which was great, but now others are doing a whole “we need to leave byler in 2023” attitude and any positive tweet minding its own business casually tweeting about byler is getting like 80 quote tweets of hate etc and nah, noooot for me. it’s NYE for so many of you like jfc way to show you’re just an awful human 365 days a year?? not to mention the constant attention seeking mentions of someone they don’t like when nothing’s even fucking happening hnfjsks so unnecessary. I mean the older ST teens side of the fandom chugs along bc their lucky asses are unaffected but there wasn’t really a large batch of “party” associated accs it was mainly byler, which is what I was enjoying, so.

they’re all miserable, boring ass baby’s first fandom mindset and it got stale so quick bc they restricted themselves so much aghdndjds. I had some screenshots from over the last few weeks I was gonna share and I still might at some point bc I just wanted anyone else to see the nonsense, but I don’t think I’ll be going back there for now I want to be in a good mood 🙏🏽

anyway I’m bringing the last of my bags inside here I’m moved in cheers to that 🥂

[henrysglock]

Hey so I have totally fallen down the hole here in regards to Henry-Will Phantomgate! I blame you hahaha! And so when I saw some interesting tidbits yesterday they hit me even harder than usual.

So I was just on twitter and saw someone tweet a screen cap of Will in the California school, and it was a screencap of when he was being flirted with by his pretty classmate. They were talking about how in the show they block characters with things right behind them, behind their head etc, that are often clues to the plot and whatnot, and I’ve seen this mentioned before and seen other examples where this very much fits. Well this screencap, where’s Will is being overtly flirted with and looks very uncomfortable, he has a book right behind his head with the word HENRY in bold letters! I was shook! :0

and then remember that tweet going around from the strangers writers? let’s start a new party you and me? what if that line we have been teased about, and many assumed would be byler and come from Mike, is actually said by VECNA instead? 

vecna to will after he takes him to the upside down again and tries to convince will to join him: let’s start a new party, you and me. !!

it’s the perfect way for phantom!vecna to try and woo Will when he already feels isolated from his friends/the party anyways. It’s also subtextual still but a lot more romantically coded (so romantically coded everyone assumed it was said by Mike) so it won’t go totally unnoticed by those catching on to the themes. It’s also a great call back to mike asking: what if you want to join a new party? and will says: not possible. like sorry vecna!

also not even gonna touch on all the 👀 things Jamie has said in his interviews about Will and Henry… oh yea something is up lol

I take it this is the big POTO ask the other anon was referring to! So at long last I have an answer for you, Nonnie!

First - I have Many thoughts about that scene in Cali. It's something that's been running circles in my head. Because if, per timeline theory, Edward Creel is Vecna/One, and Vecna doesn't mention Will at all, then why is Henry right behind Will's Mindflayer spot? And how does that tie in with the Everything Else?

It goes back to something I've done deep dives about re: costuming but only touched on briefly re: narratives...and it's that they are different guys:

like...undeniably. In both face and costuming. Mindflayer guy in symbiosis is also referred to as "the shadow/shadow monster". So if Edward is Vecna, he and Henry are each other's Jungian shadows, and the Mindflayer is the shadow while being separate from Vecward...then it stands to reason that a version of Henry be the leading figure here (I have thoughts about this re: who went where, because there are at least two copies and there's some stuff about absorption that I need to flesh out more).

It would also track with something else I have a full post coming about, which is the Billy-Heather duality. They're special from the rest of the flayed, and while Billy acts distinctly Edward...Heather not so much. She's similar, almost enough to be mistaken as an extension of Billy, but she's clearly different from the rest of them. I'm particularly intrigued by the line "She could have killed me" from Billy, and Heather's response being "Yes, but not us" before panning to a number of dormant flayed...which she, for some reason, is separate from.

And when she finally does merge with the flayed, Billy remains entirely autonomous from the fleshflayer. The whole season feels like a merger between Vecna and the Mindflayer, especially with the emergence of the clawed tentacle face grab stuff.

Thus, Henry showing up Will's Mindflayer spot...would track. Hard. It would tie up the loose ends re: Heather, attack imagery swaps (invasive tentacle penetration vs external mouth grabbing with an orific/suck-pumping behavior more similar to Vecna's claw), character paralleling (Will and Henry being paralleled behaviorally, but El being more behaviorally similar to our Edward figure), and lack of associations (Vecna as we know him presently not being visually associated with Will or the Shadow, only El, but the first 2 seasons being almost insanely Will-specific).

This would also set us up for Will confronting the guy who actually did the POTO-coded stuff: Mindflayer Guy. Vecna as we know him presently doesn't have quite as much Phantom coding as Mindflayer Guy does. They both do, just in unequal amounts re: Will.

So...tl;dr: Distinction between Vecna and Mindflayer Guy!!

I could absolutely see a situation where mostly-human Mindflayer Guy pulls the Big Sad Wet Eyes and tries to pull Will to his side with his (admittedly gut-wrenching) backstory and the "we're the same, you and I/surely you understand/etc." sales pitch (whether he truly believes it or not, it is still a sales pitch). And while we all know it probably wouldn't win Will over, it would definitely be enough to make him even more conflicted about using violence/brutality.

The whole thing in POTO is that Christine chooses to "start her new party" (so to speak) with Raoul rather than the Phantom, and after she shows him compassion, he realizes the harm he's done and the monster he's become. Her goodness is the mirror. So while I don't think the words "let's start a new party, you and me" would come from the HenFlayer (imo they sound more Mike in tone than Henry)...the vibe is definitely there. And the whole thing is definitely cast in a romantic light, especially if Will were made to choose between his love interest and the HenFlayer.

Which, I agree: that would totally solidify all the shit from previous seasons that has been left up in the air as to intent, even if the actions themselves are blatant SA.

AND JAMIE SDKFJDKSJFH God okay so. Here's the thing. The film is the Thing, and what actors say reflects their current understanding of their characters (i.e. not necessarily reflective of ST5). However. That, in conjunction with Noah joking about rizzing up Vecna...I see them. I see them.

Something is definitely up, and it's going to be gut wrenching either way. Will deserves his confrontation, even if it won't end in violence the way some fans think it will.

[strangeswift]

Controversial opinion but I cannot take non-straight!Eddie / Steve / Nancy / Max / Lucas / El etc headcanons or theories seriously.

I get that ppl all have headcanons about the characters and it is also because they want to see themselves in these characters or like certain dynamics between the chaarcters. But for the love of me, I just cannot really like it. Fanfics are fun and all but there's just something that irks me about non-straight!Steve or Eddie headcanons. Because there is literally nothing that shows or suggests that these guys are actually non-straight, nor there is any actual romantic dynamic written between them. It is also annoying that they are put in the same place as ships like Byler that actually has canon evidence and is half-way canon already. It is also that the writers havent spent so much time on queercoding Will and Mike's characters but then they just..... forgot to actually queercode Nancy, Max, Lucas and El? I heavily dislike it when ppl say Nancy must be a lesbian bc she doesnt actually love Steve or Jonathan. I dislike it when Max must be bisexual because... uh... because what? Because she might have had a crush on El? People basing Lucas ''bisexuality'' on Lucas's ST book bc he described a fellow black kid bc he was happy that he found another black kid like himself.... just doesnt sit right with me. I dont like it when ppl say El is a lesbian bc 'she got stuck in the lab and called nancy and other females pretty too'.

Bruh not everyone is non-straight, ok? Some characters (actually most characters) are straight on this show and dont have that sort of characterization. I am sorry i just cannot take Stddie seriously even if the fic is written well

Hi anon! I believe you are conflating headcanons and theories.

Let's define our terms!

According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, "Headcanon refers to something that a fan imagines to be true about a character even though no information supporting that belief is spelled out in the text. Sometimes that involves filling in your own explanation for a character’s strange motivation, or projecting aspects onto a character that make them more relatable to you."

So headcanons aren't something to be "taken seriously" in the first place. They're just for fun. And if headcanons about characters being queer aren't fun for you, just don't engage with the content. Unfollow, block, filter, whatever you gotta do.

Now... Is this the part where I remind everyone that I DON'T LIKE ST3DDIE EITHER. (Obligatory link to my St3ddie post that I will CONTINUE TO LINK in every single one of my responses on this topic.) I agree that Steve being heterosexual in canon is important to his character, and I don't personally HC him as queer for that reason. People HCing Steve as queer isn't problematic though because HCs don't affect canon and they don't even need to be based in canon! Because they are for fun! I promoted the St3ddie script because I'm a huge fan of Ella's writing and I enjoyed it for that reason. And she doesn't ship St3ddie either! It wasn't meant to be taken so seriously. It was for fun.

Also.

Most people who HC the characters you mentioned as queer fully realize that they were not written as such and aren't trying to comvince you that they are. Personally? My sexuality HCs (except Mike, but that's more of a theory than a HC) are based mostly on vibes.

For example: Lucas is bi to me because one time I saw a tweet that said that Lucas had a little crush on Will when they were younger, and I thought that was cute. And it's fun! Based in canon? No. Cute? Yes!! I hadn't even heard about the section in his book, and obviously when I did, I recognized that it was not meant to imply that Lucas was attracted to that kid (and yes it also rubs me wrong when people misinterpret it as such, because it takes away from the real meaning.) But Lucas is bi to me because I think it's cute and fun, not because there's any canonical evidence. And I literally don't care. Because it's a headcanon.

Max is bi because she's cool, and straight people are not cool.

Nancy Wheeler is bi because I want her so bad.

El is a lesbian because that's how I personally choose to interpret some of her actions. Not because I believe the Duffers wrote her that way.

Anyway. Hope this helps.

[demadogs]

2 things:

Argyle will be COMPLETELY stoned the entire season and he'll just think he's on the craziest *trip* that he's ever been on.

Now, can I ask do you like Mileven together or do you ship Byler? Or do you stay out of shipping? Or you don't care who's with who, as long as everyone is happy?

I think Will has a major crush on Mike. Mike loves Will. Like he truly loves Will but just in the general type of love, a platonic type of love. If Mike finds out that Will likes him as more than a friend, I think Mike will handle the situation well. He will try to let Will down easy and then be a supportive best friend, no shaming.

first of all the concept of argyle thinking he’s tripping the entire time is so fucking funny i love that so much.

second, yes i do ship byler and i genuinely do believe it’ll happen. at first after season two i just thought “aw theyd be cute together” but then season three came out and i saw how unhealthy mileven was and all the evidence people shared on here that leaned towards byler and i was like “oh shit theyre actually doing this”. i thought mileven was really cute in season one and when they reunited in season two but then when we saw them as an actual couple they were really rough. i do want every character to be happy but i dont think mileven is right now.

im gonna share the biggest things or evidence that totally convinced me byler is the direction the duffers are heading. this might be long. not trying to be like “YOU MUST SHIP BYLER AND HERES WHY” but you seem nice and open to either so id like to show you what sold me on byler and im curious to hear your opinions on it after you read this. there’s plenty of things that show wills feelings so i’ll focus on mike since you already believe will loves mike.

1. the break up scene vs the rain fight scene

this is the biggest one for me by far. i study film and every color pallet in scenes, every song they choose, even the weather is very much intentional!! the mileven break up is super saturated, in broad daylight, and has a very humorous tone. they couldve easily made this a heartbreaking scene but they chose not to. also theyre not alone its not a moment between just the two of them.

the rain fight on the other hand is the complete opposite. it’s very blue, theres harsh shadows, its pouring rain, and the mood is much more emotional and hurt and they’re alone.

looking at these stills next to each other even if you didnt have the context at all you would be able to tell which interaction is more emotional and means more to the characters.

also look at the difference in mikes face after el and will’s last word. for el he just looks annoyed and for will he looks so hurt.

last point on these two. look at the difference between el and wills reactions to these interactions. i know you said you do believe will loves mike but look at el’s reaction. she doesn’t love him as much as she thinks she does either. why would she be laughing and highfiving?

2. the way the last mileven kiss is framed!!!!

again with the film shit, THIS IS INTENTIONAL. look how mike is not only in a closet, but the door to the closet is perfectly dividing their kiss. this to me convinced me that mikes gay not bi or anything else. some people think he’s bi but they wouldnt have the closet perfectly divide them if he was bi bc that wouldnt be the reason for them breaking up. they could have angled this kiss so many ways if the door wasnt directly in the middle of them i mightve thought it was a coincidence but it is. also not to mention his eyes are wide open, he didnt kiss her back, and he couldnt say he loves her to her face. 

3. this tweet

i dont blame people who dont read into social media posts about byler. i normally dont but like come on why did they tweet this lmao there’s no other meaning to this than implying hes afraid of the idea of liking girls sexually.

those are the biggest things for me personally. theres lots of other shit with wills feelings but i just focused on mike. sorry that was kinda long but id love to hear what you think after this!

[beepboop358]

I’m actually really happy but also really sad about what happened today ( the teaser and episode titles ) because it looks sooo cool but summer release date makes absolutely no sense ( cause the season takes place in March ) besides that I also kinda lost hope in byler being endgame cause the official stranger things accounts are hyping mileven up so much . What do you think about all the stuff we got today ? :) <3

Hi anon! Hope your well!

I'm really excited about what we got today too! And superrrr bummed about the summer release date AGH that means 3 full years between seasons...wow 😮

I'm hoping that they aren't just messing with us and making us wait, and that there is actually CGI/editing that needs to be done that can't be finished before summer for whatever reason, and that's why it will be released so late :(

Don't lose hope in byler being endgame my friend!! I have tons of posts on my blog in my byler things section that can reassure you and there are so many great byler evidence posts out there on other's blogs too!

I briefly went through the ST twitter account to see what mileven study they are re-tweeting since another anon actually mentioned it too.

If anything these tweets call out Mileven more than hype them up!

It isn't so much hyping up as just, acknowledging mileven has existed. And Byler is going to be a huge turning point in the show, so I'm not surprised they are re-tweeting some mileven things, it's not like they can ignore mileven has ever happened, because it did, and Mike and El do care for each other, they just aren't romantically in love with each other. They are still friends and love each other platonically!

Here's some examples of the tweets:

they’re messing with us lol

El doesn't actually say I love you to Mike in the letter. And besides the whole open closet and "this way" sign pointing to it, and the wife beater top, I mean C'mon... LOL

And this tweet:

Check out @kaypeace21's post here about the strawberry shirt El is wearing and how it hints to mileven not being endgame, and the wife beater top again in this pic ;) aha... This tweet itself is just anti-mileven and the person doesn't even realize it LOL

Mike's fake heterosexual shirt and Eleven's strawberry shirt (which 'strawberry is shit' - from Kaypeace21's food analysis) AHAHA

Also this one:

just basically acknowledging Mileven has existed and they were younger once, not really pro-mileven

And these 2:

I mean... the trailer is largely Eleven based and these are direct parallels to other seasons that are INTENTIONAl.

El and Mike are close, he was the first person to treat her like a human being and not like a test subject, of course she's going to call/write to him, she's very attached to him.

And Mike's ghostbusters costume while he talks to El in s2, the wife beater/open closet while he reads El's letter are all queer-coding...

Byler is very much alive and thriving here and if anything these tweets actually call out Mileven more than hype them up if we take the time to understand them!

[kaypeace21]

Do you have any meta/theory on the significance of the cleric/paladin d&d characters vs wizard/dungeon master. Is maybe one more Will and Mike's relationship and the other their role in the story as a whole? Sorry if you already mentioned this and this is redundant

Yeah, I’ve talked about it before. But why not talk about it again? It’s been a while- and Will’s recently published journal (plus st tweets) added more to this symbolism

The Duffers used Will and Mike’s d&d classes to say they’re soulmates! XD

Will in all 3 seasons identifies as a wizard- he even writes on the mixtape he makes “will the wise- wizard mix” (which is a different class than clerics). Even in s1 Will’s castle byer’s password was “rhadaghast” a lothr wizard.

But in s2 Mike (the paladin) says that Will is a cleric. Meaning this reflects how Mike (alone) actually feels about Will. In d&d, they have similar moral values, powers, and generally need and depend on each other in the lore of d&d.  Mike says Will is a cleric,despite Will still identifying as a wizard in s3, since it shows how deeply Mike actually feels about Will.

It shows he views Will as one of the only people who understands him and views him as a his moral compass 

“ strength of conviction gave many paladins a sense of common fellowship but did not always endear them to others. In many cases, paladins did not get along quite as well with other non-paladin adventurers, with the exception of clerics with similar beliefs.”

“A Paladin tries to hold to the highest standards of conduct, but even the most virtuous Paladin is fallible. Sometimes the heat of emotion causes a Paladin to transgress his or her oath (of honesty, courage, compassion, honor ,and duty). A paladin who has broken a vow typically seeks absolution from a cleric who shares his or her faith or from another paladin of the same order…

“The paladin might spend an all-night vigil in prayer as a sign of penitence, or undertake a fast or similar act of self-denial.”

“After a rite of confession and forgiveness, the paladin starts fresh.”

“Using the ‘lay on hands’ power, paladins can grant their comrades (or themselves) additional resilience with a touch of their hands and a short prayer, though they must give their own strength to do so.”

And Mike calls El a “mage” which wasn’t even a class in D&D (in the 80s)- A line he says to Max about zoomer (who he doesn’t like) …so… how much do you want to bet Mike was the one who made him and Will matching by giving him and Will “lawful good” (since this is writen in his starter kit). And he already ignored the fact Will is a wizard. 

But in Will’s recently published cannon journal he also does this- he keeps Lucas (Ranger) , Dustin (Bard) and his own character (a wizard) …but he changes Mike to a cleric !!!

Because Clerics have the strongest of healing abilities

Mike thinks Will brings out the best in him. And Will thinks Mike as someone who helps him heal. So they both call each other clerics.

D&D also represents their romantic relationship

when they fight in s3 Mike says “I’m not trying to be a jerk. We’re not kids anymore. I mean…what did you think? That we’d never get girlfriends. Play games for the rest of our lives?” And the truth is that’s actually what Mike wants- which is why he was upset about Will trying to give away the d&d game . And why he still has all of Will’s d&d pictures on his basement’s wall (which he’s kept on his wall for years- despite removing the old poster from the wall). And during Hopper’s speech, when it pans to Mike , Hopper says “I miss playing games every night.”

* He also caresses Will’s  d&d drawing- when he thinks he’s dead- and has a binder filled with every d&d drawing Will has ever given him.

 In the first ep - Will  admits he rolls a 7 (since he couldn’t lie to Mike)-  and in the last ep of s1 (they show us Mike smiling at Will right before Will rolls a 14- since they’re 7s together.) Mike even apologizes to EL saying “sorry I sound like a 7 year old.” When talking about how all 3 can play with toys & right after talking about Will visiting to play. and mentions Will’s rolls as a way to convince Lucas to help him look for him.And Mike even mentions Will rolls as a way to convince Lucas to help him look for him in the first ep.

Mike in the last ep in s1 ,writes a d&d story for Will.  in ep one Will tells Mike “it was a 7, the demogorgan it got me.”At the end of the season Mike writes a whole story of him and his friends killing a 7 headed monster, and showing the decapitated head of the monster to king Tristan (Will). Similar to how at the hospital he tells Will to not worry cause “it’s dead now”. This is right after Will rolls a 14 (cause Mike and Will are 7s together). And Mike who is a fan of starwars has King Tristan give them medals after killing the monster. Cause he wants Will/king tristan (instead of Leia -a girl) to present him with medals and be his romantic love interest (and praise him for being a hero)…

In the pilot, they even say Will uses d&d to “escape” his insecurities about his sexuality “like mike” & Mike uses d&d to “escape” his insecurities about not having a gf.  * And no, dustin & Lucas didn’t use d&d to “escape” anything- in the pilot script.

Mike angrily yells “El’s not stupid. It’s not my fault you don’t like girls” to himself- cause Will hit a nerve when saying mileven was ruining their friendship - because a part of Mike is trying to use El to put distance between him and Will . Dustin in s1 foreshadows the fight, saying “all you want to do is spent time with her… and you know it and he knows it. And nobody says anything until you’re yelling at eachother like goblins with intelligence scores of zero.” (Another  d&d ref/ ‘love makes you stupid’ ref.).

And also, maybe a part of him resents how Will is making him feel. So he says this whole speech , in the garage, to himself - to keep his romantic feelings for Will under control ( expecting Will to agree with the heteronormative statement). Which is why he was so shocked when Will (who he assumes is straight) and he expects would agree -  instead says “yeah, I guess I did. I really did.” (about never getting gfs but instead being together for the rest of their lives). 

And the  “crazy together” scene (which is romantic since both Mike & Flo both equate love making you ‘crazy’. Flo says “ only love makes you crazy and that damn stupid”). And the ‘crazy together’ scene also has a zoom-in on Mike’s d&d game.

(x)(x)

Mike and Will both love each other (and El is just confused). He wants to be with Will- but he’s scared. The Hopper dialogue even says “Lately, I feel like you’re pulling away from me or something? I miss playing board games every night.” Mike was upset when Will gives the game up- but Will says “I’ll just play with yours when I come back… if we still want to play?” In other words- the ball is in Mike’s court- if he wants Will, he has to initiate it. Because Will assumes he was “stupid” to think he had a chance. Mike is also acting “stupid” because he’s pushing away Will despite loving him, and hurting him in the process (the opposite of a cleric).

But Mike in s4 will admit his feelings to Will… since after Will says this line, Mike asks

“Yeah, but what happens if you want to join another party? ” (find someone else (‘another’) before that- the other ‘species’, or just someone else: girl, guy or otherwise?”

But Will decides to make himself vulnerable and just be honest,  and shyly admits “Not possible” (much to Mike’s happiness)

so yes- this tweet is about byler

They even answered the question of ‘what makes Mike crazy’ with one’ joke’ response - of Will asking about d&d. And in a separate post made fun of mileven by ending it with “can we just play d&d?”

And when, Mike and Will open up to each other about their mental-health issues,  that’s when they both agree that no matter what they’ll be together- “crazy together”. It’s a double entendre - they’re crazy cause they’re in love- but also “crazy” and will be “together” to help each other through their issues.  This theme is double-downed on in Will’s cannon journal (where it’s established “crazy together” is shown to be Mike & Will’s thing- not mileven’s). As Mike tells Will to tell him when he’s having ptsd episodes since- they're “crazy together”.

*Will draws Mike’s d&d character next to the sticky-note. And we also see throughout Will’s whole journal- Mike’s d&d character is always by Will’s (d&d character’s side). And on the cover of his journal Will ONLY draws his and Mike’s character- cause they’re “crazy together”.

Mike specifically says to get him when he’s having ptsd episodes about the mf (which represent Will’s se*ually abusive father- theory here/ here).

That’s what love is - like Flo said only love makes you “crazy” and “stupid” and this is only applicable to byler.  Mike and Will love and  bring out the best in each other-  heal each other. Being “crazy together” to Mike is about being selfless and wanting the best for you partner’s happiness no matter what- with mileven it was simply a way to excuse his poor behavior to El (under the guise of ‘love’).

 For all the supernatural stuff to stop , Will has to face his trauma and heal. This involves having a strong support  (of friends and family) and Will learning to not hate himself any longer, because of his past abuse and sexuality. And to stop correlating his love (for Mike) with his past abuse/trauma (represented by the monsters. And Mike and Will have to embrace their love for each other. And let go of their shame. When Will ‘dies’ in s1, Mike hugs his mom ,and  Heroes plays, and the lyrics are “and we kiss as though nothing could fall and the shame… was on the other side.” In s1 the term “other side” was used to describe the upside down. So it’s saying Will’s shame relating to Lonnie will eventually be on the other side, and so Mike and Will kiss ‘as though nothing could fall’. In Will’s journal he even draws Mike’s d&d character again with the caption “never Kenny Roggers”. This is because Jonathan asks ‘who would you rather  be friends with David bowie or Kenny roggers?”. And Heroes was originally sung by David Bowie- making the byler hint of this being ‘their song’, more apparent. The cannon Will-comic is even titled  the “other side” and Mike is on the opposite end (‘the other side’ waiting for Will who is trapped in the upside down looking up at the imposing figure of the demogorgan). The demorgogan in blue light and mike in opposing red light. The monsters Will created are based on the d&d game and his prior abuse at the hands of lonnie. But byler’s love is also represented by d&d- and thus the only way to stop it.

gif credit: cath-avery 

[inazuma-hunter]

Stranger Things Writers Twitter really likes messing with people.

Okay so, I’m not one of those people that goes digging super deep into everything looking for improbable Byler theories. And I certainly don’t put much stock into what the ST Writers tweet. Not after Season 3 haha. 

And while I don’t spend a ton of time on there, I think Byler twitter might be slightly over-aggressive at this point. (I do appreciate the initial blitz guys, but they now know we exist, they’ve seen us. Not every single thing they post is hints for Byler haha.) But I digress. So, while I’m not going to break down every single one of their posts looking for something, there was one set of posts about a month ago that I found kind of interesting.

Not saying these are be all end all proof, or even ANY sort of Byler related proof. It’s more...maybe M*leven isn’t the endgame ship a lot of people think?  I have no idea if anyone did this breakdown on here before or not, so I apologize in advance if so.

So, Stranger Things Writers tweeted three things right in a row concerning the current canon ships, culminating with this M*leven:

In love. Which, if you look at on the surface, yeah, not great for Byler shippers. But if you look at the previous two posts...

First there was Jancy:

Now look, I’m not necessarily a Jancy shipper. I don’t dislike them, but they’re not among my top ships. But, would even the most ardent Jancy shipper describe them as...wholesome? (Please don’t attack me Jancy shippers for the following).

Firstly, how did their some of their first interactions in the show really start? With Jonathan taking pictures of Nancy in various states of undress without her knowledge. And how did they actually get together? By sleeping together at Murray’s place two or three days after Steve and Nancy had their big fight. (had they even really ‘officially’ broken up?) And then in Season 3, they’re shown sleeping together again, with Nancy sneaking out of the Byers’ house via the window.

Now I’m no prude, and I have no problem with that last example, it is what it is. But none of the above behavior would be what I would qualify as ‘wholesome’.

Next, is Lumax:

Let me begin this by saying I freaking LOVE Lumax. Not to the point of actively stanning them, but they are my second favorite ship on Stranger Things. But ‘soft’, they most definitely are not.

Lumax are funny, sarcastic, and teasing. Max scaring the shit out of Lucas and the other boys on Halloween. Lucas making fun of her California upbringing with ‘totally tubular’. Season 3, Lucas asking Max if she had a new zit, followed by her dunking his head back under water. The both of them mercilessly teasing Dustin with their rendition of Neverending Story. Not to mention, they’ve apparently broken up and gotten back together five different times. No, there’s nothing soft about this power couple, and that’s one of the reasons I love them so much.

So we have them post a pic of Jancy titled wholesome, which clearly doesn’t fit. A pic of Lumax titled soft, which also doesn’t come close to fitting. So what are we to make of that M*leven pic titled in love? Well, I’ll leave you to draw your own conclusions...

[fodderstompferz]

ok ok st4 theory time 😎 i was going to write this like. three weeks ago. these are all hypotheticals but i use a lot of details from the set so there are season four spoilers below the cut! 👇 if you have thoughts about my or other theories that i didn't mention get in touch with me!!

1. who will levon hawke be playing? i know everyone who was paying attention had just assumed that he would be playing metalhead eddie. but since we've learned that eddie will actually be played by joseph quinn (who we've also seen on the set), will levon just be an extra? or is his character been kept under tight wraps? well. after the 'roll call' thread was dropped, levon tweeted about a 'big reveal coming soon', and the only new important character i know that hasn't been officially been revealed yet is... ashe (001). i'm pretty sure this guy's going to be SUPER important - the comics about the lab were literally restricted from talking about him, which means we're going to learn about him in the show, no matter who's he's played by!

2. lucas is going to be relevant again! the duffers have often tried to flesh out lucas as an independent adventurer, but with everything else going on in the show, little time ended up being dedicated to him. but i am so sure this will be his season! in st4, we are going to see lucas really develop, i'm buying into the theory that he will become part of the hawkins basketball team this season. an audition tape with the new jock character (with the actor that was actually casted, so it's real) may have confirmed this. it will be interesting to see how lucas balances his dynamic with his old and new friends and interests.

3. how much will we see of the byers in california? i hope it's for a good portion of season four actually. i don't think it would be justified if the hype has been all about 'we're not in hawkins anymore' and then bring everyone BACK to hawkins in like... three episodes. i'm really looking forward to these scenes, i'm hoping to see how the byers will react to a change in setting!

4. will steve DIE? there is a lot of discussion to be had here. after all his growth, does steve (one of my fav characters) really deserve death? course not! but will the duffers finally prove that the cast of stranger things isn't invincible? not saying it has to be steve, but it is getting a little chummy around here... don't you think?

5. will joyce be going to russia? i have to say i'm more invested in the teens of st, but if you want my thoughts? no, joyce probably won't be off to russia, although she and hopper will have to find a way back to hawkins somehow, will they not? that's where i think we get to see them be the badass team they are.

6. ok this is my crackhead theory... my homegrown Thoughts... what if WILL gets powers? being continuously possessed and stranded in an alternate dimension has to do something to you right? RIGHT???? come on duffers, you wanna make will have powers... you wanna make him have supernatural abilities so bad......

7. finally, there will be more not-straight characters in st4. not saying they immediately have to partner up, or not naming any names (although i don't think the duffers are gonna go with byler sorry 😭) but just KNOW. i smell fruit on this season 😏

and that's it! love to hear your thoughts!

[beepboop358]

hii

i was reading you byler master slides again and seeing that twitter post they did of mike looking at the mind flayer paralleling mike looking at the lingerie made me think of something, and maybe you mentioned it and i missed it, if so im sorry :)

so, besides being scared of confronting the mind flayer definitely, he most likely really doesn't want to get near/interact with it at all logically, so (im probably stretching this) but would that also be a way of referring to how besides being scared he also just doesn't want to interact with women's lingerie aka female puberty at all? does that make sense?

that's about it, i really love your blog btw! :)

hi anon! it always makes me glad to hear people are reading the byler proof slides :) so thank you!

you aren’t stretching at all, you are absolutely right that the tweet depicts how Mike is afraid of female puberty/adult female bodies because it makes it impossible for him to deny he is gay!

I talk about the tweet and its meaning on slides 34-37, its in “the lingerie store” section in the table of contents and there is a link for that section there! :) And I think i reference it a few other times in the slides but no worries ik it can be hard to find things in there LOL

I love talking about this tweet :)))

It’s a wonderful little tweet (and a fav of mine) because the mindflayer represents puberty and its literally made of flesh so that comparison of Mike looking at the mindflayer vs. womens lingerie and the “we see no difference” caption perfectly describes how Mike is afraid of the Mindflayer just like he is afraid of female puberty; that he does not want to interact with either.

It amazes me some people find a way to ignore the obvious meaning (reddit is infuriating sometimes 🙄🥴)

here’s the pic again just for fun:

Mike Wheeler is gay, female puberty is the non-supernatural version of the mindflayer for Mike i.e. “scary flesh in the human world”. Good one stranger writers. There is no other explanation for this tweet. :)

thanks for the ask! hope your well xx

[beepboop358]

My Byler theories/predictions for S4

Since s4 is already confirmed to not be the last season, I don’t think Byler will officially get together in s4. I do think that we are definitely going to get a large amount of Byler’s development in s4 though, we just aren’t at the finish line yet. Since Byler has been being developed all through each of the seasons, I think the writers are playing the long game with Mike and Will. I really appreciate a queer romance that is so well developped, especially in something so popular! I think the season will end on a note where it’s understood what Mike has been struggling with, It’s made known that Will is gay, and that Mike has feelings for Will, and Will has feelings for Mike.

My predictions/theories for Byler in s4:

Mike might be acting a little off at school and Dustin is going to notice his odd behavior and ask what’s up

I think Mike will be getting in trouble at school and at home (based on whenever he doesn’t have Will/El around he does stupid things - like graffitti the bathroom wall, plagiarize essays, curse at adults, etc.) I don’t know if Mike knows about Eddie dealing drugs, but he might and he might get drugs from Eddie and do them to cope with everything he is struggling with. His parents might ground him for doing drugs, and forbid him from going to visit the Byers, and then we could get our runaway smalltown boy montage! LOL

Lonnie might come to visit the Byers in California for Will’s birthday. He will probably show up because he thinks they have money now, or he wants to sue Starcourt like he wanted to sue the quarry in s1. Mike will also be there visiting for Will’s birthday. Lonnie will mock Will and make fun of him like he always did, but he will also hate Mike. Lonnie will definitely notice Will and Mike’s dynamics and he will definitely comment about it. He might even call them homophobic slurs like we know he used to do with Will when he was younger. Lonnie will probably make Will cry and Mike upset. Lonnie might possibly “out” him and Mike before they are out and confirm it themselves. Some of the movies on the stranger writers twitter for s4 also hint at this, as well as having the baseball references. There are also hints to Will’s birthday throughout the show: The rainbow happy birthday mug seen in the crazy together scene, the “sorry i forgot your birthday card” in Will’s room from Lonnie, and Joyce’s speech in the shed discussing Will’s 8th birthday and his “rainbow ship”. Jonathan also mentions how Lonnie made him kill a rabbit on his 10th birthday and he cried for a week after, just more hints that if Lonnie shows up for Will’s bday, it’s gonna be bad.

Mike might get Will a watch for his birthday. This would reference the clocks being central to the s4 plot, and “not wanting things to change/turning back the clock” in Hopper’s letter

Will is being homophobically bullied at his new school again, possibly references to Will having HIV/AIDS because the height of the epidemic was in the 80’s and it was very stigmatized

Mike will call Will more than he will call El. Will might be slightly surprised by this, El’s frequent calling will annoy Mike and he might turn off his walkie talkie. (basically the reverse of what Mike said would happen in the s3 ending mileven scene)

Mike and Will will be in the same location for most of the season, like s2. They will not leave each other’s sides for the majority of the time they are together.

S4 Group Predictions:

- El, Will, Mike trio together with Jonathan and Argyle. (we will get some obvious tension between El, Will, and Mike, and Mike will hate Argyle at first)

- Robin, Steve, Erica, Max, Dustin, Lucas, Vickie, Eddie, Nancy

- Joyce, Murray, etc?

- Hopper and the other Russians (Dimitri, etc)

The rift between Mike and El will continue to grow.

When Mike comes to visit, she will notice he seems much more interested in Will.

El will ask why the bullies call Will those things (queer/fairy/gay/homo, probably f slurs too), what it means and if he really is “a queer”.

I don’t know if Will is going to come out to El. They have never interacted before, and I doubt Will trusts her or really likes her much mainly, because of Mike. Unless they get super close during the time not portrayed on screen between s3 and s4, or by being all each other has in California, I don’t know if  he will come out to El. I could see this going either way depending on how their friendship develops. I definitely do not think Will is going to tell El he likes Mike, even if he does confide in her he is gay. I think she will find out eventually but in some other way, probably just from Mike’s behavior towards Will.

El will eventually realize she doesn’t actually love Mike and let go of the ‘romance’ aspect of their bond, but still highly value him as a friend.

Mike might be called homophobic slurs at school as well. Mike will definitely be teased (regardless of his sexuality) because he is in the hellfire club and since satanic panic is sweeping the town, people look at D&D as if it is a satanic game, and he will be teased because of that.

Based on the leaked bts pics, I have a theory a cheerleader, or someone else, might show interest in Mike.  Mike will not reciprocate and she will call him out for it asking why he doesn't like her because “any other guy at this school would” or something like that, maybe even ask “what are you gay or something”. It would certainly be good for Mike’s narrative but idk if it will happen.

Will may confide in Jonathan about his feelings for Mike and the things the bullies say to him at school. Jonathan will be supportive of Will, as will Joyce. I think he will also try to protect Will from Lonnie and they will both defend Will to Lonnie.

I think we need a scene of Mike with his Mom telling him to follow his heart, like who you like, etc. because life is too short to waste it being miserable or something like that. This could be inspired by Mike’s parents seperating, but idk. This could also encourage Mike to initiate more romantic things with Will.

I would love to get a scene of Will confronting Mike for “Joining another party”, after Will said he wouldn’t.

Will and Mike need to discuss what was said in their fight.

I think since Mike's been holding in a lot of turmoil and struggling with his sexuality for so long we might get a small breakdown scene from him, of him telling Will he’s really sorry for how he treated him last summer, and for all the things he said to Will. Mike will profusely apologize and also hint at how he’s confused and been dealing with a lot.

I think Mike will be the first one to break down and confess he has feelings for Will and has been struggling with coming to terms with his sexuality.

Once Will has confirmation Mike is also struggling with his sexuality, Will might come out to him. I would love for him to reference the fight being like “You were right. I don’t like girls.” (from @itsonlystrange ‘s 4x07 byler script it’s so good!) I don't know if Will will confess he likes Mike to his face or not. I don't think it's likely given how shy Will is and how afraid he is of Mike not reciprocating, but who knows.

Mike may initiate a kiss between him and Will - towards the end of the season probably (eyewitness parallel - explained in my byler proof google slides)

I think Mike and Will might write letters to each other, with some love-y connotations. There is a lot of evidence for this in the canon comics of them writing notes to each other, and that cryptic tweet from stranger writers twitter with a blocked out message and the date Will went missing saying it wasn’t about a couple or hopper. Maybe byler related? This tweet may not be a letter but it might be. The most popular theories are that the message is to Will, “love mike”, which I love. https://twitter.com/strangerwriters/status/1184945905973153792?lang=en

Will has a new haircut (bts pics) and Mike will gush over it. Maybe some gay-panicking too hopefully

I think El will be either physically or at least emotionally distant the entire season from the other kids (again following the pattern of even and odd seasons) El needs some personal development this season, since she didn’t get any in s3.

El might confront Mike and ask if he is gay and if he likes Will, which could be El’s motivation to go off on a journey of her own to learn more about her own life. I don’t think it will be a huge fight, but El might make some references to him always lying to her. I think Mike might just kind of try to talk his way out of it at first, but he will eventually break. This might be a two part discussion and Mike doesn’t admit she is right until later. I don’t think it makes sense for El to be heartbroken (explained in my byler proof slides), just slightly annoyed. This is based off of the movie Tootsie which they borrowed the “gift” idea from in s3 already. In the movie, the girlfriend then after receiving the gift asks “Michael” if he is gay.

I really think eventually El will realize it’s okay because she doesn’t love him romantically either, and once she realizes that her own personal development can really begin.

I think we will see a noticeable change in Mike’s demeanor. I think Mike will mainly just be trying to hide that he is gay now. He joined the hellfire club so we know he’s playing d&d again meaning he is reverting back to his true self, not the weird act he put on in s3 trying to be straight and change himself. He is still struggling, but he knows he likes Will. Regardless that doesn’t mean he is going to be super clear about how he feels. He is going to be extremely afraid of opening up and then getting hurt by Will. He will probably do some of his usual ‘lead Will on and then shut it down’ thing. And I really want Will to call him out on this. This could also lead to Mike breaking down in front of Will and confessing. I think we are going to get a lot of 'Mike gay panicking' moments, he's going to be extremely afraid of being found out/suspected.

Byler things I really want to happen that we may get because they would have narrative significance:

I really want flashbacks to those 3 months of summer between the starcourt explosion and the Byers moving, of moments between Mike and Will when they hang out alone together, with some obvious romantic tension. Like where they are super playful and almost kiss, or they are kind of touchy, or something in the realm of that. I think we need a flashback of something that explains Will’s flirty nature at the very end of s3 with Mike, because he doesn't normally act like that. I want noticeable “is something going on with them?” vibes. This could also happen during the thanksgiving/christmas flashbacks.

I hope we get flashbacks of Mike going to the Byers for Thanksgiving, and the Byers coming back to Hawkins for Christmas. Preferably of some Mike and Will moments that hint at Mike’s confusion or how he feels “so alone” without Will, maybe with some “crazy together” references too! I’d also love some tension between the 3 of them, maybe this is when El starts to get suspicious of Mike liking Will.

Hopefully we get some shots of Mike biking past the byers old house and going to look at castle byers and reminiscing.

I’d love to get a flashback of Mike the day the Byers moved away, of him crying or being upset, alone in his room/basement while looking at Will’s drawings or pictures of Will and him together. Mainly to confirm for people that Mike was upset about Will moving, not as much El.

This one does not seem super probable, but it is a very popular theory. Idk if it’s possible because of location logistics, but if they spend enough time together, I’d love for Mike to get to know Robin better, and Will too. Maybe once everyone comes together at the end of the season, she will notice their dynamics and could help guide and inspire them to be themselves. Hey maybe thats for s5 :) But I do think it’s a possibility that Mike may work at the video store with Steve and Robin, and she will pick up on Mike’s behavior and understand, whether she communicates that to him or not.