#el was probably too focused on mike coming there

[henry-fox-biggest-stan]

I have been thinking about how come than there is nothing than shows mike’s attraction to women.

“Oh but, he’s dating El!” True, but what I mean is than all the other heterosexual characters (you can have all the headcanons you want, but they have been shown over and over to be attracted to the opposite gender) all have moments than show their attraction to men / women, aside from their romantic partners.

We have Max dating Lucas, yes, but she also, for example, looks at a shirtless Steve with binoculars. She is a teenage girl attracted to men, and it makes sense she wants to see this older guy shirtless. She also talks about how Ralph Macchio from karate kid is “so hot”

We have Lucas dating Max, but in s2 while playing at the arcade, Lucas mentioned how princess daphne was still his, a female character who, tbh, is kinda sexualized and mostly serves as eye candy. The typical “hero needs to save princess” trope. A preteen / teenage boy attracted to women would find her attractive

We have Dustin dating Suzie, but he also had a tiny crush, or at least, interest on max at the start of s2. He asked a girl to dance at snowball, he talks with Steve about girls, etc.

We have Steve who is just constantly reminding us of his attraction to women, he dated nancy, he talks about girls, he mentions liking boobs, etc

We have Nancy dating Jonathan, and she dated Steve before, but she also has a Tom Cruise poster in her room, who was very popular among girls during the 80s, and the first time we see her in s1 ep 1 she’s talking to Barb over the phone saying things like “yeah he’s cute” about a boy, probably Steve.

But with Mike, the opposite happens, he’s dating El, sure, but he shows rejection to the opposite gender. He doesn’t care about Max at the start of s2, he doesn’t seem interested in princess daphne, and then there’s the lingerie scene paralleling the sauna scene in s3. Lucas (attracted to women) is the first to enter the lingerie store. And Mike (attracted to men) is the first to open the sauna (full of men). (This is not me saying mike was attracted to those men, he wasn’t, but having him have the idea and open the door is interesting)

Same with Will, except he’s canonically gay now. A girl wanted to dance with him at snowball and he reluctantly said yes, but he didn’t seem too focused on her, a girl is interested in him in California, and still, he doesn’t care. He welcomed max in s2, but in a completely different way than Dustin and Lucas did.

Hell, even Robin has scenes showing her attraction for women. She mentions a crush on Tammy and the next season a crush on Vickie, but she also talks about how Julie Christy is “bonkers hot” in doctor zhivago, or how “these ladies are hot, they’re so very hot”.

Instead what does Mike have? Posters of buff, shirtless (male) dragons on his walls

Basically: Mike’s attraction to women is just like my attraction to men, nonexistent.

[sillylittlerock]

fuck physics revision this is way more important

initial thoughts-

will, and therefore probably the byers family, are staying with the wheelers. hopper and el also could be there but i'm not sure.

holly will DEFINITELY be important this season. "the vanishing of holly wheeler", the leak of her talking to henry on the street, and now this bts photo confirms it for me. my girl is getting put through it this season. and will be crucial for the plot too.

mike's repressed emotions are going to be focused on this season i think!! from the look of it him and holly will (at first) be together a lot this season, so if she goes missing (likely ON HIS WATCH!!) the guilt he feels will be very very intense. perfect set up for his other trauma to come to light and be talked about, like they did with max in s4.

babysitter byler is all i needed in life i love this so much

WILL IS ALSO THERE, so maybe he will also feel some guilt after holly's disappearance?? how he couldn't help someone else and protect them from what he went through?

mike and will will almost certainly be a team / share the same plot this season - they clearly spend a lot of time together and will probably both feel guilt after holly goes missing, so will probably team up to save her.

this feels so full circle. the bikes, a child going missing, rooted in hawkins- it's definitely giving season one. and i'm SO HERE FOR IT

[byerseason]

my personal opinions on byler & mike’s character

most people believe mike is clueless or at least he just suspects will’s feelings. well, sometimes i agree with that but in general i think mike knows. actually he always knew. let’s look at everything from the beginning.

both mike and will always lived in a small town full of homophobia. we know will personally experienced homophobia from his dad and other people in hawkins. mike and will are friends since kindergarten and mike obviously witnessed all of these homophobia will went through. maybe mike experienced it too, we know ted said “see what happens?” for a reason. especially with lonnie, mike witnessed everything he did to will, we all know will shares everything with mike. so from their point of view, this thing called “homosexuality” is something really bad and all it causes is harm and hate. it’s something forbidden.

now let’s see what happened in all seasons. in season 1, a cool girl magically comes into mike’s life and shows interest in him. “you’re blind, because a girl is not grossed out by you” now mike has a chance to be normal like people expect him to be. and he’s a child, it’s not that deep. he can try. no deep feelings, no love, just be normal.

in season 2 this chance is taken away from mike leaving a trauma to him. after all, el was special and he cares for her so much. and the fact that she sacrificed herself just to save him and his friends is not something we can overlook. and adding to this trauma, something really bad is happening to will and they don’t even know what is it and how to fix it. he does his best, he never leaves his side because it’s something a good friend would do right? it wasn’t that forbidden thing the adults get angry about and it shouldn’t be. after el’s return and will being safe, mike had this chance again. el was here, she was incredible, a superhero who saved will and the world, and she was ready to be in a relationship with him. snowball scene was mike telling will “i’m moving on, you should move on too or we will get hurt by this.” because you know, these things always hurt will and nothing else.

in season 3, mike continues to this “moving on” as we can clearly see. this time a little bit grown up, or at least trying to grow up. distancing himself from will and all his friends, focusing on el all the time and for some reason not being able to maintain a friendship with will while dating el. this speaks volumes actually. it’s both him trying to be normal as expected and distancing himself from will to make sure he is normal too. to me that’s all the “it’s not my fault you don’t like girls.” scene. while mike is fighting back, will makes it harder for both of them without realizing it. i think -like everyone- the ending of season 3 was mike realizing it’s not working and it’s getting serious. he’s growing up, they’re growing up and everything is becoming clearer.

will and el moving to california was a new chance for mike. he ignored will, well at least he tried even though it’s clear he felt his absence especially in school, he didn’t reach out to him thinking maybe this is the chance for both of them to move on. and then el’s letter happened. mike thought will really did it, he moved on, he was able to move on while mike isn’t. if we think deeper, he is even working on a painting for her, something he used to do with mike. so yeah, will is normal, it worked for will, while mike is still dealing with this. when they reunite i think it was much more than just jealousy. disappointment, anger maybe? especially after he saw he brought the painting to the airport. apparently will wasn’t planning on giving all his attention to mike, who was visiting him after months, but he was planning to give the painting to the girl he likes, it was probably the reason of his excitement, not mike. so this is what makes mike want to focus on el more and ignore will during rinkomania scenes. when el mentions angela and will gives a reaction to this, mike is sure he was right and this day is about angela for will.

but he finds out he was wrong. well, the painting is still for a girl but at least he was wrong about angela. will was just upset because mike was being lied to, and he was hurt by mike being distant from him. this is what leads mike to sincerely apologize to will, as always. he always does that, if will says “where is dustin right now?” mike realizes his mistake and tries to fix it. if will says “we used to be best friends” mike realizes his mistake and offers to be best friends again. that’s all their dynamic about.

after mike and el’s fight, mike comes and explains what happened to will but it’s more like he is asking for an advice, he wants will to understand him. “it was a fight that you can’t come back from.” he wants will to agree but he doesn’t, this is when we start to understand mike’s inner struggles. he brings up this topic to will three times. none of these conversations are like two best friends giving each other relationship advices because mike never tells will what is the problem. for some reason he doesn’t want will to know he can’t tell her girlfriend that he loves her. we all know will and mike are sincere enough to tell these things to each other, they always do. but if he can’t, there must be a reason. maybe mike himself doesn’t know the answer either, maybe he doesn’t want will to understand his situation because he thinks will successfully moved on, who knows?

in the desert scene, he brings the topic up again, without mentioning what is “that thing”, but this time will seems like he understands. “sometimes, i think it’s just scary to open up like that, to say how you really feel, especially to the people you care about the most.” mike never mentioned he is struggling to say how he feels but will understand, he always did. this conversation would continue with mike opening up to will if it wasn’t interrupted, so mike brings it up once again for the third time, in the van scene.

this time he is being more open but he is still struggling to say one thing, which will completes for him “you’re scared of losing her.” well, mike was wrong. will wasn’t getting it until.. the painting scene. mike is not stupid, he knows will spent days working on it. he knows eleven doesn’t know about what this painting is about. he knows he doesn’t make el feel like “she is not a mistake at all” especially after their fight, remember that line from the script “she’s already beginning to understand she doesn’t need me, i saw it in her eyes” he knows el doesn’t need him, he knows will well enough to understand he is lying. the way he looks at will admiringly is him thinking “he didn’t move on, we’re still the same.” and also him being aware of what will is doing for him, breaking his own heart and sacrificing himself just to make mike feel better. also, he notices will is sobbing, he looks at him and even if he didn’t how could he not? he had tears in his eyes during all the monologue and he was sobbing right next to him. so is there any reason for mike to not say anything to his best friend sobbing next to him if he didn’t know the reason? the mike i know would immediately ask what was wrong if he was clueless. he knows why will is crying but he doesn’t know what to do about it. mike’s situation is pretty sad when you think about it, he probably feels like he’s stuck.

then we have the desert reunion scene. this time we clearly can see how stuck he feels between el and will, he doesn’t know how to get out of this without hurting any of them, and also himself. the way he looks at them looks like also him being afraid of damaging their bond.

then the monologue scene.. this scene may mean lots of different things, i am not sure either.

it may be mike being aware of what will is doing, how he is sacrificing himself once again, how mike is gonna have to lie and hurt everyone in the end, how the things are gonna be way more complicated or mike realizing he was wrong about thinking will has feelings for him.

my season 5 expectation is seeing a mike wheeler who stops fighting back and embraces his feelings, without hurting both of them.

that’s my point of view that changes almost everyday lol. i don’t know if there are many people who believes mike isn’t clueless so i wanted to share my thoughts. 💛

[estrellami-1]

If I Should Stay

Part 1 | . . . | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11

Nancy gets back with Jonathan not too long after. He barges in and makes a beeline straight for Steve. “You know where Will is?”

Steve nods. “There’s a lot to explain.”

“Then you’d better start soon.”

Robin, his savior, steps in. “C’mon, Jonny-boy, let’s go for a walk.” She leads him outside, and Steve can hear her start. “What do you know about time travel?”

He smiles and looks around. He can hear Eddie upstairs, practicing the song. The boys are occupied with planning, Nancy’s looking over Mike’s shoulder, and El’s watching him with big brown eyes. He focuses on her and lets his smile grow. “Wanna help me make dinner?”

Her eyes widen a little, but she nods. “What are we making?”

“Probably sandwiches,” he shrugs. “I’m not sure what else I have. Can you find the bread in the pantry? And there’s butter knives in that drawer over there, we’ll need two.” He winks. “One for you, and one for me.”

She does so, and he pulls out the condiments and lunch meats, as well as the jelly. “And the peanut butter, if you can find it,” he calls from where his head’s stuck in the fridge. He looks around for anything else he might need and grabs the pickles before closing the door.

“Y’know the best part about making dinner?” He asks her, impish grin growing on his face. She hums inquisitively. “We get to make ours first and eat while we make the rest.”

She giggles and accepts the high five he holds out.

They get to work assembling sandwiches. She pauses, mayonnaise slathered halfway onto a piece of bread. “Steve?” He hums. “I’m scared.”

He sighs and puts down his knife. “I am too, El. Terrified, if you can believe it. But I have faith in us. I know we can do it.” He wipes his hands off and rounds the counter, taking her hands in his. “You are the strongest person I’ve ever met in my life. Even stronger than Vecna. And this time he won’t know we’re coming. We’ll have the element of surprise on our side, and we will defeat him. We’ll find Will and Barb, and after this we’ll never have to worry about it again.” He strokes a hand over her head and sighs. “There’s something else, too. I know where Papa is.”

She pulls back, eyes wide, posture stiff. “Whoa, hey, it’s okay,” he soothes. “I’m not going to take you back there. Ever. Okay?”

She nods hesitantly, but allows him to pull her closer again. “I was going to ask if you want us to take care of him,” he murmurs. “Lock him inside and set the building on fire, or something.”

She shakes her head. “He loves me!”

“Oh, El,” Steve whispers. “I thought the same thing of my parents for a long time. No matter how mad they got, how much they yelled, how much they hurt me… they said it, so it must be true, right? They must love me. I must be the problem.” He shakes his head. “That’s not love. You fear him, El, and for good reason. He made you into what you are, but you never asked for this, and it’s okay to be angry about it.” She looks up at him with wide eyes, and he sighs. “I’ll give you some time to think about it,” he murmurs. “If the answer is still no, that’s okay. But if you change your mind, that’s okay, too.”

She nods, steps out of the hug. He lets her go, feeling like he’s almost knocked a vase off a table. His heart’s still thumping oddly, eyes wide, scared to make the wrong move.

But then she looks up at him and offers him a small smile. “Thank you,” she says. “I know the way you treat me is different from how Papa treats me. I do not know yet if they are simply different forms of love or if you are right. I think you are, but…”

“You need to see for yourself,” Steve nods. Moves the metaphorical vase back from the edge of the table. “Let me know if there’s any way I can help prove it.”

“I will,” she says, and picks up her butter knife again, spreading mustard onto a piece of bread. He goes back to his side and smiles at her.

“Steve?” She asks after a second. “When my hair grows back. What does it look like?”

He thinks for a second. “It’s fluffy,” he says. “Very soft and light. Like cotton candy.” He puts his head to one side. “Floofy,” he decides, and grins.

She giggles. “Like you!”

He opens his mouth to tell her no, she’s wrong, except… he can’t. “Yours is even more beautiful,” he tells her. “And kids in school nicknamed me ‘the Hair’. That’s how famous this was.” He tilts his head her direction, and a lock of hair falls in his face. He splutters and shakes his head, grinning when she laughs again.

“I am very glad you came back, Steve,” she says suddenly, seriously, a little at odds with the smile still quirking her lips up.

His heart breaks and mends all in the same second. It feels like absolution. “Me too,” he says, and means it.

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[gayofthefae]

Even if it is the truth, the stakes of the ily speech ruin it. They ruin it for him. Because the whole point is confessing the truth should relieve him. But how can he be relieved when she's sitting there in front of him dying? There is something much more pressing there that needs to be relieved. Only El is even paying attention to the speech, not even Mike. Mike, Jonathan, and Will, we all see, and they're all repeating mental mantras of "please work, please work, please work". Even Will is looking at El. He told Mike to say this. Because he's focusing on El. He's prioritizing El. That's what matters the most right now, he'll feel his pain later. If we'll can do that, that Mike is surely, even in an honest situation, going to feel his love later, going to feel his relief later.

No matter which way you slice it, in that moment, Mike is too scared for El's life to be in love with her. They just can't take up the same space in his mind right now. This is a tactic and a tactic only to get her to come back. This isn't a romantic moment. And if it were a real confession, I'm sure he himself would even wish he had had a sweeter, quieter moment to do it in like the one Argyle interrupted instead of it being so overshadowed by the necessity that pulled it out. I'm sure he would have wished it had been in a peaceful moment just him and her, not everyone around and not her choking to death. Because now that memory will always be laced with trauma, laced with fear.

That is not a happy memory for him either, even in the deepest in love scenario. In the deepest in love scenario, he probably wishes it wasn't happening even more.

If Mike is deeply in love with El and wants to tell her, this isn't romantic. This is a "not like this" scenario. No one wants to confess their love to a dying lover. That was not romantic for anyone involved. It should have been happy if they were trying to convince us to be.

[hearteyes-wheeler]

some st s5 mood boards of the party :D

edit: i think i should add descriptions for these in case they don't make sense. feel free to ignore this part

i made these based on my predictions (??) for the party in s5. i think they're all obviously going to focus on beating the shit out of vecna, but they're probably gonna have other things they focus on too as they always do throughout the seasons

mike : i think mike's focus is going to be keeping will safe. kind of like a parallel to s1 and 2 where his goal was to find will and then to keep him safe. with that though comes him confronting his feelings towards will and i'm a believer in him writing letters to will and not sending them so i think that'll come up

will : for will, while he's gonna be like mike and will have to deal with his feelings for mike and the aftermath of lying about the painting, but he's also going to be focused on vecna and his connection to him. which is why i think he's going to go missing for a bit 😃 (also let will shoot vecna in the face duffers i'm begging you)

el : i think el's is pretty self explanatory. her goal next season is going to be to kick vecna's ass and also to save max. with that i think she will have more of a journey in realizing (?) that she's not the monster and that none of this is her fault. also the picture in the upper right corner is supposed to be her and will and represent her family

max : i'm HOPING that max survives next season and wakes up, so i think that's gonna be rough but she's gonna make it (duffers i will find you if she doesn't). i also think her storyline is gonna intertwine with el's and lucas's <3

lucas : i think lucas is going to focus on helping get max back tbh. that boy was at max's bedside at the end of s4 and i have a feeling he's not gonna wanna be away from her and he's gonna team up with el to get her back and then max is gonna wake up and they're gonna go to the movies and they're gonna live happily ever after!!!!! i need my boy to be happy :((

dustin : ok the gravestone isn't for dustin, i just meant it to symbolize how he's going to be mourning eddie and how much it's going to fuck him up. maybe his grief is gonna make him a target for vecna, i've seen people make theories on that, but i don't think he's gonna die. he better not

sorry if that was a lot, i'm just worried they didn't make sense and also i hope i didn't make it seem like all there was to mike and lucas was their romantic relationships. i definitely don't think that's all they're gonna focus on and that that's all there is to their characters, this is just for the mood boards

[despapillon]

When it comes to awareness, I do think that the s3 finale Melvin kiss led to Mike’s realization. I think throughout all of s4 he was aware of his lack of attraction towards El and during the monologue he wasn’t confused about his feelings for her and just simply lied aware of it all. Mike is sort of stuck, he is scared of losing El and probably many other things, so he stays with her and tries to be a good boyfriend while trying to not lie to her too much. But it’s clear he is doing the bare minimum and wants out deep down.

To me I just think they are focusing each season on him figuring out more and more and not just doing repeats or whatever.

S1 - Mike spends time with El away from Will and the relationship develops

S2 - Mike spends time with Will away from El and the relationship develops

S3 - Mike is with El and at the end has his realization he doesn’t like her the way he should

His behavior doesn’t point to him being unaware and that carrying over into S5 I mean come on.

It’s only fitting to me S4 is Mike, struggling with his knowledge, and that it is a repeat of S3 but with Willel swapped, where he has a realization regarding Will this time. And yeah I don’t view Mike as totally clueless about his feelings for Will, just in denial and repression

In my opinion just like El saying ily and kissing him led him to find out he doesn’t love her, I feel the van scene did that in regards to Will. I yet have no idea exactly what, but I know he realized *something* important there, and I suspect that is that he loves Will. I’m not saying he immediately was sure of it that instant but he probably wasn’t purely admiring the painting when Will turned around, just looking at it and trying to sort out how all things Will said made him feel. Mike didn’t notice Will crying right next to him because he was busy thinking, his head was too full. He glances at Will at one point but that doesn’t change the fact he must be zoned out. I’m still unsure if Mike clocked something was off with Will or he was too focused on his gay panic. Literally Vecna’s thoughts are easier for me to figure out than S3-4 Mike’s. Give us his POV ffs.

S5 is going to be Mike now knowing all the basics, the culmination, and having to deal with that, deal with his lie, Will’s lie. He has to choose either live a lie or be honest with himself and be with the person he loves. Mike needs to know he is not just a random nerd, he’s more than that. Will needs to know he has to stop being so self-sacrificing because it has the capacity to hurt not only himself but the very people he wants to help by sacrificing himself and that he needs to do something for himself for once, quit being a doormat as rude as that sounds.

[sandinmybed]

big ramble about mike's love languages and how that relates to his relationships with will and el ahead!

its just occurred to me that in s3, during lucas and mike's little "how to apologise to a girl when you're gay and dont have any instincts in a straight relationship" crash course, the one thing mike did actually understand as relationship advice from lucas was "girls like presents." that's the thing he focused on the most, which was a great segue into a silly montage of lucas, mike and a very fed-up will running around the mall trying to buy gifts for the girls.

however, el doesn't give a damn about presents, not really. she doesn't really react to the flowers he gives her in s4 - she cares more about the note and what it says (and what it says does not please her.) el's love language appears to be words - she keeps mike's letters, and she's acutely aware of what they all say. she needs mike to *say* that he loves her - him showing how much he cares is not enough for el. so mike focusing on giving her presents was never going to work. his way of showing affection/love is not what she naturally recognises.

but yknow who does canonically like presents?

this boi.

continued under the cut because this got long:

the only advice mike's able to take from lucas' girlfriend apology training speedrun is the one that applies to him. mike's love language is receiving gifts. this isn't a "mike's so selfish" dunk post because hes literally thirteen and it makes sense to him that if he likes presents, el must like presents too. everyone likes presents, right? but it just further shows the disconnect between them. they can't recognise what the other person needs. (side note, el never gives him any presents or compliments him during the course of their relationship if i recall. mike isn't receiving love in a way he understands either.)

when mike fucks up with el, he needs a training course from lucas on how to fix it and he still doesn't understand what's going on (and lets not forget mike is smart as fuck, he should logically be able to work this out.) then, like four hours later chronologically, he fucks up with will. he visibly realises he's fucked up as soon as he says the infamous INMFYDLG line and without anyone telling him to, he travels miles in the pouring rain to fix it. notably, with words. will is also not interested in presents. mike isnt often (maybe ever?) shown giving him a present, but he gives will plenty of heartfelt words and verbally appreciates will. in season 4, he fights with will and el on the same day AGAIN, and what does he do? he brings el a plate of eggos, which she rejects by not touching them. they fight more, "a fight you can't come back from." and then later, his apology to will - he doesn't bring any gifts or peace offerings, he just calmly talks to him and apologises sincerely. and it works perfectly - they're back to sharing their feelings with each other and being best friends. the tension in their relationship is basically gone after that.

on a related note, let's look at what will and el do when they first see mike after a year, mike! six months. el plans a whole day together, doing all this crazy fun stuff like breakfast burritos and rollerskating, and mike goes with it but his response is noticeably a little confused. think about mike as a character - he's nerdy, a little awkward, he likes comic books, video games, movies, and stories. he's got his close friends but he's not really a social butterfly. he'd probably be just as happy to go home and watch movies together and hang out, rather than meet a bunch of el's "friends." it all goes to shit, as we know, which is neither el nor mike's fault, but it does.

will brings the painting to their reunion. will has been working on this painting for like a week, probably. he's poured tons of effort and time into it. he obviously doesn't get a chance to give it to him until the van, but when he does?

mike loves it.

that awestruck smile - this is for him and will made it. and we know mike particularly likes receiving will's art, he's been shown to have more of it on his walls than even joyce does. this is also why mike is so confused - these tags perfectly describe why mike is so messed up about the painting, imo. he likes gifts, and brings one for el, but el doesnt give him one back. but then will does, and he loves it, but will says its from el.

but this also explains why after the painting reveal, mike looks a little bit like he might know something's up.

gift giving/receiving and words of affirmation are the love languages that mike understands best, remember. so will byers, visibly emotional, has just given him an epic speech about how great "el" thinks he is, while presenting him with a handmade gift that's perfectly thought out for mike's interests that he poured hours of work into. let's not forget mike is very intelligent. i dont think he's fully oblivious like fandom thinks he is - when it comes to mike wheeler feeling appreciated, will has absolutely nailed it, and that's his downfall when it comes to hiding his feelings. he's too good at knowing what makes mike feel loved. so now mike's got to deal with will's perfectly adapted tokens of love and how instinctually easy he finds it to please will, vs his girlfriend, who never really makes him feel appreciated, and his own inability to make her feel appreciated

[onstoryladders]

okay so i saw this post on facebook

and then i checked the comments and found this

and i was like wtf that makes no sense because that scene is not even about will's feelings for mike! in fact, when the shot focuses on his face, we see that he's actually HAPPY because his sister is safe and they're together again, and that's what that scene is all about

but the blocking here is of course intentional. i've already said this before, and it's probably been said by tons of other people too, but i wanna talk about byler so here we are anyway

so this blocking serves three purposes:

1) making us sympathise for will. that's why he's in every mileven scene, so that we can get constantly reminded of him and his love for mike

2) will represents an "obstacle" between the two characters. we already know that mike and el are not doing well together, but in this scene we get a visual representation of what's between them, even if it's not been explicitly stated in the text. classic triangle imagery yada yada we all know it

3) so this is not about will's feelings for mike, but about mike's feelings for will. in fact, when mike turns to look at will, his smile falters, and for a split second he gets a weird expression that makes no sense in this context... unless... and that's why will is not the one in focus, because the scene is about somebody else's feelings

the blocking of this scene is INSANE and it was clearly made to parallel robin's scene, but the triangle imagery in this case makes no sense if it's about will because, as i said, he's not even thinking about mike in this moment. he's happy about finding el and that's it, so it would make no sense to use that imagery if this was about him

so yeah, thanks for coming to my ted talk bye

[0aurelion-sol0]

What do you want or expect Will's arc to be?

Well, again I'm sorry but this is something I cannot go over too extensively as I will talk about it in future posts at some point but regardless I will try to give an answer to your ask.

I am going to elaborate on what I think The Duffers will do first and what I want/think should happen after that.

We know from that Variety article that released back in August 2023 that Will is going to take center stage again in season 5 and that I quote “This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality — it’s Will coming into his own as a young man.” says Ross Duffer.

Now what I think is important to take from that quote and that part of the article is the part where they say that they hope his emotional arc is what is going to tie the whole story together which means they value, in some way, that Will's story as a whole, not just his sexuality, is going to be what gives the conclusion to the story of Stranger Things. They did not say [one of the things], they said [the thing] *wink wink*. Now between what The Duffers say and what they actually do, there is a gap but I do think that is a bold statement when you're about to enter your final season.

Because sure, I do think Will is more important than the series has led us to think but at it's core, it remains an ensemble type of show and is what was really happening during Season 1 & Season 2. Yes, there are stronger characters driving the story (and become way too present over others as the story progresses) & was first sold as the Winona Ryder show and after that the El show but it remained at it's core an ensemble show.

So for the Duffers to use Will, the character with the most inconsistent spotlight of the entire show apart from his brother, as the thing that ties the whole series together, that is bold cause as I said theories and biases aside, this is going to be a challenge and it is still a show that relies heavily on it's cast & characters to tell it's story. Now the way they do it and how well they do it is definitely up for debate but still.

There are for me, 4 main important parts of Will's character that are essential to his arc and for it to conclude well.

His homosexuality, what happened to him on November 6th, 1983, his connection to the Upside Down and his past.

Out of the 4 that I see The Duffers be very focused on for this final season, it's the two that are connected, his disappearance & his spider-sense because they have become very plot-focused as the series went on; they are going to have to explore his homosexuality, I don't see them doing something surprising or extremely developped with it anymore but they have kept that around and they are probably going to give a conclusion to it that's going to benefit the first two.

His past isn't going to be that explored much apart things linked to the first two and homosexuality but even then probably more in terms of vague mentions than anything really concrete. And it's because The Duffers, unless they pull something magnificent, have as of now and after everything they showed for the past two seasons have other priorities for want they want to explore which I don't think is the best choice for again, an ensemble show but it is what it is, and we need to be prepared for it.

I AM EAGER to be proven absolutely wrong but so far nothing has changed my mind about it, nothing has really alarmed me either which there's that at least.

So now what I want or think should happen...

About his homosexuality, his gayness, his rainbow-colored-emotional-state, his reddit is always scared of this debate, it's been there forever, it's obvious, I think if you're still in doubt about it, you need to go take a media literacy class, that boy is gay, that boy loves Mike Wheeler, let's end the debate. I'm sick of this fandom always turning endlessly on this subject, let's move on.

Now what do with it now, well the coming out, it's on everybody's lips these days, obviously, it's going to go to Joyce, Jonathan and the Party (mostly Mike, Dustin and Lucas). We are not going to talk about Byler, that's not the subject of today's post. I think overall, I don't see, for me, anything about Will's relationship with his sexuality that stops him from being out, at least to his close ones if not the world. The events that he went through outside and because of it, already ostracizes him from everyone else, including the ones he loves, that is just a fact and I think Will knows this & I don't think it's him being gay that is problematic for him, it's his very strong feelings for Mike that will probably be understood now by everyone and that will change the "nature" of them now but also acknowledging the lost innocence and naivity he experienced very very young even before the Upside Down stuff.

Because when Will comes out, it is not just him being gay that will come out, it's everything he went through because of it & he's going to start, in a way, healing from all it & that is sometimes just as tough as going through the trauma. And in a way, he kinda already started that process back in Season 4 so I think it would make sense for him to continue that path. It's going to be emotional, it would make sense and needs to be that way but to me the coming out definitely needs to be Joyce, Jonathan and as I said, Mike, Dustin & Lucas.

And I would like to be very clear, though I don't think it will be that much because ST & The Duffers have lost that touch for me, but I would like it to be very clear for him & the others and us, that he is gay, he likes boys and doesn't like girls, don't have to say it that direct but in a similar way because that's what a lot of queer people have to go through I think & it's actually verbalizing the fact that they are queer. Because we are going to have too much dumbasses still telling us he is not & it's important again for the representation be properly done in a satisfying way.

Next, his past, I think it would be essential to explore Will's trauma again because of his sexuality but also other elements of his character like the love he has for the arts, D&D, relationship he has with Lonnie & also violence because that is also important but I'll discuss that in another post. Because it would help us understand more about he & The Byers function as a whole but give us more depth & element to feel a satisfying conclusion to characters that have been left on the bench for quite some time now because if you talk about Will's past and issues, you will need to talk about Joyce's and Jonathan's past & issues and all the abuse they went through, which has become quite an important element to the plot now that hasn't been that well developed for all the characters and it would be nice if it starts being well developed.

Plus it leads to one of the reasons why he was taken AND not killed in 1983 which leads us to what is his connection to the UD now... and before. 👀

Because if the emotional arc of Will is important to tie the whole series together, it's important for the supernatural arc too & that opens interesting threads that I can't get into this post now.

After that, I think the climate of Season 5 needs to show us a more hardened Will, one that'll force Will to get his hands dirty to survive and to protect the group as well, while also fighting against things from his past that may be quite important for him with how he perceives and react to violence or danger. I would like to see a Will that's not always and has wants & needs that don't align for everyone & goes against the bigger geopolitical groups that are fighting including the supernatural ones. OH YES! I am going there!

Him being a villain would not make sense and would be a no no for me, but sometimes falling on the grey sides of things would make sense and would be so enjoyable for me. Especially against the threat that's looming on everyone in Season 5.

Also possibly drawing a parallel to what he experienced in 1983, because he survived in some way and we're going to need to explore that in the present. Will might likely be the most useful person to have in a UD infested environment. And him realising that he is useful is going to force him to go back to what happened and why that happened to help the best way he can, because if there's anything that boy knows how to do better than anyone else on this, it's self-sabotaging for the greater good.

Again, it's a snowball effect, if you do one thing you're going to have to do and explore another, to me, they are linked. Are the Duffers going to do that ? I'm unsure. But that's what makes sense to me.

So here's your answer, sorry if it's a bit vague but I will be exploring this in many different posts in the future.

[notebooknonbinary]

Byler Week, Day 6: Pre-Volume 2 Vibes

:)

-

He eyes the two sketches. They both would be a bit like putting his heart on the canvas. But which one would be more damning?

And which one would make Mike the happiest to get?

…

Still undecided, he pads out into the living room. Thankfully, Mom is between calls. She looks up and gives him a weary smile.

Evens, the DnD picture, odds, the swingset. “Hey, can you pick a number between one and ten?

“Hmmm, seven.”

“Okay…Thank you…”

Will goes back to his room, closes the door, and forces down the roiling anxiety making his throat tight. Swingset painting it is, then.

Mechanically, he finishes setting out his painting supplies. He sets the drawing in easy view of the easel.

If the painting is too much…If he finishes painting out this pivottable moment from their childhood (“It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”), and the love he has for Mike comes across too clearly…Well, he can just give Mike the drawing of the DnD scene. It’s a good drawing anyway. One he’ll probably want to paint out at some point anyway.

He takes a few deep breaths, and focuses on the canvas.

-

Will hates to see Mike so down on himself.

Perhaps it’s not the best time. Maybe he should be a good friend and brother, focusing on trying to fix whatever it is that’s broken Mike and El apart so badly. But Will’s heart is hurting that Mike is hurting and he just wants to see him smile.

“Can I show you something?”

Heart in his throat, he hands the painting over. Jonathan and Argyle in the front of the van seem miles away. All Will can focus on is Mike’s face, as he unrolls the painting.

And…

A smile spreads across Mike’s face, and it’s the most beautiful thing in the world to Will.

Mike looks up to beam at him.

“This is amazing,” he says genuinely. “Did you paint this?”

“Yeah…I…I mean…” Will looks away, feeling flustered at the genuine awe and happiness that’s taken over Mike’s face. He picks at a loose thread on his pants.

“These past few months, I’ve been so…lost without you.” He curls his fingers into the fists. “It’s just…I’m so different from other people.” His eyes suddenly burn from the tears he’s been swallowing back all week. “And when you’re…different, sometimes you can feel like a mistake.” He forces himself to face Mike, needing him to understand. “But you don’t make me feel like a mistake. You make me feel like being different is good. I think I’ve been kind of mean and distant lately, but that’s just because I’m so scared of losing you.” He bites his lip, feeling like maybe he’s said a bit too much. He refocuses on the painting.

“A couple years ago you said…asking to be my friend was the best thing you’ve ever done…” Will swallows and looks up, watches Mike’s face go pink. His eyes are wide and almost sparkling. Pretty. It gives Will the courage to finish speaking. “Well, I guess this was me saying that telling you yes was the best thing I’ve ever done.”

Mike tears up, and it’s so sudden and startling (Mike hardly ever cries), that Will feels himself tearing up again in response.

And then Mike grabs him into a hug, tight and warm and oh so familiar. “Thank you Will. This is the best thing I’ve ever gotten.”

For a moment they sit, hugging and crying a little, and for the first time all week things feel brighter.

“I tried to call,” Mike mumbles into Will’s shoulder. “But the line was always blocked with your Mom’s job. I’ve been scared of losing you too, because it keeps happening.”

Oh.

Part of Will immediately wants to burst out into apologies, allow the nudging guilt at the back of his brain to take the forefront. But that can wait until later.

Right now, Will just wants to hug his best friend. Everything else fades into the background. This moment is theirs.

-

In the front of the van, unheard by the younger teens, Argyle whispers. “Dude, was that a confession? Does baby bro have a boyfriend now?”

Jonathan nudges him. “If they are, they’ll say so when they’re ready.” He bites his lip. Either way, I should make sure Will knows I’m here for him.

[apomaro-mellow]

Part 4

"Is the living room the best place for this?", Robin asked. "In the middle of the day?"

"We've got a team handling the angry mob. And another team taking care of the monsters coming out of the town gate", Dustin said.

"And you're sure Vecna and the Mind Flayer can't see anything you see?", Will asked, his eyes hard.

Kas met his gaze, wishing their first meeting was under better circumstances. "I'm sure. I am connected to him. But he doesn't control me."

He was holding tight to Steve's hand. If there was one person that could pull his strings...

"Hey", Steve squeezed his hand. "Focus. I know what that look means. We're going to start soon."

Kas let out a breath. "Okay, I'm new to the whole, supergirl thing. Explain to me how this is gonna work again?"

"I'm going to go into your mind", El began. "But I can't go in directly. Because you won't let me." She had already tried and Kas had lashed out, putting a barrier between her and his deeper thoughts.

"So she's gonna go in through me instead", Dustin beamed.

"Still not sure how I feel about Henderson being in my head", Kas said.

But they had already decided that as much as he liked Steve, it couldn't be him. Not when he was still split on how he felt and acted. There was a chance he'd welcome Steve with open arms. It was just as likely that he'd shield him out.

"I'll be here the whole time", Steve said.

"Alright. Let's do this."

Kas laid his body along the couch, his head in Steve's lap. Steve played with his hair and it didn't take long for him to fall asleep. He didn't remember if that was part of the plan, but it happened. Kas was in the black void of the shared mind space. Eddie was there too, chewing on the nail of his thumb.

"What if this goes wrong? We don't know what's gonna happen when they kill Vecna."

"We told Steve not to worry. We have to believe that too. We've gotta believe that everything's gonna be okay."

"But what if it's not?"

"But what if it is? What if we could have everything we want?"

"Whoa, this is trippy", came Dustin's voice. And suddenly he was next to them.

"You got in!" Both consciousness' shouted and hugged Dustin while jumping, which brought a big smile to his face.

"Okay, I've got several questions. First of all, which is which?"

"The one with the sharp teeth is Kas, dude."

"Coooool." Dustin was still looking back and forth between them. "So like, why is there two of you? Did Vecna do that?"

"He did", Eddie said. "Said he was making me better. Removing my inhibitions."

"So you uninhibited is just you being super into Steve? Cause that's the only thing that's changed since you got back."

"He's right", Kas said with a grin.

"Yeah, well", Eddie stuck his hands into his back pockets. "Turns out that was a big part of myself that I was holding back."

"Why? Because he's a guy? Or because it's Steve?"

Eddie looked to Kas, waiting for him to answer for the both of them. But Kas was silent.

"He asked you, not me."

"Oh, so we're the same person when it suits you but when it comes to the hard questions-"

"Eddie, we don't care if you're gay. Or if it's Steve. You know that, right?", Dustin said.

"You don't know that", Eddie said with a shake of his head. "You can't speak for everyone."

Dustin threw his hands up. "Then think about how everyone's been treating you two. Yeah, maybe me, and Lucas, and Mike were too focused on other things to see it, but El and Will knew. I bet Nancy and Robin knew too."

Eddie was trying to hide behind his hair while Kas was openly smirking. Robin definitely knew. She'd walked in on them one too many times.

"Could it really be this easy?", Eddie asked to the open air.

Dustin started counting off his fingers. "I mean, there's still the angry mob that wants to kill you, homophobes outside your group of friends, plus Steve is probably a high maintenance boyfriend-"

"I can provide any services he needs", Kas licked his lips.

"And you're gonna need to put a lid on that kinda talk. At least a loose one. Else you're gonna make us all gag on your PDA."

"No promises", Eddie and Kas said at the same time.

In the distance they heard screaming and something like the sound of paper ripping apart. Kas winced. He could tell what was happening.

"Vecna is dead."

Eddie's eyes were wide. "Oh shit."

"Eddie, you're gonna be fine, right? When we wake up, you're still gonna be there, right?", Dustin asked, grabbing his arms suddenly.

Eddie looked down into his eyes. For the first time in a while, he wanted to believe. He had to believe that everything was going to be okay. He was coming back, he'd get to have Steve, they'd figure out the mob of townsfolk. Hell, he might even get his GED.

"Dustin, I'll see you at home", he said.

When his eyes opened, it was to the sound of Steve's battle cry as he sliced the head off a demogorgan. Eddie shot up and took out the one that was coming at him from behind, digging his teeth in and ripping it apart.

Steve turned and wrapping his arms around him, mindful of the machete but not of the blood covering them both. When he pulled back, Steve looked into his eyes.

"Are you all the way there?"

"Indeed I am", he said. Kas was no longer a physical presence in his mind. If Steve wanted all of him, then that was what he would give. He wrapped his arms around Steve and leaned in, only to be stopped by Steve putting two fingers to his lips.

"I love you Eds, but I'm not kissing you with monster blood in your mouth."

"A compromise then." Eddie kissed his fingertips, then his knuckles, then the back of his hand. Steve's hand also had drops of blood on them but he found he didn't really care. He was halfway up Steve's arm when Will cleared his throat.

"Yeah, we're still here", he reminded them.

"And if we're done, we can get to the others. This isn't over yet", Dustin said before grabbing his walkie and relaying the current status to whoever was listening.

El walked up to them, smiling. "Congratulations."

Steve looked only slightly embarrassed and Eddie took that as a win. Because whatever happened next, they could handle it together. Eddie was all in.

END

A/N: Thanks yall for readin! And feel free to send me prompts for steddie im insatiable right now

Tag Team

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[henrysglock]

🔥

I talked about this a bit last night, but I realized I still have more to say.

ST tumblr in general, but specifically bylerblr, tends to be so ship-focused that they lose sight of many plot lines and themes of the show.

"We want Will with superpowers so he can defend his established useless pathetic wet cat boyfriend Mike!" "We want..." [checks notes and grimaces] "...a byler sex scene..." "We want El to have very little screen time...So all the screen time can go to Will and byIer!!" "We don't want any more depth into HNL. We want to have time for Will and Mike to have fifteen different coming out scenes!" "We want Henry to die painfully! No we don't care about his story...unless it has byler/Will crumbs!! We only care if it has byler proof or proof of Will with powers!!"

Like...do any of them actually like the show? Do they like the central plot? The core themes? The sci fi horror?

The central plot has always been HNL. How can anyone say they want to trade the core plot for ship content about two guys who are just kinda...on par with straight ships? (That's right. I said it. ByIer is just on-par with straight ships. They'll never be Peter and Olivia from Fringe, though. Unfortunately.)

And when byler becomes canon, because it will become canon, the fandom is going to scream about it so loudly that they drown out all the other important aspects of the show. Aspects like:

"Love can pull people back from the brink, even people some might consider too far gone."

"Children need love. When they don't get it, when they're rejected and isolated, they become highly susceptible to harm." (And we DON'T blame the child, we blame the ADULTS who FAILED the child)

"Don't blame the victim, especially when the victim is a child."

"Children don't need to be strong, they need to be protected."

"Sometimes, adults need to be protected too."

"Children are not evil. They are just learning how to survive. Treat them with grace and leniency."

"It's more likely that a troubled child is the result of a good child in a troubled home than it is that the troubled child is simply pure evil."

"You don't need superpowers to be a hero. You just need to be kind and brave."

"You should be kind to and respectful of people, even if they're odd, annoying, or cringe."

"Just because you think you're right doesn't mean you are right."

"Draw conclusions from evidence rather than pursuing evidence for a conclusion."

"Often times, doing more research will uncover crucial information you didn't catch on your first try. Don't assume you know everything."

"Don't make accusations without doing your research. Malicious entities will use this ignorance to their advantage every time."

"Unchecked bias, willful ignorance, and bigotry are killers."

"DON'T TAKE THE CHILD ABDUCTING DOCTOR AT FACE VALUE ABOUT THE MORALITY OF HIS FIRST VICTIM, SOMEONE HE HAS VESTED VALUE IN SMEARING AND SCAPEGOATING."

"THE GOVERNMENT IS PROBABLY LYING TO YOU. IF THEY HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN LYING TO YOU, ASSUME THEY ARE LYING TO YOU."

"The support of friends, family, and the community can be just as powerful as, if not more powerful than, romance."

Just...to name a few.

But yes, tell me again about how the two gay boys kissed. That was clearly the sole takeaway from the entire Stranger Things anthology.

Send me a 🔥 for an unpopular opinion (you can request topics!)

[estrellami-1]

If I Should Stay

Part 1 | . . . | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15

Steve, Robin, Nancy, Jonathan, and Eddie exchange looks. “Can you tell how long?” Nancy asks.

“Less than a day,” El says, sounding apologetic. “Other than that…” she shakes her head and slips the blindfold off. “I am sorry.”

“You’ve done more than enough, El,” Robin soothes. “Thank you.”

“We have to go after her.” Nancy looks pleadingly at Steve. “You want to save her, too, right? Not just Will?”

“I do,” Steve nods. “I didn’t know how long we’d have. I’d hoped we’d have more time, but it looks like we’ll have to go in twice: once for Barb and Will, and once to kill Vecna.” He looks around the room, focusing on the three boys. “I know Will was the artist, but Lucas, I know you can draw too. If we get you a map, can you find points and direct us?”

Lucas sets his jaw and nods. “I’ll do my best.”

“Okay. Here’s the plan, then: you three, stay here with El.” He looks at Dustin, Mike, and Lucas. “We’ll have walkie talkies, so we can keep in constant communication. El, how long can you stay in that space?”

She looks at him steadily. “I can do it.”

Steve looks at her, then nods. “I trust you. Robs, you’re with me?”

“Just try and get rid of me, Dingus.”

Dingus? Jonathan mouths to Nancy, who shrugs.

“Nance, Jon, and Eddie. You’re with us. We’re getting in and out as fast as we can. If all goes according to plan, we’ll have two more people coming with us on the out. They’ll be weak, but between the five of us, we can and will get them out safely. Robin, you stay here, direct the weapon-making. Make sure I get a bat. I’m going to go get walkie talkies, masks, and a whole lot of first aid supplies.”

“Got it,” Robin nods, then points at Eddie, Jonathan, and Nancy. “You three, with me.” She leads them to the backyard, and Steve knows she’s bringing them to the shed, where his old sports things and various tools are.

He looks to the boys. “Keep working on those plans. We’ll need them for the second attack. El, do you want to rest before we begin?” She considers it, then nods. “Okay. You know where the bed is. I’ll be back in less than an hour, alright?”

She nods and begins climbing the stairs. Steve looks around once more, taking stock, then grabs his keys and walks out the front door.

He gets to the store no problem, walks inside and starts filling his basket. Seven walkie talkies, seven masks, seven pairs of goggles, antibacterial cream, bandages, a suture kit, some ice packs. Two bottles of pain pills. He thinks about it, then makes his way to the front desk, smiling at the employee. “Hey, could I use your phone for a minute, please?”

He looks at Steve, unimpressed, then shrugs and gestures towards it. Steve thanks him and dials his home number.

“Hello?”

“Dustin. Do me a favor and get Eddie?”

“Yeah. One second.”

He hears Dustin yelling for Eddie as he walks outside, then a minute later, Eddie’s on the line. “Hello?”

“Hey, Eddie. I grabbed some pain meds, but I’m wondering if they’re going to be strong enough. I can pay you, but could you…”

“Yeah, no, I’ve got it. And no, dude, you’re not paying me. Not for this. I’ll head home and get them right now.”

“Perfect,” Steve says. “Thanks so much, Eds, you’re a lifesaver.”

“Uh, y-yeah, no problem. I’ll, uh, go now.”

“Okay. I’ll probably beat you back. See you there.”

“See you,” Eddie agrees, and they hang up,

Steve looks around for a few more minutes, finds a package of nails, adds those to his basket and goes to check out.

He’s well aware he probably looks like a serial killer, but he knows from experience the cashier is blindly scanning his items.

His luck runs out when Chief Hopper walks in and ambles towards the checkout counter. Steve does his best to keep the sigh internal. “Chief,” he says, giving him a little nod. The chief returns the greeting, peering over into Steve’s basket.

Steve suddenly becomes very interested in the gum options.

“What’s all this?” Hopper asks, inclining his head towards the basket.

Steve shrugs. “A few different things.” Please accept it, please accept it, please accept it-

“Like what?”

Dammit. “Uh… well, I noticed I didn’t have a first aid kit, and I figured I probably should, y’know? And I wanted to do some work around the house.”

Hopper grunts. “The masks and walkies?”

“Um.” Steve blanks. “It’s for a game with my friends?”

Hopper sighs. “If I get a call from your neighbors-”

“You won’t,” Steve says. Promises.

“Fifty-one sixty-four, sir,” the cashier says. Steve’s never been more grateful to be interrupted.

He pays, grabs his things, and sends Hopper a salute on his way out the door. He notices Hopper watching him as he leaves the parking lot, and he forces himself not to speed on the way home.

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[gayofthefae]

They've said they want their show rewatchable. As someone who wasn't like SUPER invested in the ships/show before, the most rewatchable thing they can do is Mike's queerness.

I would not have rewatched it until season 5 came out. Maybe once before then if I got bored, but definitely not as much as I have without it. And the plots for Will have been too supernatural focused (also a good rewatch point after season 5 comes out, I'm sure) to be worth rewatching for his queer personal plot for two seasons before we even really get to it too much.

But Mike? Everything Mike does is impacted by his queerness. Will? Obviously. El? Most DEFINITELY. The Supernatural? You mean the thing that only ever affects Will and El? Yup.

Do you know my first thought, as someone not yet obsessed, when it started to become more clear that Mike was queer? "Oh, that's more interesting"

The average person isn't gonna drop the show because their ship broke up amicably. But they are going to if they get bored.

Mike having been queer the entire time, who cares if planned, as long as it isn't contradicted by anything prior (which is not possible because queerness is not disprovable) just gives a whole new view to everything he's ever done, making it less straightforward than you thought it was, changing your original view of the events, making you want to rewatch just to see how each moment is impact.

Making it more INTERESTING.

It's simple, honestly. Speaking as someone who passively thought the couples were cute and generally wanted the characters to be happy but wasn't deeply attached or fixating on any part of the show, Mike being queer is just more interesting than him being straight. That's all the people really want.

They've already gotten lots more residuals from this. And I'm sure they know that at least half of it isn't just because of the vol 2 lore drop. And it isn't because of what we think is gonna happen for Will in season 5 either, why watch seasons where it also hasn't happened yet. It's because of something else, much like the lore, that affects every facet of an entire plotline from the first episode. Not even the lore actually does that, it's just interesting to know, but that one's easier to connect back in your memory, but isn't as deeply rooted that you need to think through every singular behavior of the mind flayer. But with Mike, we know it affects it, but we immediately had to know how.

I probably would have rewatched it once by now. Maybe one more time a year from now to prepare for the season 5 release, but maybe not. I didn't do my rewatch before season 4's release, so I might not have. But instead, because of Mike and Mike only, I'm currently on my third watch since 2022. Maybe fourth, I'm not sure. Not just because of a ship I wanna see again because they're cute. Because I'm LEARNING something new every time I see his face on my screen. Not because I ship it, not even because I personally want it to be true for any character's sake.

But because Mike being queer is just. more. interesting.

[teambyler]

"Byler Endgame, One Episode at a Time" - s5e1

Plot beats and scenes leading to a Byler endgame, one episode at a time, for Season 5 of Stranger Things. (This is just for fun! I have no insider knowledge!)

Also see Part 0, where I explain what I think a Byler Endgame has to address.

s5e1

Since we’re going back to s1 themes, a shadowy U.S. government organization is involved. It wants to contain and study the hellscape in Hawkins. People are ordered out of parts of Hawkins. The Byers don’t have a home in Hawkins. Joyce stays at Hopper’s, with Jonathan too probably (Ted wouldn’t let Nancy’s boyfriend sleep in the house. He’s perfectly fine with “Mike’s friend Will” though!)

When Will arrives, he asks to stay in Mike’s basement. Mike says it’s cold and uncomfortable and he doesn’t have to. Will says he’s fine, he prefers a quiet place to do art, he likes that it’s where they played D&D... “We get to play D&D again, yes?” “Of course!” Mike insists on putting a bed in there, etc. Will is fine with the couch. The whole time Will is trying to be cool, trying to get over loving his straight best friend.

Will walks into Mike’s room, to see that Mike has framed the D&D painting and is hanging it on the wall. Mike: “This is a really nice present you gave.” Will’s in shock… does he know? It becomes clear Mike just thinks Will and El talked about what to put in a gift they were both to give Mike, while things were still good between him and El. “It’s too bad things went south so quickly…” Mike shares that he and El aren’t seeing each other. Will looks at the painting, thoughts racing… Mike says he doesn’t know what’s going on with El because after the pizza shop he thought they were official again, but she’s still being cold toward him.

Will sleeps on the basement couch, remembering their "Crazy together" conversation. He cries quietly.

After coaxing Lucas who’s spending time at the hospital with Max, the Hellfire Club play D&D in Mike’s basement. Dustin is the dungeon master. It’s a very feel-good, “the party is back together” scene. Will’s so happy to be playing D&D with Mike and is sitting next to him. In the game, Will risks his life to cast prismatic spray and save the group. The spell fails. In the game, Mike risks his life to protect Will. Will is blushing and it feels kinda romantic.

“A PLOT” SHENANIGANS. Will is rubbing his neck a lot and this is a Will-focused season. (There’s a million ways the A plot can go down so I won’t even try!)

School was disrupted by the events of s4. Bullies with nothing better to do target the Hellfire Club members, blaming them for recent events. Bully #1 lost a loved one when the hellfire opened. The party has to split up to get away from them. Bully #1 corners Will and says he hopes he gets AIDS. Will is terrified and once he’s alone starts crying.

Jonathan senses Will is really down. He invites Robin over. She arrives and kisses Vickie goodbye in front of Will. Will is shocked. Jonathan leaves the room, and Robin and Will connect. Will asks what it’s like to come out. Robin says some people shunned her, but others like Steve and Jonathan didn’t. She found out who her real friends were: “I got to have friends who love me for being me.” Will cry-smiles and thinks about this. Robin says to tell the people you trust the most.

Joyce and El are at Hopper’s cabin. Will looks like he's ready to tell both of them. But he waits for El to step out. Will sits down next to mom and comes out to her. Will: “Do you still love me?” She goes into Mama Bear mode: “Of course I do!” She hugs him. She's heartbroken to think Will didn't know how she'd answer. “Look at me Will. I’ve GONE TO HELL AND BACK FOR YOU WILL. I’ll do it again! I will always, ALWAYS love you.” They have a big ugly-cry hug.

FOLLOW ME for the next part of “Byler Endgame, One Episode at a Time”!

Part 0 (what a Byler endgame needs to address) Next episode

-teambyler