#the thing that made them so special in s1 was that mike was always there for her. he pulled her out of the dark

[m4rs-ex3]

do not be mistaken i am not a hardcore mileven shipper i am a HYPOTHETICAL hardcore mileven shipper in the HYPOTHETICAL that they were not mishandled at every turn🤗

[talesofliia]

"Will's love towards Mike is a really beautiful thing." – Finn Wolfhard

And he is absolutely right. Throughout the whole series, the "Stranger Things" creators have made it clear to the audience how special Will and Mike's bond is and how much Mike truly means to Will. They have consistently highlighted the depth of Will's feelings towards Mike, and his love has saved the day quite a few times already. ❤️

Will's love for Mike is sincere, pure, quiet and completely unconditional. It's a love unspoken, yet expressed a million times through his actions. Will couldn't keep the truth from Mike in S1, even though it was just a small detail related to D&D. Despite being possessed, Will drew strength from Mike's presence and care, as if Mike was his beacon of light in the darkness. Mike's heartfelt monologue to Will about how asking him to be his friend was "the best thing he's ever done" reached Will's soul thanks to the love he felt, and that helped them all to stop the Mind Flayer in S2. In that same season, Mike was the one who Will was able to recognize after his possession because of how strong his feelings for the boy were.

We also saw the tender and emotional moments between Will and Mike in S3 and S4. Will's heartbreaking confession of "not going to fall in love" when he was (probably) already aware of his romantic feelings for his childhood best friend hits even harder when you think about it. Despite the times Mike unintentionally hurt Will, Will's love for him has remained too strong for him to simply forget and move on. There is just no way Will could ever get that boy out of his heart.

Because that's the thing – Mike is his heart, and Will hinted at it himself (albeit in a veiled form). Will's unconditional love for Mike is what led this sweet, sensitive and traumatized kid to set aside his own desires and pain just to ensure the happiness of the boy he loves. Even if Mike's happiness lies with his girlfriend (who also happens to be Will's new sister). Even if it means Mike is happy without him. But Will has long accepted this because he's inherently selfless and caring. He prioritizes the happiness of his loved ones over his own.

Will promised Mike he'd never be replaced and stayed fiercely loyal, as we saw in that unforgettable "Not possible" moment in S3 and later on in the show. Will was always there for Mike in S4 when he needed support and encouragement. He tried his best to patch things up between Mike and El, thinking it was what Mike wanted. Will even pushed Mike to open up to El, reminding him of his irreplaceable role in the party. Through it all, Will did everything he could to lift Mike's spirits, making sure he felt needed, valued and loved (even if it was indirectly through others).

And to prove, once again, how beautiful Will's love towards Mike is, I want to remind you of his monologue in the van scene where he was expressing his feelings for Mike by disguising them as Eleven's (slightly adapted to fit the purpose):

“Anyway, my point is, see how you're leading us here? You're guiding the whole party, inspiring us. That… That's what you do. And see your coat of arms here? It's a heart. And I know it's sort of on the nose, but that's what holds this party together. Heart. Because, I mean, without heart, we'd all fall apart. Even [me]. Especially [me]. These past few months, [I've] been so lost without you. It's just, [I'm] so different from other people, and… when you're… when you're different, sometimes… you feel like a mistake. But you make [me] feel like [I'm] not a mistake at all. Like [I'm] better for being different. And that gives [me] the courage to fight on. If [I] was mean to you or [I] seemed like [I] was pushing you away, it's because [I'm] scared of losing you, like you're scared of losing [El]. And if [I] was going to lose you, I… I think [I'd] rather just get it over with quick. Like ripping off a Band-Aid. So, yeah, [I] need you, Mike. And [I] always will.”

If Will's love for Mike isn't beautiful, then I don't know what is. Because "Stranger Things" shows us the true power of love and how it can change the world for the better. I find it truly inspiring. ❤️‍🩹

[longtallglasses]

some miwi headcanons just bc ! older ones

i see young mike as kind of loud and not realizing how loud (and annoying) his yelling near people is (ie karen yelling in s1 “mike let’s go!” “COMING!!!”) however he quickly learns not to yell around will, adopting his softer voice for him BUT

in school he’s constantly calling over to will “will come here” “will sit next to me” “will! over here! look at this!” trying to get his attention “will, will, hey will…” other kids are like dude shut up… so many kids know will’s name who’ve never seen him, and mike’s thought of as that kid who’s always calling out for his friend.

i’m an avid rock collector!mike enjoyer. on the playground, in the forest, at the park, at the lake. he’s picking up all the cool ones, storing them away for very important scientific reasons like “this one’s shiny in A Different way!” he sets aside his favorites to show and give to will, very much in the style of a cat bringing a dead rodent to their owner, like “got something special just for you :) a Very Cool Rock :)” will loves how much mike enjoys it and is very excited to receive them, feeling quite special.

will loves stuffed animals (i mean we been knew) when he was younger they all had names and backstories, interpersonal drama and storylines he played out. two stuffed cats he definitely thought of as him and mike subconsciously, as they were best friends. he would act out little dramatic scenes of them running away from some oppressive kingdom, going on an adventure and meeting new friends along the way. … and he may have made them kiss a few times …

obviously small will loved drawing, but i don’t think he was always confident in his skill. after people tell him he’s good he gets caught up in trying to be really good, and gets frustrated when he can’t do something the way he wants. hence crumpled up attempts in the trash mike fishes out. there’s a spell of time where he gives up for a bit and jonathan asks why he hasn’t seen him drawing lately, and will says he doesn’t think he can get any better, it’s too hard. jonathan tells him it doesn’t matter if it’s perfect, he should just draw to make himself happy “draw for the campaigns, your friends think it’s so cool” so will keeps at it focusing on drawing what he thinks him and his friends will appreciate

while watching scary movies in the basement mike and will always held hands under blankets. it started when they were younger and they first got permission to watch a scary movie, they didn’t want to admit they might be getting too scared. during a big jump their hands reached out on instinct and too caught up in the movie they didn’t let go. when it was over they didn’t talk about it, but then it just kept happening every time they got scared. which led to holding hands when upset outside of watching movies. they never really discussed it, it just felt like their little secret thing.

all the boys were nice to holly but will was the only friend who actually liked seeking her out to play w them. (fascinated by a little sister unlike lucas and only-child dustin) mike and will would play games with her sometimes, will thinking she was really cute, and mike thinking it was cute will really liked her. cue karen thinking will is the best influence on her son

i have such a strong image of kindergarten miwi right after they become friends making mud pies together every recess. their teacher scolds them the first few times having to scrub their hands when they come back in. it gets so bad when the recess monitor sees them heading for the dirt they’re yelling “Michael! William! don’t even think about it!” they think it’s so funny to rile them up, they start spreading mud on each others arms “will you need more than that!” they only try to eat it a few times, it does taste really gross. after they’re banned from the dirt, they move to the sand box, it’s only a bit cleaner.

[alexthefunniest]

Funniest mileven arguments to why byler won’t be endgame

I’m sorry if there’s any grammar errors or mistakes, I wrote this angrily at 2 am when I couldn’t sleep.

1. “Its the 80’s”- as if there isn’t any movies that have happy queer endings that were made/set in the 80’s, yall are just lazy and don’t want to actually do any research.

2. “It’s a Netflix original”- ok? And? Like we literally get a new mlm/queer show on Netflix every year, byler is a mlm relationship which Netflix has a lot of, young royals, heartstopper??? Are you guys ok?

3. “Cuz it’s too popular” - we already have over two queer confirmed characters in stranger things, the show that’s about fighting forced conformity ?? The show that focuses on nerds, losers and people that don’t ‘fit in’ ? And y’all find it so hard to see ur two main characters being gay? Read the room respectfully.

4. “It’s one sided” - if it was one sided they would make Mike tell Will he doesn’t like him in s3 and give Will a new love interest in s4 (it has been confirmed that there will be no new characters in s5 and that the producers want every character to have their ‘perfect ending’) Will believed he was a mistake and thought he wouldn’t fall in love, because he is queer so he most definitely will have a queer love interest and it will be Mike.

5. “Mike is in love with el”- is he tho? He never actually said he loved her to her face without the world and her life depending on it, he’s been pressured to say it twice and when she told him she loves him back the man didn’t look happy but conflicted.

6. “Mileven endgame” - it’s really not, the amount of symbolism that points to their downfall (such as everyone calling them the ‘star crossed lovers’ which are basically lovers deemed to fail, and more) is HUGE, they have too many familial parallels it’s insane, why parallel the it couple with family themes and relationships? Another problem I have with this it’s the fact that it’s very rare for the first ‘original’ pairings to stay together till the end of the show (like with Bob and Joyce or Steve and Nancy)

7. “Byler wouldn’t make sense to the plot”- watch the show again, just because somethings more subtle, doesn’t mean it’s not there, y’all will always say that about queer relationships but whenever u guys see a straight relationship in these subtle moments you jump into conclusions that they might end up together, it’s called being a hypocrite.

8. “Mike isn’t gay” - it’s what he’s been telling himself too, the guy was obviously made fun of and called slurs like Will, everyone already thought and knew their relationship was ‘special’ and everyone suspected something, that’s why Mikes own dad was surprised and said “our son, with a girl?” Also your so called straight Mike has a room filled with pictures and posters of buff men, he’s never shown any interest in girls or women (except el who’s been said, looked like a boy in s1) not to mention the first song on his official Spotify playlist being “small town boy” (yk the song about a young gay man running away from his homophobic small town??).

9. Mikes love confession- if u call that a love confession I wouldn’t wanna date u brother, he was pushed to say ily by Will, the same Will that was in the frame of Mike lying when he said that his life “started” when he found El in the woods, which was obviously a lie because Mike called El a weapon and said he’ll “send her back to pennhurst or wherever she comes from” after they found her, also if the love confession was honest why would El be still upset with Mike and not talk to him after??

10. “El wasn’t upset at Mike but was sad about Max” - me when I’m in denial, she wasn’t sad about Max until she found the coke bottle underneath her bed, then we get the flashbacks of her and Max having fun in s3, she wasn’t thinking abt Max before that, its called common sense and logical thinking skills.

11. “There would be no time for byler to develop in s5” - it might seem crazy what I’m about to say, they were literally childhood best friends and it’s been confirmed that Will had a crush on Mike since s1, they literally started to build their romantic relationship MORE in s4, with all the ‘[emotional, tender music playing]’ and parallels between byler and jancy, also even if they haven’t started to build their relationship up in a romantic way in s4, y’all remember how in less than a season Jonathan and Nancy slept together or how Max and Lucas got together in a spawn of a season (mind u they met in the same season). Byler knows each other since little kids and always had potential y’all are just in denial.

12. “Why make Mike queer” - why not? Do y’all actually believe that one of the main characters plot line is just about getting with the girl at the end? Even if it was (which lets be so fr now) why would Mike get with El from the first season (they kissed in s1 and basically u can count that as they’re together wtv) if that was his main goal as a character? Well written shows have something called a “character development” which the producers of st love apparently, so why make Mike just a bland character that just gets with the main girl character, and why have El date the first guy she ever met, I just think it would be very shallow.

That’s all, this was written in a silly way cuz it’s basically me talking to myself, it’s okay if u ship mileven I just really don’t like disrespectful fans that yell at bylers and call the ship disgusting, I don’t care about what who ships as long as we all just have fun and not yell at each other 🫶🏻

[nicxxx5]

why mike wheeler is autistic

these are some of my thoughts on why i think mike wheeler is autistic. 

he has narrow special interests (dnd, science, writing)

he only has a couple of friends, also with the same interests as him (it is common that autistic people have a difficult time making friends)

he hates change (he didn’t like the addition of max into the group without being made aware of it first, instead of using highschool as an opportunity to be someone else like lucas did he went back to doing things that brought him comfort like dnd, he’s always the first to notice when something is off with will (him missing/being possessed))

he is very logical (dustin and lucas ask why they can’t just let his mom deal with el when they find her in s1 and mike reasons that they’ll get caught for sneaking out so they have to handle it themselves, he rationalizes most of the plans in the party (in s3 when lucas says they win if they get the mindflayer out of billy mike reminds him that they wont because it didn’t work with will, jonathan thinks he’s ridiculous for wanting to go to suzie for help in s4 but mike reasons that she is the smartest person they know)) he also doesn’t budge much on his thoughts when it comes to this

he has a difficult time with his emotions (he mixed up romantic and platonic feelings with el, he also didn’t know how to properly confront her about this when he realized), he becomes overly emotional often (when he realized hopper knew el was alive the whole time and he got angry and broke down)

he is a people pleaser (he cares a lot for his friends, especially will and el, which is why in s4 he kept pretending he was in love with el because it’s what he thought she wanted, and why he hid how will leaving affected him because he didn’t want to make their friendship awkward with his newly realized feelings)

he’s not bound to societies standards (to a degree) (why he continues to play dnd even though he gets made fun of and why the upside down wasn’t a difficult concept for him to grasp because to him it made sense easily) 

he misses sarcasm (s4 at suzie’s house)

he misses double meanings to things (his conversations with lucas in s3 about el, he took most of what he said literally)

he is very blunt (often he is quick to tell things how it is even if someone gets upset with him)

i did this pretty late at night and kinda on a whim so it’s probably not my best. let me know what you think or any ideas you have and i might add them to it!

[ellmaii]

I’m my opinion Dustin is one of the most under appreciated characters of the show. Obviously everyone loves him but I think he gets overshadowed by other characters a lot and viewed as comic relief. His sense of humour is very visible and fun to watch but he also has so many subtle layers that make him so special.

What I don’t think l people point out enough is how significant he is to the group. He’s the brain, the problem solver and has had such a character arc over the seasons. I remember in S1 that he was the one who was scared to be out in the woods in the dark and wanted to go home. He’s opened minded and allows himself to think beyond what others deem impossible. He’s a true leader. In season one he plays peace maker between Lucas, Mike and Eleven, keeping the group together and focused. In season two he’s the one to find Dart, yes it was silly but if he hadn’t they might not have discovered the Demidogs and had time to research and understand them in order to defeat them in the end. He prepared the group for the upcoming fight and led Lucas, Max and Steve. In season 3 he refused to dismiss the Russian secret message that Steve and likely his friends if they knew would have told him was irrelevant. He was the one who got to the bottom of how another gate was opened and who was behind it. Without him, Hopper and Joyce never would have been able to close it before it was too late and Eleven would have been killed and all his other friends too now that she wouldn’t be able to save them. And in season 4, WOW! His strength and bravery, once again bringing his friends together even though they had started to become distant once starting high school.

His heart is so full of love and kindness. His affection towards him mom is the sweetest I’ve seen and for his girlfriend, my heart melts. He’s a man who strongly appreciates women. In S1 with Eleven where it’s not focused on but if you pay attention he’s very gentle and sweet with her. Not in a romantic way but he has so much compassion and acceptance. Mike and Lucas would get annoyed and shouted at her multiple times throughout the season but Dustin never did, he never held anything against her, like her misleading them or hurting Lucas. He just understood that she has flaws and tried to play peacemaker. Even though they were in a difficult situation themselves looking for their missing friend and the others let their emotions get the better of them, I got the impression he understood she was scared and in a lot of danger, so he mentally made allowances and tried to make her feel comfortable in a very subtle way. Despite his silliness, he possesses so much emotional and intellectual intelligence. I described my opinions on his relationship with El because it think it tells a lot about the type of person he is.

Dustin Henderson is the glue, the heart and a true hero of Stranger Things. I have so much love for all the characters but Dustin has always been very special. ❤️

[chirpsythismorning]

I feel like it’s weird to say milkvan aren’t meant to be together merely bc they are incompatible and how that parallels them to s1 stancy, as if stancy being incompatible was their downfall… stancy’s downfall was evident the second we were introduced to Steve.

He was always trying to do sexual stuff with her when she was uncomfortable most of the time, love bombing her and making her feel special only to switch it up with him trying to get what he wanted.

Like i know in the beginning people might have liked stancy and many even still do, but it wasn’t even about them being incompatible, it was about Steve being very red flaggy in general.

I would argue that them doing all of that stuff from the very beginning, means they knew it wasn’t going to be endgame. They built it up from the start to inevitably crash down.

And that’s why now that Steve is more kind and considerate, Nancy is starting to second guess herself. Bc he’s no longer giving the laundry list of red flags he used to. But even then she’s realizing that his expectations for the future don’t at all align with hers. So if anything NOW we can argue it’s about a lack of compatibility, but I don’t think that was always the case.

Whereas with Mike and El, from the beginning their relationship is surrounded by trauma and expectations of those around them. And most of all Mike’s expectations of himself.

I do think Nancy and Mike parallel in a lot of ways. But if the point is for their arcs to be identical and they’re both in situations where the only reason their not ending up with their first partner is bc of incompatibility, then it’s like?? Why do that same storyline twice?

Because in Nancy’s case, once the red flags started to dwindle with Steve, at the exact same time she was experiencing uncertainty with her and Jonathan’s relationship, Steve presented as an option again bc she was indeed attracted to him from the beginning. The problem was never attraction or lack thereof, it was all the red flags and her having to choose from doing things she wanted to do vs things she felt like she should do bc it makes her cool.

Whereas in Mike’s case, I don’t think after a breakup with him and El, based on years of them ignoring red flags surrounding their relationship, would ever have the capacity to mirror Nancy’s situation. I don’t think if Will and Mike were together but were going through uncertainty, all while him and El are back on better terms now with her having more autonomy, that Mike would suddenly start to second guess things bc of his attraction to El, bc attraction wasn’t a factor from the beginning. It was always about her paralleling Will in a lot of ways, literally showing up in the place Will was found. In Mike’s own words, do we really think that’s a coincidence?

Is it a coincidence that Mike attached himself onto the first girl that wasn’t grossed out by him, who happened to look identical to his best friend who was currently missing?

This doesn’t mean fans can’t ship those pairings, but ignoring all of those things that happened that made them not work out in the first place means you’re ignoring the things they clearly want you to acknowledge to understand what is eventually to come.

And the fact that Mike and El have consistently had confrontations paralleled to Brenner since the very beginning, is a major red flag. And the fact that s4 doubles down on that, is giving less incompatibility and more El realizing that her experiences leading her up to this point require a lot of healing and addressing that she doesn’t owe anyone anything regarding her powers.

She hasn’t even had the opportunity to fully accept herself and learn about herself and what she likes and dislikes bc it’s always been about survival for her. It means she had to do these favors in order to get by swiftly.

The whole not Hopper, not Mike, you, is attempting to drive home this concept that El still doesn’t understand her life is hers and not those that have, yes helped her survive, but have also hindered her development in ways where the expectation is always surrounding what they think is best for her instead of her getting the chance to decide that for herself.

And in s5, when she can finally voice how she’s been feeling over the years, it’s going to be a long deserved arc being addressed, which I don’t think people are going to be able to criticize since this is her now… it’s not other people’s expectations of her, it’s just her. And she deserves to have that autonomy just like everyone else, especially after years of it being inaccessible to her.

[audhd-nightwing]

Please tell me your punk!Steve thoughts.

OH BOY I HAVE A LOT - besides what i’ll probably infodump abt here i have lowkey fleshed out an entire backstory for punk steve under the #punk steve au

(to summarize, steve decides to become a punk and rebel against his parents instead of doing what they want and being a jock)

he introduces punk culture to el and max and they adore it (el loves the pastel punk aesthetic)

he doesn’t use any of his parents money (but continues to live in their house bc he doesn’t really have anywhere else to go and doesn’t want to burden any of the multiple families that would take him in), is a lifeguard in the summer and takes odd jobs around fall and winter.

he goes to Indianapolis as often as possible and learns most of what he knows from Elder Punks he meets there. there’s a couple small punk/alt stores he always stops by and a few bars/clubs. everyone he meets loves him (and baby punks in general but they find it really cool that he comes from privilege yet decides to rebel against ideals that were made so he could succeed at the failure of others).

he’s also introduced to the queer community a lot earlier on, and realizes he’s mlm (i hc him as gay but i can also see him as bi) and there’s a bunch of Elder Gays who adopt him.

he’s pretty much the only punk in Hawkins, so he kinda gets a reputation. in his freshman year he mostly keeps to himself, doesn’t really dress the way he wants and just wants to make it through the year. sophomore year though, he befriends jonathan nancy and barb and starts dressing and acting the way he wants to. him and jonathan listen to music together and he helps out with will when joyce and jonathan need to work- which eventually leads to him meeting mike dustin and lucas and taking care of them too.

steve realizes he wants to be strong enough to protect the people he cares about, so him and jonathan train and work out together a bit. steve and nancy don’t date, but they’re best friends along with barb. i just need to see barb and steve as besties it would make me so happy. also nancy and barb are in love bc obviously.

halfway through sophomore year steve gets a job at the local mechanics (mechanic eddie this, mechanic eddie that, no! give me mechanic steve who has a special interest in cars! just look at his beemer! and like the sole decoration he has in his room is a photo of a car!)

SO. junior year. this is when he starts going to indianapolis a lot more frequently. he buys records and camera stuff for jonathan, and drawing supplies for will (he basically lives with the byers atp). he is a lot more sure of himself, wears combat boots and battle jackets, and is damn good at fighting (he worked really hard at it the summer before). if anyone harms the kids he will not hesitate to hit someone, and this becomes town-wide knowledge very quick.

when will disappears in november, steve is the first person joyce calls before karen. he joins the search parties, he goes to lonnie instead of jonathan (steve would rather die than make jonathan face his abuser again). basically he’s involved with the upside down shit from the start.

also, steve accidentally finds out about el when dustin and lucas do. he offers to have her stay at his house, mike is reluctant but agrees, and el immediately becomes steve’s new baby sister. steve still saves the day at the end of s1 with the demogorgon, but the fight with jonathan and all of that doesn’t happen.

i accidentally plotted the whole show with this au…

steve finds el s2 and actually fucking tells the Party instead of hiding it like hopper did. el just permanently lives at steve’s now.

oh yeah and barb doesn’t die so that’s a thing that changes s2 a lot. i lost track of where this was going so i’m gonna just drop hcs i have about punk steve

he paints his nails black, he has a few piercings, he doesn’t really like the feeling of makeup on his face but he puts on eyeliner occasionally, he lets his hair grow out more and has perfected the ‘messy bedhead that somehow looks good’ look, he has big combat books and uses lace code, he’s gay but says he would go straight for joan jett (me too tbh), he has a reputation of “don’t fuck with me or my kids” in Hawkins, he also lowkey converts robin into a punk but she’s more indie-alt like jonathan, he doesn’t play any instruments but has a great voice and perfect pitch, will and el help him make one of his favorite battle vests, will is very crafty and artistic so he helps steve with a lot of his stuff, he has a few tattoos, he can do cool lighter tricks lol, etc.

[thewrongmoon]

honestly season one of stranger things really stumps me. because i know what the duffer brothers have said and very much want you to believe that they've had the whole story figured out since season one but part of me just goes "yeah that seems like bullshit"

like el and steve were originally supposed to die in s1. and yet they have plots centered pretty closely around them in the following seasons. and this was a GOOD change that they made btw, i can't imagine the story without either of them.

but when it comes to byler, i honestly have no clue if it was something that was planned from the beginning or not. like, i'd LOVE if it was, don't get me wrong at all. the idea of swindling netflix into publishing your 5 season slow-burn gay romance is the most amazing thing i can think of.

BUT... i think that it would also be okay if it wasn't planned from the beginning, and if the duffers just saw the potential for mike and will to be romantically involved later on in the making of.

i know that will has been planned to be gay from the beginning. however, the duffers love their angst. like. they wanted will and el to kill their paternal figures in cold blood in s2. i think that it is possible that they didn't consider the idea mike actually returning will's feelings until later on.

they could have planned on mlvn being canon, but saw a better, more compelling story in byler. and i know mlvns like to use the "mlvn has been together since the beginning, they're the show's first and main couple!" argument, but really that means nothing.

the duffer's "planned" relationships don't always pan out. and it's usually for the better. steve and robin were supposed to be a couple. and they ended up changing it, and getting a way more interesting story out of that.

byler isn't any less special if it wasn't really "planned from the beginning."

if it was only found out later that this relationship was more interesting, more unique and more gripping than mlvn was supposed to be... then it's special in a whole new way, isn't it?

in all honesty, i hate the idea that byler being planned since day 1 is a foregone conclusion. like could it have been? absolutely! could it have also been something that was discovered later on? 100%!

i've said this many times, but you and i do not have free access to the duffer brother's brains. like. i have no fucking clue what their thought process is or what ideas they have. so i personally cannot say for certain what was actually planned and what they literally just made up on the spot.

i think this is why it's important to explore a multitude of other ideas and possibilities. usually when i do this, i still find that byler is the most logical answer, no matter how i really get there.

[stranger-chichka]

Why I think Dustin definitely knows about Byler and is more than ok with it

So, I already have a few posts about Dustin and his water-and-electricity-related lines, which I do believe are Byler-coded. As I was comparing Back to the Future with Stranger Things, I couldn't ignore the importance of two very similar buildings - the Clock Tower and the Hawkins Library, so I decided to look for every scene with the library in it (the post is already here). During this process, something different drew my attention. Dustin and Dart, to be exact.

So, Dustin finds Dart after treat-or-treating. What happened before? Will gets scared and Mike gets him to his home. We see Dustin trying to comfort Will, but Mike wants him all by himself.

I believe Dustin always knew Will and Mike's friendship was special (considering he called Lucas Mike's best friend in s1), but that was Dustin's oh moment. Let's move on. The next day he goes to the library to find some info about his "discovery" and then - to share it with the party and Max.

We see that Max, Lucas and Will aren’t really into Dart, they are kinda scared or even a little disgusted with him, but not Mike. He is really interested in it. Now, the interesting part. Dustin though it to be a pollywog. A tadpole. The larval stage of a toad. And ho is called "frogface" in s1? Mike.

From Dustin's research we know that:

most tadpoles are aquatic (=straight), but Dart isn't;

there are only two terrestrial pollywogs - one from India, and one from South America (during this line we see only Mike - in the light - and Will, so these words should refer to them)

Dart hates the sun, it hurts him (Will is associated with the light, and it hurts Mike to feel that way to his friend. Also, their love is forbidden and they have to hide it. There's no sun for them.)

The moment Dustin says: "I've discovered a new species" we can see a rainbow on the right. He's discovered that gay people exist but, specifically, he found out about Mike's love for Will, and Dart symbolises that (his growth symbolises Mike beginning to realise his romantical feelings and how he's feeling more and more insecure and scared about it because it doesn't feel right in that society). Next, we see disturbed Will. He already knows how Mike feels about him ("crazy together"), but he doesn't want others to discover, so he asks Mike for help.

Also, we see two young boys on Will's left, while Dustin is talking about his "discovery."

At that time Dustin, Lucas and Mike come to Mr. Clarke and again, we can see a rainbow near Dustin while he's speaking about his discovery, that "may change your perception of the world" (=gay people exist and this is normal). Also, behind Mr. Clarke there's a poster with the phrase "news from space" and in Back to the Future Martin's father wrote a book with the title "A match made in space." (And he's paralleled to Mike)

Of course, they're interrupted by panicked Mike, who calls this "a stupid prank" (stupid = love), and e see yellow, blue, and green (Byler colours) squares behind Mr. Clarke. (there are red squares - El's colour - too, but apart from others).

The party is at the AV club again, this time without Max = Mike and Will don't want her to know about them. During their talk, a rainbow apple is above Will and Mike. Will saw something like Dart last year = he was already in love with Mike. He didn't tell them, because wasn't sure about his own feelings.

Mike thinks they should take Dart to Hopper and it's better for him to be dead because it's from the Upside Down, which is logical because Will was hurt there and he cares about Will, but Dustin claims that the fact he's from the Upside Down doesn't automatically mean he's bad (=it's okay that you love Will more than a friend, don't try to bury these feelings).

the line "we have to take him to Hopper" made me think that maybe Mike is going to have some heart-to-heart with him in s5 (or maybe it was foreshadowing of Hopper's monologue telling us about Mike's feelings toward Will)

Mike is afraid of his feelings, so he decides to hit Dart, but Dustin pushes him away and Dart escapes because of Max. Mike blames Max in this situation, although it was him, who attacked Dart. It makes me think that Mike blames her for destroying his bond with Will because as soon as she joined their party, he was uncomfortable with being himself + after she started dating Lucas and El was back he felt like he has no choice but to date El.

While Mike wants to get rid of Dart, Will is trying to make a contact with him and doesn't want to hurt him (=he already accepted his feelings toward Mike and is okay with it).

We know that Dustin hides Dart and continues taking care of him until he's eaten his cat. Orange cat. It symbolises Max and how Mike treats her.

Mike tells Dustin and Lucas about the shadow Will saw and we see the rainbow apple above Lucas now (=he starts to realise something). Mike is afraid the shadow can hurt Will, so he is going to his home to check on him and ask Lucas and Dustin to look for Dart because he feels like Dart would help them to solve this thing (you're correct, Michael, just admit you love William already!)

Dustin closes Dart in the basement (can it be more obvious?) and after failing to contact Lucas and Mike (both spending time with their lovers) asks Steve to help him with it (by the way, Dustin shares his water-and-electricity-related lines with him). Dart escaped. Lucas and Dustin are arguing they both broke the rule of the law (telling Max the truth about Will and hiding Dart=Byler). + Dart once again is called "stupid."

So, if Dart symbolises the love between Will and Mike, then the Upside Down is the place where Will escaped because Mike had ignored his love confession in s1 ("it as a 7"). That's why he feels the Mind Flayer or has his episodes every time he feels some negative emotions connected to Mike/sees him with El etc.

Some posts, related to Dustin and Steve are here, here, here and here

There's not much interractions between Dustin, Mike and Will during s3 and s4. Not a coincidence. The Duffers made it definitely on purpose, to water down Byler, as to say. However, there are some interesting moments:

Dustin calling Mil3ven "a bullshit", looking at Will and wearing a green t-shirt = thinking about Byler;

Dustin is the one singing "Never Ending" story that is Byler-coded song (+ when Max and Lucas sing it he's wearing a green t-shirt and they change lyrics from "her" to "their face" and we actually see Will in a t-shirt with blue and red stripes)

in s4 we only know about Mike whining to Dustin about the phone, that's all, we don't even see their reunion. It's strange Duffers minimalised their interaction so much, but it also means we'll see it in s5 and that is whhen Dustin definitely will notice the electicity.

+ I somehow missed this parallel, but that’s not my main concern.

I remembered the meaning of the word “dart”. A small pointed missile that can be thrown or fired. The synonyms are “arrow”, “barb.” And who is associated with arrows in s4? Michael Wheeler.

NO WAY sign

arrow-shaped flag #1

literal arrow hitting his head + arrow-shaped pocket

arrow-shaped flag #2

Also, “to dart” means move or run somewhere suddenly or rapidly. And who’s always late? Whose playlist’s full of songs about running? No way, it’s Michael Wheeler again.

[erikiara80]

Mini theory: was the library important to young Henry?

The library was the Demogorgon’s lair. The tunnels under it is where many animals became incubators for the demodogs, and where Henry!MF!Will sent the soldiers to die. And the library, not the Creel House, is the converge point of the gates in S4.

It seems that it all began with the Demogorgon in S1, right? But if it was connected to Henry, maybe the library was its lair for a reason.

So I thought, Dustin looked for books on reptiles, after he found D’Art. 

Henry found the black widows. 

Maybe he also went to the library to find books on spiders. He was a lonely kid who felt different and deeply misunderstood. He didn’t fit with the other kids. 

A place where you can read books on the things you love, can become very special to you. So maybe Dustin at the library in S2 is a parallel with Henry that we will see in S5.

Also. Dustin placed D’Art in his tortoise’s tank

Henry kept his spiders in jars

And speaking of libraries, this could also be a parallel with Ben in IT (especially the book)

I know many people are fans of the movie. I like it too, but IT has been one of my favorite books for so many years, so I tend to think about it more than the movie. And the Duffers love it too (I love the parts with Ben at the library so much!)

Anyway. Ben is a lonely kid too, who feels different and loves reading. The library is his safe place. So maybe this is a Dustin-Henry-Ben parallel. Oh, and Mike Hanlon is Derry’s librarian! Yes, it’s always the library!

But there could be another, more sinister parallel

Dustin found a creature from the UD. Henry found the spiders under the floor. These animals are dangerous but not evil. Seems another connection. So it is possible that the “to my surprise, our new house provided a discovery...” means that the black widows Henry found were also connected to the UD, because it wasn’t a coincidence that he found them. The house made him find them. 

Maybe there was really something weird going on in that house. And it wasn’t just Henry, or Henry’s mother, or even Brenner messing with them. It was the house. Aka, something on the other side, in the UD, that Henry could sense and that could sense him. We’ll see!

And of course, IF the library is where Henry learned about spiders, how they live and reproduce, it makes sense that the Demogorgon’s lair, the nest, is there. 

[bylertruther]

what byler moment do you love the most? And what moment made click and see that Mike has feelings for Will too?

my favorite byler moment is the rain fight hands down. it's THEEEE byler moment to end all byler moments undeniably n irrefutably. the only ones that come close are the shed scene and the dear billy bedroom talk because it reaffirms the shed scene speech. i love the rain fight though bc mike asks him if he really thought they would be together forever without girlfriends and will, even as his heart has been shattered into a million pieces at "it's not my fault you don't like girls," he still says yes. i did. i really did.

and then, after moping and complaining and being totally unsure of how to make up with el, he does EXACTLY what max said mike would do for her, for will. he doesn't need lucas to walk him through it, he does it of his own volition instinctively. not for his girlfriend... but for will. literally bikes across town in the pouring rain!!! the romance film antics of it all...

and then!! we get will crying in castle byers while memories are overlayed that focus on mike's voice and then will tears a photo of them right down the middle. like...... it's just... SO MUCH? will not backing down and saying he DID want forever with mike? and then in s4 he repeats the same thing that mike threw in his face? which could suggest that it's something they've dreamed abt before everything got complicated & suggests will is still always true to himself? and mike chasing after will, breaking his own heart, too, because the fact of the matter is he NEVER wanted to lose will and yet he feels that he's pulling away from him anyway and there's nothing he can do to stop it, even with all of his calls that never even go through. i just. AHHHH!!! THE RAIN FIGHT!!!! cements tht will IS special, even and perhaps ESPECIALLY from el. mike consistently CANNOT give her what he is expected to, because he's too busy giving it to WILL without EVER needing to be coached or told to. byler rain fight solos >>>>>>>>>

i mean, season two in general made me kinda 👀🏳️‍🌈⁉️ bc even though we're shown that mike is the biggest sweetheart, the care that he showed will was just special. and entirely over the top and reckless and dogged (ahem "only love makes you that crazy sweetheart and that damn stupid") just like in s1. and saying he was the best thing he'd ever done? insanity. i thought even with the snowball that they were headed in that direction but then season three came and punched me in the tit so i lost all hope lol.

BUT THEN !!!!!!!!!!!! s4 came and revived me with a defibrillator. the hug threw me off bc i was like oh my godddddddd DON'T TELL ME THIS BOY IS BACK ON HIS MF BULLSHIT BRO PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE but then. dear lord. WHEN HE GOT ALL WEIRD ABT THE PAINTING? i know a gay when i see one, bro. he had no reason to be weird abt the painting if not gay. AND THEN THE RINK-O-MANIA FIGHT? WE'RE FRIENDS! WE'RE. FRIENDS. BROOOOOOOO THE HOMOSEXUALITY WAS THREW THE ROOF IT'S OVER!!!!!! GIVE IT A REST!!!!!!! that was all i needed 2 see. that, on top of everything else we've previously seen? and then the dear billy scene? hi, gay. welcome back, we missed u dearly.

[will80sbyers]

when do you think mike started liking will? I also believe mike is bi and think he had a crush on el and he just fell out of it by the end of season 3. but with will it's so difficult to pinpoint when it all started. like he definitely realized his feelings by the end of season 3 but he showed signs of attraction earlier in the season when he still had a crush on el (for example, in the cinema or "max get away from the door" scene in which he stared at will's lips for no reason at all). but even before that!! there were quite a few moments in season 2 that hint at mike's feelings for will (his expression at the snow ball when will went to dance with that girl, him holding will's hand and all the other subtle touches. plus it was made super clear that his relationship with will is special and different from other relationships in the party). it's sooo confusing to me. do you think mike liked will and el at the same time? 🤔

I think he always liked Will and I think he grew to love him with time but he didn't know that it was romantic love until s3... I think he's not good at pointing out and understanding what he's feeling to the point that in s1 when he started to have the crush on Eleven he didn't exactly notice that about himself until Lucas pointed it out to him, he doesn't really think about it on his own because relationships are difficult to understand for him, he doesn't know what other people are feeling for him either... I think he did like El and Will at the same time but he always thought that what he was feeling for Will was platonic friendship until he had that moment in s3...

after the rain fight something changed for him because Will told him that he wanted to stay with him all his life and he felt something different and more deep and then Will left and Mike found himself missing Will more than El... he found that he felt lost without Will in Hawkins and that things were not the same and he didn't know how to deal with losing Will from his life and he realized he may like Will in a different way

he's still trying to understand exactly what he's feeling for Will in s4, he's kind of in denial (?) and he's scared that things are going to change between them if he really acknowledges his feelings for Will

also he thinks Will is straight imo and he doesn't want to lose him and he also is scared that if he breaks up with El he's going to lose her too from his life and he doesn't want that.. even if he doesn't really love her romantically

[jeroidk]

Unpopular opinions: Byler edition

First of all, I want to clarify that I ship Byler (I love them), but that doesn't mean that I dislike Mileven (cause I love them too). Me shipping Byler is just me seeing the potential in their relationship and, since I'm a queer person, I do tend to like queer ships more than cishet ships.

That being said, I wanna share some of my byler "unpopular" opinions (I don't really know if they are unpopular, but I haven't seen many people talk about these things) because why not.

Bashing Mileven

I really dislike people bashing Mileven in the name of Byler.

You don't have to like Mileven, everyone is entitled to have their own opinions about ships or fictional couples, but I really wish we could just respect that some people like Mileven, and they have more than valid reasons to do so, just like the people who ship Byler.

I agree that Mileven has been sort of falling apart since the 3rd season and that, as a romantic couple or even as just friends, they have a million things to work on. But some people criticize them so much in order to show that "byler is better" that I'm like ??? did you guys watch the show???

of fucking course they have a million things to work on. Mike is a kid/teenager; Eleven is also a kid/teenager and, on top of that, is a kid who grew up in a fucking lab. She lacks a lot of social abilities, maturity, effective and healthy ways to express her feelings, a long etc.

Both of them have been through some pretty traumatic shit. They didn't (and still don't) have the privilege to develop as human beings in the same way that other kids/teenagers would.

For me, that is a fundamental part of why I find their relationship (as friends and as a couple) so interesting. They are not meant to have a normal coming-of-age narrative. Holding them (both as individuals and in their relationship) to a "normal coming-of-age story" standard will inevitably lead you to find their story unsatisfying.

But anyways, I don't want to go into a deep analysis of their relationship rn. My point is that you can't really compare Mike and Eleven's relationship and Mike and Will's relationship with the goal of saying that one is "better" than the other.

They are both very unique and special relationships. And besides, you don't need to prove that one is better or worse than the other to ship them, nor to make their relationship seem more "valid". They are both valid. There are beautiful scenes and beautiful writing of both relationships. And there pros and cons to both of them.

Let's just ship and let people ship and let everyone be happy with whatever they decide to ship

Mike always loved Will, he never loved Eleven

This is kinda connected with the previous opinion. Again, I respect that some people think that Mike always had romantic feelings for Will and he was just projecting those feelings into Eleven, or "using" her as an outlet for his feelings.

But that doesn't mean I agree with that take.

Unless the show confirms or denies how Mike always felt about Will and/or Eleven ever since he was a kid, we can only speculate. Personally, I don't think Mike always had romantic feelings for Will. I don't think he had romantic feelings for Will during s1 or s2.

I do think he always had a more close and more intimate friendship with him than with their other friends. I mean, that's canon, it's made very clear in the series. And I think that their close friendship kinda served as solid ground for other feelings to develop in time.

I also think that Mike did have romantic feelings for Eleven (or some sort of romantic feelings at least). There are a lot of reasons why I think this, and honestly, I could talk for hours about their relationship because there are so many interesting aspects to it but that's another post.

One of the main reasons why I think this is because I really like the idea of a bisexual Mike exploring his feelings, his sexuality, growing, and understanding himself better. I think the many many parallels between Mileven and Byler in the show are meant to represent this somehow. Feelings, sexuality, and relationships are very complicated things, very fluid, and always changing. I think that going the path of "Mike realizes he never had romantic feelings or never felt romantic attraction towards Eleven because his true romantic feelings were always towards Will" kind of erases the complexity that is growing and exploring your feelings and your sexuality. It feels very flat to me, somehow.

Another main reason is that I dislike the idea that Mike always had to have romantic feelings towards Will for those romantic feelings to be valid. His romantic feelings or his attraction towards Will are just as valid, even if he didn't feel that way when they were kids.

Bisexual Mike erasure and polyamorous Mike erasure

Again, this is related to the previous one. I personally don't think that Mike is gay, I think he is bi. Why? because we already have two gay characters (Will is practically a canon gay character, and Robin is a lesbian) and I would love to have bisexual representation.

Also, erasing all his feelings and romantic relationship with El in order to say he is gay and just "confused" feels a tiny bit like bi-erasure or even biphobia.

Let him explore his feelings and his sexuality without having to be either gay or straight.

The polyamorous thing is a little more complicated because I don´t mean to say that he should date both Eleven and Will. But I do think that is completely possible that he had (or has) romantic feelings for both of them at the same time. The idea that he can only have romantic feelings for one of them at a time is definitely polyamorous erasure.

(I think that he has been definitely growing out of his romantic feelings for El during s3-s4 and more into his romantic feelings for Will, but he can be polyamorous nonetheless<3)

[wibble-wobbegong]

Do you think Mike was already thinking about the optics of liking girls vs liking boys in s1?

I think with him only being able to think of the Snowball as a romantic activity, that being a publicly romantic thing, was showing that Mike was already thinking about who he should be seen with in that light vs not. He was already liking the idea of maybe preventing any gay rumors starting asap.

What are your thoughts?

i think it’s kinda set up so that mike has to start acknowledging what it means to like boys vs what it means to like girls before s1 because will gets directly bullied for it and we see him get indirectly bullied for it. the thing is, i don’t think he saw anything wrong with the idea of being gay before s1. he always admired special qualities in his friends that made them different from other people which is what they got bullied for. all his friends were outcasts for different reasons, so i don’t think he ever really put much thought into what he might be because he didn’t care

the issue started when el came in and everybody was trying to tell him he was supposed to like her. the nuance of sexuality wasn’t really a thing in the 80’s, so in his 12 year old brain he had been assigned the role of ‘straight’ by everyone around him and he really didn’t have any reason not to believe them. he’d never had a friend who was a girl before, how would he know that what he’s feeling for her isn’t romance (even if there’s nothing he can think of that distinctly makes it romantic, it’s just supposed to be like that. at least, that’s what he tells her before they kiss in s1)

i don’t know if it was a matter of who he should or shouldn’t be seen with. he doesn’t seem to understand the problem with being gay except that bullies make fun of you for it, but they also make fun of dustin’s disability which he thinks is kind of like a superpower. i think he wanted to take her to the snowball because that’s something you do with people you like and apparently mike likes el (even if he doesn’t really understand it, everybody is telling him he does and he has no reason to counter it).

if he hadn’t been introduced to the idea that he was supposed to be straight so early on and he didn’t promise himself to el, we may have never ended up with mike trying to fix himself then way he did in s3. i’m always gonna be a firm believer that mike finally realized his feelings for will when they were in that shed, and he doesn’t really hold his feelings back. he openly admits that will is the best part of his life. mike doing that now would have everyone agreeing it’s a romantic statement, because it is. mike spent that whole season not holding back on his feelings for will, and i honestly think that if el hadn’t come back then byler could’ve happened a lot sooner

idk if i’m saying this well but basically, yes i think he was thinking about liking boys vs liking girls but in the sense that he didn’t really care until he was told he was supposed to like el. he’d been assigned the straight boy and was now having to try and differentiate between his platonic feelings for his friends and family and his feelings for el, which we see him unable to do. i don’t think mike would’ve struggled as much if people hadn’t assigned him to being straight and he didn’t feel trapped both in that image of him and his relationship with el, which he felt like her owed her

[hepaidattention]

with the stranger things s4 vol 2, I want to talk about some of the good things I really loved that happened. It's obviously hard to think about, but so many good things did happen and I wanna just give those a shout out.

1) El and Hopper's Reunion. let me tell you, that was the most emotional and precious moment in all of the show. the way she looked at him as if somewhere, deep down, she never gave up hope he was still alive... the saddest part, to me, in the scene was I realized she never could look for him. she didn't have her powers anymore, so when he "died" she could never do her psychic thing and make sure he was really gone. that must have been one of the hardest things of not having her powers.

2) Hopper and Joyce's Reunion. honestly, just about damn time.

3) Mike's Confession of Love to El. i'm a huge mileven shipper so that was the most precious moment for me. it was so right for them too, because mike really was what always made eleven feel believed in. since s1 he was who always assured her she was amazing, she was a hero, she could do anything. though will's hidden confession of love was heart breaking, he was also so right in how el would always need him because he was someone who brought her out of that darkness and showed her she was more than just a lab rat. she could be a friend, she could be a hero, she could be a daughter. mike isn't always my favorite character, he's always judgey and his temper is all over the place, but one thing about him is he always, always believes in the people he loves. he always makes them feel special and like they belong. and he has never stopped loving el, not one single minute.

4) Jason Disintegrating. i'm sorry I just hated him so so much. the guy was delusional and killed one of my all time favorite characters.

5) Max's Best, Most Loved Menory. i will cry. she was happiest at the snow ball and im just sobbing its fine.

6) Steve Not Dying. i really was prepared for this but thank God they didn't do it. considering s5 will probably continue immediately after s4vol2, because s4 left in a cliffhanger, every character predicted to die is still a huge possibility. so im weary. but boy. thank god he's still around.

7) Hopper Fighting a Demogorgon with a Sword and Winning. what a scene. what a man. just so good.

8) All the Villains in Past Seasons Together. i know its weird but i loved seeing the demagorgon, the demadogs, mind flayer, billy, brenner, the russians, and vecna all in one season. it just feels like it brought all of the seasons together even better.

9) El Getting her Powers Back. it was just epic. like I knew it would happen but when she crashed that helicopter boy howdy was I applauding for her. i also liked how in the end it was implied she could also control the hive mind. when she used her powers to break free she didn't just break the upsidedown vines, she made them get off of her like she had control over them. that was really interesting to me.

10) Vecna Being Behind it All the Whole Time. this was i feel like already a no brainer once he was delivered into the story line, but in a way they also confirmed he was also the one who chased will into the upsidedown in s1.

11) El, Will, Jonathan, and Joyce a family. the way el ran to will when they first reunited was so precious. i always wanted will and el to be brother and sister and this season delivered that. i think the most common trend in st ff is that el and will are siblings and I love it. it was a huge want for me to see in the show that I honestly never expected to really happen. im so glad it did.