#will loves mike

[whenyellowmeetsblueinthewest]

Fr 💀

[teambyler]

Will's van speech is even more tragic when you think about it (EXPANDED)

Think about how obvious the painting was about Will's love, with a HEART on Mike's shield. Despite all the time and distance apart, Will made this very special painting to make clear to Mike that he loved him.

It was a BOLD move by Will. Whether it was in a best friend way or boyfriend way, it said HE LOVED HIM. Talk about courage coming from small-town 80s Indiana. He probably had much of his speech prepared using "I" and "me" in place of "El" and "she." (Maybe not the "I need you" part... but it was still all clear enough to communicate that, if Mike wanted something romantic, Will wanted it, too.)

I keep seeing people say Will cried in the van because he let out his feelings. But that isn't it.

Right before Will's speech, he tells Mike he wants to spend the rest of his life playing D&D and Nintendo with him. But Mike seems distracted, and is preoccupied with his relationship with El. Will reads this as complete disinterest in what he just said:

This confirms again for Will that Mike is straight and will never like him back. Then look at what Will says during his speech:

Will is talking about what he's doing right this moment. HE is ripping off the Band-Aid.

Will has just thrown away his ORIGINAL plan with the painting; he will NEVER give his painting the way he'd planned and declare his love for Mike. He HAD hope, but now it's gone.

Will is GIVING UP:

Will is doing what he thinks Mike needs, putting his and his sister El's happiness above of his own, no matter how much it hurts him. It's what pure, selfless love makes you do.

What will Mike think, when he finds out the truth?

P.S. Follow and read my blog! I have so much to say!

[marinhosh]

little proud will byers 🫶

[yourpreciousrose]

"Mikes not gay" oh yeah? what's this then?

keep in mind these hand symbols have no relation to the scenes at all meaning this is most likely a hint to the audience to pick up on rather than an indication to the other characters.

no one:

Mike: *does secret homosexual code signals while talking about shoving the bear up the mans ass*

...this is the man you're in love with Will 😭

[thegirldownunder]

crying is not enough

we need to start sending fanfiction to the duffers 

[byler-is-endgame7]

mike: ahhh what the fuck will: oh no my boyfriends hurt :( argyle: *high af* jonathan: ah yes years of exploading him with my mind has finally paid off

[spuffyfet]

[madwheelerz]

Okay, so, like whenever I talk about how I don't subscribe to the whole Mike fell harder thing it's like we watched Will who-

1) Went through homophobic bullying at an early age, one of the sources being his own father. Not to mention the townspeople he lived with being able to see right through him bc of the way he dressed, the way he acted, the things he liked, etc.

2) Was hurt in unimaginable ways due to supernatural forces and felt like a mistake

decide that simply being in love with a Mike who didn't reciprocate his feelings made him feel less like a mistake. That's insane. Even after the rain fight, after every little fight they've had, after every horrible thing that's happened, Will is able to take comfort in these feelings. Like.

[bonniebyler]

why is it always "i love you" and never

it was a seven

i'm gonna get you home okay? i'm gonna get you home

if we're both going crazy we'll go crazy together right?

yeah crazy together

you're like a super spy now

we won't let him

do you remember the first day that we met?

you said yes. you said yes. it was the best thing i've ever done

will are you okay?

you can't leave it's raining

i guess i did. i really did

i was being a total asshole please will you just come outside and we'll talk?

not possible

you were rolling your eyes you were moping you were barely talking

that was you guys who saved me, that was you guys

looks like it's gonna up to us again

it's hawkins it's not the same without you

maybe i feel like i lost you or something

cool. cool.

we could just play d&d and nintendo for the rest of our lives

did you paint this?

el needs you, mike, and she always will

yeah? yeah.

and we will, we will

[bylerslemons]

These two parallels are set up so perfectly that it can’t just be a coincidence, and if Ron and Hermione are endgame… byler endgame??

[shreya11111]

slay

[sugarcubetikki]

I’m going to analyse all three characters involved in the love triangle based on their personal needs and wants as well as their relationship dynamics linked to some of the themes of the show to prove that byler is the best endgame narrative.

will - his personal arc has always focused on acceptance and gaining love. his sexuality has always been a huge part of the show too and we can see how it makes him feel like he’s different, a mistake, how he’s  social outcast in a way just because he likes different things to other people and how he’s had to undergo so much homophobic bullying from school and pressures to conform mainly from his dad (a lot of his childhood trauma starts from the way Lonnie treating him and made him feel like an outcast for not liking socially normative things). a big part of his arc has always been finding people in his life who accept him for who he is and people who make him feel loved - it’s key for him to stay strong and overcome his trauma and that’s why support systems are so important for will’s character which is why he felt so isolated and heartbroken when he felt neglected in s3. his love for mike also has always been there as a layer under all his character intentions okay and it’s so deep. he loves mike to the point he’d sacrifice his own feelings for mike and el’s happiness even if it’s hurting him. also the fact that he’s thought about having a future with mike through “wanting to play d&d with him for the rest of his life” and it’s also a canonical fact that will needs mike only because he loves him too (not that el needs mike as it’s will’s truth) and that mike makes will feel better for who he is thus he makes him feel safe and that he’s always given will the strength and courage to fight on. will’s love for mike/beautiful bond with mike is beneficial for his character arc as it makes him feel safe, comfortable and accepted. when finn said, will’s love for mike is beautiful he wasn’t lying, it is beautiful. i can’t even comprehend why they’d build it up like this so much if they were only going to have will get rejected or not do byler it would be pointless buildup and focusing so much over will’s feelings towards mike and his heartache to the point they focused on will over milkvan this season is just so insane they intentionally wanted the audience to feel and root for will. if he doesn’t a happy ending, it would be dreadful and all this buildup being thrown away would be pointless especially when his love for mike/bond with mike complements with his arc so perfectly. 

el - her arc is about becoming her own person: discovering her own needs and wants, finding strength in herself to stand up to those who try to control her, ultimately it’s about el embracing her own personal freedom. it’s also about el finding a home, finding family and finding people who’ll love el for who she is and let her be herself instead (similar to will).. a lot of her relationships are the ones that line up with her arc and contribute to her character growth as her arc is focused on people loving el for who she is and enabling her to grow as a character by offering her that personal freedom. at the start, mike and el’s arcs did align and mike truly did make el feel safe and loved for the first time in her life after how much brenner controlled and abused her in the past it was refreshing for el to receive that kind of love. mike is an important person in el’s life but he’s also the first person to make el feel loved and el still had no idea what she wanted then and no idea what love was so she was entering a romantic relationship way too quickly at that point. during the time of the kiss she’s surprised and a bit confused as she is with everything she’s not wrapped her head around it she was asking him whether they were like brother and sister. as the show progresses el builds bonds with more people and so many more people are important in el’s life in addition to that milkvan’s romantic relationship is just a disaster and it’s just not working out. furthermore, it becomes clearer as the show goes on that her attachment to mike weakens as more people enter her life and when talking about mike romantically she’s very unsure about the state/the future of their relationship. when she’s with max she seems interested in the prospect of having other boyfriends/liking other boys and she calls mike her “first boyfriend” too. there’s not a sense of forever established like it is with will. it’s never been implied not even once that el can see a future with her and mike - I do think it’s largely because el’s figuring out who she is and hasn’t come to terms with that yet so seeing a future can be difficult for her but she definitely does express that desire of dating more people in the future and that she doesn’t see mike as the one for her anything like that. I mean she is a bit upset when max calls mike her ex boyfriend but I think that term just alludes to the fact she’s afraid of losing mike in general. el can see herself in other romantic relationships in the future but she’s afraid because she feels that not being in a relationship with mike means that they won’t need and love each other anymore so they’ll lose each other. she wants mike in her life and doesn’t want to lose him but at that point she was in that position where she felt like she had to be in a romantic relationship with mike for him to love and need her (same with mike) when in reality they’ll still love and need each other even if it’s not romantically they won’t lose each other. I think el realises that more this season as her arc is more about self-growth, finding love and strength from within herself. she’s definitely pulled away from mike romantically at least in my eyes she’s realising that she needs and wants him in her life but not romantically because when they’re in a romantic relationship they don’t work out. she feels like she has to live up to a standard for him and she lies to do that even though she hates it and she feels like mike’s not offering her the love she wants/needs at the start of the season (because he’s going through his own thing) so she feels unloved by him and she doesn’t tell him things because she feels like he doesn’t understand her too. el wants to be loved by mike but she won’t be in a romantic relationship with him if she’s not getting the love she wants like this. it’s better off for her to escape a relationship that’s making her unhappy and like. el loves mike but not romantically she doesn’t need him romantically and the show has established it too - them breaking up is a better move for her ac.

mike - he’s a difficult one but his arc has always been focused around his desire to be being needed. his saviour complex is his way of expressing that need and proving his worth. a lot of that seems to root from his insecurities about being unwanted as he seems to feel unworthy and not special and just like some random nerd as he put it. he loves being a nerd and loves playing d&d of course but I feel like he thinks that it’s nothing special and maybe that’s all there is to him and that he isn’t good enough for anyone thus he wants to be needed and wants to prove himself worthy. he also hates being alone and he’s afraid of losing people in his life. I think that fear has been strengthened throughout the course of the show due to traumatically losing both el and will because of the ud and therefore there’s a lot of focus around his relationships with those two mainly (as well as the love triangle aspect). like I mentioned with el, in s1/2 before they started dating their relationship worked well together and it was satisfying both their character needs/wants. when mike lost will, he was clearly having a hard time coping, and he did not want to accept that will was gone, he always had hope that will was out there somewhere and that he was going to find him. mike’s not the best with introspecting his own emotions and he doesn’t really reflect back on them he seems to be type of person who projects everything he’s feeling onto action, onto doing other things and onto other people. when el came into his life, he’d lost will, and el needed someone as mike himself put it so mike became that person el needed and was one of the first people to show her compassion and make her feel special for who she was instead of an experiment in a lab (these are mike’s words too and they’re truer than that entire monologue because they can be backed up!). the truth of the matter is mike needed el in that moment too, he needed someone to impress as Finn would put it and he just needed someone to need him because will wasn’t there anymore. will not being there is important because will has always been there for mike and will was mike’s first friend and he has always made mike feel less alone. as mike would put it, asking will to be his friend was the best thing he’s ever done. hawkins isn’t the same without will to mike even to this day as will has always made mike feel needed and loved and wanted (he’s singled out from max, lucas and dustin too). with will gone, mike had an empty hole in his heart and mike was trying to fill that in through finding will and also caring for el or impressing el. I’m not saying mike didn’t truly care for el or anything definitely not all I’m saying is that during the time of s1 el and mike needed each other for very particular reasons and it doesn’t stay true throughout the seasons. el gains her own autonomy and more people become important to her and make her feel special other than mike and mike feels distanced/disconnected from el throughout her entire journey. at the time of s4, there’s a disconnection between them because mike’s still connected to the el from s1 that needed someone back in those woods he found her in but the truth and reality of the situation is that el has grown and changed as a person so much that she’s not the same person who needs mike in that way anymore. as el grew as a person, she felt unreachable to mike (her lying in those letters about her fake glorified life didn’t help) and that’s why he feels like she doesn’t need him anymore and he’s right. his insecurities come in here about being afraid of losing her due to the fact that she doesn’t need him anymore. I think like I mentioned for el, mike believes that not being in a romantic relationship with el means that he’ll lose her entirely and they won’t love and need each other anymore when that’s simply not the case. you can see the effect that heteronormativity has on the perception of their relationship and I think that’s also the reason mike perceived their bond in s1 as romantic because if we take my reading that mike was somewhat subconsciously filling the empty hole in his heart that will left through el then he’s sorta piggybacked his romantic feelings for will onto el but he didn’t really realise he was doing that because of heteronormativity. for me it’s still unclear if he truly liked el or not I believe it’s possible that maybe he did like her like maybe it was a puppy crush as the duffers put it but I still believe his deeper romantic feelings were piggybacked. it’s funny because it could be a stretch but he’s still doing it in s4 to this day it’s just gotten clearer that monologue is just him piggybacking off of will’s coded confession. I think at this point and stage though el doesn’t need mike like that and never did and the reason why mike feels like he has to pretend around her and keep pretending is because he can’t be natural around her. their romantic relationship is full of lies, facades and superficiality is because mike can’t be natural around el, he has to pretend and he’s trying to fit a framework that he can’t fit. mike in s3 was just him trying to be a good boyfriend and failing because of how staged and unnatural it was. he was going off being a good boyfriend very logically like he was taking advice from lucas and trying to follow rulebook instead of just being himself. however that’s the problem he can’t be himself because he doesn’t love el romantically and didn’t want to confront that. since it’s not addressed in s3, that patterns of behaviour continues in s4 into the airport scene where he’s still wearing a facade and still trying to be a good boyfriend, but he’s gotten even more cold and disconnected. their fight when el points out how mike never says it and never writes it is because he can’t he just can’t because he doesn’t love her in that way. when that fight happens, he’s back at will’s side, and his relationship with will is such a contrast to how he is with el. he can open up to will and be himself around him. will is one of the only people mike is vulnerable around. will makes mike feel comfortable and safe enough to do that and we know that the feeling is mutual. the coded confession getting through to mike is important because we as an audience know that those are will’s feelings and everything he’s saying resonates with mike so so much because it’s exactly what he wants. he’s looking for it in el but he can’t find it in her because they don’t romantically love each other in ways that the other desires. they don’t speak the same love languages and hold the same romantic priorities but mike and will do. however it’s like mike thinks those are el’s feelings so he’s responding to them and feeling them during the monologue it’s another piggybacked situation here where he thinks he loves el but it’s will instead. I think throughout the course of this season or maybe the hiatus between s3 and 4 - his feelings for will have started to dawn on him (because there is no other explanation for his strange behaviour). I feel like he’s in a similar position to nancy in s2 with steve and jonathan. st*ncy and milkvan are the safe options that parallel ted and karen wheeler (arranged loveless marriage) that mike and nancy feel like they needed to conform to - they saw them as the ideal relationships they grasped onto and refused to let go of because they’re the safe options and they try to convince themselves that they do love steve/el despite knowing deep down in their hearts that they don’t they love someone else. this got very long but mike needs and loves el just not romantically but he keeps trying to convince himself he does and it always come out so unnatural because of that as he’s trying to conform to something he isn’t. in a show about embracing yourself for who you are and being social outcasts let’s say maybe he shouldn’t be in the relationship that he’s not himself in. when he’s with will, it’s the opposite, he can truly be himself around will and everything with will is so natural. will makes him feel less alone and his desire to be needed is effortless around will because he doesn’t have to live up to certain standard to appease will he doesn’t have to impress will he can just be himself around will and will would need mike in any shape or form because it’s clear that will loves him for who he is. 

in conclusion, to fit the show’s theme of defying forced conformity and loving people for who they are, byler endgame would make the most sense because mike and will can be themselves around each other, they love one and other for who they are and milkvan is also just a product of heteronormativity - an example of forced conformity and a restraint in mike and el’s arcs so them being endgame when their relationship is so unnatural would go against all the themes of the show. 

[bylersjancy]

Since Will will be finally the main character again in s5 i would love an episode just for him

We learn more about the Byers family and his childhood with the party. We could see many happy core memories from him before the Upside Down. And also how he really felt about moving away and living with El.

Then maybe also a real coming out scene to Joyce, etc.

And of course some Byler.

I just want to see an episode full of Will Byers’ most happy and special moments

[yourpreciousrose]

ok hear me out...could pockets be more telling than we thought?

this is the shirt Mike kissed El in and the shirt Mike saw Will again in. I didnt even notice there was s pocket at first, it blends in...almost like Mikes trying to either blend in or his true feelings are being hidden. or maybe he's unaware of his actual feelings so its hidden/blends in bc he doesn't know yet.

off center pocket, something is off and Mike knows it. this is the shirt El dumps him in and the shirt the byler fight happens in. Mike seemed to be projecting during the fight, Mike found out Will did want to spend his life with Mike...by his reaction I think Mike was already realizing that he is feeling things for men and Will specifically but pushing it away. his life is being pushed off center bc hes realizing but he's still trying to be normal, trying to push it away so the pattern is the same just off center.

then we have the weird two pocket shirt which design wise is weird...but what did we see when he was in this shirt? El saying she loves Mike back and kissing him as he keeps his eyes open. we also see how Mike acts when Will said he won't join another party. pair that up with the letter, things are changing. two pockets, conflicting feelings. they also seem to be in a weird location, idk where pockets are supposed to be located but it feels off. almost like its supposed to represent that its not over his heart bc he hasn't listened to his heart yet idk.

update: I missed a pocket shirt but this still works

so this shirt also has 2 pockets idk if the pockets are actually aligned or not but hear me out, they purposely made it look like one is higher than the other for a reason. one looks higher than the other, the pocket that happens to be on the same side as his watch that matches Wills seems to be higher up. this also works into the flower split where Mike gave El yellow and purple flowers but there was too much yellow. so like there was more yellow (Will) the pocket was higher (also Will?). so its like the pockets of the last pocket shirt we see him in with the button but with the almost arrow like design. so like a callback to that shirt to show that now he knows where his feelings align. he hasn't made his choice yet though, he knows who he likes but hasn't accepted himself yet so those arrows are down vs his last shirt his arrow points to Will.

this pocket is decorated, Argyle points out this shirt is a knockoff (Mikes not being his authentic self). its like hes trying to make it seem like is relationship is nice and decorated, that hes fine. that its all nice and pretty for others but not true to himself and his real feelings.

this pocket is interesting, the design is turned it doesn't line up at all but its the same design. something is off with the line up and their relationship. Mikes not being fully truthful so things aren't aligned. he can't say or write I love you bc the feelings aren't aligned in his heart and he knows it. hes still trying to pretend though, to be normal, which is why it's the same design just turned.

this pocket has an arrow that seems to point to Will often. not only that but it looks like an envelope (letters, from vs love Mike) and its a triangle (lgbt imagery). its almost like his heart has made its choice, the "love Mike" points to Will. also notice there's a button just like the end of s3 one (call back to the outfit where he didn't know who to chose, or what to feel), he knows who he's in love with and made his choice in his heart and mind already. that could explain why he looked almost pained to say I love you to El bc he knows he's in love with Will. (also speaking of this pocket it also ties into my Nancy Drew theory and my little pony/rainbow of light theory. I love when theories align)

idk I just found it interesting how Mikes pockets are and how often seems to have shirts with pockets when it involves his relationship with the love triangle and his feelings.

[thegirldownunder]

reject cannon

embrace delusion

[runninguplenorahills]

Once again here to tell y’all that “Will’s painting gave Mike the courage to tell El he loves her” is not what happened at all because it doesn’t make sense!!!

The fact that Mike didn’t immediately tell El that he loves her upon reuniting is a dead giveaway that the van scene was not at all about El for Mike either!! If the painting actually gave Mike the courage to tell El that he loves her then he would’ve told her that the second he saw her again!!!! Because why would he wait until the monologue to tell her if he’s been so encouraged to do it since the van scene?

At Surfer Boy Pizza Mike and El have a moment alone but as they start to direct the conversation into more serious territory Mike is at a loss of words. Mike struggles to say whatever he wanted to say! The most reasonable guess is that he wanted to break up with her and therefore struggling is a legitimate reaction. But if he wanted to tell her that he loves her then he wouldn’t have struggled so much if the painting gave him so much courage for his relationship with El!!!

Mike also didn’t bring up the painting to her and why would he not do that if it was really about El for him?

Shortly before the monologue Mike is at a loss of words again! If the painting did anything encouraging for his relationship with El than he wouldn’t have struggled to say it immediately!! But no, he needed encouragement to do so from Will! When Will says “Mike” Mike’s head shoots up to Will immediately with so much hope! But after Will references the painting Mike does not look encouraged at all!!! Mike looks discouraged by Will pushing him to say something and afterwards he forces himself to tell El that he loves her!!

And the biggest reason why “Will’s painting gave Mike the courage to tell El that he loves her” doesn’t make any sense at all, is that the fact that Mike doesn’t tell El that he loves her has absolutely nothing to do with courage!! Mike is not afraid to tell her! Mike is not a coward for not doing it!! Not telling El that he loves her is a deliberate decision by Mike due to the fact that he does not love her!!!! This has nothing to do with courage!! Mike doesn’t need encouragement to tell her!! Mike simply doesn’t love her! The thing that Mike actually needs courage for is breaking up with El!

The painting wasn’t encouragement for his relationship with El! It was encouragement for his relationship with Will!! Mike understood that Will was talking about himself and he feels the same! So in retrospect the painting gave him the courage to approach the breakup with El for good!! And thus Will’s words before the monologue discouraged Mike for their relationship again which lead to him forcing himself back into the relationship with El!!!

The argument that the painting gave Mike the courage to tell El that he loves her which means Mike is in love with Will’s feeling for him but thinks they’re El’s has got to be the worst byler “evidence” ever!!!

Let me put it into perspective for you:

If someone was in love with me and they’d describe their feelings for me by telling me that my partner feels that way, I’m gonna fall in love with those feelings because they’re attached to my partner!!! You simply cannot separate the feelings from the person!!! So when you say that Mike is canonically in love with Will’s feelings for him but he thinks they are El’s, this means Mike is in love with those feelings because of the exact reason that he thinks they are El‘s!! And that’s the most ant! byler thing ever!!

And also 100% not what happened!!!!

Mike is in love with the feelings Will described in the van because they’re attached to Will!! Mike knows Will was talking about himself!!

Mike is in love with Will, so of course he loves the fact that he feels the same!!!!

!!!the van scene was not about El for either of them!!!!!

The painting didn’t give Mike the courage to tell El that he loves her! It gave him the courage to break up with her!!!