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How the Duffers have set Will up for a happy ending in Season 5

The Duffers made the point that Will ALWAYS puts others before himself.

If they were NOT giving Will a happy ending, they wouldn't have done this...

... or this...

... or this:

... or this:

... or this:

(which he knew would kill him)

... or had him go through this:

... and still have him be willing to do this:

They didn't make clear that Will is a sweet, selfless boy who was abused by his dad, the people of Hawkins, and the Upside Down, for him to not have a happy ending.

So they definitely did NOT have him say this...

... for him to be right.

They had him say it because he will be wrong. EVERYTHING the show has done points toward Will FINDING love in Season 5, with YOU KNOW WHO.

-teambyler

(This is a companion to "Questions to ask if ever you have Byler doubt")

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Questions to ask if ever you have Byler doubt:

Do people seriously think that a show centered on nerds and social outcasts...

... shows how awful the popular kids can be...

... villainizes anti-gay bullies...

... sides against abusers...

... supports LGBT+ people...

... has interracial romance...

... embraces being different...

... turns an expected hetero romance into a beautiful platonic friendship...

... criticizes moral panic/evangelism...

... makes the "town freak" our hero...

... shows that love can overcome hate...

... and whose characters don't want to recreate the nuclear family...

... do we really think that show will let a suffering, traumatized gay boy's love be the device for a conventional white hetero couple to be the show's "main relationship"?

Has the show even set-up Mike and El, who met through trauma and circumstance while they were children and have repeatedly lied to each other, for a lifelong commitment?

Who's actually delusional?

And who sees this show for what it is? And what it's clearly setting up?

-teambyler

(This is a companion to "How the Duffers have set Will up for a happy ending in Season 5")

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mike wheeler vecna

i physically need to know what is happening in michael wheelers brain…

which is why in season 5 mike has to be vecna’ed. then we can see the past seasons through the googles of mike!!!! knowing that he has been struggling with his identity throughout the whole series that the GA hasn’t picked up on will be so satisfying. then will can save him with his fave song and the power of love or whatever. however, we need the yearning and pining from mike pov leading up to the big battle where the beans are spilled in super dramatic manner and we get byler kiss!!!!!!!!!

this is my desired confession

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I wanna show here something that I saw on Twitter that literally just blowed my mind. I don't know if I'm the only one who hadn't thought about that, but OMG THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE??? LIKE RIGHT NOW TELL ME A NON GAY EXPLANATION TO WHY MIKE HASN'T ASKED WILL ABOUT HIS "GIRL" CRUSH HE KNOWS ABOUT. W H Y.

I'll tell you why: he doesn't want his heart to be broken.

Credits to the thought and the tweet to @luvv_byers on Twitter!! And if you read that, thank you for blowing up my mind!! I can't stop thinking about that now.

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my biggest byler proof is that it just makes more sense

the duffers could have made mike and will solely close friends that can confide in one another. instead, they create dramatic fight scenes, heartfelt one on ones with romantic music, make will canonically in love with mike, and literally destroy mileven!!! like it just makes more sense. additionally, mike yearns to be loved and feel needed, which is not something that elevens character depends on because of her arc of independence. coincidentally, his best friend, through the guise of el, tells mike that he loves him and will always need him. that sounds actually insane to create a character just for representation and make them suffer. they could have easily made will explore his queer identity without involving mike, BUT THEY DIDNT! and that is for a reason

remember guys: it’ll pay off

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to love someone with your entire being, and to simply care about someone deeply are two things that one can get confused very easily if they haven’t figured themselves out yet, that’s all i’m gonna say

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:(

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everyone is like “would the byler kiss be awkward for finn and noah” and i assure you, as many have assured before me, it was probably as natural for them as it was for finn and millie, if not wayyyy more. those two had to makeout at 14 for s3, which must have been SOOOO awkward.

so really, two very well trained actors who are both in their 20s, have been in relationships of their own, and are comfortable with each other, probably had it easy compared to that. sure it’s a queer relationship, but 1) noah is gay so he def dgaf, and 2) finn dgaf either cause he’s been in so many roles where he portrayed a queer character. this also isn’t his first queer, on-screen kiss.

these people have also known each other for ages and have probably known about byler for the same amount of time. they’ve had years to get comfortable with the roles they play, and they do an excellent job. and actors have to do a ton of weird shit for roles, so kissing another actor is about as tame as it gets.

they are, in fact, professionals. so them kissing is really no big deal. i’m sure there was a bit of anxiety leading up to filming, but more just bc they’ve been anticipating byler’s buildup for FUCKING YEARS!

also also every clip we have of finn referencing byler or will’s crush on mike, he’s clearly as hyped for it as the rest of the cast. i haven’t sensed an ounce of discomfort from either of them concerning the relationship

they’re gonna do amazing, and if the awkwardness the actors experienced during filming is making you less hyped for byler, just know it’s moot since it was probably soooo chill hahaha!

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and when they kiss as though nothing could fall because the shame is on the other side, what then?

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Some Byler fic recs 💗 Part one

Fluff!

Wash my hair and tell me I'm pretty 3k, twoshot (made by the wonderful @kuumara >:D)

laminate the stasis 5k, oneshot

feel it in my kiss (i'm crazy for you) 3k, oneshot (by @andiwriteordie)

Was it ever really a secret? 2k, oneshot

Hopper's Dilemma 2k, oneshot

playing pretend never felt so real 23k, oneshot

i don't wanna keep secrets just to keep you 3k, oneshot

Soulmate au

And things were looking like a movie 1k, oneshot

Just a glance, that's all it took 2k, twoshot

When blue meets yellow in the west 8k, multichapter

It's a love story (baby, just say yes) 11k, oneshot

Violet and Blue 2k, twoshot

Unbreakable connection 20k, multichapter

Just a curious speck that got caught up in orbit 10k, oneshot (this ones made by the amazing @willow-lark 💗)

Death cannot so easily be determined 1k, oneshot

it's all me, just don't go . meet me in the afterglow (tell me that we'll be just fine even if i lose my mind) 4k, one chapter

The ballad of the sun and moon 3k, oneshot

The part of me that can't let go 7k, one chapter (made by @embarrassedwithapicketsign :D)

Fool death (we're the lucky ones) 3k, twoshot

The best thing i've ever done 10k, multichapter

Mike comes out & Wheeler family stuff

Mike Wheeler comes out with the help of Nancy's music taste! 4k, twoshot

The only thing I've ever had faith in 5k, oneshot

No more secrets. 628, oneshot

The box 2k, oneshot

Everythings about you to me 1k, oneshot

Im thankful for my sister (even though sometimes we fight) 18k, oneshot

Our secret 588, 1 chapter

Believe in one thing, I won't go away 1k, oneshot

Babygirlgate

(found most of these from @aramapostsandwrites)

I guess we're more similar than I thought. 1k, oneshot

I Held Your Face In My Hands, Babygirl 1k, oneshot

"Why does Will call you babygirl?" 1k, oneshot

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Ahahaha I'm relieved I wasn't the only one who though about this song during the "What about us" argument lmao

if i had a nickel for every time i watched something with a main character in high school who's torn between what society expects of him and what his heart is telling him

who's in a love triangle with a character he has a genuine connection with and who shares his passions

and a character who doesn't really understand him and has feelings for him that he can't return

and during summer break becomes too preoccupied with character B due to societal pressures

causing him to act unlike himself

and neglect character A

i'd have two nickels. which isn't much, but it's weird that it happened twice, right?

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i fully believe the reason the final cut of this scene is so different is because they changed it to be more subtle. cause if you imagine it played out on screen, it's so unbelievably romantic. the final cut is also extremely romantic, but the og is just nuts to me. i'm also pretty sure the duffers said they change things and cut things out to make things less obvious, so take that as you will

1. will is still kneeling on the floor, but there's no direction for mike to sit on his bed. it says mike goes up to him, which could be a lot of things, but since will is still on the floor im guessing mike was meant to squat down to his level or kneel next to him. already way more intimate than the final cut where mike sits on his bed. so as we go through this, make sure you keep in mind they are sitting right next to each other

i imagine he was supposed to be right there

2. 'you didn't have to' wasn't in the original script. originally, mike and will were supposed to let will's words hang in the air and smile at each other for a second or two (probably the same amount of time between 'you didn't have to' and 'hey, also-' in the final cut). they were supposed to smile at each other until mike says "Hey, listen [...]", then will looks away. a few uncut seconds of them....smiling at each other.....until one of them awkwardly breaks the silence.... y'all.

id also like to bring up what finn said about mike not knowing about will's feelings, but there also being a mutual understanding and acceptance. i think what he means is that they mutually understand how different and special their relationship is. "i didn't say it..." with no response but a shared smile implies the same thing the final cut does. will didn't have to, mike understood anyway. that shared smile is supposed to be them acknowledging that. they both know it, and i honestly don't know how finn and noah were supposed to act that out without it being so obviously flirty and blushy. hence why they most likely didn't keep it in. also remember that they're supposed to be right next to each other probably face to face. THE OG WOULDVE BEEN SO BLUSHY AND AWKWARD LIKE.......

3. "If we're....friends again. Best friends."

lord jesus

given that at this point in s4 the audience is meant to have already put it together that will likes mike, that line is crazy to me.

"If we're..."

WHY DID HE HAVE TO THINK??? WHY DID HE HESITATE???? the watcher already knows there is romance present in this dynamic, how fucking else is that meant to be taken?? this is also stranger things, the show where a staple in their romances is that they always claim they're just friends, when they're not. and it's MIKE saying this, not will.

and right after this, it says "Will finally looks at mike, emotional." so during mike's entire monologue, will isn't looking at him. to be honest i think them staring into each other's souls in the final cut it more romantic, but mike saying all this to a will who isn't looking at him adds a lot of depth. imagine mike saying all that and staring at will, who isn't looking back. it puts more romantic emphasis on mike. it's like mike wants will's approval.

smooth transition into—

4. "Yeah?" "Yeah."

good god it's so romantic

they swapped this for "Cool." "Cool." which can be interpreted as platonic a lot easier. and the time they did use "yeah?" "yeah." was during the van scene. it happens in the og script for the bedroom scene too, except it was WILL asking and MIKE confirming. they're flip flopped.

we can't know for sure what scene they filmed first, but i think it might've been van scene first and then the bedroom scene, cause i know the roller rink scenes and scenes in the house were filmed near the end of filming as a whole.

i probably sound crazy, but let's entertain that possibility for a second. cause one was filmed first, which means one was changed first.

the van scene lines were originally "You really think so?" "I know so." , but they changed it to "Yeah?" "Yeah." so what if they changed it so it would parallel the bedroom scene?

if they kept it as it was originally written, the scenes would be very obvious parallels. one talks and talks and talks about their feelings for the other. then the other asks for confirmation, and confirmation is given. it would've paralleled mike's monologue to will to a love confession, which is WAY too obvious

i cannot express to you how crazy this makes me 

5. "This intimate moment is shattered"

i don't even have to explain why this is a romantic trope, it just is

i'm gonna assume they were still supposed to have their gazes torn from each other like in the final cut, but imagine that happening while they're way closer. SO much more obviously romantic. they could've been in the same shot when it happens like in the other two scenes where they're interrupted, but in the final cut they aren't. and it's entirely possible they changed that cause the og is just WAY too romantic

i also want to highlight a couple parallels between this scene and the van scene cause this script pretty much confirmed they're connected and i honestly never thought about it until now

> "These past few months she's been so...lost without you."

> "Listen, the truth is, this last year has been weird, you know? And, you know, Max and Lucas and Dustin—they're great, they're great, it's just...it's Hawkins, it's not the same without you."

> "Mike takes this all in. Emotional now too."

"You really think so?"

"I know so."

and in the final cut

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

> "Will finally looks at mike, emotional."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

and in the final cut

"Cool."

"Cool."

and of course, the painting. the bedroom scene is the set up for the painting. will grabs it before the shoot out happens. and the van scene is the pay off. idk how in the hell i never picked up on that, but i see it now

but yeah. i guess the duffers realized on set how obviously romantic the byler scenes play out and had to fix it so it'll still fly under the radar for most people

not me though y'all stay safe ❤️

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they could have made mike and el's reunion look completely new and romantic and yet...

this was crazy by the way

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this is your friendly reminder that the interesting choice of words "i never really unpacked" came out of mike wheeler's mouth which just proves that the audience has no idea about what goes on inside mike's head and if that's not the most insane thing ever done i don't know what is

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HOOOOOLD THE PHOOOONE WHAT THE FUCK WHY ARENT WE TALKING ABIUT THIS MORE WHAG RHE SHIT

EXCUSE ME TUMBLR BUT WHY DIDNT I SEE YOU GUYS TALKING ABOUT THIS FIRST??? HELLO????? WHAT DID I MISS

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Trust that Mike Wheeler got literal chills from that touch.

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Damn this is one of the best analysis I ever seen

It’s blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, but the Alan Turing poster really tells us so much about Will that I consider it to be a significant piece of foreshadowing for S5.

First, let’s dissuade ourselves of the notion that Will chose Turing for his hero project for nerd reasons – Will’s preferred flavour of nerdery is escapist fantasy, not computer science. He doesn’t know what an IP address is and the first thing he thinks of when he hears modem noises is a movie he likes.

No, he chose Turing because he admires him for being a gay man who accomplished so much in his short life.

On one hand, that’s pretty heart-warming – the fact he’s willing to identify with other gay men and look up to them as role models shows us he’s making good progress in accepting his identity. On the other hand, it’s heart-breaking, because Turing’s story is not a happy one – he was caught having a sexual relationship with a man and forced to choose between jail or chemical castration. He chose castration.

I remind you: Will identifies with this guy.

Will is growing up under the twin specters of AIDS and homophobia and likely assumes he’s destined to die young too. He’s been abused and bullied so much, I imagine he’s heard and internalized it all: that he deserves to die, that he’s disgusting, that he’ll never be fulfilled in life.

So when puberty begins crawling its way inside him and implants those shameful desires that make gay men so worthy of abuse… he chooses castration.

For all the sad pining he does in S4, we never really see Will express desire for Mike – he never checks him out or shows signs of nervousness when they touch. He behaves with perfect platonic decorum at all times…

…unless we consider That One Scene With The Hose.

Sexual interpretations of this scene are controversial, and I can understand why; we’re so used to seeing Will as this innocent, immature little boy that it’s shocking to catch him fantasizing so lustfully, even though these sorts of thoughts are pretty normal for a 15 year-old. But I think that’s the point. We’re supposed to feel uncomfortable about this, because Will feels uncomfortable about it too.

He’s done well in accepting his identity, but he’s an absolute repressed mess when it comes to accepting his sexuality.

So, that’s what the Turing poster tells us about Will. Here’s where the foreshadowing comes in: Will is not the only queer-coded character to have been metaphorically castrated.

Henry’s experience bears striking similarities to Turing’s: he too was caught engaging in a natural but forbidden behaviour and forced by his government to undergo a medical procedure to suppress that behaviour.

His villain speech to El in 4x07, which is ostensibly about his powers, also reads very strongly as a scathing criticism of heteronormativity, and it’s covered in rainbow motifs.

The metaphor here is obvious: Henry’s powers are a manifestation of his homosexuality.

Which implies that Will’s homosexuality can also manifest as powers. They’re repressed because he’s repressed.

It’s not a coincidence that the sexual tension was through the fucking roof in the infamous sauna scene. Every time Will’s supernatural ability to sense the Mind Flayer triggers in S3, Mike is also nearby.

What’s interesting about Mike is that his queer acceptance issues mirror Will’s: Mike has a healthy relationship with his sexuality (he casually checks guys out and plasters his bedroom walls with posters of buff dudes) but he just can’t bring himself to accept what this implies about his identity.

Always with the symmetry, these two. They complement each other perfectly; one’s hang-up is the other’s strength. They have a lot to teach each other about being queer.

And as repressed as they are, I think they want to learn from each other – Will lets himself get flustered when Mike flirts with him in his bedroom, and Mike hangs on to every word of wisdom Will shares with him in their heart-to-hearts.

Internalized homophobia is a powerful force, but their bond is so strong that it empowers them to fight back.

Henry’s powers symbolize his anger at being mistreated and his desire to take that anger out on the world… but Will’s powers symbolize self-acceptance and love.

So he isn’t just going to defeat Vecna with his powers, and he isn’t just going to get the boy: these two things are one and the same.