#Byler has all the romcom tropes

[castlebyersafterdark]

you not being alone in your unrestrained appreciation of this man:

https://www.tumblr.com/henbeaka/754216657617092608/we-are-all-will-byers-internally?source=share

if will doesnt draw mike laid out with nothing on sometime somewhere in his life, it will be a goddamn tragedy (has titanic really ruined this trope by making it a joke? doesnt matter cos titanic wont be out until 97 and are byler even going to see it at the movies? hmmm im not sure. maybe will sneaks away to see it cos mike scorns, or drags him along and mike is mortified by how much he liked it

i mean they are both swooning at leo di caprio, let's not lie to ourselves)

even funnier possibility: will steals jon's camera to take saucy pics of mike but forgets to figure out developing them, then jon develops the print and his eyes are burned from his skull (phoebe from friends voice ''ahhhhh my eyes! my eyes!'')

Are you kidding me? Absolutely. I'd say getting to draw Mike in all his naked glory is one of Will's top fantasies. Our soulful little artist. He'd have dreamt of this, years of watching Mike and sketching him. Quick little studies of his profile when they're hanging out and his sketchbook is present. And then there are the secret, indulgent drawings that he feels somewhat ashamed about, in his private sketchbook hidden in a tear in his mattress he'd cut years ago. But they get together and grow comfortable with each other. Will draws Mike. A lot. But now Mike sits for him, poses under Will's instruction. Mike, who can't sit still, but can sit still for Will. It's an excuse to stare at him.

One day Will shyly asks Mike to take his shirt off as he draws. He just wants to practice on anatomy, he swears is his excuse. Sure. Mike doesn't let that comment slide 🤭 But Will sketches him, both are blushing all the while. The art sessions get bolder. Instead of the chair, Mike lounges on the bed. Ditches his shirt automatically. Will almost can't get the words out when he asks him to take off his pants the next time. And another time - everything. It's vulnerable. Tense. Intimate, to be completely exposed under an artist's gaze. Eyes roving over all that beautiful, pale skin and the dark curls all over his chest and lower. Putting pencil to paper to capture and draw the most intimate parts of his lover. Mike's confidence grows over time when he looks at Will's drawings, sees how Will truly views him.

Will doesn't lie. And neither does his art.

Flash forward, and it's the late 90s, and our boys are cinephiles for sure. They love living in the big city, having access to so many more films. So much never reached their small town. Titanic would have reached them, though. Anywhere. It may not have been their top pick of the year, but it's a pop culture moment and they relent and grab some tickets to check out the hype. The movie is breaking countless records and reviews say that it is a technical marvel in film-making. Mike has a secret guilty pleasure for romcoms (if it's heavy on the com! he insists. Will lets him believe that's the whole truth) and he's willing to branch out from sheer curiosity, while Will does love a historical drama, heavy emphasis on the drama. If it ends up cheesy or boring, the two of them always have fun sharing mocking commentary whispered in each other's ear. So, they're both a little shocked to find themselves swept up in the sincere romance portion of the movie, and both keep looking at each other with eyes that just say everything, smirking about their new mutual crush on mister Leo. What a cutie. And then - the draw me like one of your French girls scene. Mike squeaks a laugh during that scene and claps a hand over his mouth as he giggles out of his control and Will whips his head to stare at him. They know. They fucking know what they are. How many times have they done this? Mike, laid out and posed on the bed as Will traces soft graphite across paper as his eyes trace the sharp angles and lines of Mike's body. It's a random Wednesday and they're at a theater in Chelsea, one of their favorites. They don't have to worry as much there, and have been holding hands since they took their seats. Mike pulls the ultimate date-move and stretches, and his arm re-positons across Will's shoulders. He pulls him close and leans over to place a kiss to his neck just as Rose is retying her robe and admiring Jack's sketch. "When we get home, will you draw me like--" and he doesn't get to finish as Will cuts him off with a kiss and the world's fondest eye roll.

[considermeadream12]

Mike’s reaction to the painting is relief and here is why:

Thinking about the van-scene and the painting again, I realized something pretty obvious that I somehow still managed to never pick up on:

When Will gives Mike the painting, Mike doesn’t know it’s for him!

How could I not see this?! - Because this aspect of the story is always shown from Will’s or El’s POV.

First, we hear El talk about the painting in her letter to Mike, assuming it's "for a girl he likes".

We see Will bring the painting to the airport:

In Episode 4 we see him shove it into his backpack as a reaction to their reunion in Jonathan’s room:

The painting is serving as a sign of Will’s romantic feelings for Mike, it’s an obvious hint the audience is meant to pick up.

But as an audience we tend to forget; we’re probably meant to forget, that Mike doesn’t know the recipient of the painting. A lot of great posts have already pointed out how jealously he reacts to it, thinking that it’s for some girl in Lenora.

And Will doesn’t make clear that there is no girl, he keeps saying things that from Mike’s POV sound like he could be in similar situation to him – not being able to tell someone how they really feel: “Sometimes I think it’s just scary to open up like that. To say how you really feel.”

 – We all know that this is true, Will is talking about his feelings for Mike here. But what if Mike believes that Will is thinking about the non-existent-girl in that moment? He doesn’t know about Will’s feelings – Finn confirmed that.

Why else let El speculate on a love interest for Will in the first scene of the season, than to confuse Mike? This is actually a common romcom-trope: Making a character believe that their love-interest is into someone else, which leads to misunderstanding and drama until the truth comes out: That they were into each other all along.

So when Will hands Mike the painting in EP8, he has the whole audience on his side – this scene was one of the most speculated ones within Volume 2!

Whereas Mike… seems nervous about it. Because he just finished his little speech about El, his doubts and the future of their relationship. And as a reaction to it Will gets out the painting. A painting he believes to be for some unknown girl he is probably jealous of. We see him being surprised about it, almost hesitant:

When Mike reveals the painting, he is amazed by it…

...but also RELIEVED.

Relieved because it was destined for him this whole time. Relieved because there is no reason to be jealous. We don’t know if he believes Will’s lie about El commissioning it, but even if he doesn’t, it’s 100% clear that the painting from the beginning was made for him, not for a potential girl in Lenora. It’s hard to read Mike’s emotions during the van-scene, but relief would explain his big smile in the end:

But also, his seriousness – it’s the realisation that he was all wrong during the past few days:

And (but that is just my personal interpretation), it seems like he slowly starts to see Will in a different light after that scene. Maybe he just starts noticing all the little details about Will’s words and behaviour:

He doesn’t seem to get Will's love confession in the back of the van. But I think this scene could have set something in motion within him:

It makes him consider the possibility that Will might have feelings for him.

[considermeadream12]

Reblogging my updated post from last night.

Mike’s reaction to the painting is relief and here is why:

Thinking about the van-scene and the painting again, I realized something pretty obvious that I somehow still managed to never pick up on:

When Will gives Mike the painting, Mike doesn’t know it’s for him!

How could I not see this?! - Because this aspect of the story is always shown from Will’s or El’s POV.

First, we hear El talk about the painting in her letter to Mike, assuming it's "for a girl he likes".

We see Will bring the painting to the airport:

In Episode 4 we see him shove it into his backpack as a reaction to their reunion in Jonathan’s room:

The painting is serving as a sign of Will’s romantic feelings for Mike, it’s an obvious hint the audience is meant to pick up.

But as an audience we tend to forget; we’re probably meant to forget, that Mike doesn’t know the recipient of the painting. A lot of great posts have already pointed out how jealously he reacts to it, thinking that it’s for some girl in Lenora.

And Will doesn’t make clear that there is no girl, he keeps saying things that from Mike’s POV sound like he could be in similar situation to him – not being able to tell someone how they really feel: “Sometimes I think it’s just scary to open up like that. To say how you really feel.”

 – We all know that this is true, Will is talking about his feelings for Mike here. But what if Mike believes that Will is thinking about the non-existent-girl in that moment? He doesn’t know about Will’s feelings – Finn confirmed that.

Why else let El speculate on a love interest for Will in the first scene of the season, than to confuse Mike? This is actually a common romcom-trope: Making a character believe that their love-interest is into someone else, which leads to misunderstanding and drama until the truth comes out: That they were into each other all along.

So when Will hands Mike the painting in EP8, he has the whole audience on his side – this scene was one of the most speculated ones within Volume 2!

Whereas Mike… seems nervous about it. Because he just finished his little speech about El, his doubts and the future of their relationship. And as a reaction to it Will gets out the painting. A painting he believes to be for some unknown girl he is probably jealous of. We see him being surprised about it, almost hesitant:

When Mike reveals the painting, he is amazed by it…

...but also RELIEVED.

Relieved because it was destined for him this whole time. Relieved because there is no reason to be jealous. We don’t know if he believes Will’s lie about El commissioning it, but even if he doesn’t, it’s 100% clear that the painting from the beginning was made for him, not for a potential girl in Lenora. It’s hard to read Mike’s emotions during the van-scene, but relief would explain his big smile in the end:

But also, his seriousness – it’s the realisation that he was all wrong during the past few days:

And (but that is just my personal interpretation), it seems like he slowly starts to see Will in a different light after that scene. Maybe he just starts noticing all the little details about Will’s words and behaviour:

He doesn’t seem to get Will's love confession in the back of the van. But I think this scene could have set something in motion within him:

It makes him consider the possibility that Will might have feelings for him.