#I love you flickergate and churchgate

[helen-cooper-fan-account]

I love delusional people

[teambyler]

How the Duffers likely will make the general audience AWARE of Byler and CHEER for Byler

First the TL;DR. They'll probably do it with:

Revealing the Painting Lie

Will comes out to Mike

Will gets bullied for being gay, and Mike must make a choice

Mike and Will face danger together, alone, for the 1st time

And I'll spell out exactly how and why!

(CAVEAT: I can't claim to know 100% what will happen of course! This in the spirit of fun analysis and speculation.)

We in the Byler fandom have our theories: Flickergate, Lettergate, Churchgate, etc. While totally fun and while it would be amazing if they became reality, they don't answer the question of how the Duffers would manage audience expectations to make them accept and cheer for Byler.

Because we all know the reality: on a surface level, season 4 ended with a grand "love confession" from Mike to El. It appeared to have culminated a four-year arc that started from show's beginning. For the vast majority of viewers, a Byler relationship will be a HUGE SURPRISE.

This isn't just heteronormativity; it's also the fact that in every slow-burn romantic relationship in fiction, the story needs to openly tease "Will they or won't they?" for a while first. The audience needs to start thinking that these 2 characters (1) MIGHT be together, and (2) eventually that they SHOULD be together and cheer for them!

For Jonathan and Nancy, there were a lot of moments suggesting they MIGHT be together in Season 1. Then in Season 2, we had THIS episode (where Steve left Nancy wasted at the party) that made the audience think Nancy absolutely SHOULD be with Jonathan instead of Steve:

The show then dragged things out MORE before their first kiss.

Anti-Bylers raise a fair point that there "isn't enough time" to replace a relationship that seemed to have been "fulfilled" at the end of s4, with an entirely different one. Of course, the ground has been laid for four seasons, but HOW EXACTLY can the Duffers make the audience accept and cheer for Byler, after seeming to have "built up Mike and El for 4 seasons"?

Showing Byler is POSSIBLE:

First, the most obvious (and elegant) way for the Duffers to accomplish this is by revealing the Painting Lie.

The main things that make the General Audience/GA dismiss the idea that Mike likes Will back are that he (1) confessed "I love you" to El and (2) said things like "it's not my fault you don't like girls" and "we're FRIENDS" that suggest he can't be gay or bi.

The show has to address these two things, and there are ways that are pretty obvious.

The fact that El had no role in the painting COMPLETELY undercuts the "I love you" confession in the GA's mind. Milevens completely underestimate how this will affect Mike and El's relationship and how the audience will view it. El didn't commission the painting. When Will gave the painting, he wasn't describing El, but himself. Mike confessed his love to this false picture of El, one that was actually WILL.

When El finds out, she'll realize that Mike said he loved her based on a LIE. She'll realize that she accurately clocked Mike for not loving her when they argued in s4. It's likely that she'll take the initiative to break up or take a break in their relationship. (El deciding this will assuage concern that Will being with Mike would "betray" his own sister.) Mike might desperately try to repair things. Even if he does, this will show the GA that Mike's struggle for an entire season to say he loved El -- already very concerning for a romantic couple -- was a complete fiasco, and that Mike and El will PROBABLY NOT end up together.

Mike (and the GA) will be confronted with the fact that Mike felt romantic love for the first time because Will described HIMSELF. It will be apparent that Will would be a more suitable romantic interest... if he were a girl. =) It's just too bad that "Mike is probably straight"!

Now how to deal with that misconception?

We come to our OTHER Chekhov's gun that needs to fire: Will comes out to Mike. Will is still closeted at the end of s4, and his right to be out and find happiness is clearly central to his future arc. This HAS to be resolved. And he HAS to come out to his mom and his BEST FRIEND.

When he comes out to Mike, he of course won't spurn Will. Will probably explains he didn't come out earlier because he was afraid Mike would be homophobic because of what he'd said that summer, "It's not my fault you don't like girls":

If Will does, then Mike will have to explain why he said it. First, Mike probably apologizes and makes clear he accepts Will. The show (maybe Mike himself) might remind us that he defended Will from homophobia in s1. But this makes the GA wonder "Then why did he say it then?" And Mike might be exceedingly defensive when explaining himself. Will coming out to Mike is a golden opportunity to show the GA that NOT EVERYTHING IS AS IT SEEMS, and Mike might be dealing with internalized homophobia.

That's one way to signal that Mike might be gay or bi. And there's another!

We've been told that Season 5 returns to Season 1 themes. The Core Four are probably bullied for the Hellfire Club, and Will might be bullied for being gay. Ross Duffer says that s5 will center on Will's "emotional arc" and his "coming into his own as a young man," so his confronting homophobia in an 80s small town is quite likely. Since Mike and Will are joined at the hip in s5, the same accusation could easily extend to Mike. All this means that Mike will be confronted with the CHOICE of whether he'll stand up to anti-gay bullying. (Perhaps this is why there's a BTS pic of Mike with a bruise on his face?) It might be strongly implied to the GA that Mike is standing up, not only for Will, but for himself. Shrewd viewers would see the parallel to Mike defending Will from homophobia in s1, making them rethink that scene as well. (Defending Will INTENSELY would simultaneously suggest he's closeted AND clearly parallel Jonathan fighting Steve in s1, which showed Nancy that "only love makes you that crazy sweetheart, and that damn stupid.")

How Season 5 can make the GA CHEER for Byler:

Showing Byler is possible is the main obstacle; next is the much easier, and FUN (and agonizing) part!

First, the show has put Will through so much trauma and made clear how selfless he is, that the audience already wants him to have a happy ending. He almost certainly will suffer again in s5. We probably are reminded that as a gay person in the 80s he believes he's "not gonna fall in love." Meanwhile, the show has made clear that his love for Mike is PAINFULLY deep and won't simply go away.

Once the GA sees the POSSIBILITY of a Mike/Will romance as per above, their mental floodgates will open. As Jancy shows, It doesn't take much to get the audience to root for a relationship, after the seeds are planted. And Byler has FOUR SEASONS of seeds for the GA to look back on with fresh eyes!

How to recall those 4 seasons of material? We already know that Will is in danger and we'll see a return of "leader Mike" in s5. This likely will include callbacks (and even flashbacks) to Mike and Will's relationship in s1 and s2. There's the newly-filmed flashback from when they were young kids. This all will bring their long-time closeness to the fore in viewers' minds. But with the artifice of Mike's relationship with El knocked away, they will see it as potentially romantic and realize that this show seems to have secretly been building them up as a romantic couple all along.

Add to all that: we likely will have Will and Mike facing danger together, alone, for the first time:

It was Jonathan and Nancy facing danger together in s1 that made the vast majority of viewers ship Jancy. Mike and Will facing danger will put their LOVE (remember: the audience already accepts them as best friends who love each other!) and their willingness to RISK THEIR LIVES for each other to the fore. Callbacks, flashbacks, and dialogue will remind the GA of their sacrifices for each other: Mike putting Will before everything in s1 and s2, and Will sacrificing his feelings to help Mike be with El. They might hug each other after a near-death experience and have a mutual Gay Panic, which will be a callback (and contrast) to their non-hug at the airport. Millions will say "They should just kiss already."

There are SO MANY WAYS to get the audience cheering for Byler.

Will probably lives in Mike's house because the Byers don't have their own house in Hawkins anymore. Mike, if he doesn't know already at the season's start, will KNOW the painting came from Will and wonder if it was romantic. The tension between them in s5 will make s4 look like nothing in comparison.

When Will comes out to him, Mike might ask, "Is... there anyone you like?"

He'll ask NERVOUSLY, like he once did before:

Will probably won't answer honestly; he might make up another boy! ("I met him in California. We like a lot of the same things. He even likes D&D...") To which Mike says, "COOL." (BTW, this could obviously echo the airport scene and make viewers reassess and understand that as another miscommunication!) This leads to a new cycle of these two boys thinking their love is unrequited LOL.

Only this time the General Audience will be fully aware of it. The miscommunication trope widely used in fictional TV romances will not only tell the GA that Byler should happen, but WILL happen. Will and Mike become THE "Will they or won't they?" couple that everyone is talking about. Mike's sexuality and his feelings for Will probably aren't officially revealed until mid or late season in order to let the excitement build. If Season 5 is released in more than one volume, there will be a flurry of videos and articles revisiting past seasons, finding evidence of Mike's feelings for Will that we Bylers have curated for years. Except for a few vocal homophobes, the show will make the GA (even people who don't watch analysis videos online) fully onboard with a Byler conclusion before it happens; the SHOW ITSELF will set-up and tease it and make the GA desperately want these boys to "just kiss already."

Season 5 will be messy. And glorious. And the most Byler season of all.

-teambyler

[hawkins-batman]

i don't see you posting about st theories, so i was wondering what are some that you think are plausible

I’ll be honest — the reason I don’t post about theories is because I’m not privy to many. I am an OG Season 1 fan. Have binged the new seasons the DAY they come out each time. But until last year, I didn’t really interact much with the fandom online.

I’ve been convinced something was going on between Will and Mike since Season 2 came out. But Stranger Things and Byler were always just my personal thing. So, I got introduced to some of the theories last year — like Flickergate.

That said, a few that I think are plausible are:

Phonegate — I think Mike did call Will in Lenora and was blue balled by Joyce. That line from Dustin was completely unnecessary unless it meant something we were supposed to pick up on.

Birthdaygate — Obviously. I’m kinda interested to see how the Duffers resolve this because it wasn’t just Mike that forgot Will’s birthday. This involves Joyce, Jonathan, and El, too.

Churchgate — idk how I much I buy a rehash of the “Will gets possessed” plot, but it’s certainly possible and with him and Mike filming in the UD together, I’m not ruling it out. I’d LOVE it if they pulled this off.

I love the theory of Flickergate, but I’m not sure I completely buy it. I don’t entirely buy into the time travel theories in Stranger Things, even if I love the theories themselves.

I have some other non-Byler ST theories of my own too. If you guys want to know them, maybe I’ll make a separate post about that.

[crzytgther]

stuff i wanna see in s5!!!

ronance scenes NOWW i don't even mean as a couple specifically i just love them together romantic or platonic :3

MIKE WILL ROBIN AND VICKIE AS A GROUPPPPP

MR CLARK SLIPPING BYLER A KEY TO THE AV CLUB ROOM AT PROM SO THEY CAN ENJOY IT WITHOUT BEING SEEN OMFG I NEED THIS RIGHT NOW PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE !!!!!

more dustin and steve

robin and will coming out to each other.

also will coming out in general

MIKE FIGURING OUT HIMSELF MORE I NEEDDD MORE OF HIS STORY I LOVE HIS CHARACTER SM

someone telling will mike likes him cus that would actually be so funny how surprised he'd be😭 he's so oblivious lmaoo

will with a gun

mike and nancy heartfelt scenes

byler being dads to holly

jopper being parents !!

008 coming back

mike getting vecnad

churchgate or flickergate

MIKE TO CONFESS/KISS WILL FIRST. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DUFFERS I BEG YOU PLEASE PLEASE 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

elmike being platonic besties 🤞

lumax kiss because we only got ONE ?? we're being robbed chat LUMAX KISS NOWWW

joyce murray and hopper trio 🗣️🗣️

A PET JUST ANY PET i just want someone to have a pet again 😔

preferably something that's not gonna turn into a giant deadly democreature that eats cats :333

MAX WAKING UPPPPP

maxs letters but her letter to mike specifically idk i just wanna see it so bad for some reason i just feel like she knows something

dustin. just dustin i wanna see more of his storyline

bychance being nonexistent pleeeaasseee😊😊😊🫶🏻

that's it :)

[somesaintiam]

What’s your opinion on the likeliness of birthdaygate happening? Do you think this one’s the most probable to happen?

i really like the idea of birthday gate, but my version of it is that will also did not remember his birthday due to some weird vecna stuff going on since will didnt seem to remember his own birthday imo since he seemed focused on mike and el "ignoring" him. I think this gate does have a probable chance of happening, but it is also kind of hard to tell...( even if it wasnt planned from s4, i wonder if the duffers would have to put it in anyways to fill a plot hole ) But if it does happen i would like it be used in some angst scene and cause some domino effect like.. for example birthdaygate happens (along with lettergate hopefully) and this leads to lots of stuff, then eventually.. the painting realization for mike. like at first will being taunted by vecna and vecna tells will about the day which was supposed to be his birthday. and then lots of angst. lots of it.

and i think it might be one of the most probable to happen tbh birthdaygate isnt my favorite gate but i would love for it to happen along with lettergate. Im also torn between churchgate and flickergate now bc theyre all so good🙏🙏🙏

[lucystark12]

thoughts on flickergate?????

i fw all of the gates i really do but i have to be real with you- i think flickergate might be my least favorite out of The Big Four™️.

i am literally a churchgate enthusiast. i would die for churchgate. if god descended down and landed across the table i'm sitting at in the school library and said "lucy, it's your life or churchgate." i would gladly die for it, and with churchgate and flickergate it kinda feels like we can only have one. i do like how flickergate parallels nicely with the rain fight and obviously the opening scene in the show, it feels VERY full circle which is very enticing to me as a writer. i love the way that outside the garage was initially where will couldn't lie, then were mike did, and would eventually be where all of the lying stopped. i would be very happy if flickergate were to happen.

HOWEVER.

churchgate is my fucking home slice. i love churchgate. i think it's beautiful. it's lovely. its perfect. it's my daughter, son, wife, husband, best friend, grandmother, sister, brother, enemy, and frenemy. it would hands down be the most beautiful thing to happen in the history of television (spoken from a game of thrones fan, so that kinda means something) and i would shamelessly never shut up about it. it kinda reads like a scenario i used to act out with the peter parker bot on character ai a few years ago where i talked him down from possession by the venom symbiote, which is (embarrassingly) probably why i like it so much. if you can top my character ai scenarios that's how you know you're fucking baller.