#WHY DO WE CARE WHAT MIKE WHEELER’S SEXUALITY IS

[riri-loves-cats]

Guys listen you don’t need to hate a popular ship just because you like a less popular ship…

for example (and this is just an example, I’m not targeting these specific people)

I see a lot of posts under Mileven, that is JUST talking about Mike and Eleven, and they have anti-byler in the tags even though there’s NO mention of will. Also all this discourse about who’s gonna end up with Mike in canon. IT DOESNT MATTER. If he ends up with will, cool! If he ends up with Eleven, cool! If he ends up with someone else/doesn’t end up with anyone, cool! Why are we hating on random people on the internet for shipping two people that you don’t ship? don’t get me wrong, not everyone has to like the same ship, but let’s not hate on other people for liking a different one okay?

I really don’t want to see ‘anti-*ship name*’ in the tags unless you’re ranting about why you dislike the ship. And also even if you are ranting, you don’t need to throw hate on people that do ship those two people. Just talk about why you don’t like it and go.

Another thing, sometimes I see on a post talking about how ‘You definitely shouldn’t ship this because it’s not the most popular ship!!!!’ I kid you not, that was the exact reasoning on this one post I saw.

Of course, there are some ships that aren’t good at all, such as P3d0philia, and stuff like that. Those are a different story.

| If I missed anything or accidentally offended anyone, please let me know! I assure you, I did not mean to do that. I usually make these posts when I’m bored and/or half-asleep, so I forget to make some points and/or don’t think when I’m writing. My English also isn’t very good, so please let me know if I accidentally offended you or anyone else. Have a nice day and remember to drink some water<33 |

[lillie98]

How to Save the World—Stranger Things 5

I’ve had some time to sleep on the episode titles and think about them, read theories, etc. and I now believe they might be real.

Hear me out: Stranger Things is all about cycles, parallels, tropes happening over and over again. The Duffers love taking a moment and repeating it in slightly different ways to prove a point. The story started with “The Vanishing of Will Byers” because we needed to place a small, innocent child in the center of our story, something to bring our character together and drive them to action. Well, that child is no longer in danger and our team is ripping apart at the seams. It’s almost like we need something similar to reunite everyone and drive them to action again.

Remember: The Duffers love parallels. Will’s disappearance brought his deeply fractured family together, uniting them for a common cause. It also brought Nancy and Jon together when their families needed them most. Now, the Byers are a united front, ready to tackle any monster that comes their way. They are the glorification of the avant-gard family. Now which family is struggling? The Wheelers. The perfect, All-American Nuclear Family: Mom, Dad, 3 kids, and a picket fence. They look perfect to the outside world, but behind closed doors, they are deeply struggling. They don’t communicate, the parents have no idea what’s happening in their children’s lives, and if they’re not careful, if they don’t come together and form a united front—they’re going to lose everything, potentially causing the end of the world. (Why? I haven’t gotten that far yet!)

Now, how do we inspire them to action? Maybe by taking the child who was born to save their crumbling marriage—the one has seen everything but, up until this point, been too young to contribute. Now, she’ll be the same age Will was when he disappeared and Mike and Will are the same age as Jon and Nancy. The Duffers are trying to illustrate the idea of “The Next Generation.” This evil, this Upside Down dimension is NEVER going to stop until someone from the Wheeler and Byers families breaks the cycle. Children will continue to vanish, the world will continue to crumble, until someone steps up and says ENOUGH. The Wheelers and Byers (parents and children) must step up and face their pasts in order to move forward.

The “Stranger Things” are not only LGBTQ+ matters, they are the skeletons we hide in the closet that literally eat us alive. They are the dark, festering parts of ourselves we don’t let anyone else see. The invisible cancers that slowly and silently kill us. Until we face them head on, until we bring them to the light, they will NEVER die. Stranger Things is about owning your past, facing your fears, and finding the light again.

So yes, Stranger Things will end with Will Byers making it home from Mike Wheeler’s house on November 6, 1983, but not in a time traveling way, in a finally letting go of that scared, pained little boy who thought the world was better off without him. It’s Mike accepting his sexuality and place in his family. His role as a leader. It’s Joyce accepting love from Hopper, who must accept that he is not actually cursed, but that sometimes, bad things happen to good people, even when they think they’re doing the right thing (Vietnam). it’s Karen and Ted falling in love again and fighting to save their family. It’s Eleven discovering that love, not anger, should fuel her powers. It’s mourning your stolen childhood while stepping into the version of yourself that child never got to be. It’s stopping the cycle and creating a better world for the Will Byers and Mike Wheelers and Jane Hoppers of tomorrow. THAT’S how you become a Hero.

[ronnieratsdoodles]

also credit to some sources!

byler proof:

1. Will’s sexuality has been an aspect since episode 1

if it wasn’t a major point, the duffer’s wouldn’t have any reason to subtly and continuously remind the GA throughout the entire show. they never were bold about it until season 4, because of foreshadowing, which they do a lot throughout the show; with many relationships.

season 5 is when build up finally reaches its peak.

2. “i’m not gonna fall in love scene.” coming from Will Byers, breakfast scene, joyce and Will Byers conversation. season: three. episode: chapter 1: susie, do you copy?

one tiny thing they added into the scene was Will pouring syrup on his eggs, which Mike also done, meaning they likely introduced each other to it. just tiny fact.

ultimately, this scene had to have significance, it couldn’t have been written without a point, why else would they make a traumatized boy have built up longing for his best friend? to end in heartbreak? that would just be a waste of writing, planning, foreshadowing, and most importantly their frequency of slow burning. they knew what they were doing.

3.smalltown boy being the first song on Mike’s official playlist:

spotify used to have a official character playlist up for each character, before being took down (if i’m right) either that they liked or that represented their character! (what creators felt was correlated)

(taken down 2023)

small town boy is by a artist named bronski beat, that is about a young gay man bullied, deciding to run away from home. we don’t even know exactly the reason why Mike is bullied, other than his supposed ‘frog face’

5. couples being paired up on the last episode of season four, while El stood alone. many reasons why this could have happened, but it was no mistake, lay outs always have a reason film wise. 

6. multiple parallels to stancy:

again, not much to say about it, BUT stancy was a unsuccessful relationship, and Nancy ended up going with a byers, wheeler + byers. the hospital scene with the two second shoulder lean. (stancy parallel!)

7.byler funko, not mileven funko. hmm super suspicious 🤨

8.”i need you mike, and i always will” - Will Byers, van scene, stranger things four. Will is not going to fall for anyone else. he always needed Mike. while El was shown more to needing Mike, she never did as much as Will. there’s nothing satisfying about Will being with another boy, not to the audience or Will. 

9.stranger things writer quote from twitter “let’s start a new party, you and me.”

10.mikes encounters with Will being focused/zoomed in on is for a REASON.

11. at the season four reunion, why did Mike not kiss El? their foreheads touched, they were inches apart, yet he looked back at Will. that would have been a perfect scene for a kiss, so why would the creators not include it?

12. Mike and Will had the first meaningful one-on-one conversation in stranger things.

13.in both arguments, the rink-o-mania they were wearing blue and yellow. their colors. when blue meets yellow in the west. they met in california. the west. 

14. “Karen, where’s our son?!” Ted yells, in season 2. 

“Will’s!” karen yelled back, holding a blue and yellow pen. totally on accident.

15. Crazy together being one of the most romantic scenes in the entire show.

16. the multiple scenes of Mike saying “boys only” and getting kicked out by girls. and his grossed out expression in season four, episode 1, the hellfire club, by a sign in the background saying women. 

17. i love you is either platonic or lies in strangers things so far, we haven’t gotten a single i love you that wasn’t either. Will’s i am not gonna fall in love implying an actual process, it’s happening in season 5.

18.when mileven tag duffers to complain about byler, they never respond, only to byler shippers, even if it’s just a small wave emoji.

19. lighting, the creators confirmed that the lighting in each scene has a meaning. the lighting either means that it could be a way of symbolizing mikes deep care and empathy for Will in the next season, (them being on a upside down couch also empathizes/foreshadows something)

20. the creators once again were planning since the first season. season four was written in a way to begin the root Will and for byler. so, when their endgame, we will know why.

21.mileven is star crossed, (not endgame)in march, millie talked about being unhappy with El’s ending, it doesn’t show that byler is endgame, but it does show mike and El are not. in one of the season 3 scripts they referred to mileven as ‘star crossed’ in the field scene. 

if any of this doesn’t make sense i apologize, it was written for my best friend<3333

[castlebyersafterdark]

It’s amazing how the depth of ST really relies on Byler happening. Not that there aren’t other things/themes within the show (Max’s depression, being black in Hawkins, a cop learning to be suspicious of authority, the power of friendship, etc), in terms of its three central kids/now teens (Will, Mike, and El), a Byler-less season 5 would mean that the show doesn’t have much to say. And it would mean the show is ultimately fairly generic, fight the Big Bad and the evil government with superpowers fare. Sometimes I wonder if I’m too hooked on Byler endgame to the point of overemphasizing Byler’s thematic role and not being able to enjoy alternate outcomes, but I don’t think I am. Cause if Byler isn’t endgame, we’re not just wrong about a ship, we’re wrong about the show. Not to mention being wrong about the characters, specifically Mike. Like I don’t even recognize the Mike they believe in?

No, I really don't think you are I or anyone in agreement with us are being dramatic or unfounded or biased about this - Byler not happening as predicted really changes the whole story and I also am not sure what the show's messaging would be. It changes the characters completely.

How do you have Will at the end alone, without getting his love? Or, with him dead? His story has so much resting not just on acceptance because here's the thing - we know Joyce and Jonathan and Mike would accept him for being gay if that was his only secret. Will doesn't know that, but the audience (who cares about the show) know this. Or at least, has the context clues to know. THEY GAVE WILLIAM BYERS THE LINE "I'M NOT GONNA FALL IN LOVE" when one, he already is and two, not let that pay off!! And he's in love with Mike!! And Mike - his story of needed to be the hero, be needed, be himself, be allowed the grace to be different and true to himself - and that is really only allowed to shine with Will. I don't know what we're supposed to take away from the character of Mike without Byler with the show as it stands. It could have been a different arc with him and still have his arc entwined with endgame El - but what was written is so so so odd if real. Should have been written differently seasons ago. From the beginning.

Hell, even El needs Mike and Will to get together to really shine and come into her own. Her story is not about romance. If you really care about El - she cannot end the show in a relationship with Mike Wheeler. She needs inner strength without others propping her up or using her (whether for power or for a misguided stand-in for feeling needed). She doesn't need you, Mike. And you don't need her. Standing apart actually allows you to stand as equals. Right now both hide insecurities with themselves by burying them in each other in that relationship. They need each other's friendship - which neither have right now. Will needs love. El needs family/friendship. Mike needs both. The door to El and Mike also needs to be firmly shut and the door ripped off the closet.

The sexuality storyline is tied into the supernatural storyline. It kinda feels... incomplete without a way for Will (and Mike) to express that beyond just Will being gay. There needs to be weight and stakes to that storyline and he needs a love interest the audience can care about due to invested familiarity - which is why a shoehorned random townie isn't gonna do anything for Will.

There's a lot of additional value to the other arcs you've mentioned and I want to briefly highlight them as well as to emphasize how they all tie in and enhance each other. The message of being different and the power of love and friendship. Being different in a small town. How humanity's monsters are just as bad or worse as monsters from other worlds - or how those human monsters make the fantastical monsters. Something something like that, there's a lot of different takes that all lead to a similar place. It's a wonderfully assembled ensemble show, and the Byler storyline as the heart ties everything together really. What else could have been built up? It's the most dramatic and hard hitting reveal - everything swirling to a focus with Will. He started the show, he ends the show. With his happy ending - it'll be so beautiful.

[bylerbigbang]

Second Chances and Dances

Fic by @foodiewithdahoodie and art by @fluffyfangirl

Teen | 40k words

In 1988 Will and Mike promise to leave town together, except Will decides to go off on his own, and Mike is left behind. Ten years later in 1998, the two reunite with drastically different lives. Will is known in the art community and has made a name for himself outside of Hawkins while Mike has stayed on Maple Street, becoming a father to a seven month old baby girl named Bea. Both of them have questions, both of them have regrets, and both of them still love each other. But how did Mike get a baby and why did Will leave? They'll fins out and figure it out together because they're a team. And they're always going to be best friends.

gay pining, internalized homophobia, implied drinking, implied smoking, implied sexual content, Original Characters, Will Byers/Original Male Characters, Mike Wheeler/Original Female Characters, Unlabeled Mike, Gay Will Byers, one night stand, unplanned pregnancy, implied sexual content, Will Byers has powers but they’re not the focus as much, fatherhood, homophobia, homophobic slurs, f-slur, undescriptive promiscuity, depression, repression, implied underage sexual content

Read on Ao3 | View Art | View Additional Art

Read an excerpt below:

Will is staring at a blade of grass, watching some kind of bug nibble away at the green hungrily. He's comfortably lying on his belly, arms folded to pillow his head. Beside him is Mike, who rests on his back and gazes up at the clouds suspended in the murky sky. Things are starting to get normal around here. A relief and also a tad uncanny. The duo have grown accustomed to Hawkins being a combat zone, billowing darkness and spores clinging to the air, with gates opened to bridge the gap between the Upside Down and Hawkins into a hazardous merger. Seemed to be the end of times how the Party and their families felt desolate then.

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?" Mike's feathery voice is close to Will's right ear.

He must've sat up and rolled to his side just to lean in for a whisper. It's unnecessary to be this intimate, almost touching as Will internally swears at the feel of long raven curls titillating his cheek and temple all plumy. Mike's caging him in, their shadows mixing together to create one amalgamation on the ground.

"Probably somewhere far away from here."

Will casually answers, angling his head to meet Mike's pools of glistening dark brown with his own immersive hazel eyes of intrigue. Their faces are too close. The caps of their noses grazing. They've recanted personal space ages ago.

"C'mon! Be specific, Will. Imagine!"

Mike huffs cutely and Will fights to remain strong, lips tingling, ready to iron onto the boy he's pining for. His thoughts about romance are now whimsical and idealistic. Younger Will would be appalled to know that older Will didn’t believe falling in love is gross and synonymous with cooties anymore.

"I really wouldn't care where, Mike. As long as you're there with me, I'll make do."

He's honest. Will always tries to be honest when it comes to these matters with Mike. Hellish days and agonizing nights were spent with Mike planning a detailed future with Will to give them something to look forward to. Something to keep their wits amongst them as Vecna slowly gnawed at their resolve by spreading fear and chaos in the vicinity.

"Well, duh! That's a given. We can't do that again. I can't dream of moving somewhere and you're not at my side."

"As best friends, right?" Will fails to recognize the disappointed look crossing Mike's face.

"Oh. Uh. Yeah. Sure."

"What's that for? You don't wanna be best friends? Are we demoted to just friends, now?" Will teases, pretending to pout with a suspicious eyebrow raised before breaking into a breezy grin.

Mike is not catching the hint at Will's mischievous attitude. He hastily rejects such a possibility of them ever being less than best friends, a solid hand gripping Will’s shoulder tightly. The pressure is almost painful.

"No! No, no, no! I want to… I just thought…" Mike doesn't finish his sentence, teeth snatching on his bottom lip to harshly chew.

The motion captivates Will, who observes the natural pink lip color redden from Mike's nervous biting.

"Thought? Thought what?" Will inquires, drifting his eyes from Mike’s mouth. He notices Mike leaves a lot unsaid. He's nostalgic for the days when Mike would talk a mile a minute unfiltered.

"Nevermind! It's nothing!"

[id-rather-be-home]

do you think a lot of bylers try to force will into “the girl role” and mike into “the boy role”?

now obviously will is sensitive and gnc and more feminine in that regard, and mike is a leader and protective so he’s more “masculine” in that regard, but some bylers take that to mean will would always be submissive/passive in the bedroom too. what are your thoughts on this?

ooooof i feel like i may step on some toes with this one because top/bottom discourse gets on my nerves

(no hate at all to you anon though!!! just wanna make that clear first; this is a very good question!)

i think that a lot of bylers do tend to put will into "the girl role" and mike into "the boy role" subconsciously because it is fairly easy to do so! like you pointed out, will has some "feminine" characteristics while mike has quite a few "masculine" ones which makes it very easy to sort them into pre-existing gendered roles. it also probably doesn't help that mike is usually always the one to take care of and protect will and it hasn't really been seen the other way around (which i think is going to change in s5 but that's besides the point)

i think that we tend to sort homosexual couples into heterosexual roles even though i believe most of us who ship byler are queer ourselves; it's just such an easy thing to fall into because of how gender is treated in our society. if a boy is seen as "girly" then it's assumed he'd be on the bottom in the bedroom even though that isn't necessarily the case! it also doesn't help that will has, uhhh, certain Assets that make him more appealing to be on the bottom in a sexual relationship

however, i don't like when people treat sexual relationships as if they're so black and white; even when it comes to heterosexual ones where the sexual roles are pretty well defined.

do i think that will bottoms? yes.

do i think that mike bottoms? also yes.

their relationship is so... balanced and they treat one another as equals in such a way that i can't imagine they have sex only one type of way (whether that's bottom will or bottom mike). i think they would be very versatile and switch things up depending on how they're feeling that day or maybe who needs a little more reassurance and attention, things like that

that doesn't mean that neither of them have a preference for topping or bottoming. but we do not know enough about the characters in a sexual light to be able to determinedly say what their preference is - it's entirely up to an individual's perception based on what we know about them as is! i ended up in the camp that believes mike doesn't have a preference for either bottoming or topping (though he does play a bit more of a submissive role either way) because all he wants to do is make will feel good

will, on the other hand... honestly, it's something i'm still trying to decide. in my fic right now (which is where i'm exploring a lot of these concepts) he has a preference for topping BUT i can see that changing as the fic goes on and they get to experiment more with switching their roles up a little bit

however, whether or not will prefers to bottom i can't really imagine him taking a passive role in the bedroom?? even if he gets a little more submissive from time to time, he would never be passive about it

at the end of the day, nobody actually knows what these characters would prefer because we don't know their sexual preferences aside from what gender they like (confirmed in will's case, highly suspected in mike's obviously). so i think that people should be able to put them in whatever roles they want as long as they don't get mad at other people for not thinking the same as them which is... bizarre behavior if i'm to be honest

like, why would somebody get mad at me if i believe mike wheeler has a preference for bottoming instead of the other way around?

this has gotten pretty long so i'm gonna cut it off here but if you or anyone else has more questions about it, feel free to shoot them my way!

[pholiabanna]

what's on your s5 wishlist? the silly, goofy things!!!

I'M SO SORRY FOR ANSWERING THIS SO LATE finals were killing me and I wanted to wait and write a good answer to this.

First of all I'm really excited for the 4 og boys to be together again, because we haven't had one full season of them being in the same storyline yet, which I think is criminal. I really think putting them back together will bring back the season 1 feel that made everyone love this show, and I can't wait!

I'm also so excited about learning more about the upside down. The ships and characters are awesome to analyze, but I love the supernatural part and knowing that we're gonna learn what the Upside Down actually is, and why it's stuck on the day Will went missing, among other things, makes me impatient because I need to know rn.

Now I know those weren't really goofy things but I needed to put them because they are a must for me. Moving on to the silly things:

If the season takes place in 1987, the Duffers have the chance to do the funniest thing ever and include a rickroll in a creative way. C'mon, it has to happen

A lot of people are advocating for byler to get murray'd, Erica's or Jonathan'd, but I actually want them to get Argyle'd. I imagine a scene going like: Mike and Will talk about El and Mike's breakup and the camera switches to Argyle smoking a joint in the background, while he says "Whoa Wheeler you were dating supergirl? And I was here thinking you were with mini Byers this whole time, dude, that's not cool man, that's so not cool!"

I need more Erica and Lucas sibling bickering moments, they're the best

I know this won't happen, but imagine Mike's sexuality is revealed through a conversation about movies where he reveals he finds Fast Times boring af and he "doesn't understand the appeal every man sees in that movie". I mean, at this point Fast Times has become the Duffer's favorite sexuality metaphor

I know Max probably won't wake up early on, but I'd kill to get more Elmax scenes where they just bond like normal teenage girls again. Max already taught El how to stand up for herself and how to know what she actually likes, but I think it'd be so cool to see her find out what her hobbies are. I'd love to see a scene where Max just teaches El how to skate, and El keeps trying to cheat with her powers but Max tells her that's not fair.

I need Lucas and Max to go on that movie date as well, I don't care if it's impractical

Also even though I don't really care about Dustin/Suzie because they aren't a very focused on relationship, I think it'd be cute if there was a scene where they reunite in person

More Joyce, Jonathan and Will scenes together please!!!

They need to go around town riding bikes again, bring back the whole s1 vibe

Please let us see Mr. Clarke's pov, mans probably so confused every time he helped his students the town was destroyed. Also, they can't win without him and that's a fact

Troy has to show up again, only so that they beat him up and this time El breaks his leg

Alternatively, Lonnie comes back and Jonathan beats him up (with the help of Will maybe)

Nancy notices Jonathan's tendency to interrupt byler moments and puts a leash on him

I need a new iconic song tied to another iconic scene I can obsess over. Something that can top even the Running up that hill scene

Someone needs to acknowledge the fact that they are straight up calling 001 Vecna as in one of the Dnd characters, when actually he's just some guy named Henry who would probably be so confused as to why they're calling him Vecna

These are all I could come up with but I'm sure deep in my mind there's many more things I wish for and if the Duffers deliver even one of them I'll be satisfied!

[love-kurdt]

Thick Skull (byler): IV

word count: 2,068

warnings for this chapter: flashbacks to spicy experiences, coming out multiple times, internalized homophobia

Come on out with your hands up

“It just felt so real, Jonathan. Up until he said it wasn’t real… I genuinely thought it was.” Will took a hit of the joint between his fingers before passing it to his brother who was seated next to him, criss crossed on the roof. Jonathan had initially been hesitant to let Will smoke weed, but when Will approached him in a state of panic, he cast his façade of morals aside in turn for some Purple Palm Tree Delight. Will sat there with his knees bunched up to his chest, and Jonathan sat there for a moment in thought, taking a last hit for himself before placing the roach in a glass stolen from the Wheelers’ kitchen.

“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way, buddy…” he started, and Will cut him off, resting his head on his knees in embarrassment. After all, he did just tell his brother about a sexual encounter that may or may not have happened.

“No, say it, please say it. I don’t care.”

Jonathan had known about Will since the day they left Hawkins. He watched as Will hugged Mike for a few seconds longer than everyone else (and Mike reciprocating the affection without a second thought), watched Will crying in the back seat as they drove out of the only town they’d ever known as their home, watched Will sit in the living room armchair staring at El, who was on the phone with Mike for hours at a time, and watched Will frowning at the envelopes he brought in from the mailbox every week.

He patiently waited for Will to come to him, though, and that moment occurred during the night at the pizza shop. From that moment on, Jonathan made it his mission to be Will’s person. He’d no longer just be on the sidelines, smoking weed as life passed him by. He would be there for his brother… and bring the weed, too. That seemed a good enough compromise.

Will heard his brother take a deep breath before shifting to face him. He lifted his head and locked eyes with Jonathan. “Do you think it could be Vecna trying to torture you? With, like, your deepest heartache? Since Vecna targets those who are… hurting, emotionally vulnerable, or hiding something, this is probably the primary source of your pain.”

Will shrugged. “I mean, it makes sense. I just… I don’t know how this all has to do with how Mike’s been acting lately. Because everyone’s noticed, it’s not just me. And the way he kissed me during spin the bottle? The way I felt during that kiss is far from what I usually feel when Vecna’s around.”

Jonathan nodded, glancing straight ahead into the Wheelers’ front yard: infested with black, slimy vines, which had frightened them in the beginning, but the fear factor became less and less powerful as time ensued. “You sound really sure of that.”

“Yes, Jonathan, I’m sure!” Will snapped, waving his hands around in their air. “If you really want me to go into vivid detail about it, I will–”

“No, that’s okay,” Jonathan said slowly, and Will anxiously cracked his knuckles. “I don’t want you to feel pressured to tell me about something so personal. And I wasn’t doubting you.”

“Well, thank you.”

“I’m just thinking…” Jonathan continued, pulling a second joint out of his pocket and lighting it– did he have that the whole time? “If you were to come out, that would make that source of pain null.”

Will’s eyes widened. “But what about Mike?”

“What about him?” Jonathan passed the joint to Will, who took it with a grateful hand. “You would be coming out by yourself. You don’t have to include your undying love for your childhood best friend that may or may not reciprocate your feelings–”

“Oh God, this is a bad idea,” Will groaned, running his free hand through his hair.

“Why?” Jonathan asked, putting an arm around his little brother’s shoulders. “You know how loving and supportive Mom is, and Hopper would stand by her regarding literally anything. I can promise you this: we will all continue to love you, the way we always have. And your friends, Will, they’re an amazing group of people who would never judge you.”

Will opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out. He felt his eyes involuntarily welling up with tears, which Jonathan noticed before he pulled him into a tight hug.

“We’ve got you, alright? I’ve got you, Will.”

Will extended his arm out to prevent lighting Jonathan’s long hair on fire before whispering a small, “Thank you.”

Come on out with your hands up

“Hey, guys? I kind of have something to tell you.”

“What is it, honey?”

Will gulped, his eyes shooting across the table to Jonathan. He nodded slowly, encouraging Will to go on. He found all of the courage within him, and then he spoke.

“I’m–”

“Oh no, is Vecna back? Can you feel him nearby?” Joyce interrupted, worry etched onto her face. She turned to Jonathan next to her, then back at Will. Well, he got one word out… “I’m sorry, honey, please continue.”

“No, it’s okay,” Will shook his head. “I mean, not really. It kind of depends on how this goes.”

“How what goes? What do we need to do? Should I call Owens?” Hopper gripped his sandwich tightly, so much so that the condiments began slipping out and onto the plate beneath it. Will blanched, unsure of if he should proceed with what he wanted to tell his family, which now included his soon-to-be stepfather, the former chief of police.

Joyce sent daggers in her fiancee’s direction. “Stand down, Hop, let him talk.”

“Yeah, Hop, let him talk,” Eleven repeated, a slight retort in her tone. She’d taken on a more sassy persona as of late, thanks to her recent reunion with a certain redhead. Will stifled a laugh, attempting to keep the tone of the conversation serious. He cleared his throat, checking on everyone to see if the coast was clear.

“Okay. I, um… I– I like boys? I’m gay?”

Silence.

Oh God… abort! Abort! ABORT!

“Is that a question or a statement, kid?” Hopper asked in his usual gruff tone.

“Hopper!” Joyce scolded. “Shush!”

Will decided against getting up and leaving; he was in this now. “Statement,” he said, tentatively testing the waters. “I’m gay. I like boys.”

A smile spread across Joyce’s face, just as Jonathan predicted, and she extended her hand to hold Will’s. “Well, sweetheart, I’m so glad you found the courage to tell us. You are very brave, and we all love you, no matter what.”

“Really?” Will asked, shifting his eyes to Hopper. “Even you?”

“What did you take me for, kid, a bigot?” Hopper laughed, reaching over to pat Will’s shoulder. “Believe me, nothing fazes me after your mom and I went into the Upside Down to save you. You’re the same Will I’ve always known, and you being gay doesn’t change that.” Will looked over to Jonathan, who sat there with a knowing smirk. Hopper would stand by her regarding literally anything. Will made a note to himself to trust Jonathan’s intuition.

“But I’m confused, honey… What does this have to do with Vecna?”

“It’s kind of complicated,” Jonathan said. “So when Vecna targets his victims…”

I'm coming out with my hands up, ooh

“So what’s this ‘thing’ you’ve been wanting to tell us, Willy? The suspense is killing me!” Dustin called across the basement, shoveling a handful of popcorn in his mouth as he spoke. The Party’s normally scheduled movie night was afoot, and Will had told them ahead of time that he had some news.

Everyone found their spots in front of the TV: Lucas and Max on the right side, Dustin on the left, El on the floor in the middle, with Mike and Will on either end of the couch. Will tried to gather his thoughts. Lips. Deep breaths. Hand on hip. Shoulders. Tongue. Fingers in hair. Arms. He could still feel Mike’s breath against his face, the feeling of Mike’s lips on his own, then on his neck, moving down, down, down… but it wasn’t real. Mike said so in the dream. But why did he remember it so vividly? Will looked up and noticed Mike’s eyes already on him, and his face suddenly grew hot.

“It’s kind of… strange. Telling you guys this now.”

“What do you mean?” El asked, tilting her head, as if she had absolutely no clue as to what Will could be going on about. He was glad she kept it secret up until now. 

“Like, it’s definitely not as important as everything that’s been going on, but–”

“Out with it, Byers!” Lucas exclaimed, and the rest of the Party laughed, settling some of Will’s nerves. It was now or never.

“I’m gay.”

The response was immediate. Dustin rose from his spot and crushed Will in a hug, practically sitting on him in the process. Everyone else joined in on the group hug within a few seconds. Will had vowed he wouldn’t cry, but the tears were threatening to escape, for sure.

“That’s great, Will! Thank you for trusting us with that!” Lucas grinned when they all eventually pulled away. “We had no idea!”

“Dustin and Max told me Will’s closet is made of glass,” El remarked. “What is ‘the closet’? And why was Will in it?” Wait, what?

Will raised an eyebrow in confusion. Max was quick to explain.

“I mean, we had our suspicions. But we always thought that you and M–”

“We’re just glad you told us, Will,” Dustin cut Max off quickly, leaving Will puzzled yet satisfied. “We still love you and will always be your friends.”

“Thanks, guys,” Will smiled. Then he looked up at Mike.

Come on out with your hands up

Mike was happy for Will. Mike tried to be happy for Will. Fuck it, Mike was jealous of Will. He was jealous that Will had the balls to say something that personal; and Mike had seen Will’s balls, up close and personal. Will was incredibly lucky to have the confidence that everyone would still love him. Joyce, Jonathan, and Hopper had probably thrown him a fucking party with streamers, confetti, and cupcakes. He wouldn’t put it past his parents to throw him to the demogorgons the first chance they got if he ever came out to them.

Mike was the only one who didn’t join in on the group hug. Dustin had looked up in the middle of it and mouthed a quick “Get over here,” but Mike just shook his head and gave a half-assed thumbs up. Dustin gave up with a roll of his eyes, flipping the bird. Mike definitely felt guilty, that went without saying. He just couldn’t help but hate the fact that this would never be a reality for him.

Especially after what he’d done a few nights prior. He’d been kicking himself ever since. And if he were to ever come out, what would Will think? What would Will say? He’d probably assume that Mike was just into guys in general. He wouldn’t be wrong, but also… Will was Mike’s one. He was the one Mike thought about when he woke up, when he went to sleep, during every meal, every time he showered, every time he jerked off by himself in his room… and he’d ruined it all. When he had the chance to tell Will that yes, this was, in fact, real, and that this was something Mike had imagined nearly every day since they were fourteen, he told him the complete opposite. A single word. No.

Mike’s soul returned to his body when he felt Will’s foot nudge his own, and he looked up, noticing Will’s nervous expression. He’d been waiting for his approval. Shit. Mike was digging his own fucking grave. Will probably thought he was a homophobe, that he hated him, while in reality, all Mike wanted to do was–

“Yeah, Will, we’re happy for you. I support you.”

“Um, thanks, Mike,” Will replied monotonously, picking up the remote and starting up Dr. Zhivago, per Steve’s suggestion. The group’s attention settled on the television screen, leaving Mike to his thoughts, with Will right there to remind him of his cowardice.

previous part • next part

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[strangertheory]

One reason that I hope that Mike is queer is that this revelation would be much more realistic to real-world emotions surrounding closeted lgbtqa people coming out to their loved ones.

Allow me to explain.

Nearly all stories in tv shows and movies these days announce to viewers what to expect, and allow audiences to know "yes, there is lgbtqa representation in this story!" and it's often a key part of the marketing. Yes, representation is wonderful. Yes, I do get a little excited when I know a story will feature something meaningful to the lgbtqa community. But step back for a moment and consider the way in which these stories are primarily for the queer community and allies. These stories aren't truly inspiring new insight and reflection or pushing non-allies and non-lgbtqa folk into challenging their current thoughts and ideas about queer people, in fact these stories that are advertised as featuring queer characters are effectively openly announcing "hey, if this isn't your thing and stories about queer characters make you uncomfortable, you can skip this!"

Now, some of you might say "but wait! What about Will!? Why are you making this post about Mike?"

Because Mike is the character that is arguably closeted and whose queerness still remains invisible to many audiences. He's the character who is probably lgbtqa but that audiences don't expect to be, because it hasn't been advertised, because he was in a dating relationship with a girl, because he "seems straight" (cue people making a list of stereotypes that people have decided apply to people and characters as if they can simply "know" if someone has feelings for someone of the same sex based on how they dress, what they do for hobbies, etc.)

And to me, there is a power and value in revealing to audiences that they should not assume a person's sexuality based on stereotypes, based on past relationships, etc. but instead allow them the space and safety to feel comfortable living their life openly as who they are and being honest about their feelings even as their understanding of themselves changes.

And if people can only accept someone's true self when that fits with their preconceived expectations of who they are and who they wanted them to be dating and who they believed them to be that was convenient and that fit with their assumptions: now that mirrors the true experience that people face and the challenge of coming out much more accurately.

Because we don't get marketing campaigns warning our friends and family that we're gay. Unlike many queer characters in tv shows, we don't get born into existence with a clear label that tells allies who we are and that tells homophobes that becoming close to us and caring about us will eventually end in a day that they feel "tricked" and "disappointed" that the person they cared about and could relate to ended up being something they didn't expect and didn't want.

Will Byers represents that all-too familiar story of the kid who got bullied for being different and for being seen as queer since he was young. If he is queer, he's not truly closeted because the world won't let him be.

Mike Wheeler represents a different queer experience that is also all-too familiar but often not represented in media in a way that genuinely brings audiences into being that character's friend or family member who assumed that they already knew whether or not he was gay or straight. Yet this mirrors what many of us experienced when we came out. People assume your sexuality, and then sometimes react badly when they feel "tricked." So yes, many of us are very emotionally invested in the way that Mike's story is being told because the indignance that we're witnessing within the fan community over his struggle to tell El that he loves her, the debate over whether Mike could be gay or not, and the way that audiences are perhaps too used to being coddled and very clearly warned by storytellers in advance that a character might be gay...

I've got a lot of feelings about all of this.

[p0und-cake]

The Dead Kid’s Brother and the Freak (Part Two)

Part One - Part Three

eddie munson x male!hargrove!reader

STRANGER THINGS SEASON FOUR SPOILERS

plot summary - this is a three parter! first part is about how reader and eddie met, second is how they got together, third is the reader being infected with vecna’s curse !

warnings - mention of death, mention of attempted unaliving, mention of homophobia, censored f slur, cursing, mentions of abuse, mentions of drinking/alcohol, implied sexual themes

———————————————————————————

Ever since meeting Eddie Munson at the quarry, things progressively got better. You’d discovered Mike Wheeler, Dustin Henderson, and Lucas Sinclair were apart of the Hellfire Club. They were a little hesitant in playing Dungeons and Dragons with their friend’s older sibling, but Eddie practically made them let you play. You worked with Eddie in coming up with a cool character, learning the rules of the game along the way. And it turns out, you were pretty fucking good. You ended up helping the party out of some pretty sticky situations.

Pretty soon, Eddie got you a Hellfire Club shirt, and you couldn’t be more happy. You finally felt apart of something. You had somewhere to call home. Somewhere where you actually belonged. You felt happy there. You hadn’t expected to actually make friends with Mike, Lucas, and Dustin, but you did. You and Dustin were pretty close. Of course, no friendship you made with the other members of Hellfire compared to you and Eddie. Eddie practically became your lifeboat. He would occasionally check in to make sure you were feeling okay, but he never was suffocating about it. This boy just seemed so…perfect. Yeah, he may still be in school after being held back and not graduating, but he really did care about you and you cared about him.

This was part of why your heart just ached for him while you sat at Skull Rock late at night. You tried not to think about it, sitting at the top of the rock and staring at the stars. You were of course thankful for the group helping you two out, but why did it have to be one of the sweetest people in Hawkins that was getting framed? Eddie may look absolutely fucking insane (he kind of is sometimes) but Eddie Munson would never hurt a fly. It was a little cliche to say, but nobody else knew Eddie like you did. You knew how sweet he was, and how caring he was for others.

You couldn’t imagine the guilt he felt too. You, his boyfriend, were getting roped into this heinous situation and there was nothing he could do about it. You had heard whispers after Billy had died. You’d heard a couple people at his funeral say you did it instead of the ‘mall fire’ killing him. You wanted to tell Eddie everything, now that he knew about the Upside Down, but it was just so hard to think about.

You were pulled out of your thoughts by Eddie, who had climbed up the rock and was now hovering over you.

“I was getting lonely down there, Hargrove.” He hummed, trying to keep the shakiness out of his voice. He was scared out of his mind, but he didn’t want you to know that. “What’s up?”

“I dunno…just thinking, I guess.” You sat up and breathed out, letting him just take a seat in your lap. Your hands found their way to Eddie’s, lightly playing with the rings on his fingers.

“Heh…it’s weird, isn’t it?”

“What is?”

“This is where you asked me out, ‘member?”

He was right. This was where the both of you got together. At this very spot.

“Wow…you’re right, Ed. Although it was more of a demand than a request.” You chuckled a bit, the memory playing through your head. “That felt like so long ago. The last time I cried that hard was when we first met at the quarry.”

“Mmm…yeah. You look pretty when you cry.” He said absentmindedly, making you smile.

“Maybe I should cry more.”

“Wait- that’s not what I meant-!” He panicked, and he would have definitely tried to apologize if you hadn’t kissed him to shut him up. His muscles untensed and he calmly kissed back. It occurred to you that you hadn’t kissed him in a while. Sure, you kissed his knuckles or his forehead to try to reassure him or calm him down, but you hadn’t fully kissed him since before Chrissy’s death.

You pulled away when you couldn’t breathe anymore, but Eddie just pulled you right back in. Almost like he needed more. You understood pretty quickly once you felt soft tear droplets fall onto your shirt. He was crying. Eddie never usually…cried. Once you caught him crying after a nightmare he had once, but that felt like a while ago.

You kissed Eddie for as long as he needed, which you didn’t exactly keep track of how long that was. When he pulled away, he clung to you and nuzzled his tear-stained face into your neck like a child clinging to their mother.

“I’m…so, so sorry.” He whispered, his voice like a heartbroken little boy’s. “I never meant to get you wrapped up in this…fucking mess. Not after what you went through. You don’t deserve any of this shit.”

“Oh…I know, I know.” Your voice was a hushed whisper, moving him into a cradling position. He always liked it when you held him like this. “None of this is your fault, okay? We were both just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe that would have happened to Chrissy either way. You had no way of knowing.” You knew your words wouldn’t make anything completely better, but he needed to know nothing was his fault. You gently ran your fingers through his wild hair, kissing the top of his head.

Eddie cried softly for a little longer, pulling away when he was done. His angelic face was red and his eyes were puffy, so you kissed all over it. He chuckled a little and pulled his face away more.

“Don’t be too loud, idiot.” He hummed, going back to sitting on your lap.

“Oh yeah, yeah.” You laughed softly, ruffling his hair.

“…you remember how our first kiss was on top of this rock?” He hummed. “The first time you actually opened up to me was here, too.”

“Yeah, I ‘member.” You chuckled. This rock was so important to the both of you.

Susan had been drinking that night, and Max had shut herself in her room. It had been about nine months since Billy had died, and Eddie knew that. You were about to just clock out, but there was a little rapping on your window.

“Hargroooove…open up…” The unmistakable voice of Eddie Munson was muffled from outside your window. It was almost embarrassing how quick you jumped from your bed and went to the window, opening it.

“Eddie, you goof, why are you here?” You chuckled, trying to be quiet. “Just because you live across the street from me doesn’t mean you can come Romeo and Juliet me or whatever.”

“What? Why not?” Eddie pouted. “I just wanna see you.”

“Well, not in here. Susan and Max aren’t in the greatest of moods.”

“Then come on..!” Eddie grabbed you by the wrist and carefully tugged you of the window. “I wanna take you somewhere.” He shut your window quietly, ignoring your questions as he dragged you to his van.

You tried to hide a smile as you hopped into the passenger seat. You turned on the radio as Eddie drove off, cranking the volume up like the two of you liked, not noticing Eddie’s fond smile.

He parked near Lovers’ Lake, and led you into the woods nearby, holding your hand.

“I hope you aren’t about to murder me.” You joked, hoping it was too dark for him to see your red face.

“Ah shit, you caught me.” He said, before swooping you up into his arms. He was surprisingly strong. “Gotcha!!”

You yelped out, your yell soon morphing into laughter as Eddie ran with you through the woods.

“You weirdo, what are you doing?!” You exclaimed, cackling with no shame as Eddie carried you.

“We’re here!” He announced.

“I can’t see, jackass.” You huffed out, considering he had thrown you over his shoulder. Eddie turned around, not bothering to put you down. You saw a huge rock in the shape of a skull. “Isn’t this that place where people come to make out?”

“That’s not what we’re doing, dumbass.” He sassed, putting you down finally and climbing on top of the rock. You brushed yourself off and climbed up with him.

“The view is really pretty.” You commented as you looked at the stars.

“Yeah…it really is.” Eddie softly said, and you turned to face him only to discover he wasn’t looking at the stars. He was looking at you. You blinked and looked away with a clear of your throat.

“So, Munson. Why’d you take me here at however late at night?”

“I dunno, you just seemed kinda down lately.” Eddie shrugged, pulling his legs into a criss-cross position. “I figured you would appreciate this.”

Your face turned even redder. “That’s…really nice of you.” You stammered out. “Thank you.” How could he read you so perfectly? Or maybe he was the only one that gave a shit. You both were silent for a while, before Eddie pulled out a walkman from his inner jacket pocket and started playing some music. He knew you hated things being quiet.

“Hey…Eddie?”

“Yeah?”

“Why did you stop me from jumping off the quarry?”

Eddie blinked, obviously not expecting that. “What?”

“Why did you stop me? You had no clue who the hell I was, but you stopped me.”

“Who wouldn’t stop someone from jumping off the edge of a quarry?” Eddie said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “You just…looked like you were in so much pain. I couldn’t ignore that. Yeah, I didn’t know who the hell you were, but what kind of a person would I be if I just let you jump?”

You were silent, letting your mind think back to that day. You didn’t get to think about it very long, as Eddie laid his hand on top of yours to pull you back to reality.

“I mean hey, I’m glad I did. You’re one of the greatest people I’ve ever fucking met. You make me really happy, y’know that? Yeah I’m friends with the other members of Hellfire, but you aren’t like them.” He hummed out.

You turned to look at him, and you could tell he was being genuine. How did you get so lucky? You didn’t feel like you deserved that. Not after Billy. Not after what a horrible brother you were to him. You almost didn’t even realize the tears that were bubbling until he said something.

“Hey woah, what’s wrong?” He jumped up and sat in front of you. “Are you alright? Did I say something wrong?” He placed a comforting hand on your shoulder. You tried to not cry, but just like at the quarry, you couldn’t stop the onslaught of tears that came rushing out. “Shit, c’mere…” He scooted closer and wrapped you in a hug, letting you openly weep into his chest. Your chest and throat constricted, body shaking like a leaf as you clutched onto Eddie.

“I don’t deserve this, Eddie…” You managed, trying not to cry on his clothes. “You don’t understand why I was there that day…”

Eddie gently moved away from you and gingerly laid his hand on your face, the cool metal of his rings helping ground you.

“Then tell me.” He cooed softly.

With hardly an ounce of hesitation, you spilled everything. How you and Billy endured the abuse of your father after he drove your mother away. How the two of you gradually grew apart. How you realized how horrible of a brother you were.

“He must have hated me, Eddie…” You sobbed. “I left him alone in a house but not a home. I just couldn’t stand getting beat and getting called a f*g on a daily basis. I fucking failed him! Now my little brother is dead and I can’t fix anything! Why wasn’t it me..? Billy could have gone on to do so much good…he was my baby brother…and now I can’t apologize or anything…and now I’m failing Max just like I failed Billy.”

“…shit, Hargrove…” Eddie whispered. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all of that alone…” His voice was gentle, like he’d break you if he spoke too loud. His thumb rubbed your cheek, allowing you to focus on that movement. “But…I don’t think Billy ever thought you failed him, you know that? All of this shit is the fault of your shitty dad, you understand? That’s not fair of him to put that blame on you.” He allowed his voice to become a little sharper so you’d pay attention. “No horrible brother would be here sobbing and regretting the way he treated his sibling, y’know? But there’s nothing you can do now, I’m sure you understand that much. Sitting here and crying won’t fix anything, but you know what will? Learning from that shit experience and being a better man, like your brother would want. Living your life to the fullest and being happy, but also keep him alive in your memory and all that shit, y’know?”

“Eddie, I-”

“And I’m gonna help you in any way I possibly can. No person should have to handle all that alone. You’re not alone, y’know? It’s okay to rely on other people sometimes.”

You stared at him, tears still in your eyes. The genuine care and compassion in his eyes made your heart beat faster and faster. That’s when you realized how close your faces truly were.

“I…Eddie..?” You whispered out. “Can I…tell you a secret?”

“Anything.”

“I think I might be in love with you.”

…

His silence scared you. He stared with wide eyes, and you were unable to read the boy’s expression. Did you go too far?

“Just kick me off this rock please.” You mumbled, going to turn away. “I should go, I’m so sorry, forget i said anything.

“I love you too.” He blurted, leaving you to be the one with wide eyes.

“H-huh?” You stammered. Real smooth. “You- are you serious?”

“One hundred percent.” He breathed out. He was just as nervous as you were.

“You’re…not playing a sick joke or anything, right, Ed?” You mumbled, even though Eddie had kept his large hand on your cheek.

“No.” He said, a little firmer. “I’ll prove it if you don’t believe me.”

You almost thought you were dreaming.

His lips were on yours.

He was kissing you.

His lips weren’t the softest thing on the planet, but you didn’t mind. They were a little chapped, but you really couldn’t care less. They were perfect. He was perfect.

He realized you weren’t kissing back, so he went to pull away, but you’d only pulled him right back to you as to savor this moment you never thought you’d experience anywhere outside of your dreams. He decided to savor it too. Both his hands were holding your face, and your hands were holding his. You felt like two lovesick teenagers only without the lust. All of it was love and passion. You’d never imagined this moment would actually come. You told yourself to keep the idea of this locked away in your wildest dreams. You wanted this to happen again.

“Go out with me.” You breathed out once his lips left yours.

A wide, goofy, love-struck grin spread across Eddie’s face. “What’s the magic word?”

“I don’t need a fucking magic word, just say yes, dumbass.” You pouted out.

“Say it, Hargrove~”

“Ughhh, please?”

His lips were on yours once again.

“As you wish.”

~

You didn’t remember much after that. You had woken up in a soft bed in a room that wasn’t yours. You quickly deduced that it was Eddie’s room, his guitar catching your eye as soon as they got adjusted to the light. You could see your shirt, jeans, and shoes strewn about the floor, along with Eddie’s outfit from yesterday too.

You gently lifted the blankets to see that you had been dressed in some of Eddie’s comfier clothes. Did he do that? What a sweetheart.

Speaking of, two arms pulled you close, and you realized Eddie was next to you. He was in nothing but his underwear, which made your face turn bright red. His arms were around your torso, and his legs were all tangled in yours. He looked so innocent.

And that’s how you decided you gained the title of The Luckiest Boy in Hawkins, Indiana.

[runninguplenorahills]

That’s not how in laws work.

Your brother or sister in law just means the sibling/s of your spouse and this dynamic does not work like a real sibling dynamic! That title stays between you and the siblings of your spouse, it does NOT get transferred to your siblings as well. Your siblings and the siblings of your spouse are NOT siblings in law!

Applying this to Jancy and Byler means Nancy and Will would be in laws and Jonathan and Mike would be in laws but neither Nancy and Jonathan nor Mike and Will would be in laws.

And as you said, neither of them except the existing siblings would be related to each other. As far as I know double in law weddings are also not something that’s frowned upon. There’s nothing controversial about it which means there’s absolutely Nothing to back up your claim that “they simply would not do it”.

It’s also not like we’d see Jancy or Byler get married anyway so it doesn’t actually matter at all that they would be double in laws (because you’re only in laws if you’re married. Yk, that’s why it’s called “in law”).

I also get the feeling that you’re not considering Nancy’s and Steve’s individual conflicts/scenes in s4 at all.

Very early on in the season it is established that Steve doesn’t know what he wants. He’s desperate to enter an actually meaningful relationship with a girl but there’s no girl he actually likes so he just asks out girl after girl and the dates all end in meaningless sex which frustrates Steve immensely. He wants to find “the one”, wants to get a sense of direction in his love life, and just like that the world turns to shit again and Nancy Wheeler walks back into his life. Steve longs for a time when he knew exactly what he wanted. Who he wanted. More than anything, Steve is being nostalgic in s4 because Nancy was the last girl he actually wanted and he wants to relive that feeling. He isn’t in love with Nancy, he just longs for the idea of being in love and being in a loving relationship.

Nancy on the other hand starts this season rambling about how much she loves Jonathan. She loves him very dearly but all this miscommunication between them frustrates her and makes her feel very insecure. Just like she tells Robin, Nancy is afraid that maybe Jonathan doesn’t love her anymore, that maybe he met someone else which is why she didn’t go to California. She was afraid that her visit would confirm her worst fears so not visiting was Nancy’s way of holding onto the hope that Jonathan still loves her as much as she loves him. Even so the insecurity that comes with the miscommunication and the long distance relationship in general bring sexual frustration and desperation for in person affection. I think Nancy isn’t really cut out for a long distance relationship, she needs her lover close.

And despite the fact that Nancy and Steve are not actually in love with each other, both of them are obviously attracted to each other. And desperate times call for desperate measures and that’s why Steve projects his wants onto Nancy, and why Nancy projects her needs onto Steve. That’s why we get all that sexual tension between them this season.

But there are also a couple of very important scenes in s4 that tell us that Steve and Nancy are not compatible/won’t end up together.

S2 makes it a point that Steve isn’t all that concerned with Barb’s death. Nancy is riddled with guilt and all Steve tells her is to relax and pretend like they’re normal teenagers. I’m not saying that he doesn’t care at all but he clearly doesn’t think it’s his fault that Barb died and he wasn’t actually friends with her so he lacks the need to avenge her. A need that Nancy has. Steve and Nancy aren’t on the same page about this subject which caused a lot of problems in their relationship and Nancy even tells Steve that “We killed Barb”. Now, s4 makes it a point to highlight Nancy’s trauma surrounding Barb’s death again. In her Vecna vision we see Barb dead in Steve’s pool, reminding us once again of what happened in s1 and how relevant it still is. Furthermore it shows us that Nancy has not even in the slightest moved on from it. Nancy is not coping well and considering the fact that her relationship with Steve is inseparably connected to Barb’s death in her mind this gives away that Nancy just could not handle a relationship with Steve again.

And I say this every time but the writers did not give Nancy all this trauma because her choosing Steve over Barb indirectly lead to Barb’s death only for Nancy to choose Steve again at the end of the story! What kind of conclusion would that be? An unsatisfactory one. An illogical one. A bad one.

Moving along, we have the 6 little nuggets speech from Steve which was not well received by Nancy. I guess the sentiment touches her in some way but she makes it clear that this is not the future She wants. 6 kids sounds like a nightmare to her and when it comes to having kids and what you want your future to look like you really should be on the same page which isn’t the case with Nancy and Steve at all. Steve’s speech is there to show us that these two aren’t compatible.

At the end of the season Nancy reunites with Jonathan who kinda tries to clear up what’s been going on (we couldn’t risk contact) and it ends in an embrace which is followed by Steve disappointingly looking down and Robin comfortingly looking at him as they walk away. It clearly shows us that Nancy was just passing time with Steve until Jonathan came back. It’s like spending all that time with Steve, becoming more and more aware of how incompatible they are made her long and miss Jonathan even more. Even so obviously not everything is sunshine and daisies between Nancy and Jonathan. They have problems in their relationship that s4 did not resolve which they still need to work through but I think they’re gonna work through them together as the last shot of the season foreshadows. You simply cannot claim that that shot foreshadows byler endgame only to then turn around and say that jancy will break up. That doesn’t make any sense.

Now, the only question that remains is why Eddie said that Nancy jumping into the water to save Steve was an act of true love. That’s what you’re confused about right? And I get that. It is kinda confusing but I actually think that s4 including Eddie’s line pretty clearly sets up Steve’s arc for s5 which is realizing that there’s more to life than romance.

Steve forces himself to go on dates with girls he doesn’t like because he’s so caught up in wanting romance even though he doesn’t have anyone he wants romance with. Steve isn’t in love. He just wants to be. He just can’t be happy if he’s single and that’s not healthy! Steve needs to learn that he doesn’t need to force romance if he doesn’t have it at the moment. He needs to learn to be content with not being in a relationship and above all he needs to learn that platonic love is just as meaningful as romantic love. Even more important in his case because the romantic love doesn’t actually exist at the moment. Nancy jumping into the water to save Steve is just as much an act of true love and just as meaningful if it’s platonic (which it is) and Steve needs to realize that. His 6 little nuggets are right there and Steve has to realize that (yes he even says that he had good practice for having future kids but he doesn’t realize that his dream is already true and that without him having to be in a romantic relationship. Not that he doesn’t deserve to be and I do hope some day he will meet the right girl, but his vision is so blurred with this obsession with romance that he doesn’t see what’s right in front of him).

I also think that the way Steve and Nancy’s connection is set up hints at them becoming friends instead of lovers. Steve and Nancy dated for about a year, broke up, didn’t have much contact for another year and then got back into contact. And that to me looks l a lot like exes becoming friends after having kept their distance for a wile due to their breakup. Nancy seeing Steve in a different light now (as she expresses to Jonathan at the end of the season) is her being ready to be friends with him, not falling in love. Though I don’t think Jonathan can tell (he’s obviously jealous when Nancy talks well about Steve) which will most likely be one reason for conflict between Nancy and Jonathan next season.

Stancy is going to be endgame. (probably)

Listen, okay. I don’t want it either but if you look at the straight facts it’s the only one that makes sense, unless Steve and Jonathan, el and will, Mike, or Nancy die. Which I don’t think any of you want

Let’s lay out the facts from season 4:

Jonathan will not be going to collage with Nancy

Jonathan also plans to slowly break up with her

Nancy and Steve rekindle their ‘friendship’

Steve confesses he can’t see himself with anyone else but her

“He’s actually not that bad”

Obviously they’re trying to hint at the breakup. I’m thinking this is a right person wrong time type of situation, but I think it goes deeper as well and may have accidentally been an accident.

Because hopper and Joyce are together now and because el was living with the Byers’s they became “family”. Jonathan and will call el their sister.

With Nancy and Mike also being siblings, this causes some problems.

If Nancy and Jonathan stay together and end up getting married, will and el, and Mike, now all become in laws. (Brother in law, sister in law) which would mean no matter what happens in the end (mileven or byler) they will still be in laws which happens sometimes in real life and yes they’re not actually related, BUT to put it in one of the highest ranking tv shows of our generation just isn’t possible. They simply would not do it.

And why would they rekindle romance between Nancy and Steve if it didn’t lead somewhere???

We know for a fact (probably) that Steve and Nancy or Jonathan and Nancy, and will and Mike or el and mike will happen (1 out of the two on each) and the only one that makes sense in my opinion is Steve and Nancy and mike and will because I think el is going to die (I can explain in a different post).

If both el and will die however, Jonathan and Nancy live happily ever after. So if you want them together that bad pray for that.

(There are all just my predictions but I’m pretty sure I’m right)

[notamilfluver]

The Lost Earring - Karen Wheeler smut

summary: you’ve had a crush on your bestfriends mother, Karen for a while now. She notices she has a small crush on you as well.

Warnings: Age gap, fingering, oral, hidden sexuality, and cheating (on Karen’s part)

(This is a little bit after season four volume one) You and Nancy are college roommates. Nancy invited you to spend some time with her and her family for a week.

Nancy had just pulled into the Wheeler’s driveway. You was in the passenger seat.

“I don’t know Nance I just don’t think your family likes me!” You panicked.

“y/n it will be completely fine! You worry to much and I mean, my mom seemed to like you! And dad… I don’t really know about dad.” Nancy cackled.

You had finally calmed yourself down. “Okay.. we can go in now.” You and Nancy made it to the door step and Nancy knocked. Karen opened the door with a smile.

“Oh hi y/n!! I’m glad you’ve decided to come see us again! I couldn’t hardly wait!” Karen looked at you with glowing eyes while biting her bottom lip.

“Well, come on in guys! I’m making your favorite Nance!” Karen said as she walked to the kitchen.

You was so speechless you didn’t know what to say, you were so into that revealing dress she was wearing. It was a dark red dress with sheared laces, with shining diamond earrings. It was like a dream. You couldn’t keep your eyes off her as she was walking away.

Nancy whispered “See, she seems happy to see you, I told you don’t worry.” she laughed.

Nancy led you to her room and you both sat there and talked for a hour or so, but she mostly just ranted to you about Steve and Jonathan.

You really didn’t care about Steve or Jonathan you hated talking about boys for some reason. But you never really thought about why you hated that topic. But clearly Nancy was into it.

You’ve dated some guys in the past but it never really turned out well. You would always end up arguing with them or get bored of them.

But there was thoughts about women before, you thought it was normal to think about women. But you knew right then that those thoughts of Karen was more than thoughts.

You knew you had feelings for her. You had finally figured yourself out. But imagine if people found out? They would hate you! You thought what if Karen ever found out? Would she hate you? Would Nance hate you?!

Your mind was filled with so many thoughts you started to panic again. There was one thought you couldn’t get out of your head though. “Is Karen into you?”

I mean you’ve only met her maybe two or three times, but you noticed how every time you’ve seen her she always is so excited to see you. And the fact that she always is looking at you in a certain way and biting her lip.

She’s so perfect. You love her sweet voice and her beautifully styled hair, and of course her full lips with lipstick perfectly applied.

“Y/n?” Nancy said with a peculiar voice.

“Are you okay? You zoned out.”

“Y- yes..” you said mesmerizingly. “Sorry I was just thinking.”

“It’s okay silly.” Nancy said laughing.

You both heard the stove go off, “I guess dinner is done.” Nancy said.

As you and Nancy was walking down the stairs to the kitchen you see Karen standing in front of the stove. She bent down to pick up baked chicken out of the oven.

You tried so hard not to stare at how perfectly her tight dress was showing her nice legs with black high hills on.

You was so into her, you had to stop yourself. “She’s a mother with a husband, You shouldn’t be having these wild thoughts!” you was thinking.

You sat at the table by Nancy. You was a tiny bit nervous. Then Karen noticed somehow and sat right in front of you. You was trying so hard to not panic but she kept locking her eyes with you.

“You alright y/n?” Karen asked concerned. “Yes.. I’m just not used to a lot of people.” You said so anxiously.

Nancy and Mike was arguing about something stupid so you just sat there and looked the whole time. You then looked at Karen and asked “Do they always do this? You chuckled. Karen looked at you with such embarrassment. “Yeah, sorry that you have to hear all of this.”

She then yelled at Mike and Nancy. They stopped and gave each other a bad look. It was so silent until Karen’s sweetened voice asked as she took a sip of wine. “how has your day been y/n?” “My day has been great Mrs. Wheeler, how is yours?” you smiled.

She smiled back. “My day has been wonderful! Thanks for asking.” she said as she moved her leg and rubbed it against your leg slowly. All you could do is smile back.

You was panicking inside you didn’t know how to act. So you tried to look down at your plate the whole time. But some how she would always catch your attention to make you look up the whole time.

Nancy heard the phone ring upstairs, she then jumped up out of her chair. “sorry guys I have to answer that.” as she ran up stairs.

Karen looked at you and asked, “is this about Steve and Jonathan?” Ted looked at Karen and said, “when is it not about them two damn boys?” She carelessly ignored him.

You answered her. “most likely.”

She cackled. “Oh, Nance, she will never choose.”

You smiled at her while picking up your plate. Karen looked at you irritated. “Oh honey you don’t have to pick up your plate! I can get that!”

You stopped and looked at her and said “Oh no it’s fine, I insist.”

She looked at you with a slight smile.

You put the plate in the sink and sat back at the table. Ted had already left the table with holly. It was just you and Karen in the kitchen.

Karen was at the sink washing the dishes. You was admiring the way her fingers worked washing each dish. You couldn’t stop watching her.

You then got up out of the chair and blurted. “is there anything you need done Mrs. Wheeler?” You couldn’t help it you had to ask.

Karen scoffed. “Really? Well, you know there is one thing.” she came up to you closer than usual with intense eye contact.

Her hand brushed against yours as she handed you a damp washcloth. “You can clean the countertop.” she winked at you with a seductive look.

A little smirk came across your face as you walked past her to the counter. Karen added, “You know I..”

Nancy ran down the stairs and interrupted. “y/n I need to tell you something right now!” Ted was pissed. “can you quiet down I’m trying to read the damn newspaper!” Ted shouted.

You don’t want to leave. you love being around Karen, but Nancy would literally drag you up the stairs if you didn’t go with her. You turned around from the countertop and looked at Karen. She then nodded her head for you to go on.

You got to Nancy’s room and she was so excited for some weird reason. “Okay so, Steve just called me and we talked for about an hour and he’s going to call me back in 20 minutes! He told he had something important to tell me!” she squealed loudly.

You didn’t really care about Steve but you wanted your best friend to be happy so you said “that’s good nance!”

After 20 minutes passed by Steve didn’t call back.

You heard Karen call your name down stairs. You sprung up off Nancy’s bed. “I’ll be back nance.”

You was walking downstairs then heard the phone ring upstairs, you heard Nancy squeal it made you giggle.

Karen was in a red velvet robe. You noticed one of her earrings was missing. Your eyes was all over her, you couldn’t keep them off her breast.

“You needed me?” you quietly spoke.

“Oh sorry, yes.” Karen smiled. “lost my earring in the couch and I can’t reach it. I would of called for Ted but he’s asleep.” Karen muttered.

You got on the floor and looked under the couch and there was the earring. You had to reach pretty far to grab it.

You picked up the earring and turned around to give Karen the Earring. When you looked up, there Karen was with her robe untied with only black laced underwear on. You was not expecting that at all. You looked at her with an elated smile.

Karen then got closer to your face. You then grabbed her waist and pulled her in for a kiss. At first everything was nice and slow but Karen began to speed up a bit, you both started to get more sloppy. You got even more excited and slipped of the robe completely.

At that point you pushed her on the couch and begin to kiss her neck slowly down from her breast to her thighs. You then slipped off her underwear that was absolutely drenched. She was so ready and wet for you.

Karen started to moan quietly as you got closer to her inner thighs. You kissed her slit Karen shivered and moaned your name. “Yes, right there darling.” You never thought this would ever happen.

You flattened your tongue and licked her clit. Her clit was so swollen. “Oh honey please don’t tease.” Karen begged.

You then started to flicker your tongue across her clit. She couldn’t control herself anymore and moaned louder. You stuck a finger inside her moving slowly in and out. She let out a big moan “y/n faster..”

You continued to go faster and slipped another finger in as she was bucking her hips in to you as you was torturing her orgasm. “Oh god.. I’m gonna cu- cum!” Karen said so noisily.

She came all over your fingers. You then licked the sweet white cum off of your fingers as you go up to kiss her.

You both heard footsteps down the stairs “Oh shit!”you said quietly. you both moved quickly away from each other and Karen tied her robe back up.

It was holly crawling down the stairs. Karen then looked at you and whispered “I’m not done with you.” And winked at you as she picked up holly. “Oh honey you crawled out of your crib again.” Karen said so sweetly. You adored her.

You went upstairs to Nancy’s room and shut the door quietly. Nancy was still on the phone with Steve. She then pulled the phone away from her face and asked “Where were you?! You took forever!” She looked a little irritated. “Oh sorry, your mom needed help to find something.” You looked at Nancy very funny. “Oh okay well I have so much to tell you.” Nancy added so excitedly.

It’s a little short! And there may be some mistakes But it took forever there will be more fics though. Thank you so much for reading hope you enjoyed!!!

[thevoidspeakz]

List of things Mike Wheeler has gone through canonically. Focused on Mike, though he went through some of these with others.

Might be updated with things I missed, and feel free to add anything!

Also please keep in mind that this is all just canon information we're 100% sure we have, so I'm not gonna get into his sexuality or anything, mainly because there's many different approaches to it and everyone has a different idea of it in their heads, so I'm sticking to canon for this

PS. I'm actually really fucking shit at articulating my thoughts into words. Like I am dog water at it so please bare with me.

Season 1 (12 years old);

Will went missing. His best friend who he's known since kindergarten suddenly goes missing while biking home from his house. Suddenly, one morning, Will's just.. gone.

Searching for Will himself. Going out into the dark woods at night in the pouring rain, against cop's and parent's orders to go look for Will himself because he just couldn't take losing him.

Will's body being pulled out of the quarry. At that point, Mike really lost all hope. There was no question now, his best friend was dead. Gone. Forever. No more Will the Wise, no more sleepovers, no more of his amazing drawings to put up on the walls. He was gone.

Meeting El. Hiding another kid from his parents in his own house while also providing food and shelter is a lot of responsibility, and I feel like people don't talk about it that much. Not to mention Mike, Dustin and Lucas had to teach El just about everything. What a friend is, what a promise is, she was totally clueless, and they had to take care of her. They were all the same age at the time. (I'm not saying that them having helped El was a bad thing, god no, but you have to admit it was a lot to take on for a group of kids.)

Losing El. They had just barely met El, and she was already being taken away by the same thing that took Will. They had to watch her be disintegrated right after they ran from Brenner and the Lab People, also watching them be killed by El (she wasn't wrong for killing them but it is a pretty brutal thing to deal with as a kid), and then from a fucking monster from another dimension. I don't think I have to explain this.

Jumping off the quarry. I can't handle this shit. Mike didn't almost jump, he jumped. That 12 year old kid actually jumped off of a fucking cliff. I really, really wonder what exactly he was thinking. There was obviously the part about saving Dustin, but I imagine Will being "dead" also had something to do with it. It was the same quarry his body was found in, after all. But just think about this for one second; Mike jumped off a cliff when he was 12. He was going to die there if El hadn't saved him. Why do people not talk about this. HE JUMPED OFF A CLIFF. WHAT THE FUCK.

Being bullied. Mike's been bullied his entire life. Pushed around and kicked around by Troy and the others, we see him mainly being called "frog face" and being a victim of homophobia, but who knows what else he's gone through.

Season 2 (13 years old);

Being forced to throw away his toys. He was forced to grow up by throwing out toys that not only had emotional connections and brought back memories, but also that Mike just didn't want to give up. He still liked playing with toys, and he was fully in the right to, there was nothing wrong with that. While we're talking about this scene, there's also the fact he had been acting up a lot after season 1. Plagiarizing essays, graffitiing the bathroom stalls, stealing money from Nancy, you name it.

Almost getting ran over by Billy. (thank you @lucybell52 for pointing this out!) No cuz what the fuck. What do I even say about this? Pretty minor in comparison to everything else he's gone through but jesus fucking christ that's still a thing.

Getting Will back only for him to be possessed. Mike was with Will the entire time he was possessed. He never left his side. Mike saw Will hurting, and had to hear him screaming, and crying and had to watch him suffer over and over and over. Just think about tiny Mike covering his ears, terrified, watching as Will screams for his life. Back in the shed, trying desperately to find his best friend, to get him back, talking to him and reminding him of when they met. The best thing he's ever done. That's what asking Will to be his friend was. And there was a risk of losing him again.

Watching Bob die. (thank you @/synthgay) Mike had to watch as a man got brutally mauled to death by demodogs, all while holding a passed out, limp Will in his arms. I can't even begin to imagine how much that would fuck up a kid's brain.

Billy when he came looking for Max.(thank you @runninguplenorahills for mentioning this <3) He nearly beat up Lucas, he did beat the fuck out of Steve (which the kids tried to help by putting little colorful band-aids on his wounds can you hear me sobbing?)

Season 3 (14 years old);

The Mind Flayer. Do I need to explain this? Having to see that fucking thing, let alone almost be killed by it????? It's a horror movie type creature made of melted people. MELTED PEOPLE. I have trouble looking at it even knowing it's fake. IMAGINE KNOWING IT'S REAL.

The Sauna Test. Flayed Billy screaming his guts out, breaking the window, almost choking El to death, almost getting beat up too when trying to save her.

Getting beat up by flayed Billy. Grown, very menacing and intimidating man who is way stronger than him, and who he's seen beat the fuck out of someone way stronger than he is also beat the fuck out of him.

The Byers moving away. At first this might not seem all that big of a deal, but he's losing El, and Will again, and that does take a toll on him (paired up with everything that happened in Starcourt), which we see in Lucas on the Line (following up with that).

Clear signs of depression in Lucas on the Line. Self isolating, spending all of his time in his room or basement playing nintendo, like, he literally does not leave his room, he's irritable and annoyed all the time... yeah.

Season 4 (14/15 years old);

The shootout at the Byers house. They were being shot at. He could've died. Will and Jonathan could've died. Unknown Hero Agent Man did die.

Trying to save UHAM/burying him. Yeah i don't need to explain this. Everyone trying desperately to save this bleeding, dying man, ultimately failing and having to bury his body. They were so damn casual about it too, Mike, Will and Jonathan. This is just the bullshit they've been forced to live with for the past 4 years at this point, and that is fucking terrifying.

El getting taken. Back with the losing someone you love and not knowing if they're dead or not. (even with Mike not loving El romantically, he still loves her and cares about her, remember that) Especially since they didn't leave off in very friendly terms.

Getting El back. (thanks again @/runninguplenorahills <33)Full of dead people everywhere, El crashing down a helicopter, everything destroyed. Good Lord.

Conclusion;

So, Mike has seen several people die and be murdered, has seen countless of monsters that come from different dimensions, has lost people time and time again, has gone through several near death experiences and more.

I'm pretty sure I missed stuff so please feel free to add on to this if you want, and i can add it to the post itself!

I mainly went through situations he's been in and not his feelings in this. I could make a post going into his internalized homophobia and all, but I feel like many people have already gotten a good look at that.

(@hey-its-bucky helo :])

[sleepy-moron]

I stand before you today good people of Tumblr to answer a very important question: Why gay Mike Wheeler? This isn't going to be an explanation as to what evidence there is to support this claim because many people have covered the topic way better than I could, it's more of me attempting to explain why I personally am so interested by this interpretation of stranger things.

Okay so I've loosely followed the stranger things community on and off since around fall of 2016?? While I've had occasional brief periods of hyperfixation on the series, it's never been THE hyperfixation for me. That is until we started getting the bigger promo material for season four in October. I fell into a theory post rabbit hole and eventually wound up binge reading a bunch of byler meta posts.....and now I am extremely invested, as evidenced by me even making this post.

The funny thing is I never really had strong feelings about Mike as a character other than him being an asshole in season 3 prior to this. I thought he was generally a likeable enough protagonist(because he arguably fills the role of an 80s kid hero better than anyone else+ he is always relevant in that part of the storyline for the first three seasons) for the kind of story the show is trying to tell, albeit not a particularly interesting one. But Mike being gay changes that, and not for the "you only like the character because they're gay" reasons some people are going to claim. Well it does have to do with that but it really isn't that cut and dry of an answer.

Mike being canonically gay would make him an incredibly subversive character, and I don't mean that in a "wow it's so rare to have a character realize they're gay gradually over the course of a work of fiction" way, I mean it's arguably a subversion of a lot of tropes and story conventions common to works like stranger things. I'd argue that if Mike being gay is indeed the intended reading of his character, that this makes him one of the strongest links between a characters personal arc and the overall thematics of a show I've seen in recent memory.

This begs the question: what is stranger things even about on a thematic level. I personally believe that the biggest takeaways are about the power of love and compassion in the face of adversity, and that people (particularly people in positions of power) are the real monsters for encouraging the suffering and pressure to conform to societal norms at the price of your own happiness. I think most people who have watched the show would agree on these being major themes so I'm not going to explain how the story shows these themes.

Mike (and his hypothetical sexuality and relationship with Will) tie in with these themes pretty damn perfectly. The bond these two share is always linked to the main supernatural threat of the season, and in the first two seasons Mike caring about Will to the extent he does is a big factor in taking down the physical threat of the season. Season 3 is a little different, as a big conflict of the season is Mike ignoring people in favor of kissing El, and Will is by far the character we see impacted the most by this. This conflict is the whole reason nobody besides Dustin gets involved with the mall Russians, and Mike and Will literally have their big fight right before the characters realize the mind flayer is back.

Now that we know how important their relationship is, let's run through how many themes this arc would connect to. These two deciding to go against the very real pressures of society to do what makes them happy, as which is also an act of love/care, and would likely help them fight against the upside down at an unspecified later point in the series. This even works on a meta level, as this also subverts real society's expectations on how the plot of shows like stranger things go. Mike not ending up with El would be a big subversion already but him ending up with Will instead inverts so many tropes. It means the main girl character in advertisement doesn't end up with the guy she's closest with, a gay character isn't in unrequited pining for a hero who's straight, and it also means that no longer being in a relationship with someone is automatically an unhappy ending. Additionally it subverts the idea of needing a relationship to be happy and the idea that relationship plotlines can't be just as relevant to the story of an action/non melodrama show as any other kind of side plot can be. So this boils down to subverting audience expectations based on cinematic conventions to stay true to the story being told, and that story ultimately being about compassion and love overcoming all opposition.

I just think that's the kind of story people need to see sometimes, and it would be huge to see a show this popular do something like this, and I really think that just how well this storyline would fit the show in addition to all the subtext is really why people are so attached to this idea.

[demadogs]

am i the only one that doesn’t have hope anymore? like at all? i don’t trust the duffers anymore and i feel like us(the bylers) created all this byler thing in our heads and we just looked too much into the details in the show :(

i dont blame you for not having hope bc volume 2 for byler definitely was a disappointment and i understand not wanting to look between the lines of the monologue and get hopes up only to be disappointed again but DO NOT think we just made all this up!! if byler doesnt happen i genuinely think that it was their plan originally and then they trashed it.

its not like theres two or three potential hints towards it. there are dozens and dozens of clues and subtext from the dialogue and actions of the characters but also the cinematography, the lighting, the score and tracks they use, the parallels to other couples on the show, the placement of their characters, and probably so much more we havent even noticed yet. we did not make anything up.

after volume 2 i wasnt that sad or mad because more than anything i was just VERY confused. because none of mike wheelers actions make sense unless hes deeply struggling with internalized homophobia. there will be genuine plotholes in the whole show if they stick with mlvn til the end.

lets look at mikes actions alone. can you answer ANY of these questions with an answer thats NOT related to his sexuality?

why did mike not let el touch her when they were kissing at the beginning of s3?

why did he say “its not my fault you dont like girls” if thats not projecting?

why did he say he loves her out loud to everyone else but then pretend he didnt know what she was talking about when she brought it up again?

why did he look so confused when el kissed him and said she loves him and why did he keep his eyes open and didnt kiss her back at all?

why didnt mike have any indication of even having a gf in his room besides the letter we saw him read, while el had a whole shrine and a “book of letters” from him? why did, instead, mike have wills drawings up all over the basement and has a while binder for them that we saw in s1. book of drawings.

WHY on earth wouldnt mike hug his best friend who he hasnt seen in months at the airport? its not because he knows wills feelings, the duffers and finn and the script itself have confirmed hes oblivious to his sexuality and feelings for him.

why did mike look so nervous to ask will about the painting? if it was just because their friendship was kinda dying i think he would have said it as if he was bored or didnt care but instead he looked like he cared a little too much and was trying to hide it. this is right after reading el’s letter that said that will might be painting for a girl.

why did mike barely even look at el as they were walking out of the airport and why did he wear something very different for mike as if he’s portraying someone he’s not?

why would mike emphasize so much “WE’RE FRIENDS!!! we’re friends!” will didnt mean it in a romantic context but mike took it that way.

why was mike kinda an asshole to el and didnt comfort her after the bullies at the rink? “she didnt look fine?” what the hell.

WHY COULDNT MIKE SAY OR WRITE THAT HE LOVES EL!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHAT IS THE POINT OF THAT SCENE IF HE ACTUALLY GENUINELY DOES LOVE HER??? why didnt he say it right then if he did?

why was that “i feel like i lost you” scene so god damn flirty? he’s never looked at el the way he looked at him here.

why did he nod when will told him that its scary to open up to people especially if they dont like the truth? why did finn say that this “psyches him out”?

why did mike say “its not fate, its not destiny, its just simple dumb luck” about first meeting el and then claim to her that the moment he say her in the woods was love at first sight? we know that this is a blatant lie and will should know this too.

why did mike look at will like THAT during the painting scene!!!??? (i will admit tho this could be finn wolfhard just wanting his character to be gay so he plays him gay but they could have used shots of him not looking at his lips but they kept them in.)

WHY DID WILL HAVE TO PUSH MIKE TO CONTINUE TALKING TO EL!!!!!???? HE WASNT GONNA SAY HE LOVES HER BUT WILL PUSHED HIM INTO IT!!!!!!!!

and thats just his actions alone!!! now lets look into the more technical film choices theyve made when it comes to mike wheeler. again, can you answer any of these questions with an answer thats not related to him having internalized homophobia?

why did they make it clear that max and lucas at day of the dead were having a date (“im spending romantic time with my girlfriend”) and then choose to place mike and will together but not with them, as if mike and will were on a date too.

why did they film mike and el’s break up in s3 so playfully and humorous with bright lighting, lots of colors, an audience, max and el laughing, and fun music after vs mike and will’s fight which was very dark and blue, pouring rain, harsh shadows, and played an emotional original score track?

WHY the eye witness parallel?

why would they frame mike in a closet in s3 during that awkward unreciprocated kiss? this is the biggest thing by far for me that makes me think he’s gay for sure.

why did they frame mike reading el’s letter so that theres a literal fucking one way sign pointing to an open closet?

why did bouncy upbeat music play when he and el reunited at the airport? they could have made it emotional but they made it light and playful as if its more friendly than romantic.

WHY DID THEY PLAY A TRACK CALLED “IN THE CLOSET” WHEN MIKE STARTS SPEAKING!!!!!!!!!!!! NOT WILL!!! this is also right after he said “we’re firends we’re friends!!” no its not just because el is in a literal closet here, the track starts during mike and wills fight.

why did they play a track that is EXTREMELY similar to the track eulogy during mike and el’s fight, a track thats only played when someone dies.

(emotional, tender music). why. its only used in romantic contexts. we see it used with byler, lumax, jopper, and once with mlvn when theyre at the pizza place.

why did they frame will out of focus in the middle of mike and el when they reunited!!? at first i thought this was just to emphasize will’s pov but now im thinking it might be more symbolic of will getting in between mike and eleven. he himself isnt doing that at all though, quite the opposite actually- he keeps giving mike relationship advice and hes the reason mike told el he loves her, so it must be in reference to how will is disrupting mike and els relationship because of mikes feelings for him.

why did they keep will in the frame when mike said he loved her? the only other time we had a similar one on one emotional monologue delivery to someone was in s2 when joyce, jonathan, and mike were trying to reach will and mike told him asking him to be friends was the best thing hes ever done. that was shot as if there were no one else in the room it was very centered around just will and mike, whereas this monologue shows will in the same frame as mike as well as will and jonathans reactions to what hes saying.

and lastly, WHY did they frame every couple so dramatically paired off together in the final shot while el was all alone. joyce and hopper, mike and will, and jonanathan and nancy. theyve done this in the past but this was the first time they made it excruciatingly obvious.

damn i wasnt gonna list out every thing i know when i first started answering this but thats what i ended up doing. anyways, again, i understand giving up considering how disappointing volume 2 was, but absolutely no way was it all in our heads. look at all that.

i still have hope just for the sheer fact that not only mike wheeler as a character, but all their film choices surrounding mike wheeler make no fucking sense unless hes gay and DEEP in the closet.

[justmeandmyships]

The Duffer brothers brought me here: My experience with byler. (A rant to get things out of my mind)

With Vol 2 being so close and me without nothing better to do I want to share my experience on how I became a byler shipper and so confident about them.

First of all, let me tell you before this season I never watched any theories or anything like that. I just watched the show and kept going with my life (despite of me loving analyzing things with stranger things I never felt the urge to do so idk why). I wasn’t thinking of any ships because tbh 90% of the couples seem to me very cliche, predictable and boring. I despise all these couples so much that in season 3 when everybody was like “oh what a fun and cool season”, my family knows that I was venting about how it was the worst season. For me it felt so superficial. Nothing to do with the two priors seasons. I was ready to stop watching this show. I was that annoyed!!

So imagine the shock I felt this season as a general viewer when I saw the awkward hug between Will and Mike at the airport when all I knew they amended things past season. My first thought was “why is Mike being a jerk to Will?” . It makes absolutely no sense with Mike’s character.

Then the first thing Mike asks Will is about the painting. He not even asked him how he was or anything like that. He asked Jonatan but he didn’t care about his best friend???!!!

Bare with me my mind was going crazy. Nothing makes sense. Not with the Mike I know. Even on season 3 when he was a jerk to Will, he did it on the heat of the moment and regretted immediately but this season?!! This season he was blatantly ignored him and treated him badly.

Are the Duffers that bad writers? I asked myself. Is this show going down hill? Nothing made sense.

But then the “we are friends” x 2 happened. It opened my mind to a possibility that I never ever considered. Was Mike having feelings for Will? Because let me tell you I’m straight so I never ever ever in a million times not matter how BAD I fight with my best friend, I never had the need to remember her the status of our relationship. I never have to remember her that we are friends. Why will we feel the need to clear that up? We are friends what else can we be? Why we any of us forget that unless one of us was at one point or another considering us in another kind of relationship ?

Something definitely clicked. Then the awkwardness continued until the “i thought that I lost you” with Mike visible nervous, Will with tears in his eyes. I was like okayyyy. Plausible. Perhaps I was misrepresented things.

But then THEN Mike came back to his awkwardness. That fucking triple looks that he gave Will. Why is he awkward again if you already cleared things on. There’s was no denying that something was happening. SOMETHING WAS HAPPENING.

However my biggest proof without no doubt was how Mike nodded when Will told him about being scared of telling people the truth. If Mike’s truth is that he loves El, why is he scared? Specially when she already told him that she is waiting for him to say it?

There’s no logic explanation for that nodding that Mike did. Except of course you admit that his truth isn’t something that El wants to hear. Plus his awkwardness with Will, the math clicked on my mind. Mike Wheeler can’t be straight.

So i was convinced. I was opened to the idea but still didn’t fully believe because to do such move on the narrative. A main character who was just a character and not “the gay or queer character”. That’s something never seen before. Can the Duffers be that brave? That’s just a power move. That will made people crazy for good or bad.

That’s when I started reading theories and the more I read, the more things made sense not just from this season but for all the previous seasons.

There’s no way Byler won’t be canon. My experience tell me so because I would have never ever questioned Mike’s sexuality if the Duffers didn’t make all those scenes this season. They made act so out of character that it’s impossible to ignore his actions. They made the awkwardness, they made the airport scene, they made heart to heart talks, they were the ones with the tender emotional music. I didn’t say oh look how cute Mike and Will look. No. It was the writers choices that made me start questioning everything. They brought me here. Not only me but many many many people like me.

So keep that in mind.