#and admit that what will feels for mike just doesnt compare to what theyve shown us about el loving mike thus far

[paintingformike]

i’ve made a similar post about this before but it really is easier to understand the outcome of the el/mike/will love triangle if people simply looked at it from a different angle. most of the debates about it are centered around how mike feels, if he ever had feelings for el in the past or he never did, if he’s in love with will or el etc. but think about it...between el and will, who do you think has been shown to continuously love mike wholeheartedly, unconditionally and meaningfully? whose feelings have been written with so much depth to the point it’s being called “beautiful” by the cast?

i think if we’re being completely honest and objective, writing down the word “love” in all your letters just...doesn’t compare to pouring your entire heart and soul into making a painting representing your love for your best friend, waxing poetic about all his traits that you love and appreciate him for, saying he makes you feel better for being different, showing him his worth as a person, being the only one to consistently check up on how he feels and comforting and reassuring him through his troubles.

i've genuinely tried imagining el feeling this much unconditional love for mike and pictured her trying to express similar sentiments about him as deep as will’s feelings go but i just...cant. seeing more of these conversations about el being the one to have never been in love with mike or develop any sort of feelings for him just hammers down the point more. it’s a harsh fact to lay out i guess, and i’m not trying to say el doesn’t care about mike or loves him atleast platonically, but if i’m going to be really frank...will just loves mike far more profoundly and deeply. and it’s not a bad thing, it’s just the truth. like we don’t really see much of mike feeling loved by her either, in fact, when people ask her what he likes/loves about him she’s never really sure about how she feels, like when max asked her if she enjoyed kissing mike she said she didn’t even know if she did 😭

obviously we can’t just hold el up to high standards when it comes to relationship matters, and it’s important to consider the life she has been leading thus far as a kid who was raised in a lab and has only had a few years to navigate around society and experience a somewhat “normal” life, including her knowledge of relationships. but this is simply about who was really shown to love mike for who he is and who mike feels the most comfortable opening up to first, and it’s not a bad thing that el can’t love mike the way will does, because she does love and care about him, just in different ways. but it’s telling of who really is the right person for mike and who has the love that he’s always wanted and needed.