#byler lighting

[gayofthefae]

Thinking about how different the light is when it's a romantic moment between Mike and Will versus a frantic moment with El there. Yes, the sun has set, but sunset is famously the most romantic lighting, no? Golden hour, anyone?

It's pretty in the way that when you're standing in it it looks nice. But Will in Mike's point of view is the personification of the sun.

Also, remember. This part was shot on a set, so all the lights for the car scenes are artificial.

[lune-moon-nuit]

OMGGGGGG

[Split] Shades of Mike’s Heart

Adding onto THIS because for whatever reason I’m having trouble reblogging my initial post. The initial post:

The add-on with more Mike split-shading (left face uncovered - Will, right face uncovered - El):

(Not the best picture quality; sorry, but still serves its purpose)

This is right after Mike tells El he can’t lose her again, she almost kisses him, and then he watches both her AND Will get driven away to get the Mind Flayer out of Will and close the gate. For all Mike knew, this could be the moment he last sees either of them again. And resembles the way he watches them both leave at the end of season 3, just under less dire circumstances:

What these two shots have in common is Mike feeling like he’s losing both Will and El (just in varying ways). Both these shots also shade Mike’s face on the left side as it is during his monologue to El—on the side of the body where the heart is. He’s hiding the truth of his heart and feelings, but this shading directly involves Will in a way that is different to when the shading is Will-specific:

When Mike’s focus is on Will (Mike with Will), the shading may suggest he’s ‘hiding the truth of his real feelings for Will’ instead of being ‘torn between Will and El/ torn about how he should feel’ like in El-linked shading. In the shots where Mike is watching Will and El leave, it’s El-linked shading. This shows he’s torn in some way. In his monologue to her, he’s saying what he’s saying because he thinks it’s what El needs (while unknowingly piggybacking off Will’s feelings while also unknowingly responding to those feelings). We can clearly see just in his hesitating, voice, and facial expressions through this scene that Mike was battling himself the entire time.

Going back to when Mike says he ‘can’t lose [El] again,’ he says this in seasons 2 and 3, with the end of s2 being the start of their relationship and the end of s3 being this weird midway point toward the eventual end of their relationship judging by Mike’s response to El’s “I love you too” (along with what we get in s4 because there’s no evidence especially at the end of s4 that s5 will end with Midleven).

This is the shading on Mike’s face after he says he loves El and can’t lose her again:

Same side as when he says it the first time, indicating he’s torn and not being wholly truthful.

Additionally, a lot of scenes where it’s Byler-heavy/-indicative have the left side of Mike’s face uncovered (again, the left side of the body holds the heart) but I’ve noticed some complexity with Will-specific lighting too. Like in this scene:

The left side of his face is shaded, like in El-linked scenes, but, regardless, Mike has reached out into the light [on his left] and connected with Will. He’s mostly in the dark, but his body is positioned toward Will’s, leaned toward and partly into the light where Will is. This is the moment where we understand the shading on Mike goes from torn or hidden to known.

-

Posted this addition already but I must add here too because I’m just REALLY excited about it!

I remembered to go back and check out the “blank makes you crazy” scene. I had to see how Mike’s face was lit.

His face is not only split-shaded, but it’s the left side of his face that’s uncovered. The Will-specific lighting. During a scene Mike is trying to confess his ‘love’ to El (while it seems he’s just trying to get her to say the word so he doesn’t have to).

But it’s more than that. This scene is even more connected to “Crazy together” and “only love makes you that crazy.”

Mike has Will in mind—in heart—during this scene!

[strawberrybyers]

the outfit parallels to season 1 are going to put me in a god damn coma,, if you hear nervous laughing sorry that’s just me because WHAT THE FUCK

[kidovna]

constantly thinking about flickergate

still images below the cut because the gifs turned out extra crispy on tumblr

[apocalyptic-byler]

i know we always talk about mike putting his ear against will’s chest to hear his heartbeat but we should also talk about lucas’ little “byers!!!”

HE’S SO EXCITED AND HAPPY TO SEE HIM HIS EXCITED LITTLE YELL OF “BYERS!!!” GETS ME EVERY SINGLE TIME 😭😭😭 THIS IS ONE OF THE CUTEST SCENES IN THE WHOLE SHOW SOMEONE SEDATE ME

[gayofthefae]

And curtains associated with Elmike

Closed....then open

Windows associated with byler

Hrrrmmm(mincraft villager)

[taeiris]

mike has an important talk with nancy

ST5 HYPE IS BACK IN MY BRAIN FOLKS!!! this is based on a “leak” from way back in may btw iykyk

lineart

[thy-lovelylionheart]

Mike being an absolute thorn in Vecna's side since day one

"How about, uh, how about this guy here? Know who that is?" "That's...my friend. Mike."

[gayofthefae]

Closed.

Open.

You know...for reference.

HELLOOOOO THE YELLOW CURTAINS ARE OPEN????????

[gayofthefae]

Will outside of Mike's POV

Will in Mike's POV

[chirpsythismorning]

Bringing this back bc I think we as a society moved on too fast

[bamgory]

additional keychainful scream!byler from my one wip post ❤️❤️❤️ (ft. wills mole on the wrong side bc i flipped him rip 💔)

[gayofthefae]

This is the photo from that post that calls Mike a YA protagonist girl choosing between her childhood best friend and the strange man she met in the woods I remember it well.

And the way even the two "competitors" of the previous/current love triangles mirror each other's positions.

And I’m supposed to believe their poses/positions have no relevance and mean nothing- right ok…

Yeah I’ll believe that, just like how I believe the music and costumes and light and set designs mean nothing too mhm

[imsonormalipromise]

Thinking about these shots....the massive light rays shining down onto Will....Mike in the darkness reaching out to Will, to the light....

...the blue, yellow and green lighting around them...

...INSANE.

[demadogs]

We can’t take any chances. We need to assume the worst. The Mind Flayer is back.

Stranger Things season three (2019)

[ellie-the-plant]

The way I squealed when we got the leaked photo