#duffers fix it

[bananananurr]

If only the Duffers didn’t change the script for The Piggyback-

But i guess this will have to do for now

[clarkegriffins]

do u ever stop to think about this whole love triangle discourse and end up laughing bc there shouldn't be a discourse to begin with? like one boy wants nancy in his life and says that she's the most important part and the other boy looks like he's two seconds away from being put out of his misery because of his relationship with nancy to the point he's ghosting her and she thinks he's cheating. also do u ever think about how both of these boys talks about nancy? how they describe her? and the reasons they love her? how they see her?

first we have jonathan saying this:

first of all, i love his lack of energy go girl give us nothing (why he looks like he wants to d word, ur literally talking about ur girlfriend 😭) so, that's him saying all the reasons he loves her, and ofc we know that nancy is like that but why he's talking about her work ethic and not about her, like u should all read this post about how much nancy cares about other people and how being a reporter allows her to listen to other people's stories and help them, but jonathan only talks about that, work work work, how she behaves in work, how she is ambitious at work which we know she is, that's not a bad thing at all, i love how determined she is, how she works hard for that, it's actually one of my favorite traits of nancy, but i don't see people (and jonathan) talking about what drives that ambition forward which is helping other people, now going back to jonathan's speech which is even more ridiculous when we watched s3, because according to him he loves how hardworking nancy is, and yet:

wait a second, drop the story? i thought you loved how she's never done a single thing halfway in her life? and then:

anyways, that doesn't sound like someone who loves all these things he listed in season 4, now moving forward to steve, i was talking before how jonathan only said things about nancy's work ethic and not about her and what drives her forward but can u believe that steve does that? and not the fully developed steve in season 4, no, the s1 steve, the one who still messed up from time to time

i think it's very refreshing to see someone describing nancy and acknowledging how caring she can be, how she worries about other people, how she wants to help people, and he sees that, and this isn't even a big speech bc good knows narrative wasn't at their side in s1-s2, it's just crazy to me how there's scenes of nancy being there for jonathan in awful times (when will was being possessed, she held his hand, she was there, and yet not a single thing about that, about how much she's caring and protective) it's just sad bc do u see how she describes him? "caring, compassionate, protective, never back down from what's right (only when he wants to lie to her countless times i guess)" how could he not do the same for her? THE nancy wheeler who stood in front of A CAR to protect him and her friends when billy was about to crush her, and you know this isn't just an issue with jonathan, i feel like this is an issue with the fandom too, i feel like the fandom only seems to care about that side of nancy, like her career is the only thing she cares about and nothing more, and that's just isn't nancy wheeler, but then again, she's one of the characters people misunderstand the most in st (just like her brother, i guess is the wheeler's curse) we have 14 year old mike wheeler listing how much he loves el on her bad days, on her good days, with her powers, without her power, for exactly who she is, and all jonathan can say about his girlfriend is "she works 👍"

[queenie-ofthe-void]

pre-S4 Robin and Max || wc: ~1.6k || rating: teen || cws: depression, brief mentions of bullying and child neglect

~~~

Robin drops her lunch tray onto the table, falling into the seat with purpose. The young girl across from her startles at the movement. Pulling her headphones down slightly, Max raises her eyebrow in question, clearly annoyed at the unwelcomed company. Robin mimics the look in an overly dramatic way, and takes a large bite of her instant mashed potatoes. 

When Max only rolls her eyes and goes back to her homework– headphones off– Robin considers it a win. The girl’s been pulling away since Starcourt, drawing into herself in a way that’s putting everyone on edge, and the Party is at a loss for what to do. 

The beginning of freshman year was tough on all of the kids, but especially Max. Robin would eye her from across the lunchroom, seated at the opposite end of the table from the loud, brash, super super senior along with the rest of the Party and Hellfire boys. The poor girl would startle anytime Munson laughed too harshly and flinched at the loud bang of his fists on the table, shrinking into herself during his tabletop tirades. 

Needless to say, sitting with the Hellfire boys didn’t last long. Max’s patience for Eddie thinned even further after settling into the trailer across from him, complaining about music keeping her up at all hours of the night– the same electric guitar riffs over and over again. And she’d made more than one off-hand sarcastic remark about Munson’s late night customers causing the dog to howl.

Robin looks towards the Hellfire table now. Sure enough, Eddie’s flailing his arms around in what is most likely a lecture on The Man. Dustin’s wide eyes and Mike’s entranced smile tell her they’re fully proselytized to the Munson Doctrine now, after a full five months of brain washing. Hopeless, the both of them. She has no idea what they see in the town drug dealer beyond D&D. Mike didn’t even like rock music before he joined Hellfire. Now he’s subconsciously crushing so hard on their fearless leader that he’s starting to dress like him. 

She supposes she’d be a bit of a hypocrite to judge him too harshly though. She only joined the pep band to see Vickie after school.

Cutting off her own dating anxieties, she focuses back on Max. The young girl is more relaxed than when Robin first sat down. She’s hunched over an old copy of Romeo and Juliet. Not one of Robin’s personal favorites, and she’d guess not one of Max’s either if her frustrated huff means anything. Why it’s required reading for freshmen she’ll never understand. But speaking of Romeo…

She looks around again, and her eyes lock on to Lucas’s. He’s staring directly at her with a desperate look in his eye that Robin tries to acquiesce with a tight smile. Another boy in a letterman jacket is trying to get his attention, but he’s shrugged off as Lucas moves to stand. 

Panicked, Robin checks to see that Max hasn’t noticed and shakes her head. A silent plea to not ruin the small ground she’s gained-- the first ground anyone has gained with Max in weeks. Hurt flashes across his face, but he sits down. Robin nods, hopefully telegraphing her thoughts. She can tell he's not happy about it, but he settles back into the conversation with his teammates.

Max dumped him just before Halloween and just shortly after she quit sitting with the Hellfire boys. Lucas had tried sitting with her instead, but the older boys stomped their proverbial toddler feet, arguing that he was already splitting too much of his time between D&D and basketball practice. They couldn’t believe he then had the audacity to spend even less time with them just to hang with some girl.

Needless to say Mike and Dustin had been less than supportive, caving to the peer pressure from the older members and Robin knows it’s one of the reasons why Lucas eventually ended up sitting with his teammates.

Then her mom started pulling doubles during the holidays and Max did her best to hole up in the trailer, refusing to come out no matter how much caroling the boys tried. Robin understands why Max wouldn’t want to go to the Party’s holiday gatherings. The boys were the core unit of the group, backed up by the Wheeler and Byers families. But the Byers’ left and took her best friend with them, the boys were fighting, and they weren’t even sure if Lucas would show up if Max wasn’t there. Robin was one of the few people involved in the Upside-Down bullshit who understood what isolation from the core group felt like, so why not try to include Max in their own tiny group of three.

A few days later, on the coldest day of break, Robin sat in the passenger seat with her fingers smashed up against the beemer’s heat vent and watched out the window as Max opened the door for the only person she was still talking to. The girl put up an argument, but no one can out-bitch The King himself. She let him in and they stepped out a few minutes later, a bag slung over her shoulder and a small dog in her arms. He never complained, even when the house smelled like wet dog for a week later.

Now it’s almost March, and it’s been weeks since she’s talked to anyone. She’s been sitting alone everyday, not answering the phone. So maybe it's Robin's turn to try talking with her, girl to girl.

“I know what you’re doing here,” Max states, hiding her hesitancy under a false bravado, the casual air of her tone undercut by her shifting gaze. “You can tell him to stop worrying, I’m fine.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Random Girl,” Robin answers with an innocent wave of her hand.

Max’s deadpanned stare says she’s not buying it. The nickname all but confirms her motives. 

That’s fine, Robin just needs a foot in the door and now that Max has opened said door, it’s like the dam between Robin's brain and mouth has burst. 

“I was just sitting here eating my lunch and minding my own business, when you decided to say something. And honestly, I think that’s pretty good for me considering I’ve been sitting here for almost twenty minutes in complete silence, which– you know– is not really my forte. Normally I like when people talk to me, it’s how conversations are supposed to work, ya know? But when it’s just me I can’t seem to stop and I’ll, like, keep going and going until it gets awkward.”

She can’t stop rambling and oh god she’s going to ruin this, she’s sure of it. Max let her sit here and now she’s going to ruin this for Lucas and the boys and–

“Just,” Max interrupts. Robin takes a deep breath, in and out. Calming herself down and keeping her mouth shut. “You can sit here, alright. But don’t, like, expect anything from me. You’re not going to get me to open up, or some shit– don’t even say language right now Robin I swear– so that you can report back on how I’m doing. Because I’m fine. Really.”

“Why would I report back to Lucas how you’re doing–” Robin starts. But Max interrupts again.

“You know that’s not who I’m talking about,” Max says quietly. Her eyes are turned downward, avoiding eye contact now that the fire’s burned out.

“Max,” Robin tries again, yet doesn’t know what to say. Anything she says will either be a lie, or so genuinely truthful Max might withdraw again. 

“Max, I just want to sit here. Ok? I promise I won’t jump in the beemer after school and spill all your secrets. We don’t even have to talk if you don’t want to! I’ll just sit over here and do homework, while you sit over there and do homework. Because Nancy’s busy with the newspaper now and maybe I can help you with Spanish and just--,” but she stops. She has to be honest. Or at least try without it being too much.

Max is looking at her. Watching intently, searching for something Robin can’t figure out.

She sighs, exhausted but unwilling to give up.

“He’s worried about you. Of course he is. That’s, like, Steve’s whole entire personality.” It gets the small smile out of Max that she was trying for. “But I’m sitting here because I want to, not because he told me to or so I could, I don’t know, gather information for him. Talk to me or not, but I’m sitting here for lunch from now on.”

Max eyes Robin, and must find whatever she was looking for. 

The bell rings, and they both move to pack up their books. “If you’re sitting here,” Max says “then you’re going to have to listen to me gush about Kate Bush.”

Like that’s a deterrent. Hell, it’s an incentive.

“Fine,” Robin makes a show of it, whining and rolling her eyes. “Then you’re going to have to get over it and listen to me bitch about Steve being a dingus and a total loser when it comes to picking up girls at work. I spend too much time with him to not get it off my chest.”

“Totally understandable,” Max says, a huff of laughter escaping behind her restrained smile. “See you tomorrow then.”

Robin turns, bouncing lightly on her feet to her next class after a successful mission. Steve might not have asked her to do this, but she’s doing it for him regardless. For both Steve and Max. 

She can’t wait to tell him all about it.

~~~

@devondespresso thanks for the WIP ask! I've actually been sitting on this for a while, so you gave me a good kick in the ass to finally finish up edits and post. 💜💜💜

[byler-alarmist]

Stranger Things is one big 80's movie fix-it fic.

It's Stand By Me, if they were brave enough to admit that Chris and Gordie were.in love

It's Pretty In Pink, if Andie and Duckie ended up together like they were supposed to

It's The Breakfast Club, if the teenagers were allowed to be very, very gay

Edit: even better, per the suggestion of @punkwillbyers, it's if Duckie was gay and Andie turned out to be queer, too

[1lostsoul0fishbowl]

here’s the resolution to steve’s angsty struggles, in which he finds a path to the future by remembering kindness from his past. enjoy.

(for some reason it’s not letting me link the first two parts but if you check the “losty can actually write” tag at the bottom you’ll find them if you want them!)

They’re all so kind to him; much nicer than Steve thinks he deserves.

He apologizes profoundly to El as soon as he steps back inside. She accepts, hugging him and giving him a shy kiss on the cheek, telling him she “never likes hitting, not ever” but she knows he only did it because he thought he had to protect her, and she loves him for wanting to keep her safe. Then Mike hugs him, too, which is huge because he never hugs anybody anymore, and Mike actually thanks him for being willing to stand up for him and fight on his behalf. A few tears escape at that, but Steve wipes them hastily away and if Mike notices he doesn’t let on. Robin wheedles a bag of ice from the bartender and holds it against his swollen knuckles, teasing him about being a ruffian who starts bar fights at the same time as she’s cuddling into his side and comfortingly stroking his hair. He truly has the best friends in the world.

The Corroded Coffin guys treat him like friends, too, despite what a douchebag he’s been to them, and he wonders briefly if Eddie told them to be nice or if they just are nice and he never noticed before because he wasn’t. He knows their names now. Jeff plays guitar and sometimes keyboard, and has a loud delightful laugh and a clever sense of humor. Grant, the bassist, sings harmony like an angel and is apparently a trivia nut; he invites Steve to join his pub quiz team. And Gareth, who shakes Steve’s hand and waves away his apologies. Gareth, whose red plaid flannel is absolutely ruined with bloodstains, who still manages to smile despite his bruised face as he tells Steve he’s glad to know Janie has such great loyal friends looking out for her. Steve hands over his father’s contact card, in case Gareth’s family wants to pursue litigation against him, to which the younger boy shrugs and replies, “What would they wanna do that for?”

Much kinder than Steve deserves.

He’s the last one to leave the club, after apologizing to everyone all over again, and by the time Steve gets back to his huge empty house it isn’t empty after all because Robin and Dustin are there waiting for him. Eddie arrives a few minutes later with two big cartons of ice cream— “is he a middle aged woman who just got dumped?” Robin teases, even as she’s digging into the rocky road— and between the three of them they fill Steve’s normally desolate and lonely house with light and noise and laughter. The four of them squeeze onto one small loveseat together, eating rocky road straight from the container, warm and cozy and comfortable, and Steve feels as if there had been a layer of sharp thick ice around his heart that he hadn’t even noticed until now when it was finally thawing. He leans against Eddie, heaving a deep, gusty sigh, and Eddie unexpectedly kisses the top of his head.

“You wanna talk about it, Stevie?” His voice is filled with quiet concern.

But he doesn’t, not yet; he’s thinking of something else entirely, a long-buried memory somehow unearthed by the closeness or the nickname or the scent of Eddie’s hair. “Remember when we were little kids,” he says dreamily, “and uncle Wayne used to pick us up after school every day?”

Eddie’s eyebrows shoot up. “Yeah, I remember, but I didn’t think you did.”

“I didn’t, until just now. I made myself forget a lot of things. But now I remember.” He rests his head on Eddie’s shoulder. “I think it’s because you don’t smell like cigarettes anymore. Now you smell the same as you did when you were a kid.”

“Wait. Hang on,” Dustin splutters. “You guys were friends when you were kids and we’re only just finding this out now?”

“What happened?” demands Robin. “Back in ‘86 I didn’t think you guys even knew each other! Why’d you stop being friends?”

Eddie scoops up a large spoonful of ice cream. “I dunno, people change, life gets in the way,” he says vaguely through his mouthful. “Plus we weren’t in the same grade or anything.”

He’s giving Steve an out, but Steve doesn’t take it. “And I ditched you in sixth grade when Tommy moved to town,” he frankly admits, “because I wanted to be part of the cool crowd, and Tommy said I was a shoo-in if I’d just get rid of you.”

Dustin’s mouth drops open. “Really?”

Eddie shrugs apathetically. “Shit happens. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” Steve insists. “Even back then I was a people pleaser, when I should’ve been trying to be more like you instead of them. You knew who you were and stayed true to yourself. I just… became whatever everyone else wanted, even if it was bad, because apparently I didn’t mind being a jerk as long as I had a group of popular kids telling me I was cool.”

“My mind is completely blown,” Robin says, “and we’re gonna need to revisit this topic in a few minutes because I’m dying to hear all about the adventures of Tiny Eddie and Baby Stevie, but first can I just say that you are never allowed to go off and spend weeks traveling with just your parents ever again? Because honestly, Steve, you’re a mess right now. They’ve totally done a number on you.”

“Seriously,” Dustin agrees. “I’ve never seen you like this before. I knew your parents were weird, but I had no idea it was this crazy. Next time they come home, just come stay over at my house instead of hanging out with them, okay?”

“Okay.” Steve doesn’t want to think about his parents anymore. He snuggles further into the couch, shifting to rest against Robin. “Uncle Wayne used to read to us,” he murmurs, “and I used to sit in his lap, and Eddie always let me. He never got mad about sharing. He never got jealous.” He sighs heavily. “I was always jealous of you.”

Eddie scoffs. “Come on.”

“I used to think if my parents could love me even just half as much as Wayne loved you then I’d be happy forever.” Tears spill down his cheeks again, and he scrubs them away with his shirtsleeve. “I had the big house and the expensive clothes and the popular friends, but I used to see you jump into Wayne’s truck after school and you’d both be so happy to see each other, and I used to think I’d do anything for someone to be that happy to see me.” He hiccups out a sob, and Robin drops her spoon to wrap both her arms around him and pull his head against her shoulder. Eddie leans into him from the other side, and he feels Dustin reaching over to rub his shoulders comfortingly.

“I never felt as loved at home as I did with you guys,” he muses. “Max said I should look into being a mentor for troubled kids, and maybe… maybe I could, you know? If I could find a little kid who’s as lonely as I was, and make him feel as safe and happy as you and Wayne made me feel, that would— that would be pretty great, I think.”

“Why stop at one little kid?” Dustin suggests. “You could do some kind of after school program, maybe, for lots of kids. We’d help.”

“We’d totally help!” Robin agrees enthusiastically. “I can see it now— ‘Daycare By Mama Bear’. Steve, you’ll be amazing at that.”

“Nah, not a daycare,” Eddie argues. “I could see you doing more like a Big Brothers, Big Sisters type of thing with older kids. Reaching out to the ones who need help, and then at the same time teaching them to reach out and help other kids too.” He sits up straighter so he can look Steve directly in the eyes. “I agree you’ll be amazing at it though. I mean, look at how you’ve looked after all of us ever since Vecna. You’re really good at seeing who needs a hand and figuring out the exact right way to help them. The kids always say you’re a damn good babysitter, but you’re a lot more than that, too. I think ‘mentor’ is a good word for it.”

“Even your parents would have to be impressed then,” Dustin jokes, but Steve brushes that aside. “Nah, fuck them, they’re awful. I’m officially through trying to impress them. I have more important things to do then worry about what they think.”

“Hell yeah, you do,” Robin agrees, grabbing for the ice cream again, scooping up a large spoonful. “I’d like to propose a toast,” she giggles, and the boys immediately dive in for matching scoops. “To Stevie finding his purpose and forgetting his parents!”

“To Stevie!” Dustin and Eddie chorus, four spoons clinking together, and this time when Steve’s eyes fill up he knows they’re tears of joy.

🍨🫂🍨🫂🍨🫂

[crxzytogether]

I'm actually a little worried about season 5 lol- like not worried about Byler, no I am 100% confident with them. I have no doubt in that regards, I think that it'll happen one way or another. My fear comes from the way they choose to execute it- Like I'm trying not to get my hopes up but reading theories and all these gates and all the cool creative amazing ways they could write it but probably won't scares me just a bit. I like to call it Duffer Doubt(doubt in the Duffer's ability to write it as amazingly as they deserve)- Gonna have to try to lower my expectations before s5 comes out bc I actually have no idea what I'll do if Mike and Will don't kiss as though nothing could fall in the Upside Down because the shame was on the other side-

[emitowrites]

Everywhere, Everything

I just wanted to save Eddie from the fate that Duffer bros gave him at the end of S4, but somehow over the weekend and into the beginning of this week I've written 25k for the world in total??? So, that's a thing that's happened I guess...

It's 24k words, you can read it here.

Featuring Audhd Eddie (who has powers!), HOH Steve, synesthesia, and (eventually) the party learning ASL through DnD.

Here's the summary:

The first time it happens, Eddie doesn’t really even realise it. He’s dying in Dustin’s arms, he’s in pain, and then suddenly he’s under the tarp, in the boathouse, jumping out with a broken bottle in his hand, shaking as he holds Steve Fucking Harrington up against the wall. It has to be a dream. It can’t have happened. It wasn’t real. But it was real, and the next go around unravels in exactly the same way. This time, he remembers the vents, they patch them up before he plays guitar, but it doesn’t help. He dies in Dustin’s arms, wakes up and he’s got Steve pushed to the wall before he can even blink.

If you read it, please let me know what you think 😆

[jonathanbyersphd]

Jonathan Byers who wanted to escape Hawkins since he was six. Except he's absolutely miserable in California but insisting he has to stay.

[michaelinprogress]

OHHHHH MY GOD

OH MY GOD HES SO BEAUTIFUL 😭😭😭

ALSO THIS!??!??!?!??

This season is going to fucking destroy me I can’t wait to see Will in the upside down 😭

[wheelercurse]

“Mike said ily 9 times” yes, thanks to Will.

[demobatman]

i hate seeing theories i agree with because eventually i will forget where i saw it let alone Who wrote it but its already been filed under canon in my brain despite it LITERALLY being a theory. a Game Th

[goofily-moved]

Icb I’m wanting to write Steve Harrington again haven’t I learned my lesson…

[catstack17]

getting reminders of your fav show is coming to an end is so odd- because on one point it’s conclusive and it can be satisfying being a part of a fandom from start to finish but then it’s polarizing because it’s a reminder that you’re not getting new source material after the final season comes out and you may not be happy with what the directors and show runners do-

[kakerutori]

YES!!!!!!!!!!! Yes to both of you. Oh my gosh. This concept would be golden.

And the even cooler thing is that this could work for Mike through lettergate - Mike proves his feelings to Will are genuine and long-lasting as he reveals a letter written between seasons 3 and 4 (during the time skip). This could be the “it’s me” moment for Mike.

Letters are perfect for those who can’t say what they want to in the moment, which is just what Mike struggles to do. And with that much pressure of Will doubting Mike because of the power of Vecna potentially tricking him, it’s understandable that Mike might be flustered out of his mind with what to say to prove himself to Will. So maybe he doesn’t have to speak suddenly at all (like he had to with El in s4). He could bring up his heart in a letter and show the date that it was written to prove its veracity. And then, going off of @ven0moir’s post, Mike could continue to re-contexualize all of his feelings before and what he went through to get to that point. And since all of it hinges on a time before Vecna reentered Hawkins in 1986, Will (and the audience!!!) has proof and can be confident that Mike’s feelings are requited.

A heartfelt piece for a heartfelt piece. Byler can do something extraordinary and both have something to show and say as love tokens for each other.

it (1990) spoilers ahead

byler confession benverly style where mike confesses to will but will thinks it’s a vecna vision because of how much vecna has been taunting him… basically this but much more dramatic

beverly 'confesses' her love to ben before this but it turns out it was just pennywise messing with ben, making him see things, so he doesn't know what to believe anymore. this time it's real.

this wouldn’t be too far-fetched considering byler has been paralleled to benverly before, and the duffers have said It & stephen king are a big inspiration for stranger things. in It, ben writes beverly a poem confessing his love but it doesn’t have his name on it so bev thinks it is from bill. she grows feelings towards bill because she thinks he wrote the poem but falls in love with ben after realizing he wrote it originally. much like how will makes the painting for mike but passes it off as el’s so mike thinks it’s from her and confesses his love in the following ep. now all we need is for him to realize it's from will.

[teambyler]

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

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

Revealing the Painting Lie

Will comes out to Mike

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

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

And I'll spell out exactly how and why!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Showing Byler is POSSIBLE:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Now how to deal with that misconception?

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

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

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

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

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

How Season 5 can make the GA CHEER for Byler:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

-teambyler

[zom61eboy]

Let’s say Mileven is endgame. Do you think it is a satisfying way to fix their relationship problems in s4 by using Will’s painting and Will’s feelings (disguised as El’s) to inspire Mike and give him the courage to confess to her? Are there any other pairings that needed external help to save their relationship?

And not only they needed external help but a gay character’s feelings were used to fix a straight relationship. If they are such a great pairing why not use something that El actually said/did to inspire Mike? Why did Will have to resort to lying and using his own thoughts to help Mike?

If the Duffers wanted to make them look like they have a beautiful and strong relationship they could have written it differently. But they didn’t.

And besides that, imagine how bad it would look for them if a gay character was used as a plot device to further a heterosexual relationship.