#elmike lighting

[gayofthefae]

A classic, old stand by. Mike and El consistently kiss and have romantic moments at night.

And their platonic

Or negative moments are in the morning

Whereas Mike and Will consistently have positive or romantic moments in the morning

With their only night ones being either negative for their relationship or goodbyes/something final (knowing or unknowing)

Also shoutout to the shed scene which I just realized is done at night despite being romantic because it is their last moment like that before El gets back!

Also makes me wonder about the ily2 scene, which takes place in the morning, and if that is, rather, emphasizing the fact that it's the first scene in the plotline of Mike's inability to say he loves her. That would make sense as, though it's played as romantic, we now know that it is starting a big plotline for the following season.

(If you're confused, mornings = new beginnings, night = endings is one of the oldest tricks in the book. So mornings is what will be their future and nights is what is/needs to come to a close. It's near universal, if not universal)

A great, direct example of this is also simply Mike saying goodbye to El at night and then staying up at the hospital to say hello to Will in the morning in 1x08. Establishes this really clearly for the audience.

Also, of course, can't talk about lighting without bringing up...

In general, seasons are typically ended in the morning with hints and lead-ins to the future seasons - with Mike, this is consistently El. The one time it ends with El, the season ends at night.

[gayofthefae]

I knew the closet but the lack of SYMMETRY to achieve it. Good catch.

i recently mentioned how the stranger things directors are freaks about symmetry and centering here, and i'm gonna bring up another example of when something isn't centered

i posted this picture recently specifically about how there is light imagery above mikes head, a literal yellow lightbulb going off in his head as he doesn't close his eyes or kiss her back. but as i was looking at this i noticed something else that has probably been talked about before, ive just never seen it.

the screen gets progressively darker from left to right. and mike is on the dark side. why would mike be in the dark if the love of his life is saying she loves him? and why is he framed perfectly inside will's closet?

what really got me is that there's a window right there with light flowing into the room, and it's in frame, almost teasing you. if this is a huge happy moment for mike and el, why aren't they in the light, centered in front of the window?? it's RIGHT THERE!! and it would've looked way better than this shot!! this shot is messy, there's so much going on. it's dark on half the screen, the walls and closet and window make it look like there's five different sections on the screen, and the light above mike's head is distracting too.

and anti bylers reading this might be thinking, "okay well so what?"

i'll tell you exactly what.

this is the scene that plays RIGHT before the mlvn scene:

centered. symmetric. couple in the light, in front of the window. no messy design distracting you from jonathan and nancy. because this is just about them. no hidden feelings or hidden messages the directors are sending you.

RIGHT. BEFORE. THE MLVN SCENE. RIGHT BEFORE IT. and right after the byler scene

and to make it even worse, they remind you of both windows in wills room (yes, WILL'S ROOM)

but in the big moment, no window. in fact, they block it at some points. and to be clear, jancy are not blocking the window, they are standing in front of it.

blocking VS standing in front of

meanwhile in bylerland...

they are endgame.

[emblazons]

Forewarning: Gay Mike talk skip if you want

Not to be that person in 2024 that pride gifset did it to me but I still genuinely do not understand how the "girls being girls was never a problem for Mike" argument came to be, considering THIS the show's Mike talking about, learning about, confessing to and just being around spaces re: girls:

note: this isn't even touching any of the moments we see hints that he's into boys—JUST the moments where we see his displeasure with/disinterest in engaging with girls (or commentary by other guys who are interested in them). Will, a confirmed gay character, doesn't even have this many reminders of his lack of interest in girls.

Once is a coincidence. Twice is a pattern. Twelve times without real effort to pull every example? and I didn't even include him taking a girls hands off him while kissing or the four other times they kissed eyes open or hidden? Iet's be so serious lmao

[sollody]

Byler and Mitski <3

Fun fact: I'm so basic sometimes and don't even care. :D

[gayofthefae]

And curtains associated with Elmike

Closed....then open

Windows associated with byler

Hrrrmmm(mincraft villager)

[timetobeaghost]

Stranger Things 5 predictions

I think it's time, before the spoilers hit.

Things I am sure about:

Byler endgame!!!

Elmike drama/breakup/friendship arc very integral to the plot

Will has powers, duh.

Jopper endgame

Happy ending

which necessarily means Jonathan surviving!

and OG party surviving + El

VH1 dying, duh

Things I am pretty sure about:

Mike gets vecna'd

Will is like Henry, not like the lab kids, an OG power kid (his parents are Joyce and Lonnie)

Max survives, cause happy ending, dammit

Steve and Robin and Erica survive. Happy ending.

Lumax endgame!!

Rockie endgame

Things I predict, because I can:

Mike meets Max in the deeper mind lair or something, gets her out, has to stay/doesn't make it out with her

Vesna outs Mike in front of Max, cause another character being there makes it more interesting

Willel teamwork to go get Mike, no simple piggybacking possible because deeper mind lair - different ... time? (wth do I know?)

Flickegate - It doesn't have to be a kiss but timefuckery explaining the flickering with connection to Byler. I SEE THE VISION

Jancy not endgame, I think. Definitely no other Nancy ship tho!

I COULD see Nancy dying. I know I'm the only one, but I'm gonna predict it, It could be devastating without being show ruiningly devastating. It would fit thematically (when Steve for example would just be random cruelty so someone dies)I just have this feeling. Still, she might live and it's a happy ending sweep. If someone important dies, I say her.

Things I wish for:

Argyle

For my beloved Mike/Max plot, I'll add Lucas thinking they are in love now (because Mileven breakup and Max obsessing about that Mike saved her and they need to get him out) and then being so relieved he is gay. Come on, there is always time for romantic hijinks and it would be such a fun thing for Lucas character. He would be all sad and saintly about it, so good.

In the last ep there is a moment that makes the painting prophetic. Mike leading Will and Lucas and Dustin into battle against the big bad.

I do want a moment of darkness from El, a fitting development from that time in S2 when she attacked Max - I do not mean attacking Max again, but maybe attacking Mike or ... something dark and the she has to actively choose the light again.

Kali comes back, proving that she wasn't for nothing.

10 appears! And somehow he is Eddie? 😂

STEVE/KALI the only Steve ship that truly slaps for some reason

Hopefully it will be the best "This only worked out because of everyone's actions" finale ever. Or at least second best since ST1.

[kittykat940]

bestie!!! ❤️ i just woke up and we have a possible coming out scene being shot? im ASCENDING.

bestie! i am so glad your back and yes we do and maybe a milkvan break up we are so getting platonic elmike also that finn pic of him sitting in mikes room on the chair with the yellow curtains in the background with the bright light i think hes looking at the painting we got sm crumbs today bestie im freaking out

[wibble-wobbegong]

just remembered that the yellow lighting at spb during the elmike convo lit mike’s jacket in a way that turned it green. fuck essays i could prove that mike thought the feelings were reciprocated from that alone bc el’s blue shirt wasn’t green it was literally just mike’s

[tsugarubecker]

That moment when you realize that 5 out of 7 of your fics all occur within the same cinematic universe (if you will)

I love the fact that my understanding of Mike, El, and Will’s characters is consistent enough to make my fics all fit together logically, within canon too :’)

(In order, if you’re curious)

1. Mike sleeps on the Byers’ couch the day he gets to CA, Will dreams about him Bridging the Gap 2. Mike’s brain is full of rainbow rocks and static when Will hands him the painting in the van Re: Lighting up a Room 3. Mike gets up the nerve at 3am to ask Will about his crush Will’s Crush: A Post-Painting Sleepy Convo 4. My take/predictions, Mike and El have a long talk and then Mike and Will do too ST S5 E01 - The Painter (Pt 1, 2, 3) 5. Post-season 5, the Upside Down has been destroyed by El and Will, the gang is finally all out to watch a movie together in the theatre, chaos ensues and platonic!Elmike is powerful Popcorn

[gayofthefae]

Never forget how light is truth and it's dark when Mike tells El he loves her but maybe the brightest I've seen this show when Will tells Mike.

Never forget how it's dark in every scene after Mike and Will's fight until they makeup with open windows, sunlight of day streaming in, but it's also streaming in daylight when Mike and El fight.

[starmanbyler]

hypothetically, how would i tag an edit that is m!leven focused but in a negative light but also n not necessarily just hate. like a sad edit that people would make for sad couples in any media. because the way i see it i find it compelling enough to make edits but then sometimes it doesn’t always have something to do with byler. but id feel bad tagging it as m!leven because people might get mad for cross tagging since it isn’t pro milkvan (although a lot of people do make sad byler edits so 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️) . and it’s not just platonic elmike either so idk where to draw the line. my target audience is bylers but it’s not a byler edit if ykwim.

[thepladinsheart]

I love making everything about byler and Taylor Swift's "folklore" (my favorite Taylor Swift album) In folklore, there is a love triangle between Betty, James and Augustine. And Taylor herself said that "Betty and James ended up together but he put her though it." But they willelmike love triangle goes a little bit differently.

How the folklore love triangle goes is, Betty and James were together and had a falling out (but didn't break up) Then, he went away for a summer and cheated on Betty with Augustine. And after that summer, James shows up at Betty's party and apoligizes, Betty ends up kissing him on her doorstep (in front of all her stupid friends) and start dating again. Eventually, they "end up together" But. this is where byler and El come in. How I think, Mike is James, Will is Betty and El is Augustine.

The folklore love triangle is a musical parallel to Mike's relationship with El and Mike. This is why:

Will has been with Mike from the start, just like Betty and James. While, yes, Mike and Will have never dated, they've been best friends since kidergarten (i think) and they've been friends the longest out of anyone else is the party. While they have also had several falling outs but Mike has always been the one, at Will's door, apoligizing to him and begging for forgivness.

Now it's time to talk about El. Don't get me wrong, I am not one of the bylers that hates El, I love her. BUT, she was and is Augustine. She hasn't been there (with Mike) as long as Will has. She's basically a disraction for Mike in a romantic sense. And, hear me out on this, I think Mike is basically using El as a shelid. To cover up his interilalized homophobia and so he dosen't get picked on, so he isn't a target.

Time for lyrics breakdowns! (I have alot of headcannons about these lyrics but I'll try to keep these as close to canon event as possible)

"i knew you" -cardigan

Like I said, Will has been there from the literal start and he knows Mike better than anyone. a n y o n e.

"a friend to all is a friend to none. chase to girls, lose the one." -cardigan

We all know Mike hates being or feeling alone, espically without Will. (See all of Season 1) And I think he knows that he loves Will (that he's in love with Will) but he's too scared to pursue Will because he might lose El or Will or both of them. Also, I do think Mike needs El but not as much as he needs Will.

"but i'd knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss. i'd knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs." -cardigan

(i can't help but sneak a hc in here but idk if it is bc i might be canon already) I think that Will has stayed up late at night, just thinking about why he likes Mike and how he's never going to like him back. Why does Mike have to linger in his thoughts?

"i'd knew you'd miss me wants the thrill expiered and you'd be standing in my front porch light." -cardigan

This lyric reminds me of the aftermath of the rain fight in season 3, where Mike (with Lucas) stood in the pouring rain and basically almost kicked down the door, begging Will for forgivness (and later rain though the dark fucking forest, still in the pouring rain, to find Will and make sure he was okay.)

"cause you were never mine." - august

El has to know about Mike and Will at this point. She isn't dumb. This is highlighted in the "You never say it" scene. She knows that Mike isn't loving her the way she wants/needs to be loved, but she knows that Mike loves Will the way he needs to be loved.

"i remember thinking i had you." -august

While I think El knows, I think this is a new(er) realization. I think this was as nesw as that "you don't say it" and airport scenes. And just a friendly reminder that Mike only said "I love you" to El with Will's encouragment.

"and say, meet me behind the mall. so much for summer love and saying us. 'cause you weren't mine to lose." -august

This entire lyric reminds me of season 3 elmike and the whole "I dump your ass" scene.

"betty, one time i was riding on my skatebaord when i passed your house, it's like i couldn't beathe." -betty

(another hc im sorry) i 1000 percent think that Mike would go back to the Byers' old house after they moved. And everytime he felt like he was gonna cry so hard he would throw up.

"the worst thing that i ever did, was what i did to you." -betty

We all know Mike regretted the whole "it's not my fault you dont like girls" thing. (y'know banging on his door, running though the woods. all the stuff i already brought up.) But he proably also lies awake at night after Will moved away, staring at the celing, thinking about what he said, replaying it in his head, wondering why he was such a bad fucking friend.

"slept next to her but, i dreamt of all sumer long." -betty

I definitly think that Mike realized his liked Will in season 3 but got back together with El and that's when he started using her as a sheild.

I love the folklore love triangle and willelmike. i even write a whole one shot about byler and the song betty. (ill proably post a poll abt that to see if yall wanna read it.) ive been wanting to write this for a while so thank you for reading! and let me know if i missed anything so i can add onto this. i love you! bye!

[ven0moir]

Hiii :)) hope your day is going well

I just wanted to ask you how do you think they're gonna deal with miIeven next season?

And also, if you want ofc, how do you think they could deal with miIeven if they wanted to keep their romantic relationship till the end? With Will's painting and lie and Mike's self esteem issues, how they could make this good, in a way we could see miIeven in a good light and still think that Will had a happy ending, or if you think there's no way to make us (not only bylers but GA since they also don't like miIeven) see it in a good light. (you don't have to answer this one but i think about it a lot and i would like to see other people's opinions)

Hello, Anon! Tysm for the ask, I hope your day is going well too! This turned really long but I added a small TL;DR in the end if you'd rather not go through this all!

I’m going to put a little warning here that I’m no longer sugarcoating my thoughts on Mileven, especially because I feel like the Duffers themselves are anti-mileven. So proceed with caution.

To answer your first question, the more I rewatch the show, the more I realize that Mileven seemed to be more a plot device than an actual relationship the Duffers and writers put much depth into. I sincerely see a scenario similar to S2 Stancy happening with Mileven. They naturally drift apart throughout the season, with Mike’s focus being Will and Eleven’s being Max. 

Their break-up scene will probably look similar to S2 Stancy. I do not see why they would stray away from this pattern when they’ve already followed S1 Stancy’s blueprint for S4 Mileven. 

Imho post-S4 Mileven is not relevant at all to either El or Mike’s arcs, and I would even go as far as saying that the relationship never truly took off.

S1 - they meet during the direst circumstances. Mike was kind enough to give her a hand, and then once he realized she could help, his desperation led him to act out in a way that filled him with guilt post S1. Whether or not he actually had a crush on her, or just thought he was responsible for her and had to like her to fit in is up for interpretation. Mike saved her when she needed someone, but it never went beyond that. Mike himself says this to us during the van scene.

S2 - Mike was filled with guilt because of how El died, blaming himself for it and everything. When he’s attempting to reach her, he even says he just needs to know that she’s okay and that he’s not even going to say anything, which implies he won’t try to find her if she doesn’t wish to be found. He legitimately just wanted to know she was okay somewhere and wasn’t expecting to see her again. They meet again in the end and kiss. S3 - THIS was the season to show us how cute Mileven actually was, and how well they worked together as a team and as a couple. Instead, we got some really weird context, such as them doing literally nothing but kissing for 6 months. When she’s with Max, we learn the topic of what Eleven likes never even came up in conversation while she was with Mike. Then he had his weird projection era, and they only seem to make up again after shit hits the fan once more. 

S4 - The first thing they tell us is that El has been lying in her letters to Mike for 185 days. And then more weird context. Honestly assuming that Mike was only nice to Eleven because he was ‘in love with her at first sight’ is such a cringe concept to me that I cannot believe the Duffers were serious for one second.

Mike and Eleven had the most development during S1, which set them up as a ‘savior’ in each other’s lives, and then the show never developed them beyond that. The only development they had was how the relationship makes both characters insecure. I personally don’t even think ‘Elmike’ can be salvaged at this point without some substantial screen time, which the show itself has proven time and time again it rather give that to other dynamics. 

I know some people disagree and think Mileven and Elmike are actually an integral part of the show but I just do not see why the show would prioritize them NOW after setting them up in different paths in S5 with Mike closing the season literally by Will’s side (while setting Will up for his hardest season yet) and El’s priority being Max, alongside reuniting with Hopper after thinking he had died for months. 

I sincerely feel what the Duffers have been building Mileven up to is a break-up. They have not been written as endgame.

As for how they could salvage romantic Mileven … I feel like it’s too late at this point. The absolute most they can do is RETCON Will’s confession by having Eleven have her own. Which depending on how they do it will feel just as cheap as Mike’s monologue. “Yes indeed! Even though Will lied about the painting and I don’t really behave like I love you at all I do feel that way about you.” Absolutely nothing they can do or say redeems Mileven THIS late in the game. ESPECIALLY not after the way they handled Will and the painting plot. Because even if they somehow by some miracle manage to patch up Mileven last minute, where does that leave Will???? If Will’s whole arc with Mike was to just give him a painting and a confession, so then he can move on, WHY DID THEY MAKE SUCH A HUGE DEAL ABOUT HIS PAIN??? 

When Dustin was heartbroken in S2, the show showed his disappointment but then we saw him try to move on by asking other girls to dance. He at least had that option, Will does not. He’s a closeted gay teen in the 80s in love with a best friend he’s been through so much with. We don’t even know how long Will has had feelings for Mike in secret, so using his feelings and painting like that, as “realistic” as some people claim it is, is just unnecessarily cruel. They could’ve had him move on from Mike at the end of S3, and given him some unnamed crush in Lenora. They did NOT need to make him in love with Mike if all that’s coming from it is a rejection in the LAST season. 

So yes, TL;DR: 

Romantic Mileven is beyond saving at this point, and MAYBE at best, we get some nice Elmike scenes to set them up as friends now once the initial sting of the breakup has subsided.

Even if they wanted to do the insanity of keeping Mike and Eleven together, it’s just going to feel like cheap fanservice and Sunk Cost Fallacy-ish. 

[elevenmayfieldz]

2 of these are prompts so feel free to send in prompts! :) also please PLEASE ask me about them !!!!

[paladin-n-cleric]

which one would you prefer;

willel cliff scene resembling anne with e

willel falling to the ud together (they survive though but have a cliff scene talk vibes)

OOH willel cliff scene!!!! bc it parallels awae, it brings to light the severity of the situation, and it comes full circle w the elmike scene

[emblazons]

Me, in the last week:

- had the bumper fall of her car in the middle of the freeway only to put it back in the front seat, take it to a random repair shop + get it screwed back on

- went in to get her car’s water pump replaced, found out her break light switch needed to be replaced too—and somehow ended up with a car that would stall out at low speeds, died in the night because the lights stayed on, and needed to be towed back to the repair shop….because all those problems were caused by (no joke) a $10 price of plastic (she’s fine now, but I’m scared of my car at the moment lmao)

worked from home from W-F because of the aforementioned car complications, which gave opportunity for the following:

- watched both Oppenheimer and Barbie (liked both for what they were, and definitely think both are worth watching. Barbie was a bit plasticky for me + not what I usually go in for….but the heart was there and I enjoyed it, esp Ryan Gosling, which surprised me most lmao)

- finished playing all of Kingdom Hearts III including the Re:Mind DLC (SoKai is what the people wish ElMike was. I said what I said).

- had a sister have a whole mental breakdown in the background and now invite me to church because somehow this means recommitment to the faith we grew up with and I’m…just rolling with it because I do not have the energy after (see above)

….I need a vacation lmfao