#lettergate is so real

[byerseason]

the more i think about it the more i’m convinced lettergate is one of our best theories, no seriously.

« this post won’t have anything that wasn’t discussed before but i was just having a brainrot so i need to talk. »

i’m a firm believer letters are gonna play a big role in revealing mike’s true colors to the audience before everything. it just makes so much sense.

the way will expressed his love for mike through his art. he drew him in his d&d costume, guiding the party using a shield, with a heart on it, and that was his “i love you” in his own way as the artist he is.

then we have mike. wants to be a writer. writes d&d campaigns. sends letters to his girlfriend. but then we have “you can’t even write it, mike.” because you’re supposed to be able to write it. that’s what you’re good at.

and then we have will and mike’s fight over this. “meanwhile el has like a book of letters from you” “that’s because she’s my girlfriend, will.” “and us?” “we’re friends, we’re friends!”

we always talk about how mike made this romantic without will implying anything, and i think the reason is mike associating “sending letters to will” with something romantic, because that’s exactly what he did in the letters he never sent. whenever he attempts to write something to him, it ends up looking like something you’d send to your girlfriend, and they’re friends, so that’s stupid.

then we have the soundtrack “letter to willy”.. the name is already suspicious since billy’s “william” name wasn’t used in the show let alone using it in a childish way as “willy”. anyone who knows stranger things would think of will when they see that, not billy. but what’s more interesting is when this song plays other than max’ letter scene.

it plays right before the painting reveal. when mike is talking about feeling insecure about his relationship with el. as we know from later episodes what max said in her letter to billy wasn’t the full truth. just like whatever mike said in this scene. and right after “letter to willy” plays, will reveals his painting to mike and gives him his veiled love confession.

considering how this was a hot topic between mike and el & mike and will in season 4, i think that would be one of the best ways to reveal his feelings to the audience, as a contrast to him not even being able to «write it»

praying for lettergate canonization, it’s such a heartwarming theory fr 🙏

[stranger-theory]

me when mike starts digging out a box of crumpled papers out of his closet after a breakdown

[greenfiend]

Dear Willy…

[thefirstlioveyou]

if lettergate is real, what if we get a beautiful shot of mike writing the same way we got that upclose shot of will painting... god i would cry. why are they so romantic fuck them

[pinksmonkey]

Posting my Ultimate Byler Evidence/Analysis List here directly because it probably makes it more convenient and I should have done this a while ago. XD

There is so much proof for Byler being endgame in S5 of Stranger Things. They are so cute together, and so much in the show has been building up to their relationship. I just wanted to share some of my favourite Byler analyses, because they are so cool, detailed, and in-depth. I love reading about all the hints, symbolism, and subtext for Byler, it's amazing how much thought must have been put into all these things. Why go through all the effort of adding these details if they aren't actually going anywhere with them? Mike is so queercoded, and they are truly in love with each other.

🫥 Just gonna leave some good Byler analyses here 🤐

Most of the links go to written Tumblr posts, and a couple of them are Reddit posts. So it's a lot of reading. If you prefer watching videos over reading, I highlighted my Byler YouTube playlist in green so it's easy to find.

And apologies for any of the links that aren't working, I know some of the posts have been deleted now sadly, but there's no way I'm re-numbering all these so I'm just leaving them in. My fellow Bylers, please stop deleting your amazing posts. ;-;

So anyway, here is the list of some of my favourite Byler evidence/analyses of all time (not in any particular order):

1. Mike's Season 4 Monologue To El

2. Camera Roll Byler Proof Part 3

3. Mike's Monologue and Milkvan

4. Mostly Byler Post Index

5. Dawson's Creek Parallel

6. "My Experience With Stranger Things"

7. What Ollie Learned From Film School

8. Byler Music Analysis

9. Why Don't The Duffers Discuss This?

10. ST Theories Masterpost

11. If Byler Isn't Endgame Then Someone Screwed Up

12. Byler Crumbs From The Cast and Crew

13. Favourite Combination of Endgame Byler Proof

14. I Doubt Byler Then I Remember This

15. The Fact That We Have This Interview

16. You Know Your Ship is Endgame When

17. Mostly Byler Post Index 2

18. Losing Hope Of Byler Endgame?

19. Why I Think Byler is Endgame

20. So Many Thoughts on This

21. Mike's Wall Art

22. Painting Miscommunication Leading to Mike's Monologue Coded

23. Yes, That Scene Did Foreshadow Mike's Monologue as Disingenuous

24. Mike's Monologue Didn't Sit Right With Me

25. Blue And Yellow Pen

26. That Tweet Is So Sweet

27. Heart Eyes, Literally

28. "My Process of Realizing Byler is Real"

29. Looking at Will, Not El

30. High School Musical Parallel

31. Said It Before and I'll Say It Again

32. Delusional Milkdud?

33. ST Writers Twitter Analysis 1

34. ST Writers Twitter Analysis 2

35. For When You Are Doubting Byler

36. Is Mike Bi or Gay?

37. Fully Convinced

38. The Ultimate Byler Playlist (my Byler YouTube playlist)

39. 100% Confident

40. Mike in S4 and S2

41. Mike Is Angry With Himself

42. It's Been A Year, Mike

43. Rink-O-Mania Remodel

44. The Development Of Will And Mike's Relationship

45. Mike's Lies

46. El Was Holding So Much In

47. Flickergate + Lettergate

48. Did Mike Ever Like El Romantically?

49. Mike Is Stupid

50. Byler Won't Write Itself

51. What's The Alternative Explanation?

52. Comparing Mileven and Byler

53. It Was Always About Them

54. Mike Is Not Ok

55. He Has A Love Interest

56. Will's Happy Ending

57. Trying To Be Normal

58. It's Not That Milevens Are Homophobic

59. Byler Is Reality

60. A Proper Look At El's Shrine To Mike

61. Mileven Through The Seasons

62. Suspicious

63. I Can't Doubt Byler

64. D&D Soulmates

65. Let's Talk Phones

66. Not Delusional

67. What Do They Want?

68. The Main Character

69. Mike's Mental Health

70. So Close

71. This Look Confirms Byler Isn't One Sided

72. Mileven Is Bones

73. They Don't Care About Mileven?

74. The Airport Hug Will Always Be Famous

75. The Monologue Mystery, Why Did They Lose?

76. The Cabin Scene

77. Why Couldn't Mike Say It For 2 Seasons?

78. He Was Trying To Find Will

79. Mike The Surfer Boy

80. Mike Definitely Shows Attraction To Girls

81. The Cast Knows

82. Mileven Loses On All Fronts

83. The Bouquet

84. 53 Minutes And 5 Seconds

85. Pink Panther

86. El And Choice

87. Will's Spotify Playlist

88. He'll Come Crawling Back To You, Begging For Forgiveness

89. Mike's Character Arc Prediction

90. It's The Same Look

91. Will's Truly Happy Ending

92. That's The Same Look, Right?

93. You're The Heart

94. Mike And El's Relationship In S4 Was Really Weird

95. Fireworks Parallel

96. Mileven Has Been Built Up For 4 Seasons

97. Not Stupid: The Fate of Mileven and Byler

98. This Suddenly Makes So Much Sense

99. Metaphors In Filmmaking

And unfortunately Tumblr will only let me add 100 links per post, so when I've posted part 2 of this list, I'll link it here: Part 2

[chirpsythismorning]

Same episode only a couple scenes apart… lettergate is so real

[mikeslawyer]

sometimes i need to remind myself that lettergate is, in fact, not canon confirmed because it just feels so real to me that i can almost see the dear will and love, mike when i close my eyes.

[royalsy-queen]

I actually can't believe it, we got an HD pic of him, he looks amazing and they've listened to the shaggy wavy bowlcut prayers, he's wearing blue yellow AND green, he has a pair of headphones and the second one? Confirmed season one upside down flashback, baby Byers is back and they're gonna do the same thing they did with baby Eleven in s4, Noah is acting the scene and the kid has motion tracking dots in his face. Like, it's confirmed, we're gonna see the events of s1 as Will lived them stuck in the Upside Down and I don't think I'll be able to watch without my heart breaking. Seeing tiny Noah all wet and sick and alone in s1 hurts everytime, I can't do that again.

Back to the main pic, I actually CAN'T believe how good he looks. Like, it's so good it almost looks fanmade? It looks like people ACTUALLY predicted him to look like. I'm in love with the longer wavier bowlcut I really am <3

Also, Birthdaygate confirmed. They're saying happy birthday EVERYWHERE, saying they could never forget. So now I'm fully convinced the Duffers just lied about forgetting the birthday because it's gonna be an important plot point of s5. I'm holding onto hope that Lettergate is also real, I need to see that. Also, now that we've seen both Mike and Will, Byler is THAT couple. They're both gorgeous, they're deff sharing clothes and I'm not fully procesing that THIS Will and THIS Mike are gonna kiss, we're actually gonna see the Byler kiss with THESE looks oh my gods. I'm just gonna go stare at both pictures for an undisclosed amount of time because I need to settle in the fact that it's no longer a leak or fanart, it's real. It's happening woooow

[lucystark12]

Your opinion on birthdaygate?

alongside lettergate i think birthdaygate is 1000% happening. birthdaygate was something that they didn't expect us to notice, but everything is intentional. i hear so much discourse about the validity of bdaygate but there's no reason for all of the merch and little jokes about it if it's not real.

[glisten-inthedark]

“But then we have him trying to convince Eleven of a straight up lie and I start to think that maybe it was subconscious lmao.”

(Same anon) This is why I’m conflicted too!! The way he’s trying to gaslight (sorry Mike) El and also himself makes it seem like it’s subconscious or at the very least extreme denial because he’s afraid to hurt El or afraid of having to admit that maybe the reason he doesn’t love El is because he’s gay

But it’s so hard to believe that in a year he never noticed that he was only signing “from” especially since we have Max writing letters in the same season and she signs her letter to Billy as “love, your shitty little sister Max” and I bet you she signed ALL her letters as “love” because Max doesn’t have any sort of internal conflict regarding identifying different types of love

So you could argue that if it was subconscious for Mike, it makes more sense for him to sign it “love” without thinking/on autopilot because he knows that’s what he’s “supposed” to do but also because he’d do that for his friends too. I don’t think Lucas or Dustin would bat an eye if Mike was living in a different state and signed his letters to him “love,” — they might tease him and call him a sap but I think they’d recognize it was platonic and not be weirded out.

So I think Mike must consciously realize that “love” to El will be interpreted as romantic love and it makes him feel conflicted and guilty so he tries to bypass that feeling and avoid confronting it by signing things, “From”

And if lettergate is real…….i think that’s another point to it being conscious because it’s hard for me to imagine Mike signing a letter to Will as “love Mike” and not having a moment where he freezes and questions and realizes. Especially because I think if lettergate is real, I think he would’ve only sent the letters that said “From” and not the “Love” ones because:

1. It’d need to be a reveal and if it’s a reveal than either Will or El has to see the letters and if Will is used to Mike’s letters saying “Love” then he won’t understand

2. If El at any point asked Will to read to her Mike’s letters to him, she would’ve heard the “love” and would’ve probably brought it up to Mike like, “you can tell Will “love Mike” but you can’t even tell me? Your girlfriend?”

Anyway this is all over the place but I hope it makes some amount of sense lmao

Hi again!

Oh I agree with all of this!

I feel like Mike already knows he can't write ir, and he may have an inkling as to why that is, but from what we gathered in season 4, he's extremely worried about being honest with El, so he may have wrote as "from" as a way to bypass the guilt he feels for not loving her like she wants.

And that whole scene is why I feel like lettergate has such a huge potential in canon, because they made such a big deal of it that it feels like it wasn't only meant to let us know he can't even write he loves El, but that in the future people will know there's someone he wrote it to.

[pythoness94]

Okay, so, basically. I got in an argument with someone IRL about, if Lettergate was real, how many letters Mike could write. They said, "it couldn't be more then like 12, you can't write that many letters in that time frame and still be sincere." So I, of course, said. "Um no? It had to be close to 20, 25. He really cared for Will and if he called that much, he MUST have tried to reach out but words just kept failing him." and they just kept arguing that it can't be that amount. So, here I am, writing 30 letters to my girlfriend in the spend of two weeks, completely sincere. I'm on letter 16, I'm popping off tonight. And yes, a lot are HELLA vulnerable because ,funny thing, you run out of mindless content 4 letters in and start speaking from the heart. So, now, i'm imagining how HARD those letters must go. I cried a couple times writing these to my girl, Mike isn't even OUT, he's in a loveless relationship with El. Those Letter must be tear soaked and crumbled because if I wanted to tear a few of these things out, he must have wanted to light this shit on FIRE. This is an exercise in why you don't make bets people but it IS giving me lots of insight for my Byler fanfics so...yay? I guess?

[pinkeoni]

Thoughts on the time jump:

This is a relevant conversation today, so I thought I would throw in my two cents (this isn’t a targeted post btw, just speaking thoughts aloud)

I like the time jump. It not only allows for darker and more mature plotlines, but it allows for a new dynamic with the characters. There is already a timejump at the beginning of each season for this reason, this would just be the most severe.

I can’t imagine the painting lie reveal happening before the time jump. It is too dramatic of a plot point that begins to move too many pieces too early in the game. I also don’t think it’s unrealistic to keep it unresolved for two years, gay bitches be bottling shit up.

For the same reasons as listed above I can’t imagine Max waking up pre-time jump either. It would be a huge reversal way too early. Yes leaving her in a coma for two years feels long but thats how I see it happening. This is likely a plotpoint that will happen midseason or later.

Milkvan will likely break up pre-time jump.

J*ncy will break up pre-time jump. This is the likely conclusion after having that much unresolved conflict left open at the end of last season— if they kept them together after that it would feel like a cop out. Them getting back together post-time jump I’m less clear on but open to.

Contrary to the above bullet, St*ncy will not get together post J*ncy breakup, I don’t see their love triangle as a case where one couple is going to win, unlike the Willelmike one.

Byler will not be established pre-time jump. They are milking the shit out of that slow burn cow.

I do think that Mike’s sexuality will be revealed at least to the audience pre-time jump. He won’t come out or anything but there will be a huge signifier. Lettergate Either way I think that the direction that milkvan and subsequently Byler will be heading in should be set up in episode one.

I feel like I have a different idea than most on exactly how post-apocalyptic Hawkins will actually be post-time jump. I don’t imagine democreatures roaming in the streets, Henry would have to regain strength in order to do that, which I imagine will be an important plot point post-time jump. I also think that businesses and schools would still be operating. I do think that the particles will have an effect on the environment and that the town will be placed under martial law, however. There will still be plenty of damage and livlihoods loss but usually in situations like these people attempt to maintain normalcy as much as possible. (Which would reflect real world events as well ergo pandemic)

Time jump will likely happen either between episode one and two or a little bit into episode two. Anything after could be done but would feel extremely late to me.

As stated with the first bullet, characters are usually a little different after a time jump and I imagine this will be no different. I think that if explained well and realistic this is a good and exciting thing. But the character who is going to be acting the most different post-time jump is Will.

[thefirstlioveyou]

i really hope they emphasize more on mike wanting to be a writer or being a good writer. we know he is a dm and that requires storytelling skills, so i'd love for them to maybe do more with that. you'd only know he wants to pursue writing if you read the st bts book :')

this is also another reason i need lettergate to be real

or what if... his book whenever it comes out is written as mike's attempt at an autobiographical novel... like he states it is at the start is what i mean. i'm genius

[ladyfromaspookyforest]

Mail in Stranger Things 4

And Why I Hate Lettergate

Letters are a recurring motif throughout season 4. And if we broaden that to not just letters but MAIL, the first episode opens with a flashback beginning with a paperboy.

This shot of the paper on the doorstep is the very first shot we get of Brenner as he steps out to grab it. Then once he has the paper, he doesn't read it, he does the crossword. What this tells me is that the mail isn't to be purely read. It's to be solved.

The first scene after the flashback in our current time is Mike reading El's letter to him, A) reiterating the significance of mail and B) reiterating the dishonesty of it by visually showing us that the letter is false while it is being read. Joyce gets her Russian package. Inside the package is a doll, inside the doll is a letter (kinda like the Russian nesting doll of mail, eh?) Jonathan has a college acceptance letter. El is hoarding her letters from Mike. There's the letter she writes him when she leaves. We have Max's letters. Letters galore.

Depending on how you look at it, the flowers and the painting could also be considered mail despite the fact that they were delivered in person.

Aaaand there's the good ole envelope pocket symbolism.

Generally what we've seen so far from mail is that it sucks. It's dishonest and misleading and like the newspaper at the very start of the season, needs to be deciphered rather than simply read and taken at face value. El's letter was at least partially a lie. Jonathan's letter is a truth that he is withholding. Mike's letters are accidentally revealing a hidden truth about him. Joyce's letter is true, but it's used against her to set her up. And if you consider the flowers and the painting, they are both visually revealing the truth (the 70/30 split and the heart shield) while being presented in a way that tries to hide it. None of this mail is 100% false and none of it is 100% honest (with the exception of Jonathan's, but he's lying about it and it is also not FROM him. It's TO him from an external source). It ALL has to be examined.

Max wrote 8 letters. We only heard what was in one of them. Going into season 5, we have those other 7 letters and Jonathan's letter still left to be addressed (and Will's painting recontextualized). And we have no idea if we'll ever hear what's in any of Max's other letters.

You've Got Mail was on the ST4 inspo board, and I know people have called out the Mike/Will/painting situation as where this is reflected. But I think it can also extend to Max. While the plot of You've Got Mail is an utterly ridiculous, corny romcom, the premise can be boiled down to people who can't be bothered to try to establish relationships in the real world developing one through email because they feel safer with that barrier between them. Max is the same way throughout this season. She opts to write letters to her friends instead of talking to them because it's easier for her to express her emotions with an artificial self-imposed distance between her and the recipients.

Mail is being portrayed as both a complex, layered thing that needs to be deciphered and a boundary. I actually hate the idea of lettergate for this exact reason. We've been shown throughout the season and particularly in the scene I GIFed above that letters are unnecessary complications. The idea that Will is going to find out about a letter/letters Mike wrote him while he was in Lenora and that this will be some emotional, revealing scene frankly goes against everything we've been shown about letters up to this point.

If Will read a letter Mike wrote him, it would probably have to give him the wrong idea in order to be thematically consistent. And Mike writing El letters but not Will and then spending the season having in-person heart-to-hearts with Will actually emphasizes that they are closer because this barrier does not exist between them. They spent the season growing closer to one another after the discomfort caused by distance and lack of communication only for Will to put up a barrier with the painting. Lettergate seems like it would be very much the same thing rather than a revelation. Season 4 spent its time telling us that if you want to really get a message across, use your words. With your mouth. IRL.

I want to quickly mention Hopper's letter from the season 3 finale, because it was very emotional and honest. It was also never intended to be given to El. It was meant to be read to her, delivered in person as a speech. This was sort of the opposite of all the other letters we've seen, as it was meant to break down a barrier rather than build one. And I think the fact that it wasn't supposed to be a letter at all is really important.

I know Max said her letters weren't to be read until she was gone, but I'm super curious about what she wrote in them. My ideal vision of how this plays out is that no one ever reads them and she tells everyone what she wrote when she wakes up, finally accepting what Lucas has been telling her: that her friends are right there and they don't NEED letters!

Starting a motion to BANISH LETTERS FROM SEASON FIVE!!!! That is all.

[hnbka]

What's one of your favorite bylergates??

yay! anon, i love you

okay, so i'm a lettergate girlie forever, it just makes too much sense to me for it not to be true ngl, and it would literally perfectly encapsulate byler and how hard it contrasts milkvan.

thoughts on other byler gates

-> birthday gate

ngl, i feel like it would have been subtly hinted at as something will was bitter about, or at least joyce and jonathon would have remembered. so i actually do think that it was a collective accident.

however! it is a possibility to me that the duffers will maybe retcon it into the script. i am not against that right now, but it depends on how well they pull it off.

-> flickergate

i don't know much about this one but it seems so sweet to me like i want to know!! if anyone's passionate about flickergate, lmk?? it's just that the lights flickered right? i think it does provide ample opportunity to do a flashback in s5

-> my most hot take - will powers gate

will won't have powers in s5, or at least i hope he won't. i think it's so important that will and el are different in fundamental ways, and i think from a byler standpoint it doesn't make sense to mix up such a defining part of mileven's relationship (not a good thing!) with byler's relationship.

as for the sci-fi lore, i'm not too aware of how it would impact the story, but i don't think it makes sense. will is a victim, yes, he has been a victim. but i don't think he needs superpowers to break himself out of it, and i think it would tell a better story if he doesn't have superpowers when he finally reclaims his role as not a victim.

again, i come from a storytelling and byler perspective NOT the sci fi lore. maybe will having powers ties up every thread, and will make sense.

-> phonegate

faves!!!! its so cute and i do think it makes enough sense for it to be real. mike was also really defensive in the roller rink fight but not in a damn i SHOULD have called, but in a this isn't just my fault but i don't want to let you know why way.

-> new coke gate

this makes a lot of sense when you explain it to me, but i was 80 percent sure that it was just a sponsorship (a very long one) when i watched the lucas mike scene originally. i did my research once and i believe that no one really knows, but they have partnered. i don't know that partnering with a brand, (aka NO MONEY) warrants the excessive use of coke, so i do see this being just one of those things that the duffers would do to us.

on the other hand, it is strange to use coke as such a huge part of byler symbolism.

-> any sort of number gate

i'm obsessed with number gates because they always come back to seven and i love seven symbolism with byler. (mainly because of seven by taylor swift and HOW MUCH IT FITS THEM but still)

-> my babies, mikhailgate and localvillagegate

faves 🤞🤞 too good

[mikeslawyer]

mikeslawyer on ao3

don't you know the truth (that i'm so in love with you) [14,014 words]: soulmate au (will's pov)

please, tell me the truth (cause i'm so in love with you) [17,486 words]: soulmate au (mike's pov)

when we're finished saying nothing (can we please get back to us) [8,879 words]: will, post s4, finally decides to rip off the band-aid of his friendship with mike

it's not just a figure of speech (you've got me down on my knees) [2,091 words]: never have i ever ft everyone has a crush on will - mike's not happy about it

take my whole life, too (for i can't help falling in love with you) [1,641 words]: lettergate but valentine's edition

we could kiss (just like real people do) [2,789 words]: will starts flirting with mike - what could be a better solution than practice kissing?

the stars only answer our questions (not our pleas) [2,286 words]: will gets vecna'd with no music tapes around and no faith in mike's words

i'll make the moon shine (just for your view) [3,533 words]: my take on flickergate

kiss me with your mouth full of smoke (and don't let my heart burn) [2,307 words]: will, mike, two joints and the mystery of flirting

I don’t quite know what to say (but I’m here in your doorway) [5,439 words]: the mandatory will doesn’t know they’re dating fic

that’s my closest thing to closure (I can’t stop this rollercoaster) [2,261 words]: byler getting high in the celebration of 4/20

he’s gonna notice me (it’s okay, we’re the best of friends) [3,113 words]: will asks for advice how to tell the signs of someone having a crush on you - mike’s showing them all

heart on your sleeve (like you’ve never been loved) [3,180 words]: will gets shot with truth serum - mike won’t stop asking questions

I picked the petals (he loves me not) [10,098 words]: hanahaki au with vecna possessing the both of them

be that attached (to the person i’m holding) [3,474 words]: will has a fever and confesses. mike has a breakdown about it.

I keep biting my tongue just to keep you here (made you wait for someone I could never be) [2,468 words]: mike and el post break up talk s5 prediction

cursing my name, wishing I stayed (look at how my tears ricochet) [chapter 5/7, ongoing]: will is tormented by vecna - not by nightmares, but by his hidden dreams, taunting will with the vision where mike loves him back - while mike just wants to get his best friend back before he slips right through his fingers

never thought I’d let a rumour ruin my moonlight (well, somebody told me you had a boyfriend) [2,293 words]: will has a crush, whose description sounds a lot like mike. mike does not connect the dots.