#mike wheeler apologist club

[eddiemunsonbrainrot]

byler x i love you, i’m sorry

[bylerpolls]

What kind of Byler are you?

A) A Mike kin. Mike is literally me. I relate to him heavily and connect to his strengths and weaknesses and internalized homophobia

B) A Mike stan! Mike is my favorite character and I’m obsessed with all things Mike. Every moment is an opportunity to talk about Mike Wheeler.

C) A Mike apologist! Defending Mike is a full time job. Mike can do no wrong, and even when he’s doing wrong, there’s a good reason for it. He is struggling so much but trying his best. I’ll defend Mike from the GA, Mlvns, AND Bylers who don’t get him. They should hire me as Mike’s lawyer. He’s such a complex and interesting character.

D) A Mike neutral. I don’t dislike Mike, but I wouldn’t say I’m a kin, a stan, or an apologist. He’s one half of Byler, and he has flaws, but I like him overall. Will is just my favorite for sure!

E) A Mike anti “Will deserves better but I’ll accept it” kind of Byler. I’m part of the Mike Wheeler hater club along with Jim Hopper. Mike has a long list of crimes against Will and he must atone for them. He has a lot of apologizing to do. But I’m a Byler because Byler is endgame and Will loves Mike. I’m a Byler…. begrudgingly sometimes. I don’t know why Byler Tumblr is so obsessed with Mike when Will is right there.

[killukoo]

no bc i would 100% support will byers having a villain arc

[madwheelerz]

Never forgiving Ted Wheeler

[goldrushenthusiast]

I am both a Mike Hater and Mike Apologist because that tiny little mf has been through some serious stuff but that annoying shit has also caused other people too.

[blueeandyellowmakesgreen]

what convinced you to become a mike wheeler apologist?

the lu*as on the line book where it said that mike canonically moped and stayed in his basement playing video games. it was basically the domino effect of realizations from there

the way he was struggling too on the byers moving away and was dealing with it by doing something he shamed will for when he clearly wants the same thing is so heartbreaking to me. it also made me realize along with posts from people that mike literally has no one. his dad is neglectful, his mom's too focused on keeping the family together that she pays no attention to mike. dustin and lucas have other friends and peers to turn to, and i doubt mike's even that close to the hellfire club. it saved him from isolation, sure, but nothing that would make him attached relationship wise. nancy's too busy with the school paper. lastly, he cant turn to el or will because they're not in hawkins anymore. and when he tries to call will, he's met with a busy line.

this boy has been lonely with his unaddressed trauma for almost a year. his two favorite people are nowhere near. not to mention, hes confused and terrified about the feelings he just found out he had for his male best friend. he finds himself missing his friend more than he is with his own girlfriend, and he cant even say i love you back, not even in writing. he literally has no one to turn to about it with. he knows he cant talk about it anyway, but it would be nice to at least vaguely open up about it. but he doesnt even have that option because everyone in the party feels so split apart. and knowing how will thinks of him as the leader and the heart of it, he probably blames himself for it.

the best thing he has is taking it out through dnd campaigns and hanging out with hellfire. like god hes an asshole sometimes when he snaps, but i can only imagine what he went through, especially knowing that the one time he needed the most company was where everyone drifted apart. and he probably cant even admit that to anyone because he feels this obligation to always be strong,since his friends perceive him as the person who has all the answers.

he's just...very lost at the moment. hes been alone with his trauma, anger, insecurities and fears for the longest time. this kid is just going through a lot, man

[loubetcha]

it’s a good feeling knowing i’m a mike wheeler apologist. i love my little protective grumpy sassy nerdy grungy fruity boy. join the club today!

[beepboop358]

I feel like in season 3 Mike has completely ignored and disrespected Will and not just with the "Its not my fault you don't like girls" quote I feel like there's way more but when I try to explain what I mean people go out and say that 'Will treated himself badly' so i wanna just break something down

Will only wanted for things to be normal and for them to forget about the whole 'will getting abducted/zombie boy' thing because he feels like he lost his best friends.

Most of the time they are all off fighting 'the flayed' or trying to find out how to stop this and the times they can be happy and free Mike and Lucas are with their girlfriends/or worried about them.

Will feels upset about this and the reason he said "Just so you can swap spit with some stupid girl!" was out of anger because he can't really hang out with his friends anymore.

some else said that 'Will is selfish and Lucas and Mike are trying to make him happy.'

First, Mike and Lucas laughed after Will took a lot of time making that campaign. They knew this after will kept asking and asking if they could play DND but however Mike and Lucas denied the offer.

During the rain scene Mike (Possibly unintentional) insulted will by calling him a little kid aka Degrading him

I could add more but please tell me what you think of this?

hey anon!

I agree Mike acts like a jackass a few times in season 3 😂 However I am a Mike Wheeler defender/apologist LOL. The reason Mike acts that way is really crucial to his development for his own personal storyline of coming to terms with his sexuality, and what that means for his idea of 'growing up'. And the word choice of "Kids" is definitely not un-intentional 😉 Mike associates getting older and the fact that they aren't kids anymore as "it's time to like girls now", if that makes sense. So when he pushes off playing D&D, it's because he is forcing himself to care about other things instead - his girlfriend - because he thinks it what he should do, that it's just automatic and expected of him. Mike is going back to playing D&D in season 4, with joining the hellfire club, and that proves how fake he was being in season 3 not wanting to play D&D and wanting to spend more time with El. Mike going back to playing D&D is like him returning to his true self again, liking what he likes to do, and not trying to act like someone else or force himself to be a certain way. D&D is also used as a way for Mike & Will to bond, and it's a romantic symbol for them, so Mike denying any opportunity to play it, highlights how he feels he has to force himself to be straight.

Mike says "We're not kids anymore" to Will during their fight, again representing how he associates liking women as being a part of getting older and maturing. Mike is angry Will isn't conforming to societal standards the way he feels he has to. Major compulsory heterosexuality from Mike during this fight in literally everything he says, and also majorly in the 'blank makes you crazy' scene... "It's like a feeling, old people say it to each other". Back to his fight with With, when he says "It's not my fault you like girls!", yes that was rude and uncalled for LOL, but he does it because he's going on the defensive. He's confused and doubting his own sexuality, so he lashes out and starts being accusatory other people aren't straight, which is a common trope of closeted people, unfortunately. Mike is not as extreme as these next examples, but it's the same idea of the closeted man calling others out, when they themselves are closeted too, but calling out other people for not being straight, or for not being as straight as them, makes them seem straight. I mean think of Kurt's bully in Glee taunting him for being gay but then SIKE he's also gay, and even Richie in IT; how he's constantly making jokes about not being a virgin, to cover up the fact that he's gay. Mike's doing the same thing here, basically saying with that line "I'm so straight I can't even fathom your behavior. I am going to call you out for showing any disinterest in anything girl related to cover up the fact that I am actually gay, because calling you out for not being interested in girlfriend related things will make me seem straight" (So much more on this in the byler proof slides)

Mike's having a harder time than Will is accepting himself. Will has certainly dealt with his fair shame of shame and homophobia and internalized homophobia, but jeez Mike's level of internalized homophobia is just through the roof. Will knows he is gay, he's just trying to hide it and get by. But I don't even think Mike realizes he is actually, undeniably gay until the very end of season 3. Mike's extremely insecure, and scared of those feeling he has for men and Will being real and true, so he tries to bury them deep down and thinks that if he can act the part of a straight man, he can become it. He's forcing himself to try and be something he isn't, which is causing him a lot of suffering and pain, so that's why he lashes out and acts the way he does in season 3.

thanks for the ask! I hope you're doing good! xx 💜

[eddiemunsonbrainrot]

my video essay about Mike Wheeler, how he is queer coded and how his internalised homophobia affects him and has influenced his character change is finally up on YouTube!! Here’s the link if anyone wants to check it out:

[eddiemunsonbrainrot]

mike wheeler get behind me I am the only one who truly understands you

[eddiemunsonbrainrot]

I literally haven’t been able to get the idea of Mike being vecna’d out of my head and how cool a sequence with small town boy would be so I wrote a one shot of it! Please go check it out if you are like me and need to consume any media showing Mike being vecna’d and his internalised homophobia

[lunabug2004]

Just watched this video and wanted to share it! A great look into my baby Mike Wheeler and the absolutely amazing potential his arc has!!!

my video essay about Mike Wheeler, how he is queer coded and how his internalised homophobia affects him and has influenced his character change is finally up on YouTube!! Here’s the link if anyone wants to check it out: