#platonic mileven is better

[bylerthebros]

"Not possible" "I love you too"

[idksjdhshdhd]

WAIT I KINDA SEE A PATTERN!

So in s1 when Mike and El kissed in the last episode and then when El was defeating the Demogorgon and said “Goodbye, Mike.” WHICH WAS KINDA LIKE A BREAKUP I THINK??

And then in s3 there was the full on moldymilk break up like “I DUMP UR ASS!” Which was literally a breakup…

And then in s5 they’re gonna break up because Mike and El always seem to break up on seasons with odd numbers and be either separated or unstable in even-numbered seasons and there won’t be a season 6 so therefore Mike and El won’t have a chance to get back together if they break up so that would let Byler happen and also Maya Hawke said that the episodes were like filming eight movies so that will give Byler time to happen plus they already have a ton of buildup, chemistry, and history together so basically… Mike and Eleven will almost certainly break up (and Eleven will probably break up with Mike if we’re following the previous breakup patterns) and so Eleven wouldn’t be too sad if they broke up since she did it (plus we saw in s3 that she was happier when she broke up with Mike) so basically Byler endgame? MY BYLER DOUBT IS GONE.

[lunabug2004]

Even as someone who prefers Byler, I will be the first to admit...

Mileven at the SnowBall is the cutest thing 🥹🥹🥹

They're such babies and they really do love each other, whether it's romantic at this point or not, whether they even realize if it's romantic at this point or not... they're just so adorable!

[thesapphicsoldier]

Something something El pretending to be Mike’s cousin, something something El asking Mike if he was gonna be her brother, something something Mike constantly paralleling Hopper and other parental/familial figures…

[floriphobic]

Hello Bylers, sibling WillEls, and platonic ElMike enjoyers. I made my first ever edit with the Soldier Poet King trend on TikTok! Enjoy if you'd like. Some of my thought process in the tags.

I need Stranger Things and Byler mutuals please 🙏🙏🙏

[ronancecats]

My opinions on EVERY romantic stranger things ship (at least the ones I could think of, if I missed a ship you care about let me know and ill tell you what i think)

And of course, these are my OPINIONS and aren't that serious 🙏🙏 you can ship whatever the hell you want as long as it's not illegal.

I love making posts like these and sharing my opinions so please keep it respectful even if I don't like your ship, thank you :)

Mileven (Mike x Eleven): solid 8/10. I think they're cute in the 1st season and they have their moments, but their chemistry is definitely feeling more forced recently and I just don't see them working out.

Byler (Will x Mike): definitely a 10/10, it just makes sense. Byler proof is so thick and it's so obvious to anyone who actually cares to look. I'm not a hardcore shipper or anything but they're happening.

Willel (Will x Eleven): get this shit out of here bro, -10/10. Like Will is gay and they're practically siblings 😭

Wheelson (Dustin x Mike): there's nothing wrong with this ship, I just don't see it and I haven't seen enough content to base my opinion off of that so 0/10.

Wheelclair (Mike x Lucas): again, just don't see it and haven't seen enough content. So 0/10, however, I feel like their dynamic could be cute in both a romantic and platonic sense.

Byclair (Will x Lucas): I don't see it ever happening but oh my lord y'all the fan art and content for them is so cute so they get a solid 3/10 purely for the cuteness.

Byson (Will x Dustin): I've never seen any content for this. Like at all. I don't think anyone ships this. 0/10 only because I haven't seen anything to make me want to ship this.

Henclair (Lucas x Dustin): y'all... they're so cute. Here me out, the fics, the fan art, the dynamics, it's amazing. They get a 5/10.

Lumax (Lucas x Max): 10/10, angel babies, would die for them. I need them to have a happy ending and if they don't, I won't have a happy ending

Elmax (Eleven x Max): they're so stinking cute, 9/10. As much as I love lumax, I think the dynamics of this ship and just the thought of it is perfection.

Madwheeler (Max x Mike): eh...no. 0/10. They are like the same person and would kill each other in any other scenario. However, platonically? Yes please!

Henfield (Max x Dustin): 4/10. They have potential but they both have such better ships.

Duzie (Dustin x Suzie): 9/10. I am a SUCKER for nerd x nerd ships and I need them to have at least one scene together. Just one. Like please duffers, I need to see them just once.

Jancy (Jonathan x Nancy): 1000/10 YES YES YES YES. MY BABIES, I LOVE THEM SO MUCH. PLEASE DUFFERS, MAKE UP ALL THAT FUCKERY IN S4 AND GIVE THEM A HAPPY ENDING!!

Stancy aka Stanky (Steve x Nancy): -10/10. I hate this ship so much. Nancy "I don't think my parents ever loved each other. My mom was younger and my dad was older with a cushy job and made good money. So they got married and bought a house at the end of a cul-de-sac and started their nuclear family" Wheeler would EVER settle down with 6 kids. Ever. There was 0 reason to bring back the love triangle. Let Steve move on and let Nancy be happy, Jesus 😭

Ronance (Nancy x Robin): 100/10. There's a reason this page is called ronancecats. I love them so much and even though they will never happen, it's fun to think about. Every piece of ronance fan art is gorgeous and the fics are everything to me. Plus, Natalia is like the president of the ronance shipping club. "All hail Natalia Dyer," we all say in unison.

Rockie/Rovickie (Robin x Vickie): 6/10. They're cute but they literally made Vickie an exact carbon copy of Robin and it's boring. I really hope they build on Vickie's character next season because they are boring and lack depth.

Stobin (Steve x Robin): absolutely not. Get out. -100000000/10. Robin. Is. A. Lesbian. She. Likes. Boobies. Not. Greasy. Men. They. Are. Platonic. Soulmates.

Steddie (Steve x Eddie): 4/10. Their fan art is cool and the dynamic I like, but I just can't get past it. I don't like them all that much.

Harringgrove (Steve x Billy): no thank you, no toxic ships here. 0/10.

Stonathan (Jonathan x Steve): hell yes. 9/10. I'm not even sure why but they are just perfect in my mind. The dynamics are there and the fan art is perfection, plus I just think the idea of them fighting over Nancy but then turning to each other is kinda cute.

Jargyle (Jonathan x Argyle) 8/10. I don't think about them much but whenever I do I love it. They're idiots but two idiots that are better together idk about y'all.

Neddie (Nancy x Eddie): Eddie can NOT handle all that (but I can) 0/10.

Reddie (Robin x Eddie): 0/10. Both these bitches are gay so get out.

Hellcheer (Eddie x Chrissy): gives me the ick. I'm not ever sure why but they do and all their scenes just feel like there's no romantic undertones, at least to me. So 2/10.

Buckingham (Chrissy x Robin): this is what I'm talking about. A popular cheerleader having an existential crisis when she realizes she's a lesbian and not only that but realizes she's in love with the social outcast? Hell yes. 9/10. Give it to me.

Bancy (Nancy x Barb): 6/10. They are tragic.

Jopper (Joyce x Hopper): 10/10. My parents fr, they raised me. Everything about them makes me happy and I love them.

Boyce (Bob x Joyce): 7/10. Cuties and it's so obvious Bob cared about her and the kids. Jopper will forever be better but I can't ignore their cuteness.

Jaren (Joyce x Karen): okay y'all, hear me out...8/10. I love the idea of this so much and every single fic I've read is so well written and incredible. Lesbian Karen Wheeler truthers unite.

Murlexi (Murray x Alexi) 7/10. I like the idea of them and I will support any content I see of them even though I'm not a hardcore shipper.

Murray x Joyce (what are they called?): 0/10. Nope, nope, nope on a rope.

Okay, anyway y'all those are my opinions on a bunch of stranger things ships that I've seen. Please be respectful even if you don't agree, these are literally opinions about a FICTIONAL show and FICTIONAL relationships with FICTIONAL characters and aren't that deep.

[lordystrange]

10 best byler proofs by me

10. The cast, especially David (who knows the ending) and Finn (who might know something), are always so happy talking about Byler. They wouldn’t be if Will ended up dying alone as a sad gay. Also no one likes milkvan except maybe Millie unless she’s acting… Caleb even said ”Lucas and Max’s love is real unlike Milkvan’s”.

9. Mike has been queercoded throughout the whole series. Especially with queer colors, he spent s4 dressed as a gay pride flag. Also bi and pan colors are associated with him. Also Ted’s ”our son with a girl?” and everything Eddie said about forced conformity etc

8. Byler parallelling other romantic ships like Jancy, Jopper and Lumax. I’m not listing examples because there are SO MANY! (Also Milkvan parallelling all the platonic/dead ships)

7. Mileven being bones. We have nothing that shows their actual, deep love they’re ”supposed to have”. We don’t know what Mike loves about El and what El loves about Mike. We don’t know what makes them a compatible match romantically. We only know things that don’t make them compatible: El feeling the need to lie to Mike, Mike feeling embarrassed of his nerdy self with El, El feeling unloved by Mike, Mike feeling inferior to El…

6. The desert scenes. The triple take ofc, but also the car roof top convo with Will (jancy parallell). Will is talking about how it’s scary to say how you really feel because what if they don’t like the truth. And Mike NODS. If the truth was that he loved El exactly like El wanted, El would like that truth. So what is the truth Mike is worried that El doesn’t like…?

5. Mike’s monologue. He had to be pushed by Will to open his mouth. He lied about him loving her at first sight. He copied the t-shirt part from Eddie. He kept saying she’s his superhero which El doesn’t wanna be. He didn’t include anything personal about El and their relationship after the t-shirt thing… Also El didn’t seem to like what she heard and their love didn’t save the world. And they didn’t even talk after it. And while filming it they didn’t focus on just the couple (like they did with byler in s2 shed scene) and they let Finn improvise as if it wasn’t that important (as important as the van scene…)

4. Mike would be so poorly written if he wasn’t into Will and I don’t think the Duffers would just ignore his character. Also all the lip glances and heart eyes wouldn’t make sense.

3. Byler/Milkvan contrast. When Will was gone and they found his ”body”, Mike heard Will breathing in a radio channel and believed he was alive. He didn’t rest for a second, he did everything he could to find him. When he thought El was dead, he didn’t go looking for her, even tho a couple times he actually saw her. Also in s3 when Milkvan had a fight, Max said Mike will be crawling back to her begging for forgiveness in no time. Instead Mike laid on a sofa and ate and complained. When Byler had a fight… well we all know what Mike did then.

2. Mike and Will’s relationship has always been different from other friendships. They’ve said it themselves (”pls don’t tell the others, they wouldn’t understand”, ”Hawkins is not the same without you”, ”you make her me feel better for being different”). Also their scenes together have always been a big deal (van scene took an entire day to film, crazy together was written before s1 was even filmed) and they are shot in a really romantic way (music, lighting…)

1. In the beginning of s3, Will said to Joyce that he’s not gonna fall in love. That made his arc about romance. We know now that he already fell in love, but he doesn’t believe it’s requited. If s5 goes from ”i don’t think he loves me back” to ”he doesn’t love me back” we get literally nowhere and the entire storyline (since s1) would be useless and waste of time and money. They wouldn’t make Will suffer 4 seasons and then suffer some more. So believe me when I say it goes ”I don’t think he loves me back” to ”He does love me back!”

I wish you all a very merry byler endgame in s5! 💚

[obsessionatthemoment]

One of the few arguments I have ever had with a Mileven shipper was me saying Mileven was toxic and them saying Byler was toxic. I have been thinking about this a lot recently, and have come to a conclusion (it's my personal opinion, and you can disagree if you want).

Before I start, I want to say that I am using the term toxic loosely (I am mostly using the term because it's the term we used in the argument). I am mostly referring to both ships' arguments when I refer to their toxic moments.

I think that the Mileven toxicity will get better with them agreeing to just be friends, and that the Byler toxicity will get better with them becoming boyfriends. Let me explain…

When Mileven fight, it's typically due to Mike not being able to reciprocate Elevens feelings, one of them lying, their relationship being too controlling or codependent, them invalidating each other, or Eleven hurting someone (whether it being her accidentally hurting Lucas in season 1 or her hurting Angela in season 4). I think, looking at this list, it is clear that they are not compatible. However, they are still compatible as friends. Mike can love El platonically, El would have space to figure herself out and have complete independence, and generally they would be happier and most likely fight less.

When Byler fight, it is almost always due to miscommunication, internalized homophobia, or jealousy (and sometimes invalidation or lying). If they started dating, I think a lot of this would be resolved. If they were dating, that would mean to some extent they were working through their internalized homophobia (which would eliminate a lot of conflict because out of all their conflicts, this comes up the most). Most of their miscommunication was due to them being many states apart (phone calls, letter, etc.), which will be resolved even if they didn't start dating. The jealousy would be resolved as well because most of their jealousy is due to both of them thinking the other doesn't like them. I think the invalidation would be solved alongside the miscommunication because Will would know that Mike called (that miscommunication was invalidating on both ends), Mike would probably understand if Will explained feeling like he missed out on his childhood due to his trauma (not sure if there is more invalidation I missed). The lying would be solved as well if Mike and Eleven weren't dating anymore because Will would stop trying to keep them together. Once they started dating, Will wouldn't need to use El as a cover for his feelings.

There is probably stuff I missed, but I feel like I got the most compelling evidence into words. I definitely think most of the toxicity would vanish if this happened, but obviously they would still fight occasionally because that's just how humans work. Conflict happens no matter how healthy a relationship is. Hope this made sense.

[crucifiedkiss]

◌ೆ୧　 ͢YOUR MAIL HAS BEEN DELIEVERED ♡

𓈒⠀⠀⁺⠀𝜗 crucifiedkiss ╱ finnverse x gn! reader 𝜚

ꨄ︎ hcs ++ drbls woa finnverse ⏤ ﹙glue song﹚ 🪽 ˖ ׁ

⁩  ಲ ͏ㅤ ׅㅤㅤcw: fluff ++ light angst, accidentally dialouge heavy, headcanons (hcs) && drabbles (drbls), ways of affection (woa <- love languages), mentioned byler :P, seasons not specified (?), LONG !!! (i had 22 lock IN), mentions of mileven (not hating !! some ppl just rlly hate that ship 😓), liking someone whilst already dating someone else ++ hints at breaking up, alcohol ++ drugs, implications of abuse, bad parenting, ooc ???, etc. .. overall cute tho !!ㅤ✿𝅼

( ｡>﹏<) "not all the characters finn has acted as (ofc) !!! only did the ones that r especially popular or more known ^^ !!! only ft. mike wheeler and boris pavlikovsky cause im eepy (ITS 2AM ???) !! enjoy ml 🫂 this took FOREVSS RAHHH !!!" ⏤ c.k.　と

𝜗୧ ּ݂⠀💌 mike wheelers way of affection ﹗

　　　⏤　 BEFORE DATING HIM: ok so. u know how in st when mike rlly starts to realize his feelings for will (byler❗), how he can barely even show physical affection ?? definitely not physical affection cause of that😓 its just cause he is kinda jittery/nervous, he will get better i swear !!! looking at the show, mike loves giving gifts to eleven, so im alright to say his way of affection is gifts :3 probably gives u random things, but mainly just the ordinary things u would give someone that r romantic such as flowers, chocolates (IF UR ALLERGIC IM SO SORRY !!! HE WOULD PROBABLY GIVE U A SUBSTITUTE FOR IT LIKE UR FAVORITE CANDY/CANDIES OR WHTVR U PREFER ML !! ^_^ CAN PPL BE ALLERGIC TO FLOWERS ?? IF ALLERGIC TO FLOWERS THINK OF IT AS SMTH ELSE IM SO SORRY AGAIN RAHHHH😓), etc. !! would be rlly shy abt it, especially because ur not even dating him yet .. swears on his LIFE that the gifts r platonic. yeah right ... just friends get u ur favorite food and flowers that smell like hes sprayed perfume of sorts onto them for them to smell even better then normally .. ur painfully obvious micheal wheeler !!! most sweaty palms ??? lowkey gross but pls forgive him!

mike stood stiff infront of you, lopsided smile on his lips with his arms extended out, in his hands holding out your favorite flowers that were all bundled together and neatly tied with a little ribbon, a small tag on it saying where its from that he mustve forgotten to rip off. hes heard you mention your favorite type before, so why not get you some? he stared intently at your reaction, looking for any type of disgust or discomfort in your eyes, analyzing to the point it couldve came off as creepy, but he didnt want his gift to be hated or something! after much awkward silence that felt like hours—realistically being less then a minute, but he was impatient—, he noticed you return a more heartfelt smile that made his stomach churn with a feeling he just couldnt describe. you grabbed the flowers from his sweaty palms that left the plants green slightly moist. he chuckled, quickly returning his arms back to his side—not before wiping his hands on his jeans to try to wipe away the gross sweat that had gathered just at the thought of you.

your smile was fond. it made him feel so sickly.

"thank you," he heard you say, leaving him to nod before mumbling out hastily that he needed to be somewhere, using the excuse of needing to see eleven ... right. eleven. his beloved girlfriend. yep. he offered a small wave goodbye before speeding off, mentally scolding himself. why did he get you flowers?? do people give friends flowers that smelt ever-so nicely?? his head spun with thoughts but he pushed them away. he needed to go see eleven ...

　　　⏤　 DURING DATING HIM: physical touch, words of affirmation, and still gift giving because yippee :3 in st, he is often near eleven and close to her (although i think eleven often ensues the physical touch first, i would say this still counts !), and words of affirmation just because he is a silly boy. showing love ?? through words ?? SIGN HIM UP !!! praise of any sorts is amazing. loves complimenting u ^_^ gift giving is obvious of course :) i think he eventually kinda fell out of giving gifts, but still does it more to remind u of when he used to be a big baby (pre-dating) or just does it for u to be happy if u rlly wish to want gifts (finds out how to get that money somehow ..) :) ur his everything tbh😞 pls i love him😭

mike grinned softly, looking at the first pair of flowers he had ever gotten you before you two started dating, the tag he had left on it originally now taken off thankfully. it was in a gorgeous vase that was a mix of blue, his favorite color, and your favorite color. they had grown beautifully with the proper care. he let his eyes gaze away from the pot of flowers, sunshine rays shining brightly onto them, making eye contact with you. his eyes sparkled with joy and crinkled due to his smile, black hair a little frizzed but overall handsome on him, and his skin was as beautifully pale as ever– if that was a compliment.

"you kept them?" he questioned quietly, not wanting to break the adoring peace between you and him.

"why wouldnt i have?" you responded back, earning a playful eye roll from him before getting abruptly pulled to his side, or atleast, more than you already were. his hand rested comfortably over the fabric of your clothing, just on the mid-torso to be respectful. he giggled, giving your body a loving squeeze.

"love you, pretty," he said as charmingly as possible– of course it was as charming as he wouldve wanted, why wouldnt it have been?

𝜗୧ ּ݂⠀💌 boris pavlikovskys way of affection ﹗

　　　⏤　 BEFORE DATING HIM: physical touch and emotional (the idea that people express and receive love in different ways, and that supporting a partner through difficult times is an important part of love/connecting with your loved one during tough times when they need your emotional support and resilience. aligning with this love language means that you are ready to be supportive of your partner's emotions during difficult times, and expect them to do the same for you) obviously. why wouldnt it be ??? do u see how touchy he is with theo😭 ??? and emotional because, like, have u SEEN how his father is ??? almost sobbed watching that one scene goodbye. my sweet lil thing :(( although emotional is a least known type of way to show affection, i think its rlly interesting !! i was gonna say words of affirmation aswell but like. this is BORIS we r talking about😓 maybe calls u nicknames in different languages and stuff but wont ever rlly praise u or anything like that (srry guys❗)

boris was a troublemaker, of course. that bit was obvious– he was probably on drunk and high everyday to be honest. but falling in love? with theo, he was already kinda in love with him. it made him sick to his stomach. loving was never really his.. thing. liking one person was enough, but two?? he was being driven into insanity at this point trying to choose who he... 'truly loved' or whatever fairytales say. he never really read books, how would he know? each night after he either left yours or theos house or after the two of you left, he was left grumbling to himself in the dead silence of his house. was loving someone really this hard? this is so tedious! and dumb!

today was just another day, drinking vodka straight from the bottle at your house, sat up at the front of your mattress, theo at his side whilst you were tidying up your room– not something you did often. having guests over though, your parental guardian had insisted to clean your room. boris stared blankly at you as he took the vodka away from his mouth, glancing over at theo for a second and handing the alcohol to him before looking back at you. he caught the small smile of theos mouth just before turning away ... that dumb smile.

"just sit down. thought you dislike cleaning?" boris questioned in that broken english. he was still learning.

"i do but im forced to clean it each time you guys come over," you huffed.

boris hummed, not even giving you a second to respond before you were yanked to sit next to him, bed leaning down at the new weight on it. you side eyed him for a moment, feeling his hand linger on your wrist he had originally pulled you by before letting you go, instead throwing his arm around your shoulder and pulling you close, keeping it touchy as always. you narrowed your eyes at him for a moment before just shrugging. you supposed you could just clean it later.

"alright, alright. i will join you and 'potter'." you sassily remarked. boris rolled his eyes, looking over at theo who had placed the vodka down by now. he stared for a moment before just pulling him close aswell, two of his favorite people by his side.

　　　⏤　 can u guys guess whether or not i rlly like boris by how long i wrote his. and my favorite trope. RAHHH I LOVE WRITING THIS SM ??? ALSO i couldnt rlly fit the emotional love language in there so like☹ anyways um | DURING DATING HIM: i think it would be the same. physical touch and emotional. i feel he rlly isnt to like, open about exploring, so he just sticks with what he likes and doesnt experient at all😭 the only thing he experiments with is different alcohols to find his next favorite lowkey !!! i feel as time passes and now actually dating u, how touchy he is just gets worse ... be careful guys he is the type to absolutely GRIP on you when cuddling or smth similar ^_^"

bruises. literally everywhere. boris was a cuddly man, that was a given, but he really did love just digging his fingers into your skin to the point it gave literal MARKS. you didnt mind to much, thinking it was sweet. he had good intentions of course!! arms wrapped around your waist, you were tightly pressed against boris' body, somehow managing to be comfortable. sure, you were gonna just get even more marks, but it was a casual thing by now. plus, atleast boris was happy– alot happier than before, thats for sure. previously, he and his father had a little ... squabble, lets say.

"bad parenting." boris had mumbled, breaking the silence.

you were going to say huh before your mouth became a 'O' in realization that he was talking about his father. you were quick to agree, nodding your head. he truly was a horrible father.

"dont worry about it, boris. its in the past," you tried reassuring.

past as in the last 20 minutes, but you still tried helping.

you only heard him sigh, mumbling something in russian under his breath—likely about him hating his dad or something—before pulling you closer, if even possible. seemed you would be here for a while as perusal as he practically would hold you captive– you werent really complaining though. he was rather warm for a guy so sickly looking.

[pinksmonkey]

The Ultimate Byler Evidence/Analysis List (Part 2)

If you missed part 1, here it is: Part 1

100. They Are In Love

101. Songs Associated With Mike And Will

102. We've Seen This Plot Too Many Times

103. Byler Isn't Far-Fetched

104. Byler Endgame Makes So Much Sense

105. Pocketgate

106. Hosegate

107. Love This Detail

108. Phallic Imagery In Season 4

109. I Didn't Notice The Queercoding

110. So Unserious

111. It's Supposed To Be About Love

112. How You Doing?

113. Mike Is Not Into Girls

114. Mike And Lucas Parallel

115. Not Love At First Sight

116. Mike Is Protective Of Will

117. To Illustrate How Weird This Shot Is

118. Yeah, Imagine

119. Still Dizzy

120. The Biggest Byler Proof For Me

121. These Scenes Happened Less Than 5 Minutes Apart

122. Mike Is More Attentive To Will Than Any Other Character

123. Oh, Love At First Sight

124. They Said I Love You

125. Byler And Heartstopper Parallels

126. I've Been Chasing After Some Other Kid

127. Jancy And Byler

128. Mike Feels Like He's Not Worthy In His Relationship

129. Why So Many People Complain About Mike's Character

130. That Boy Is In Love

131. Mike's Attention To Will And El

132. Mike's Self Acceptance

133. Mike's Playlist Is 10x Gayer Than Will's

134. No Homo Though

135. This Masterpiece

136. Mike's Guilt

137. El's Superhero Identity

138. It's Time To Switch Things Up

139. Why Byler If No Byler?

140. Mike's Playlist In A Bisexual Interpretation

141. Will's Playlist Analysis

142. Mike's Love Drives The Story

143. Will Deserves Love

144. From Anti-Byler To Pro-Byler

145. Mike And Locker Rooms/Bathrooms

146. Genuine Question About The Cabin Scene

147. Mike Literally Blinded Himself

148. It's Not Even Subtle

149. The Best Thing I've Ever Done

150. Will Deserves Better?

151. Will's Feelings For Mike Are Crucial To The Plot

152. Will's Love Is Beautiful

153. It's A Pattern

154. Mike Is Deliberately Queercoded

155. We're Friends

156. The Writers And Their Sense Of Humor

157. They Still Don't Understand Personal Space

158. There's No Point To The California Storyline If Not Byler

159. Let's Start A New Party, You And Me

160. Mike's Insecurities

161. They Told Us Exactly What's Going On With Mike

162. Find Someone Who Looks At You Like This

163. Heartstopper Parallel

164. Lettergate, Younger Mike To Older Mike

165. Everyone Is Disappointed

166. I've Been So Lost Without You

167. Mike's Gayest Scene

168. Reactions To Hugs And Kisses

169. No Platonic Explanation

170. They Have To Be Joking

171. Lighting Analysis

172. Hidden Expressions

173. The Papa Script

174. Refuting Anti-Byler Points

175. El Likes The Idea Of A Boyfriend

176. Are We Watching The Same Show?

177. I'm Not The Only One In Love With My Best Friend

178. Mike Is So Hopeless

179. Will You Be Like My Brother?

180. Bedroom Decor

181. Will Doesn't Want "Better"

182. Best Friends

183. The Truth About Hosegate and Lover's Lake

185. The Culture of Bylerism

184. Talking About Fictional Teens and Sexuality

186. Mike's Sexuality Is Tied To The Narrative

187. Not Production Errors

188. Good Writing And Bad Writing

189. Shared Shoes And More

190. Smalltown Boy Coded

191. Trying To Act Normal

192. It's Called Foreshadowing

193. More To Their Relationship Than Friendship

194. Refuse To Believe This Was Unintentional

195. There Has To Be An Important Reason

196. Byler Rain Fight Vs Mileven Breakup

197. The Eyewitness And Dawson's Creek Parallels, Too Gay To Be Straight

And unfortunately Tumblr will only let me add 100 links per post, so when I've posted part 3 of this list, I'll link it here: Part 3

[nobodyinourstars]

Unpopular Opinion ( Idk if is unpopular...idgaf)

Actually, I really can't see Mileven getting married like Millie said... I think getting married and having kids is an idea that really scare Mike.

Mileven isn't endgame, even if Byler don't get together. Mileven relationship is so desgasted, They're so much better as a platonic relationship, but that doesn't mean that they don't love each other.

Mike loves El as a friend, and El isn't prepared for a romantic relationship.

Mike always love El, but never in a romantic way. He has a lot admiration for El, but he confused admiration with love. She always save him in dangerous situations, and he was so confused with all things in his life.... Will disappear, El's "death", Will possessed now (I'm talking about all seasons) El and Will are the persons whe most love in the world and he just wanna to protect they.

El isn't ready for a romantic relationship. she basically live in a laboratory for 11 years ( idk if is right, correct me if I'm wrong). The first wrong thing is that no 11 years old kid is ready for a romantic relationship. Some adults aren't ready yet. Imagine you live in a place that everyone hide the truth from you, and when you discover, you have to fight with a adult men (001), hide yourself from a lot of people who wanna capture you and have a boyfriend being only a 11 years old kid must be so hard, and I don't fault her for it all. She just wanted someone to love and understand her, Mike is that person, but only in a platonic way.

I'm not going to talk about Byler now, case I'm more focused to talk bout how Mileven isn't endgame.

[joanie07]

Anti-bylers say we hate El and Mike because we are trying to sacrifice their happiness for Byler, but that's not our goal. We aren't praying for their downfall. We just want what's best for these characters.

El is clearly not happy in her relationship. Mileven is bones, and you just don't want to admit it. She is not loved the way she wants to be by Mike. She begins the season fabricating her life in front of Mike in hopes of restoring a relationship that's already broken. By the end, she is annoyed with Mike lying to her, leaving them off on a bitter note. El’s character arc focuses on her independence. If the Duffers have been building this throughout the show, why would they ruin it for the last season and throw all this progress away so she can stay in a relationship that’s no longer bringing her joy? In the third season, when El dumps Mike, she seems so much happier. She is paying more attention to others at the party (like Max). And with her independence, we see her go on journeys of self-discovery. We see her true self shine, so she isn’t just the buzz-cut girl with telekinetic powers and a funny name. She is so much more than that, and having a relationship with Mike that relies on kissing isn’t teaching her much about herself, her surroundings, or her other relationships.

Mike, on the other hand, has been pretending in his relationship with El for the longest time. He doesn't want to seem like a nerd, so he ditches D&D to make out with her. He puts on a facade at the beginning of season 4. We know El's intentions for putting on the facade, but what are Mike's? It's almost as if he is hiding something. Once El is gone, he continuously has vulnerable conversations with Will that lead to acceptance and mutual understanding. Conversations that Mike and El have never had. The only vulnerable conversation was their fight in S4, which did not end on good terms.

I don't understand how Milevens think this is a good dynamic. How is lying to each other about your personality good for either of them? Their relationship is at its end, and I think they both realize it. Frankly, Milevens don't care about El's or Mike’s feelings. They just want to see more straight couples pop out babies and have sex, even though this show is literally called Stranger Things, and the nuclear family construct is "normal," the antonym for strange. We don't need another straight couple. We especially don't need another straight couple with no real love. Don't get me wrong, they have good chemistry, but I view it platonically rather than romantically.

Mike and Will don't have to lie to give and receive affection. They are the most honest duo on the show. I consider that a way better dynamic than Mileven. And, if you pair their good communication with the classic romance tropes used for Byler, you can't really deny Byler. 

[13personalities]

Hi....if you don't mind me asking, who are your top 10 favorite romantic relationship's couples in books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series (can be canon or non-canon) and your top 10 favorite characters ever from any media? Why do you love them all? Thanks if you want to answer my questions....

Hi!! Thank you for this ask! I see that you ask variations of this frequently so I’ll do my best to answer :)

Ships:

These won’t really be in a particular order. Just the ones I thought of first :)

Satosugu (Gojo Satoru and Geto Suguru) - I just really loved (and cried about) their backstory and their relationship. I know a lot of people insist that they’re just friends (and honestly I’m okay with that too) but I ship them anyways lol. [Jujutsu Kaisen]

Byler (Will Byers and Mike Wheeler) - am currently dodging bullets cause it’s shipping war season but I love these two and I’ve shipped them since season two. I respect mileven but I always thought they would be better as platonic best friends. [Stranger Things]

3. Percabeth (Percy Jackson and Annabeth Chase) - favorite friends to lovers arc and they’re just amazing together (when they’re characterized correctly!!) literally a power couple. [PJO]

4. Narusasu (Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha) - no disrespect towards sasusaku and naruhina, I just saw more in narusasu throughout the series and I’m not afraid to say they are just soulmates at this point [Naruto]

5. Marylily (Mary Macdonald and Lily Evans) - such an interesting ship with just the best dynamics but I never see anything about them sadly [The Marauders]

6. Klance (Keith Kogane and Lance McClain) - they have a silly dynamic and I love them. Not much else to say here [VLD]

7. ItaFushi (Itadori Yujii and Megumi Fushiguro) - now I know that they are just friends. This is more of a little ship I love to play around with because I like them and I think it could be a possibility. I see them as friends too but I sometimes love to ship them as well [Jujutsu Kaisen]

8. Killugon (Killua Zoldyk and Gon Freecs) - now before I get flamed, I do only ship them in a romantic manner, and I don’t sexualize them I promise. Those two are just soulmates, what can I say. [Hunter X Hunter]

9. Xander Hawthorne and Max Liu - I remember wondering if their relationship felt extra and rushed but as I’m reading the inheritance games, they become the only couple I would ever be able to stand. I love those two and they both vibe amazingly together [TIG]

10. RanPoe (Ranpo Edogawa and Edgar Allen Poe) - love them and SSKK is right next to them. I love their silly vibes [BSD]

{I do have many more ships that I love but these are the ones I thought of first. There’s still Jegulus and Regulily and Shokohime and Solangelo and Matchablossom and renga and oh so many more lol}

Characters:

This one will be hard to choose from because I honestly have so many…

Megumi Fushiguro (Jujutsu Kaisen) - idk why but I just really love him so much. I wanna give him a big hug even tho ik he wouldn’t appreciate it but it’s the principle of it that counts. (JJK is also one of my favorite shows currently so I have a surplus amount of favorite characters but since I want to talk about a variety of fandoms, I’ll list my other favorites here: Gojo Satoru, Choso, Itadori Yuji, Shoko Ieri, Geto Suguru, Inumaki Toge, Maki Zenin)

Percy Jackson (PJO) - ik ik hes the main character but he’s a loveable main character ya know? I love a lot of PJO characters but Percy will always have my heart

Bachira Meguru (BlueLock) - idk why he’s my favorite but the vibes he gives really work well with mine and I feel like we could be absolute best friends

Shikamaru Nara (Naruto) - smartass, lazyass, sarcastic, literally me. He’s legit the only character with common sense sometimes lol and I always relate to him on some level

~~~Three Demon Slayer characters~~~ Giyuu Tomioka (idk why, maybe it the vibes), Tanjiro Kamado (main character ik but I still really like him), and Kyojiro Rengoku (Spoilers for mungen train arc ig?: I cried bitter tears when he died)

Shadow the Hedgehog (Sonic-verse) - I feel stupid for saying this one cause it’s like little children stuff ig but hey, no judgement please?

Keith Kogane (VLD) - I’m starting to see a pattern here….

Max Mayfield (Stranger Things) - she’s an amazing character and a girl with an actual personality that isn’t just “mean and badass” or whatever. She’s very relatable too. (Other favorite ST characters are Will Byers, Joyce Byers, Steve Harrington, Lucus Sinclair, Eleven Hopper)

Marvel~~~ Bucky Barnes (and winter soldier), Peter Parker (and Miles Morales. Just about any Spider-Man version. Almost all of them), Wanda Maximoff

Regulus Black, Remus Lupin, Lily Evans (all from The Marauders… sorry I couldn’t choose one lol)

sooooo…. That’s a lot more than ten but I tried lol. Thanks for the ask again! It was fun responding to this :)

[v-i-r-i-d-i-a-n]

YOU WANNA KNOW SOMETHIN

Y’ALL ACTUALLY WANNA KNOW HOW I FEEL ABT MIKE WILL AND EL??

I just want them to be happy

I started watching stranger things because of the hype of S4, I watched the first season with my parents in 2018 but didn’t rlly remember anything abt the plot and I didn’t get past episode where Jonathan’s camera was broken because I physically couldn’t watch anything with embarrassment at that point in my life

Anyways all I remember is that I didn’t care abt milkvan, like at all, I had no emotional attachment to them, I thought they were vaguely cute? But I felt like I had seen this formula a million times before and it was boring at that point, so I just didn’t really care abt them, I loved the characters don’t get me wrong but their relationship just never really felt that important to me, I always preferred them as friends anyways, their platonic interactions were always my favorites

I knew that I just wanted these little fuckers to be happy and if Mike and Eleven being together made them happy so be it, even then tho I was starting to realize the differences between Mike/Will and Mike/El but I could’ve passed off S2 Byler was platonic if they wrote Mileven super cute, but at that point I hadn’t seen them together on screen enough to rlly have any attachment to them

And then I watched S3, and S4

And I realized if I want these characters to be happy they cannot be together- they’re relationship does not work, it is not healthy, it’s not good for either of them- and it’s not good for Will

THEY COULD’VE SALVAGED IT IN S3 WRITTEN THEIR PROBLEMS OFF AS IT BEING MIKES FIRST RELATIONSHIP AND HOW HES STILL A KID AND DOESNT ENTIRELY UNDERSTAND AND HOW EL DOESNT ENTIRELY UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS TO BE A PERSON YET

BUT THEN WE’RE SHOWN EL LITERALLY AT HER HAPPIEST WHEN SHE ISNT HANGING OUT WITH MIKE?? WE’RE TOLD MIKE AND HER DO NOT HAVE PROPER CONVERSATIONS ABOUT EACH OTHER- ABOUT THE THINGS THEY LIKE TO DO- THE THINGS THEY JUST LIKE- AND IM SUPPOSED TO BE ROOTING FOR THEM???

We’re shown El giggling and having a good time after breaking up with Mike, we’re told that El see’s him as “her first boy friend” which means she thinks she’s gonna get another eventually- we’re SHOWN El being happy without Mike

We’re shown that Mike keeps El in a holding place she doesn’t want to be in anymore

AND THEN WE’RE SHOWN WILL BEING DEVASTATED WITHOUT MIKE, WE’RE SHOWN AND TOLD THAT WILL LOVES MIKE AND WE’RE SHOWN THAT WILL KNOWS HIM AND HOW TO HELP HIM AND HOW TO MAKE HIM FEEL BETTER AND WE’RE SHOWN JUST HOW DIFFERENT AND IMPORTANT THEIR RELATIONSHIP IS

EVEN JUST THE ENDING OF S3 WHERE MIKE AND WILLS CONVERSATION ENDS WITH THEM SWEETLY SMILING AT EACH OTHER WELL MAKING PROMISES TO NEVER REPLACE EACH OTHER WELL MIKE AND ELS ENDS WITH THEM KISSING AND MIKE HAVING HIS EYES OPEN AND EL WALKING AWAY FROM HIM WELL HE STANDS STARING LOOKING VAGUELY DISGUSTED WITH THE INTERNAL DIALOGUE OF “what’s wrong with me” ?????????

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ROOT FOR THE COUPLE THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TIME AND TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO BE BETTER OFF AS FRIENDS??? HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO ROOT FOR THEM WHEN THEY DONT SEEM TO MAKE EACH OTHER HAPPY??? WHEN THEY KNOW LIKE NOTHING ABT EACH OTHER? WHEN ONE OF THEM IS ALWAYS SAYING THEY DONT LIKE THE OTHERS INTERESTS?? WHEN LOOKING OBJECTIVELY AT IT THEIR PERSONAL ARCS GO IN LIKE OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS???

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT ROOT FOR THE COUPLE THAT HAS BEEN SHOWN TIME AND TIME AGAIN TO KNOW EACH OTHER THE BEST OUT OF EVERYONE??? TO HAVE SOME OF THE SWEETEST SCENES AND HEART TO HEARTS AND PARALLELS SO MANY CANON COUPLES ?? WHO MAKES OOGLY EYES AT EACH OTHER AND SMILE AND PROMISE EACH OTHER THEY WONT REPLACE ONE ANOTHER

I just want El and Mike and Will to be happy and looking objectively at it Mike and El breaking up seems to be when El is the happiest, and Mike and Will being together is when they’re at their happiest

[starmanbyler]

thinking about how there were two examples of unrequited love/crush in stranger things (dustin/max and steve/robin) and how they were handled delicately yet quickly and easily in the same season they were introduced.

dustin has a crush on max when he first sees her in s2 but quite quickly he gets over it when he realised how well her and lucas work together. he goes on to get a girlfriend the next season so he’s obviously not dwelling over it. if the byler/mileven love triangle was handled the same way that max, dustin and lucas’ was then wills unrequited feeling would be much more plausible.

in s3 when we’re introduced to robin steve also has a crush on her and dustin points this out. the difference here is that it’s not really a love triangle, but an example of unrequited feelings because of someone’s sexuality. not long after steve starts to develop feelings for robin she comes out to him and he accepts her, they move on and stay friends. while all this is happening wills has feelings for mike but it isn’t commented on, nobody draws attention to it. it’s supposed to be subtle and gradual. it’s literally just slow burn and i’m surprised it’s not more obvious to the general audience.

the difference with byler is that will’s crush has been dragged out for at least the last two or three seasons and there still hasn’t been any resolution or response from mike and/or el. not only would it be heartbreaking to put will through all of that yearning for years just for him to get rejected, but also it narratively makes no sense. all of the development of their relationship, especially in season four, was for nothing? if will’s feelings were unrequited, then season 4 or preferably season 3 would be the right time to show this. not in the final season. especially when he’s supposed to finally be getting his ‘happy ending’. he’s been through so much suffering, being ‘rejected by mike but being accepted for being gay’ is not gonna cut it for a happy ending. will is miserable; if he’s getting a happy ending it’s gonna be something that will surprise him and change his life. it will be something that subverts his negative self-perception and doubts. you know what would do exactly that? mike reciprocating his feelings.

it’s not just about will either. it’s important for his own self-acceptance but mike’s too. especially even. mike is the most repressed when it comes to his feelings and his sexuality and it would be incredibly important for him to come to terms with that and what better way than to accept himself and his feelings by confessing to will? also, el and mike don’t have a good relationship: they have nothing in common, don’t know each other very well, and struggle to communicate with each other. they don’t feel like they can be themselves around each other.

i don’t like when people act like it’s as surface level as whether or not mike is gay and if ‘he’s shown any evidence of being attracted to men’ because it’s a lot deeper than that. people say it’s nothing more than platonic when it’s been shown again and again how different their relationship is to their relationships with the rest of the party.

plus how can anyone have watched season 4 and said he has no signs of attraction to guys?? were we even watching the same show?

like girl wtf 😭

[lordystrange]

Mileven is a childhood fantasy, Byler is reality

Bylers are often called delusional and Byler endgame called unrealistic. But it’s the other way around.

Mileven is ”everyone’s” childhood fantasy: boy meets girl, they fall in love, get together, date for a while, get married and live in a big house at the end of a cul-de-sac with two or three kids and live happily ever after.

While stories like mileven happen, that love rarely lasts. It either ends in divorce or like Karen and Ted.

But byler is the reality. Two people are friends and slowly fall in love. That makes them struggle and be scared because they don’t wanna ruin their friendship but eventually they are honest with each other and get together. Because they were friends first, there’s mutual trust between them and they know one another well enough to communicate and maintain the relationship. They don’t need to show everyone else how perfect their life is with marriage, kids and a big house, they can just go their own pace. They may end up married, with kids and the big house, but they would also be happy in a small apartment with no kids. Because they are in love both platonically and romantically, and that makes the relationship strong.

Sure sometimes even those relationships end in divorce, but even the divorce is often handled better than in mileven type of story. They were friends before, and in the middle, so they can be friends after too.

Mileven is what we’re taught to want and go after. Byler is what we learn love to actually be.

(This pic isn’t exactly related to my post but it’s my favorite so I keep posting it every chance I get)