#yes that is a hint of byler

[cruelxfantasies]

"When they act like they aren't together, but they forget I check Letterboxd hourly"

I saw this and I ran with it so I could write some Steddie content featuring the oh so loved Dustin Henderson. I think word count is around 1000.

Dustin finished rewatching Weird: The Al Yankovic Story on his laptop, opening a new tab and heading to Letterboxd. His eyes moved to glance at the recent activity of his friends — Max watching The Substance wasn’t surprising and his eyebrows raised involuntarily at The Hills Have Eyes, seemingly marked by Mike. Mike hated horror movies. As he looked further to the right on ‘New From Friends’ tab, the same movie showed up — This is Spinal Tap, marked by steveh412 and eddie691982. Steve would never watch Spinal Tap on his own which meant the only logical conclusion was that they had a movie night without him.

The next time everyone was together, Dustin couldn’t help himself. “Did you and Steve have a movie night and not invite me?” he asked Eddie in between bites of supreme pizza at Steve's house on the couch.

Sprawled out next to him, Eddie didn’t skip a beat in his response. “Yeah, I guess we did — sorry squirt, it was a last minute thing, you know how it is.” Dustin didn’t feel the need to push any further and left it at that.

It was two weeks later that he was browsing and noticed another one marked by steveh412 and eddie691982 — Challengers. Dustin snorted. Steve probably had no idea what it was about and just saw it was a sports movie. He clicked on Robin’s profile out of curiosity and while she had logged several movies in the last week, none of them were Challengers. Maybe she’d forgotten, but Robin was obsessed with Letterboxd. Would she really?

Steve was driving Dustin home from the arcade one evening when he turned the volume dial down and looked over to his chauffeur. “Hey, you busy tonight? Wanna watch the new Sonic? It looks cool as shit.”

Steve panicked. He sputtered out, “I-I think I have plans, Henderson.”

“You think?”

“No no, I do have plans. Robin said she missed me and wanted to talk tonight, so I’ve gotta do that.”

Confusion flitted over Dustin’s face. “Missed you? You work at the same place 4 out of 7 days of the week. What’s to miss?”

“Just mind your business alright, Henderson?” Steve replied, reaching over to ruffle his hair.

“Fine, but next time you have a movie night with Eddie, invite me, alright?”

Dustin didn’t see the way Steve’s eyebrows knit together in puzzlement. “Sure, dude.”

He did not get invited next time.

Adventures in Babysitting? That was it. Dustin biked to the movie theater and the parking lot was practically empty except for the Beemer, Eddie's van, and a few other cars. Perfect timing.

Slightly out of breath, Dustin pulled open the doors to the theater, greeted by the sight of Robin, Steve, and Eddie, who stopped mid conversation at the counter.

"Whoa, Henderson. You good there?" Eddie inquired with a hint of a smile.

"As a matter of fact, no and I have something to say so you dipshits better listen."

"Hey, watch it," Steve shot back, leaning on the counter with both elbows.

"Let's hear him out," Robin suggested and Eddie nodded along.

"Go ahead, young one. Speak and be heard."

He grabbed a case of Milk Duds. "Damage these out, Steve. I deserve it." Steve rolled his eyes, utilizing the register for a moment.

"Fine, there you go. Spit it out."

Dustin popped in a few Milk Duds and forged ahead. "Did I do something to piss you and Eddie off? I can see you guys rating the same exact movies on fucking Letterboxd and I've said something to both of you but still no invite."

The reaction was immediate. Robin busted out into laughter, Steve turned a bright shade of pink and Eddie just stared at him. Eddie spoke first, tentatively.

"How... do you know that?"

"Know what?"

"What movies we're watching."

Dustin sent a sympathetic look his way. "Oh. Oh, Eddie. Have you never actually browsed the website you're using?"

The answer was an unspoken no. A moment of silence and then -

"Dude, I told you I didn't want to create an account and now look -"

"Well shit, Munson, and I didn't really think that far about it and blame Robin, she was up my ass everyday for god knows how long about making one and I wasn't about to go down that road without taking you with me."

Robin scoffed. "Don't go blaming me for your dingus brains not thinking shit through before you did it. For example, logging the same movies at the same time."

Dustin looked between the three in front of him, trying to understand. "Wait, what's going on?"

With a click of her tongue, Robin questioned him as she started a new batch of popcorn in the maker. "You can figure out insane mathematical equations that I can only dream of understanding and you're standing there asking me this? Use that beautiful, big brain of yours, Dustin."

Blue eyes belonging to the younger boy glanced at his DM, who was nervously scratching at his neck as if he may be in trouble, and Steve had an almost apologetic expression across his face. The understanding of the situation hit him and Dustin clutched his yellow package of Milk Duds tightly. Of course Robin already knew.

"You guys are unbelievable," were the first words out of Dustin's mouth, incredulity in his tone.

"Why are you so damn nosy?" Steve wanted to know, arms crossed against his chest.

"Why am I nosy? You're the one not understanding the websites you use and getting annoyed with me for utilizing it in the way it should be."

"Stalking people?" Eddie snickered, earning laughs from Robin and Steve.

"I always check on everybody's updates! For some reason, Mike's been watching horror shit and he never votes for them when it's group movie night."

Eddie sighed. "And what other boy do you know who loves watching them?"

A pause. "Son of a bi-"

[chirpsythismorning]

Nick himself said that his knowledge is confined to the leaks prior to s4, the s4 scripts from his verified source (likely within a source) and basic knowledge most fans paying attention have been able to formulate about s5 based on what has been released officially/unofficially, trends from Netflix and common sense.

He is saying based on all that, he doesn’t think byler is happening. 

And if we think back to what the Duffers themselves shared in the 4x09 script, it literally implies Mike’s monologue worked, and that it was entirely genuine. This tells me that the script the Duffers released for Emmy consideration, is not that far off from what Nick saw for himself. 

I think it’s likely Nick got something that the average below the line worker might manage to get their hands on if they tried hard enough. A copy they know they have to water-down to prevent these very situations from happening.

Unfortunately for the Duffers, it just so happens that they didn’t scrub their watered down copy hard enough.

Unfortunately for Nick, he admitted that it’s possible and even likely that the production will release things that aren’t exactly accurate with the sole purpose to lead fans sleuthing astray, without realizing it may have ironically already happened to him. 

[l0v3c0r3e]

sorry but i dont think kali was the first person to let el be independent

[willzardthewise]

byler in one season wouldn't make sense literally knocking down mileven built up in 4 seasons

DAWG LIOK AT THE BONE IF THR BONE US GONNA DIP THESKIN IN LOOK CLOSELY REALLY CLOSELY

s1 my best friend is missing what the fuck -not as romantical yet

s2 i'm by your side no matter what bbg -maybe maybe not

s3 it's not my fault u don't like girls(projecting much dude?) -wee little hint

s4 literally whatever went on during the bedroom scene "cool" "cool" -nuclear world ending bomb

it's the WAYYY season three is like the smallest thing and season four is like now you know it's a option season 3 is something fans would be fighting over the implied liek how gilnda and elphaba got u going 🤨🤨 y'all seeing this shit (there r SOOO many other queer friends to lovers shit like this that i don't rememberrr)and honestly they could've kept going with that but season four is like oh? they're an option like will CONFIRMED to liek mike did not need all that letting u LNOW they might (most definitely) happening

sort of side note why the flip would season four end w mike and el breakup loek bro it's not like lumax who are more like on and off because it's honestly a little more normal like just some middle school relationship guys i'm yapping mileven is NAWT getting back together 🎶never ever getting back together 🎶 bylers called delulu mileven have u SEEN YALL

i fear i lost the point of this post and yap sesh

thank you if u actually read this i hope ur pillow is cold and 100s on ur test goodnight

[screamingfrenchfries]

does that tweet mean we’ve lost?

LOLLLLL i can tell a melvin when i see one...

anyways (tags)

[loversray]

I saw a lot of people, even Bylers saying that it’s a reach to say Mike’s looking at Will in this shot, as Hawkins is in flames in front of them. Yet, it’s not really a reach.

This is where text and subtext come in. Textually, yes, Mike is not looking at Will, he’s looking in front of them. However this is very obviously filmed intentionally to at first look like he’s looking at Will, and SUBTEXTUALLY hint that Will’s on his mind.

The camera pans from Will to Mike very slowly, bringing Mike in focus.

There’s already 2 shots where Mike looks outside the window at Hawkins

And they felt the need to make one where he looks LONGING, with Will in front of him? Will also has 2 shots, that happen right after Mike’s shots. Also, important note, El is not a focus at all in this scene. She doesn’t have a single shot, and only appears behind Mike.

You might miss it, and that’s okay, it’s very subtle, but i like cinema and i know how it works, that’s how i could tell.

The Duffers frame it like that on purpose, something they said in an interview. They wanted every shot to be perfect.

Byler has these subtle hints that are so easy to miss, but they’re there.

[teambyler]

YES Mike eating fruit on pizza was a gay metaphor

I saw a comment saying that Bylers are delusional for finding gay subtext in the "fruit on pizza" scene. We're "overanalyzing" things, they say!

Thing is, that's not the only gay metaphor WITH FOOD that is in Stranger Things. Remember this?

Any LGBT+ person has to react to this the way I did: haha that's a gay joke! "You can't have two of the same thing together"!

And then Robin gave her the jar of jelly, which gave it new meaning:

Vickie was just rambling about her ex-boyfriend and holding 2 slices that were incompatible. But Vickie is compatible with ROBIN. It doesn't matter that she's also a girl, you see! Giving her the jelly and their unspoken shared look and understanding is THE moment they realize their attraction is mutual.

And they made these points about Rovickie with food. (Also see another easter egg where they used food to associate Will with Mike.)

And then Vickie's immediate next line: "I don't know what's wrong with me." She talks about her mouth moving faster than her brain, but the GAY subtext is here also. Something "wrong" about her = being gay = feeling "like a mistake." This is Vickie telling Robin "I'm kind of odd / gay, you know..."

The Stranger Things writers KNOW about gay subtext. So when Mike calls FRUIT (a derogatory term for gay men) on pizza "blasphemous" and comically is made to eat it, AND he says afterward "No, you're right. It's good"? ...

... we're just supposed to IGNORE that????? Just accept it? And if it's not that, then what was the point of the scene?

It is frankly, a pretty BLATANT hint that Mike is QUEER.

And he loves Will. This isn't some unrequited love story -- the writers know the proper way to handle that which is to resolve it quickly... they did that with Dustin's hopes for Max being introduced AND resolved within the space of a season. (Same with Steve liking Robin.) Meanwhile, Will's love for Mike has been built over FOUR seasons, and everything remains unresolved between them, the Painting Lie being one of the most important things. (Will coming out to Mike being the other.)

-teambyler

[itslikesearcingforsomething]

i think there’s absolutely zero chance that we’re getting ANY byler (mike and will together) content in the teaser and i’ll be happy with that. they want us to be shocked still, they want us to scream when it finally happens and yes, maybe in the trailer there will be some hints, but don’t expect anything until s5 drops

[chirpsythismorning]

In the past, when Finn has been asked about ships he’s always said something along these lines, specifically with byler. He was asked about shipping byler in a live zoom event with fans for st promo during COVID hiatus before s4 filming restarted, and he was just like yeah I think ppl should ship what they want to ship and idk idk idk we’ll have to see what the Duffer’s do 🤷🏻‍♂️

And when it comes to the Edward/Bella comment, it just makes it obvious he hates the concept of shipping, seeing as that’s the most like well known shipping occurrence in media in recent times. Finn saying that had less to do with how he feels about Mike and Will as a pairing in the narrative genuinely, and more to do with him not wanting to get caught up in ship wars with buzzwords of one ship’s name vs. another. Idk what it is, but male lead actors playing love interests always tend to hate shipping as a concept? Like it’s a right of passage practically. It probably stems from the toxic side of the fandom experience too? Where like fans made him and Millie’s relationship really uncomfortable at times when they were so young, and how that unfortunately interferes with there personal lives at times. A lot of that behavior stems from shipping, so I can see why him and a lot of young actors in those positions feel at edge at times when ppl put them on the spot.

Im sure Finn would just rather people phrase it like, do you want Will and Mike to end up together as opposed to do you ship byler? But also the former would be a lot harder for him to answer, so at least with the ship name he can dance around his discomfort about shipping as a phenomena and then never really answer the question beyond just telling fans to wait and find out🤣

I’m worried with what Finn just said and now the milkvans are gonna be after us. He said he doesn’t ship Byler and is not a shipper. I think he’s sick of us and thinks we’re delusional but doesn’t wanna come out and say it. He compared us to twilight which makes me sad 😔

damm 3rd anon today

but i think just cause an actor doesn’t ship smth doesnt mean anything for the ship itself,although this comment could make maloobans attack us more and use this as weak ammo. just remember the “it’ll pay off” comment about the van scene

[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

[gaysforbyler]

The only Byler doubt I have is that the writers are going to chicken out.

Is Byler set up? Yes. Has it been set up from the very beginning? Absolutely. Are there hundreds and hundreds of intentional hints thrown in throughout the seasons? Definitely. Can the writers say “fuck that, idc” and do whatever they want because they’re in complete control? 100%

Is that going to happen? I doubt it. They have no reason to tear away queer representation besides a bit of homophobic backlash, but they’ll get backlash either way. But they can. They don’t need a reason. And that possibility keeps me up at night.

[greenfiend]

“The week is long. The silver cat feeds when blue meets yellow in the west. A trip to China sounds nice, if you tread lightly.”

Now although they’ve likely hinted at this with the whole airport scene (at the airport gate…) I think this is still something that has yet to come. This is likely code for the epic climax of the last episode.

After making this post… I think I’ve finally figured out the whole code… and I do think it’s about Will and Mike (and Lover’s Lake).

“The week is long”

Obviously this is related to emotions slowing down time. This likely means more miscommunication… more hurt feelings and more separation. (Separation being implied in the songs here).

“The silver cat feeds”

Silver cat likely being the Lynx (as we see multiple references to it). See the “Lynx” in the background of the photo above? It’s the name of a transportation/shipping company. The silver cat is obviously a portal/gate!

“Lynx teaches manipulation of time and space in otherworlds.” X (The association with space-time manipulation and feeding could imply a black hole/wormhole (or watergate itself)… this could be the “giant creature with a gapping mouth”).

Remember… they alluded to this when Will and Mike met at the airport gate, with the large “snack” sign (“snack-sized gate”). (Meeting at a gate AND water/the ocean is mentioned in the songs here). AND because it’s called a “snack size” it’s connected with FEEDING!!! The silver cat FEEDS on this snack.

It is also possible they created their own separate gate/portal (in the rear? 🫣) with their strong sexual energy/electromagnetic field.

It’s also worth noting that the Lynx is also associated with secrets, lies, and hidden truths. X

“when blue meets yellow in the west”

Now. Assuming that blue = Mike and yellow = Will… (which is also referenced in the songs here! “Blue” and “sunshine”)

what west are we speaking of? California? Yes it is west but no.

But, bare with me here. There is one spot that Dustin kindly informs us that is west of Skull Rock. Lover’s Lake.

They were at Lover’s Lake then went east towards Skull Rock… thus… Lover’s Lake is west relative to that spot.

ALSO, “west” might be a reference to “West Germany”. The song Heroes (commonly associated with Byler) tells the tale of lovers from West and East Germany separated by the Berlin Wall. Like how Mike and Will are separated by the gate between the right side up and the upside down. The west side being the wealthy side (right side up) and the east likely being the UD. The screenshot above is proof of the connection between Berlin/the Berlin Wall and Lover’s Lake/“watergate”.

“A trip to China sounds nice, if you tread lightly.”

China = the upside-down. You know the saying “are you digging to China?”, implying that China is on the opposite side/upside-down from you.

AND we have an association here with Lover’s Lake/“watergate” and China…

Why would a trip to the UD sound nice? Well it may if they go there and “tread lightly”.

Recall the “Kaufman Shoes” Robin associated with to “tread lightly”? Well… there’s a movie called “Man on the Moon” about a man named Andy Kaufman. Hmm… makes me think of the famous line “one small step for man… one giant leap for mankind.” One small step would be treading lightly after all… Could this be a possible hint to the boys arriving to a new world?

Now, they’d also need to “tread lightly” when it comes to finally expressing their feelings.

Let’s see what Joyce and Hopper have to say about that:

To sum it all up:

1. Will and Mike are separated (making the week long). Now, I think “blue”/Mike is in the UD or “East”.

2. Mike returns to the right side up/“West Germany”/the WEST and reunites with Will at Lover’s Lake.

3. When reunited, either a new gate is formed or the current gate is altered by their strong electromagnetic field and they fall into it together. (They are the “SNACK” of the silver cat that feeds/giant creature with the gapping mouth/the gate!!!!)

4. Together, they create a new environment… one that is safe for them to share their feelings.

[kakerutori]

About the Byler scene that changed it all

The van scene is by no means my favorite Byler scene because it hurts. A lot. But at the same time, the power that it holds cannot match anything else between Mike and Will for me.

We’ve seen years of Mike worrying about Will from the very first “that’s weird. I don’t see him.” To the “it was the best thing I’ve ever done.” From “it’s not my fault” to “I’m sorry” to “maybe you should have reached out more” to “friends. Best friends,” Mike is sincere. Over. And over. And over again. He loves out in the open for all to see, yes, even in his mistakes, but that’s what makes him human. That’s what makes him who he is. He’s sarcastic and quick and irritable, but oh, when he’s leading, inspiring, and guiding?

Will plays an important role in Stranger Things wherein we rarely get to see his heart. But no, of course we do. He’s the one everyone fought for since season 1, so of course he’s known to us. But that’s just it, everyone else fights for him. They say that proof of good character is if other people recognize it in you, and Will has been the center of that treatment from the very start. Sure, he’s also seen in very negative lights, being made fun of even when he’s assumed dead, but I don’t care about the people who don’t know him. I care about the people who do. And those who do search for him until he’s found. Never give up even when it seems theoretically impossible. Protect him, family and friends alike.

And those things may just be givens in most loving relationships, so let’s take it a step further. What do people say about him? In season 1, Mike asserts that Will risked his character’s life for The Party - an imaginary compromise - and Lucas immediately understands the signal to go out and save him, taking even a fictitious virtue and ascribing it so meaningfully to Will that it’s worth fighting for him in real danger. Then in season 2, Joyce recounts about Will giving a little girl his own toy truck simply because she was sad. In season 3, when Will is explaining what he thinks happened to the Mind Flayer and why it inexplicably seemed to return, Mike is at his defense, saying he’s right without a doubt. Will is trustworthy, and the rest follow. Then in season 4 in arguably one of the sweetest scenes in the whole show, Will and Jonathan are on the verge of tears, and when Will says that he’ll always be there for Jonathan, Jonathan says that he knows he will be. Will is selfless, venerable, caring and wise in a sweet mixture, and when he loves, people know it.

For everything. Everything except his love for Mike. His love for Mike is something that cannot be easily digested or explained. Looking back at that Will and Jonathan scene by the tub before the mind fight, this is something that takes a step into the part of his heart that no one readily sees or pays attention to. If it is, again, it’s pushed in ridicule, covered in insensitive names, not celebrated. It’s something that makes him cry, something that he can’t even say out loud. Jonathan was the one to recognize that things were complicated for his brother and he reached out, knowing that it was hurting Will.

But despite the pain. Despite all of the shame that comes with being who he is, he lets his love out in a big reveal, the most anticipated hint all season long in season 4. And who does he reveal his heart to? Mike. He both risks it all in front of the very person of his affection and gives everything up for him, including his own love.

But be not despaired, because love is not a finite resource.

I know that this scene hurts on so many levels, especially because of what Will says about himself, but look at how Mike sees Will. I don’t think that I even need to put evidence here, but it’s just so tender and important to realize that this is not a hopeless scene.

This is the one who’s on the other end of Will’s message. This kind of attention is not going to become, ‘oh, hey, Will, I’m sorry, but I can’t accept what you said because you lied to me about who it’s from.’ If Mike does say this, he’s a liar. Look at him. He’s seeing Will plenty without a guise on his end. This is Mike falling in love with what Will is offering him.

And given everything that we know about Mike who stops at nothing to protect the ones he loves and Will who would give himself up for the ones he loves, both loving to the point of sacrifice, hand in hand, how can you come away from this scene saying that Mike would easily reject Will? That Mike won’t listen to Will and consider both of their own affections? That they won’t find an understanding? That forgiveness is foreign to them?

Will has given Mike the power to decide to buy the lie or realize it. And in a show that revolves around “friends don’t lie” and uncovering hidden truths, I doubt that Mike is going to simply buy it.

And from there, how beautiful would it be for Mike to openly accept him? To give the boy who thought he lost it all the chance to be loved in a way that makes him feel not different in a world that hates him? And how much more sweet would it be for Will to forever make Mike feel special, unceasingly, without the need to lie? To let him know how adored he is and how he doesn’t have to fight his heart anymore over a romance of obligation rather than bliss?

Byler is endgame. We’re almost there. It just makes sense.

Happy Byler Day. 💙💛

[evilbookworm]

Mileven and Billverly parallels

Ok I’ve been wanting to do this post for a while, (if you’ve seen my blog recently it’s dropped a few hints over how Mike and Bill are compared) so I am gifting you it with the best of my knowledge on cinematography (Watching lesbianmindflayer videos)

My number one priority is mentioning that yes, I do think the Duffers are purposely paralleling them. I mean, they have mentioned loving Stephen King’s work have they not? There’s also the reference to Mr. Baldo the clown in season 2 when Bob is talking to Will about getting over his fears. Of course, this might seem like a coincidence, but then Bob brought up Maine, which is where Derry, and most of Stephen King’s works are set, so I think it’s safe to say that there are some parallels to IT.

                               

First, I’d like to point out that Mike is the Party’s leader, just as BIll is for the Losers Club. It’s never been made official or anything, but it’s there. 

You may be wondering why them being leaders has to do with anything, but I assure you It’s an important parallel. Now, we can also see some parallels between how both Mike’s friends and Bill’s friends encourage them to pursue a relationship with El and Bev.

Now I want to bring up the way Bill and Bev bonded, and how after the Neibolt house, she’s the only one that stayed with him. We can also directly compare the fight between Mike and Lucas to the one between Bill and Richie. Lucas and Richie were both jealous and concerned about safety. Richie for Eddie and Lucas for all of them.

Now a small comparison between Bev and El. Bev sees the deadlights, which grants her visions of the losers in the future.  Then we have El, who can’t see into the future but can see where people are. Here are some images:

 Not very direct, but something they have in common.                       

We also have multiple times where Bill encourages his friends to help him find Georgie, as Mike does with Will.

Now let’s talk about the kiss. The first kisses are both quite similar. Both of them are done in a heat of the moment type way. In both scenes, the girls are taken aback.  

  They are incredibly similar and one of them isn’t an endgame ship.

Mike and Bev Comparisons + Benverly and Byler

Now, let’s talk about the Ben, Beverly, and Bill love triangle being paralleled to the Mike, El, and Will love triangle. More direct comparisons with Bev and Mike here. First, and most importantly, we have the poem and the painting. Bev receives this from Ben, and Mike receives this from Will.

The poem Ben sends to Bev is anonymous, and Bev doesn’t remember it’s from Ben until the second reunion they have. While not exactly paralleled to the painting Will gives Mike, it is similar. Will makes it look like the painting is from El, and Bev thinks the poem is from Bill.  

 Now, Bev realizes the poem is from Ben twice, the first is when he kisses her to save her from the deadlights, the second 27 years later in Pennywise’s layer when Ben recites it to her while they’re trapped in their visions, though Bev previously thought it was from Bill. This could be a direct comparison to the van scene, where it’s possible that Mike knows the truth about Will’s feelings. Mike may forget about this later, unless it is confessed to him while he’s being Vecna'd.

                                               

I also think Mike will be the one to be Vecna’d, so that’s another possible parallel to Bev. Bev is the one who isn’t very expected to be taken, but she is. Just like Mike. It isn’t expected to happen to him, but it will.                 

Mike + vecna imagery

And like with Ben and Bev, Will will break Mike out of Vecna’s trance. I can’t say it’ll be with a kiss, because Mike will most likely be hovering several feet in the air, but it’ll definitely be done by Will somehow.

So, in conclusion, Ben and Bev end up being endgame, and so will Mike and Will.

Not a very in depth analysis, really, but these are some good parallels I found and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone delve into the comparisons between them. 

Anyways, BYLER ENDGAME!!!        

(P.S. I spent like 3 hours looking for the right images so please don’t let this flop 🙏) 

[love-byers]

Hi! Not gonna lie I was a bit disappointed that you believe the birthday gate stuff... The Duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case. And most of all, it would've come up in volume 2! Now if something happens in S5 it would just feel like they came up with it during the 3 years between S4 and S5. They can say it was planned all they want, people would call bullshit, and rightfully so. I'm sorry I can not believe how anyone can think birthday gate could be a real thing. Not to mention it doesn't even make any sense. Please bylers let's just accept the Duffers made a mistake!!

i disagree with everything you said

1. "the duffers wouldn't have admitted to have made a mistake if that were the case"

they lied.

the duffers are sneaky snakes who want us to analyze and always be looking for little details. they have literally said there are no coincidences in the show.

so yes, i completely believe that they would go out of their way to lie in order to save the surprise for s5. i mean actually think about it, if it really was just a mistake, why would they not just fix it?? they have the full power to just do a little voiceover edit and boom, problem solved. they explained exactly how they'd do it. but they didn't. 2 years have passed and they still haven't changed it when that little tweak would literally solve all their problems if it really was a mistake.

they lied. they're liars.

2. "it would've come up in vol 2"

since when does every single problem have to be solved in one season?? do you know what show you're watching??

there are hints and foreshadowing all over the seasons. vecna is foreshadowed in s1 ep1 when will's door was opened with telekinesis, and we had no idea he existed until 6 years and 3 seasons later.

in s1 they don't fully explain how will was communicating with joyce. but after s4 everything clicks into place.

they show us that will can clearly hear her and is finding a way to make the lights light up. then in ep 8 they show joyce and hopper making the christmas lights light up as they walk through the byers upside down house. jonathan sees this and asks if it's joyce, and joyce hears him.

that isn't addressed AT ALL in s2 or s3. it is fully explained and explored in s4, when nancy steve eddie and robin are stuck in the upside down. they fully show us how it works and acknowledge that it was how will communicated with joyce.

the creators knew exactly how the light upside down stuff worked the entire show. but it wasn't time for it to be explained just yet. it was meant to come up later on. it's a masterful way to write a story with longevity.

stranger things teaches you to never just write something off. everything is important. don't let it go just because it hasn't been fully explained. there will be payoff.

3. "now if it comes up in s5 it would just feel like they came up with it the 3 years between s4 and s5. people would call bullshit."

respectfully i think you're projecting a bit.

the average viewer who does not spend their time on forums is not going to think that whatsoever. the average viewer is going to think "wait what?!", go back and watch s4 ep 2, and think "holy shit it was planned all along that's so cool!"

like that's such a dumb way of thinking. you have to be a master level hater to see a well written plot twist and think "they just did that to cover their asses" like that's some next level hating

and i guarantee you once s5 comes out the duffers will be like "yeah of course we had to lie you guys were too close to figuring it out!"

david harbour has talked about how hard it was for him to flat out lie to people about hopper being dead. it's really not that crazy to think they lied

4. "it doesn't even make any sense"

....it does.

i don't know how you could think it doesn't make sense

rink o mania day was march 22nd. will's birthday. they have not changed his birthday. his official canonical birthday is still march 22nd.

but no one mentions it. even will doesn't seem to know it's his birthday.

s4 is all about memories and trauma and feeling isolated from others. we also literally learn there is a powerful monster man who can read minds and enter other people's memories, just like el can. so i don't see how it's so outlandish to think there's some memory fuckery going on.

of course we can't explain exactly why or how, because it hasn't been adressed yet. you have to wait for the pay off.

5. "just accept the duffers made a mistake"

i would accept that they made a mistake if they actually fixed the mistake LIKE THEY SAID THEY WOULD. they said "we are going to edit the episode and change it to say may 22nd" and then DIDNT. EVER.

and not only that, they wished him happy birthday on march 22nd 2 years in a row. noah schnapp posted a bts photo on march 22nd 2024 with the caption "Do you know what March 22nd is? It's your birthday. - Joyce Byers"

they are saying "yes it's still his birthday so get hyped for s5 where it'll be addressed" every way they can without spelling it out for you.

i really don't know what more you need

[fiendforbyler]

wait y’all i just realised something that is probably niche as fuck but anyway! if you know/have read the Keeper of the Lost Cities series in it’s entirety you will understand the relationship/love triangle between sophie, fitz and keefe. from the beginning fitz is set up at sophie’s love interest, even as young kids (i believe she is 12 in the first book? and he is maybe a year older? not 100% it’s been a while). she crushed on him for majority of the series and finally in book 7/8 they get together with a seemingly very romantic gesture from fitz, with many hints during the series that fitz liked her back. point is: we were all rooting for them. it is imprtant to note that it’s also always been hinted at but later in the series confirmed that keefe has major feelings for sophie as well. for me, this is representative of mike/el/will love triangle, with sophie being mike, keefe being will, and fitz being el. now, i don’t really like fitz but i LOVE el so yeah this isn’t a flawless comparison but ANYWAY back to my main point!! keefe (will) is so likeable with a tragic backstory, troubling plot line, has a lot of trauma AND a sorry crush on a girl (boy) who (supposedly) has eyes only for one person since the beginning- something that has been clearly set up and formed into a seemingly sweet relationship readers have been rooting for from the beginning. yeah this is sounding familiar? here’s the problem (or solution for sophkeefe/byler shippers like i): ITS NOT WHAT SOPHIE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE. fitz pressures her into trying to find her bio parents so they could be matched, he is aggressive and possessive over her (not in a good way) and she breaks up with him. during this, i’m pretty sure she begins to crush on keefe as well- keefe in permanent denial she could ever like him back of course- and feels terribly guilty about it, because she still has feeling for fitz. (yeah i told you, not the perfect comparison but you understand what i’m getting at right?) while things with fitz get worse, sophie starts genuinely discovering how she really feels about keefe, with lines like “if she was really really honest- and really really brave- she had to admit that the idea of being with keefe sounded… kind of amazing. Yes, it was scary. and yes there were risks. but wouldn’t it be worth trying?” wouldn’t it be worth trying? ladies and gents, we just discovered mikes inner monologue!!! scary, risky, but worth it? its what will is to him! mike has always been “too insecure to let (him)self see what’s right in front of (him)” (a line taken from the book!!!!!!) will is in front of him. he is being so distracted by his internalised homophobia that he has NOOO idea what he is missing!! “‘SERIOUSLY, STOP!’ she told herself again…/ adding those kind of feelings to a friendship pretty much ruined everything. ( talking about fitz)”

and it’s all oh so familiar…

BUT WAIT! THERES MORE! finally, FINALLY, during our long awaited kiss scene, she says this:

“some tiny part of her head had always wondered if kissing keefe could really be as great as everyone claimed. but kissing keefe was so. much. better.”

yeah. and then blah blah they get interrupted by who? of yes of course fitzy the ex boyfriend is here. and he says what when he finds out? OH YEAH. “you kissed him? you didn’t even kiss me!”

THAT SOUNDS A LOT LIKE “you never say it/i say it” AND “i didn’t say it/you didn’t have to” or pretty much the same way mike acts around will vs el.

you know what else? mikes inability to say i love you to el (hasn’t kissed fitz) but so clearly communicate it to will (kissing keefe)

if you haven’t read all this (and i don’t blame you!!) just read this next paragraph!

but back to my main MAIN point. sophitz was the ship EVERYONE (except maybe a select few) wanted right up until they got together!! it was perfect on paper, cute, with history and seemingly ‘connected’ character (as per the plot), and as soon as they got together, everything fell apart, as well as sophie closing herself off and beginning to lose fitz even before the downfall of their relationship due to her suppressed feelings about keefe. (cough cough MIKE) they need to break up for her to realise keefe was the better match all along. keefe, who never thought he as a chance. keefe, who loved her from the start. KEEFE, WHO LET HIS BEST FRIEND HAVE HER IF IT MEANT HAPPINESS TO THEM.

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? please tell me i’m not crazy!! thank you for reading this it took me a long time to write but it also felt great to write this out even if no one reads this. hail to byler and a reminder we are one day closer to seeing them on screen. have a great day/night!