BYLER FOR BEST COUPLE AND CUTEST COUPLE EXACTLY THANK YOU MAYA, ft Jimmy Fallon Bylering out on main
See more posts like this on Tumblr
#thank you maya 💚So I’m not quite sure how to phrase this yet so PLEASE reblog this so a smarter Byler is able to connect the dots properly HAHA
But … I was watching the show Eric last night and I noticed some … VERY compelling similarities to Stranger Things:
NUMBER ONE
Time Period
‘Eric’ and Stranger things are both set in the 80s.
NUMBER TWO
Main Premise
The disappearance of a child as one of the main plot hooks. And look at Edgar … doesn’t he look familiar?
NUMBER THREE
Queer themes
Although the queer themes in Stranger Things are more … subtle/subtextual, in Eric they show the struggles of one of the main characters as a closeted gay man in the 80s. It’s honestly gut-wrenching and had me tearing up at the end.
NUMBER FOUR
William and Michael
Speaking of the main character, his name’s Michael. And his lover …? William. Yep. There is a literal queer couple named William and Michael in this very VERY obviously inspired by Stranger Things Netflix show. And I REALLY don’t think it’s a coincidence.
I don’t exactly know what to make of it, though, and I am sure there are far more themes between the two than these four, but these are the ones that were the most obvious to me.
I’m not kidding my jaw was on the floor. And I might be delusional but I mean come on … it’s one thing watching a Netflix show like .. idk, Bridgerton, with not as many obvious common themes with Stranger Things at surface level.
But this one?
I’ll eat an edible later tonight lmao and revisit this to see if i can make any more connections but for now I’m weirdly excited …? It feels like we’re receiving Byler crumbs through this show or something. Makes me wonder what the point would be.
Anyway, please share any thoughts! I’m curious what other Bylers might think of this or maybe I’m just delusional haha
they definitely changed Byler's whole vol 1 dynamic after something happened in the writers room or with Netflix cuz they're so different in vol 2 and 3, they were supposed to be canon until the beginning of episode 5, then they completely changed the dynamic and completed erased their friendship and made people think Mike didn't want to touch him anymore when he did
they also hid this
who is snoopclair? i have mixed opinions on this but i do feel like byler was at the very least on the table at one point so this has me raising my eyebrows
That's SO insane to me
The only reason it would make sense for Mike to say that (if he didn't reciprocate Will's feelings) is because he knows Will has feelings for him and he wants to assure him that he's not interested in the same way. BUT we know that Mike doesn't know that Will has feelings for him (according to Finn Wolfhard).
So the question is, why did Mike feel the need to assure that Will and him are JUST friends 2x in s4? Moreover he's kind of panicking in the first scene, calling out: "We're friends! We are friends!" even 2 times.
MIKE is the one making the situation romantic since Will only asked: "And us?" (Which he had every right to btw because it was referring to Mike not calling Will often, which is weird as well since they're BEST FRIENDS and they ended on good terms in s3)
Will thinks that he has zero chance with Mike, he believes that him and El are happy together and he DOESN'T want to destroy their relationship, he wants to keep them together.
Mike is the one thinking about it in a romantic way, not Will. So in conclusion:
Mike sees Will in a romantic way.
i love this! though i must add that my “hot take” on this is that will 100% meant that “what about us” as a hint. as for what mike’s response was, I’m at a loss. but assuming you’re right that he also interpreted it romantically … then this is sort of what I’m sensing:
if you’re right that Mike interpreted that ‘what about us’ romantically, like I personally believe Will intended, then in this response here, he was basically saying 'That’s just not true, I AM interested, pookie’
when Will pushed, Mike did in his own way too. By bringing up El being his girlfriend, he was trying to BAIT Will. He wanted WILL to 'say it first’.
but when instead, Will said …
he looks disappointed/longing and the emotional synth music starts to play right in that moment, because Will 'backed down’.
it’s not that he’s disappointed that Will said they were best friends, it’s that he was HOPING the conversation would lead Will into saying something to the effect of “Well, maybe I want us to be more than that.”
the way he says this too, sounding so #Casual and like he #Doesn’t Care ( which I’ve talked about before ), Mike’s a GREAT actor bc he surely convinced the GA this entire interaction was platonic.
Mike was playing mind games and instead of getting Will to confess first, he started pushing him away.
But yeah, i’d love to hear yalls thoughts on this! I’ve always felt we’ll come back to this entire rink-o-mania sequence in S5 somehow, so very excited to see how that plays out
Pointing at Mike bc he just confessed and Will doesn't believe him and is crying and is sad and shaking and angry with this crazed look in his eyes like
"You won't trick me! You won't use my heart against me and make me believe things that aren't true! I'm not a stupid kid, with stupid ideas anymore, who can't tell fantasy from reality. I know what's real! And he's not. I made him up."
and its clear he's talking to mike as if mike was vecna bc he thinks it is a vecna vision/hallucination
imagine i was right on the money with this one
Anonymous asked:
So for Will it was “never about Mike” but for Max it was “always about Lucas” rather than her song? Make it fucking make sense
eeriesilkworm answered:
Either blatant homophobia and misogyny or they’re making room for Byler to get together in the finale with the set up that Will chooses Mike because he wants him and not because he thinks he needs him.
🙏
“Will chooses Mike because he wants him”
that was my problem with the van scene. And was my problem with them STILL showing Will pining this whole season.
The need vs want subject.
because, shouldn’t that have been Mike’s arc this season, if they truly are going for Byler? he was the one tying self worth to how useful he was in a relationship and whatnot and ignoring what he genuinely wanted. meanwhile will has been certain on his feelings for Mike since his queerness was revealed to the audience
but they have done 0 for Mike on that front, and his reactions to everything around him seem to be an indicator of a combo between poor acting + poor writing rather than carefully concealed “romantic plot twist” strategy.
While Will was having “let him go, bro” arcs with Robin, Mike was having … 0 development at ALL
So how will they cramp byler in the finale when it already feels so utterly undeserved from Mike’s side?
Sorry if I sound skeptical, im just … i think there’s a limit to how much we can diverge in interpretation on what we’re actually being shown on screen and told by the actual creators of the series.
the painting lie is the ONLY thing left unresolved. and the jancy Emerson lie being addressed gave me hope.
but i mentioned earlier that with how this season was written, i’m preparing for it being resolved with a super ‘emotional’ “its ok, love u bro” speech from Mike to Will and then the Duffers coming out on record and explaining that 'Mike learned about self-love from Will and he loves Will in a platonic way and that Will inspires him’ yaaada yada
fingers crossed im wrong and they pull off a narrative miracle atp
STRANGER THINGS SPOILERS
To the people who fear his arc was about coming out.
Reminder that they did not put it in the finale. For a moment, when Mike interrupted, I was worried they would and that that would be that. But they didn't.
They left his climax in the finale...to something else.
They stuck to their word when they said in Shock Jock that coming out was the first step towards...being with someone.
STRANGER THINGS SPOILERS
i hear you, i feel you and i see you. but the problem isnt will, the problem is MIKE. finn’s acting, plus how he’s been written this season, has left much to be desired. it genuinely breaks immersion in some aspects. and not in the silly “4thwall break” way they typically do
he’s not reacting to stuff he should be reacting to like a real person would, or showing emotion …? concern …? so imo im relieved to see bylers being cautious / exploring byler doubt and sitting there with it for a bit bc i feel like we’ve been operating off of blind faith and belief in these writers for way too long
so this final week should be about allowing ourselves to process what we’re feeling, and just gathering together / preparing for whatever the outcome is–bc we cant control what the hell they decided to do in the end, and can only just be there for each other from here on
i personally have a bit of hope left just bc i do see some signs and set up. however im also prepared for the worst which is … the painting lie being addressed, yes, but it turning out in a ‘i love you, bro’ speech from mike to will that is framed as 'emotional’ and 'cathartic’ when in reality is just them doubling down on will’s queerness being about self-discovery and not romance.
i think mileven is also bones but we might be looking at a single!Mike outcome. so yeah, we’ll have to see what happens but we SHOULD be guarding our hearts right now
mike and will deserved a heart-to-heart. mike deserved to know about the painting and will deserved to talk about his feelings properly. they could've even had mike reject will and let him down gently, while still somehow strengthening their bond, letting will know that although he doesn't feel the same way romantically, he's still loved by mike and that their bond could never be broken because of that.
we have one episode left to go. i know its hard but the one thing making me ??? wonder still is that the Emerson lie paid off between Nancy and Jonathan
that feels to me like the painting lie WILL pay off like how finn said it would
the question here is if they’ll keep beating a dead horse and have mike reject him kindly in a way that strengthens their bond ( rolling my eyes )
or if, despite the writing not being the best, they’ll still do byler endgame
All of us, as Bylers, need to eventually realize that metaphorically/mythologically speaking, Eleven acts as a personified manifestation of Byler’s love.
Eleven SYMBOLIZES an idealized, childish & naive version of Byler that is pure, wholesome & cute—but also needs to eventually adapt, change, be integrated or put to rest in order for their love to be able to evolve into a more mature, renewed version that healed and learned from past trauma, embraced rebellion, developed independence and “emancipated” itself. The character that encapsulates or is tethered to this evolution is Max Mayfield, but that is a topic for another post.
Eleven lying, feeling jealous and possessive, being bullied, publicly humiliated, reacting with thoughtless violence, experiencing brutal guilt, reliving flashbacks to her most traumatic memory at Rink-o-Mania—ON WILL’s FORGOTTEN BIRTHDAY of all possible days, mind you—is NOT just about Eleven herself, at least not in a superficial character sense.
What it means is that, in the past—probably on the dreaded & forgotten 1979 birthday party event where Will turned 8 years old—the love between Mike and Will ALSO went through some kind of traumatic experience involving lies, emotional turmoil, severe bullying and humiliation, violence and guilt. To the point that its memory had to be forgotten, buried or erased in-universe by the characters themselves, SOMEHOW.
And in true Stranger Things fashion, this very same core traumatic series of events are going to be mimicked and replicated in s5 in a similar way. AKA, involving similar beats, motifs, themes and emotions.
Eleven GOING THROUGH IT after all that, being ARRESTED by authorities, and TAKEN AWAY from Mike and Will, while Mike and Will themselves are both angry and distant at her and also each other—this quite literally means Byler’s relationship SUFFERING, being PUNISHED, FRAGMENTED and WITHDRAWN while Mike and Will become ANGRY and DISTANT at eachother.
What’s Birthdaygate’s connection to Bychance, you ask? Well COUNTLESS things, but most importantly, and to make it short, 22Gate. Chance quite literally WEARS Will’s birthday on his basketball tanktop. He is PLAYER #22. This was a discovery by @ven0moir btw, please check her brilliant posts.
Bonus point among a billion others: Mike, in his desperation for finding El (aka BYLER aka Will’s love for him after feeling the stinging pain of jealousy), stumbles into an ORANGE 🍊 WASHROOM no less; to witness something he shouldn’t.
In the official s4 scripts, he originally even goes as far as PEEKING UNDER A GODDAMN BATHROOM STALL. You cannot make this shit up. It’s insane.
In s4’s case, the “something he shouldn’t” was girls in their privacy; in s5 vol 1, it was Will stumbling upon Rovickie; in s5 vol 2, let’s see what they have in store involving jealousy, a washroom, invaded privacy, and the color orange.
It’s also right after this scene that Mike goes on his famous fake IDGAFer butthurt jealous cokerant about how Will has been neglecting their relationship. With multiple orange extras and set pieces in the background, for some reason.
Mike: You should have told me Eleven was having trouble. (You should have told me our relationship was having trouble AKA you searched for love somewhere else.)
Will: i didnt know they were gonna be here, Mike. (I didn’t know you were queer / interested in me / going to catch us here.)
Mike: yeah, but you knew she was having trouble for like, a year, and you didn’t tell me. (Oh, so you’ve been having this secret relationship for like a year and didn’t tell me.) — Now we finally know why later in this scene they say “a year” instead of the 6 months that have actually passed since Will left Hawkins (AKA left Mike lmfao). It’s because the purpose was to foreshadow Will meeting Chance in late 1986 and Mike finding out their secret relationship a year later, in Nov 1987 (ST5 vol 2).
But yeah, as always I’m sure it’s all just a totally random coincidence with zero implications to the wider narrative.
There’s so much more to say about this, but after volume 1 and by now, I think it should be obvious that the Byler plotline still needs to get severely worse before it gets any better (and eventually pays off in an actual, truly satisfying manner).
The Byler issues haven’t been processed or addressed. The true conflict and drama still haven’t happened in the story. THE STAKES HAVE NOT YET BEEN RAISED.
tagging fellow chancegate theorizers in case yall are interested: @ven0moir @offsidetracked @eeriesilkworm @o11yradio @nocturnalgrey @maplesyrup75 @90shorrorpaperback
my face whenever i read your posts 👀 im SO curious where this all goes
michael what are u looking at 🤨
oh my godddd Will looks like the sun I love this art UGH
