from sol to you

but you make me feel like I'm not a mistake at all

like I'm better for being different

and that gives me the courage to fight on

If I was mean to you

Or if it seemed like I was pushing you away

it's because I'm scared of losing you

Just like you're scared of losing me

And if I was going to lose you, I think I would just rather get it over with quick, like ripping off a bandaid

so yeah, I need you and I always Will

i love that more ppl think mike could have a letter for will in his letter shaped heart pocket.

so i wanted to put together most of the scenes i caught since s3 epilogue throughout s4 that is about letters - and the interesting coincidences (or is it?) that those letters were kept in heart pocket:

s3 - letter from jim to el. joyce found it in jim’s shirt pocket and gave it to el to read.

this is a very important letter that narrates the whole epilogue of S3, which fits as foreshadowing for lot of things already in s4. it talks about growing up and changing, creating enviroment for sharing feelings together, and about making mistakes.

el kept it in her heart pocket too.

s4 - mike reading el’s letter, which once nancy knocks on his door he let fall to the ground. (reminder - that letter didn’t have many true things written in it)

jonathan keeping his acceptance letter in his heart pocket

this is only mention of letters, but i feel very important for later:

elmike fight - about said letters and mike not writing what el needed to heart/read.

4x4 letter from el

which ends up in the trash later in the same episode. (i get that it was for the purpose of the plot – so they would find the letter, but it’s still interesting choice from mike to throw it away instead of keep it or leave it on some surface.)

max wrote 10 letters to her friends and family, as a “fail-safe”.

while lucas tried to get her to rather speak to him than giving him a letter

so letters are a big prop this season: either they convey lies or half truths (el’s letter); or feelings (max’s letters, which she can’t share or open up about); or truths that someone wouldn’t like to hear, or is afraid to share (jonathan’s letter about different college than nancy wants to go to).

it’s like they keep their secrets there. both in letters and in their pockets over heart.

and then we have mike, who we still know almost nothing about what’s going on inside his head.

but we know what he cannot write or say to el, and we know that his shirt was specifically custom made for this season, and the triangle points most of the time towards will, as well as it looks like a letter shape - and while being a pocket it could contain a letter that mike couldn’t actually send, but have maybe written for will.

i.e. looking at Mike's perspective through the lens of his insecurities rather than internalised homophobia. This is going to be long, but I've tried my best to properly articulate and connect all my thoughts!

Starting off with,

Mike being unable to tell El that he loves her (4x2) because to put it simply, he’s not in love with her (anymore at least) but he loves her enough that he can’t lie about it, and neither can he let her go. He’s not fallen out of love because of El, but subconsciously because of who he’s become when he’s in a relationship with El. We see early on in season 4 that El has been pretending to be someone she is not in her letters to Mike. We see her breakdown when Mike handles the roller-skate-to-Angela’s-face situation badly because that’s the confirmation she wanted to know that Mike may not be appreciative of who she truly is. El was under the impression that she was a monster in that scene. She is not, but she was worried Mike would react negatively to her and he did. El even compares it to Brenner’s reaction to a traumatic incident she repressed and believed was her fault. What Mike said later is probably true - that he just reacted that way out of shock, but he also couldn’t tell her he loved her right after, so El heard what she wanted to hear. Pretending to be someone else wasn’t working for her anymore. If we observe carefully, we’ll realise that El hasn’t been the only one pretending in this relationship.-

-Mike has been pretending to be someone else too. Perhaps for longer. Through season 3, he acts like he’s moved on from DnD, games, hanging out with the party, and all the little things that make him his nerdy self. Everyone (Hopper, Lucas, Will, Dustin, and Max) points out that there is something off about Mike and El’s relationship - that he's keeping her to himself and that he's ignoring his friends to be with her. In contrast, we have Lucas and Max who balance their relationship and their friendships. Mike later picks a fight with Will that feels irreversible when Will calls him out on this behaviour in 3x3. That entire fight could be Mike projecting, but he was especially projecting with the “What did you think? That we were going to sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives?” line. When El moves away, we see Mike join Hellfire Club, indulging himself in his interests once again. We haven’t once seen Mike talk about these interests with El outside of season 1, where she ignored him:

gif by @beaulesbian

He feels embarrassed at the end of season 3 for getting excited about presents. The costume designer for s4 even confirmed that it was scripted in the Airport scene that Mike was dressing up a certain way out of his norm to fit in. All this coupled with what Mike says in 4x8 in the van - “someday she’s going to realise that I’m just some random nerd who got lucky” further proves that he thinks he’s not worthy of El unless he’s someone who is not just a random lucky nerd - which is what he was, technically in that moment (but he is also so much more, and we will circle back to that in a bit) Mike has spent so much time trying to be someone he’s not that he isn't sure about his feelings for El anymore, because-

-Mike is scared he’s lost Will -his best friend- in this process. This is the third time Mike has lost Will and this time according to him, it’s his own doing (“I feel like I was worrying too much about El, that I lost you”). The fight from season 3 and the ending of season 3 are two of the Mike and Will moments that stand out before the Byers move to California. In the fight, Mike indirectly tells Will that it’s time to grow up and move on from DnD, and in the finale, Will is shown to have sort of moved on from it. He gives away his stuff and says he’ll just use Mike’s set when he comes back - that is if Mike still wants to play. And Mike for a moment feels reassured that Will didn’t take his comments during the rain fight to heart. He thinks they’re separating on good terms and that their friendship has been mended, except he’s going to realise soon that it hasn’t. Will starts to pull away and doesn’t reach out, as Mike accused him of in 4x2. Will thinks that if he has to lose Mike, he should do it quickly, like ripping of a band-aid. But Mike doesn’t know that this is because Will has romantic feelings for him and that it’s Will trying to deal with his own struggles. Mike genuinely believes that something he did (probably said, during the rain fight) is the reason he’s lost Will. And this hurts because Mike has always been authentically himself around Will.

Mike is now stuck pretending to be someone he is not in a relationship, and as a consequence, he thinks he has lost his best friend, with whom he could always be himself. And all this pretending because-

-Mike has put El on a pedestal. This could be because of her powers, or because of who he thinks he should be in a relationship with a girl because she is canonically the first girl to have shown interest in him.

The first ever character description of Mike Wheeler states that not having a girlfriend is one of his insecurities.

This also explains why Mike lashed out at Will in the most hurtful way he could think of when Will called her “some stupid girl” he was ruining the party to swap spit with(3x3). But as we’ve seen over and over again, Mike and El are just not compatible in their interests. Normally, that is something couples can easily work through together, but Mike has been trying to mould himself into someone that he thinks is compatible with El - straying further away from who he is, and El has been doing the same for Mike - both of them losing themselves in this process.

I think by the end of season 4, it’s very evident that both of them are tired of pretending to be someone they’re not. Because El got a taste of individuality. She has learned from Max and Owens and even Brenner that the choices she makes doesn’t define whether she is a monster or a superhero - but who she is as a person. She has realised that she is content in being a good person and not a superhero.

Meanwhile, Mike spent all his time away from El in Will's company in season 4, understanding that in their time apart, Will never stopped considering Mike as his best friend. Mike realises that Will is just as devastated as he is about their withering friendship (4x2, rink-o-mania fight) and that he is still able to be vulnerable and his true self around Will (literally every heart-to-heart they had in s4). Mike, for the first time in almost two years (apart from his time in Hellfire), has been able to experience what it’s like to be himself again because he's never felt the need to change himself to be around Will.

Mike can’t balance his relationship with Will and El because he is two different people around each one of them.

Will’s veiled confession turns out to be exactly the way Mike wished El (or anyone) loved him - like he is their equal, and like he is worthy of the person he loves. This is why he reacts this positively to Will's words:

Except that is not El's truth. That’s not how El feels (because El has been putting him on a pedestal too) ("Everyone looks at me like I'm a monster. You look at me like I'm a monster"). They’re Will’s feelings.

Will and Mike at this point in canon, consider each other as equals while Mike and El consider themselves inadequate to be with one another.

Everything that transpires after is just an unreasonable amount of chaos for drama tbh. They could’ve made Mike be honest with El in a moment of calm and talk out his insecurities if they wanted to fix that relationship. Have him reassure her that they can fix what’s broken with proper communication, but instead, Mike’s love confession during yet another high-stakes situation is laced with half-truths and him bringing back the whole El being his superhero concept (In direct contrast to Jonathan and Nancy describing how good the both of them are as people in their 4x1 love declarations while talking in sync to Fred and Argyle). This is followed by El decidedly not talking to Mike properly for two days after that monologue nor seeking comfort in him when she's just experienced one of the worst losses in her life. Mike is still drifting towards Will at the end because now that he’s got a taste of what being himself around his best friend feels like again, he’s finding it hard to let go.

Both Mike and El seem a little done with each other just before the final byler heart-to-heart, and I can only imagine that they’re going to break up at the beginning of season 5 because both of them have realised that they deserve better and that’s it’s neither of their faults. They’re kids who are learning what they want in life and that’s okay. They jumped into a relationship when they were 13 and it didn't work out for them. For them to rebuild a friendship instead would be monumental because they truly do make a great team when they don't have all this relationship drama suffocating them.

Where does this leave us with Mike and Will in season 5? Imagine Mike finding out that the Van scene confession was from Will himself. A possibility he’s never thought of because he believes he’s not lovable just the way he is. Mike finding out that the person he feels like he can be himself around the most loves him romantically, and that the same person also feels like a mistake except when he’s around Mike, because Mike makes him feel safe. And this person is someone who has seen the ups and downs of Mike for almost a decade. I don’t think Mike is going to take that very lightly. In fact, I think it’s going to rock his entire world. Because Mike will finally realise that Will never ever gave up on them. That Will’s been secretly and silently hoping for them to be more for a long time and reciprocation doesn’t feel like a long shot to Mike because loving and being around Will is so, so easy.

I’ve always been a Mike is dealing with internalised homophobia truther, but I’m starting to think that Mike might actually just be more emotionally repressed and insecure. To the point that he’s constantly pretending to be someone he’s not. I don’t think he’s scared of being perceived as a queer person (seeing as how he always stuck with Will and defended him strongly against the homophobic bullies. And how in the beginning of season 4, he feels comfortable being perceived by his high school classmates as a nerd or a freak) but I think he’s worried he’s never going to be enough for the person he loves. And Will has already proven that Mike just as he is, is everything and beyond to him. Will thinks he’s a nerd(very affectionately), he’s a leader, he’s his the heart, he’s Will’s safe space, he’s Will’s go-to person, and he’s Will’s forever (“We can just play DnD and Nintendo for the rest of our lives”)(“I’ll always need you, Mike”). Mike feels the same way about Will too. He’s just going to realise that oh, all this will stay the same and maybe be even more incredible when they shift their friendship to a romantic relationship.

Mike is going to fall harder than ever once he finds out that Will is in love with him and I honestly think Mike is already halfway there. He just can’t seem to put it together because he’s always loved Will this way. Mike is finally going to realise that he can spend the rest of his life in a loving relationship with the person who understands him best. The person he understands best. Who cares what the rest of the world thinks because holy shit, Will Byers loves him (and vice-versa)

Will and Mike Dungeons & Dragons AU

Buckle in besties, this is gonna be a long one. 

I’m going to preface this by saying I’ve been a die-hard Stranger Things fan since 2016 and I’ve watched every season as it’s dropped, reading theories and analysis between seasons. I adored Mileven for seasons 1 and 2. 

However, I truly believe that, from what we’ve seen of Mike, Will, and Eleven’s individual and combined arcs over seasons 3 and 4 Vol. 1, the only outcome that makes logical and narrative sense to the story Stranger Things is trying to tell is a Mileven breakup with Byler endgame. 

I’m not going to go into extended metaphors and background details, or even what actors have said in interviews; we’re talking about making sense of characters’ actions and words from a narrative standpoint. As a lifelong writer and storyteller, I’m trying to be more objective. And, assuming the Duffer brothers want to follow satisfying emotional arcs for not only their characters but their characters’ relationships, signs are pointing toward Byler. 

Let’s break it down. 

Guiding Principles of Narrative

First, let’s talk about what I mean when I’m talking about character arcs and things that make sense narratively. It’s important to note a few things before moving forward. These are key principles that inform the viewpoint of a storyteller and how I’m analyzing this. 

Everything has meaning and everything is intentional. 

Characters start a story with a flaw, go on a journey that forces them to confront that flaw, and end the story by showing how that journey has forced them to change and grow.

Forcing a character to confront inner conflict and grow from it is an essential ingredient of storytelling. Characters must change as a result of plot events.

Eleven

We have to talk about Eleven first. People tend to think Byler shippers hate El and Mileven, but it’s important to note we’re not talking about what characters deserve, or what we think of them, we’re talking about what makes sense narratively. I adore Eleven and want her to have a happily ever after as much as anybody, but I do not see that happening with Mike. 

In season 4, we see Eleven feeling useless without her powers. She’s bullied and doesn’t know how to stand up for herself. She thinks her boyfriend only loves her when she’s a superhero.

We see her go on a long act two journey to recover her powers. It follows that in Act 3, we will see her return and save the day, likely fuelled by the support of her friends and possibly even by her love for Mike. 

However, this has not forced Eleven to confront her fear and learn the truth, that she is not useless without her powers. Even with a sweet monologue from Mike, it would feel empty and unfulfilling for him to confess his love to her only after she returns to the action hero version of herself. Eleven would always have doubts about whether he loves her for who she is. 

So what would force Eleven to confront her inner conflict? 

Eleven is spending this season learning about who she is, and what she is capable of, in every sense. It’s important to note that El’s most important growth moments happen when she is away from Mike. Season 2’s Kali episode, season 3’s breakup, season 4’s adventures in Nevada. When Mike is with her, such as in season 3, her growth stunts; they both become accessories to the other rather than unique characters with arcs. The focus becomes about their relationship. 

Additionally, she and Mike have been in a relationship for a portion of her formative developmental years, and the rest of those years were spent growing up in a lab. Eleven has not had the freedom to fully grow as a person individually. We see this in season 3 with Max encouraging her to be her own person. This is a consistent pattern and the show is making a clear argument that Eleven needs to develop as a person before she can develop in a relationship.

I do believe Eleven loves Mike. However, I think by the end of Volume 1 she has already realized Mike doesn’t love her the way she wants him to. She isn’t stupid. I think this is especially apparent in the scene where she is being driven away from Mike and does not look at him as he promises to make things right, talking about her being arrested but alluding to their fight. She’s already resigned herself: she doesn’t believe him. 

Staying with Mike would mean choosing the familiar path where she is not forced to change. Ultimately, if her arc is about discovering herself, standing up for herself, and realizing she is worthy of unconditional love, I believe that she needs to break up with Mike in order to put herself first. 

Mike

The most obvious argument against Byler is that Mike loves Eleven, so he can’t be gay. 

Mike does love Eleven. He cares deeply for her. He shows it every season. Mileven stans, I get it. But it truly seems like this season’s developments are preparing us for the fact that that love is platonic-with-a-capital-P. While Mike could be bisexual, I believe he is gay and repressing himself, staying with El because it is safe, and pushing Will away because he’s afraid of his own feelings toward Will. He’s trying desperately to play the role of the Good Straight Boyfriend but it’s not quite working.

Some might think this is far-fetched, so I’ll back up and talk more objectively. In season 4 vol 1, we see certain inconsistencies in Mike’s actions compared to his actions in previous seasons. Our attention is supposed to be drawn to these seemingly separate behaviors: he can’t tell Eleven he loves her to her face, despite having said it about her in season 3. And, he’s brushing off his best friend Will—that brutal hug—despite being previously characterized as a loyal friend who puts Will first—such as when he went through the rain to apologize to Will after their fight in season 3, a time during which he was also fighting with Eleven. 

These are two very distinct differences we as the audience are supposed to notice. They can each be explained away individually: he can’t tell El he loves her because of his parents’ loveless marriage, or because he has a hard time expressing his feelings because of toxic masculinity, or any number of things. He’s brushing off his best friend because he’s either uncomfortable with Will’s queerness or his crush, or simply because they’ve grown apart after a year apart. 

These could make sense individually, but we aren’t meant to see them individually, we are meant to see them as a result of some root character attribute. We’re not explicitly told what root flaw or misbelief is informing Mike’s behavior in Vol. 1—not in the way we’re more directly told how Eleven feels like a monster or how Will is afraid to express his feelings for Mike. Instead, we are meant to guess. What root belief could the character have that explains both of his strained relationships in Volume 1? What explanation addresses all of his strange behaviors simultaneously, rather than one at a time? 

It’s also important to note that Mike primarily ignores Will when he’s around Eleven; when just Mike and Will are together, Mike goes gentle and kind in a way that feels starkly contrasted to the way he acts around Eleven this season, and especially contrasted to the way he treats Will at the airport. If Mike is truly just homophobic (which I doubt) or just has a hard time expressing his feelings, why then is he so able to express his feelings toward Will?

Additionally, if his arc is simply to learn how to speak his feelings, and it culminates to him confessing his love to Eleven, this would truly be a disappointing and underwhelming arc for Mike. How does that move him forward, challenge him, help him change as a character? Nothing changes because that is the same emotional climax for him as in season 3. 

Conversely, him accepting his queerness and admitting his feelings toward Will would force him to reflect, learn, and grow in a way that continuing his relationship with Eleven simply doesn’t. It would move the story forward in an interesting way that impacts the dynamics of the whole party rather than maintaining the status quo. 

Mike’s journey is not so much about him expressing himself as it is about being honest with himself. I’m certain Mike cares deeply for Eleven and doesn’t want to hurt her, but he must acknowledge this truth about himself and who he is in order to grow.

Will

Will is the easiest to tackle of the three, because his crush on Mike is much more overt than Mike’s feelings for Will or the impending doom of Mileven. In season 4, we see him crushing on Mike and afraid to confess his feelings. 

We don’t need to address all of Will’s queer-coding over the seasons, but just in season 4, we can acknowledge the painting, the longing gazes, the jealousy, the coded conversation about “scary … to say how you really feel,” emphasized by a fear of being rejected with “because what if they don’t like the truth?”

It follows that his arc is about getting up the nerve to confess his feelings, with the resolution being him learning to accept himself, and that his friends love him no matter what. This could theoretically happen by Mike gently rejecting him but reassuring that they’re always friends—but that’s not interesting. 

Why would that matter? How would Mike grow from that? How does that impact any of the other characters? It doesn’t. If Will is rejected, his season 4 storyline is almost entirely isolated and unnecessary, with no consequences or impact on the rest of the group. It’s lazy storytelling and I don’t believe the Duffers would do it if it weren’t connected to a greater storyline at play. If his confession results in requited feelings, it would impact not just Mike and Will individually but also Eleven and the Party at large. In short, it would create much more interesting consequences and tension, and I can’t imagine why the Duffers would have written Will’s storyline in if it weren’t going to play out in a way that had that greater impact. 

So basically…

For all characters involved, Byler endgame makes the most narrative sense as a natural result of the setup of Volume 1. I truly am optimistic about this queer couple getting a happy ending and hope that this explains the frenzy I’m in right now.

People argue that they wouldn’t trash Mileven after having built it up for three seasons; I would argue that they built it up for 2, and now have spent 2 more breaking it down. Others argue that it would be coming out of nowhere; I would argue that you might have been watching the show with heteronormative tinted goggles.

I could write so much more about Byler making narrative sense with the greater themes of coming-of-age and self-discovery, and I could easily break down every season 3 and 4 scene in painstaking detail, but I think the most important argument that could be made is that Byler is truly the best narrative outcome for each individual character based on what we’ve seen so far.

Honestly will be sad if they aren't going to bring this style back for him in season 5 because this was his BEST look like EVER. Also, it would just be kind of sad if he doesn't go back to this look since Eddie was the first to inspire him to dress like this :(