I Did Not Think We'd Be Having This Discourse In The Year Of Lord 2024 THAT TOO IN JUNE But Here We Are

How the Duffers likely will make the general audience AWARE of Byler and CHEER for Byler

First the TL;DR. They'll probably do it with:

Revealing the Painting Lie

Will comes out to Mike

Will gets bullied for being gay, and Mike must make a choice

Mike and Will face danger together, alone, for the 1st time

And I'll spell out exactly how and why!

(CAVEAT: I can't claim to know 100% what will happen of course! This in the spirit of fun analysis and speculation.)

We in the Byler fandom have our theories: Flickergate, Lettergate, Churchgate, etc. While totally fun and while it would be amazing if they became reality, they don't answer the question of how the Duffers would manage audience expectations to make them accept and cheer for Byler.

Because we all know the reality: on a surface level, season 4 ended with a grand "love confession" from Mike to El. It appeared to have culminated a four-year arc that started from show's beginning. For the vast majority of viewers, a Byler relationship will be a HUGE SURPRISE.

This isn't just heteronormativity; it's also the fact that in every slow-burn romantic relationship in fiction, the story needs to openly tease "Will they or won't they?" for a while first. The audience needs to start thinking that these 2 characters (1) MIGHT be together, and (2) eventually that they SHOULD be together and cheer for them!

For Jonathan and Nancy, there were a lot of moments suggesting they MIGHT be together in Season 1. Then in Season 2, we had THIS episode (where Steve left Nancy wasted at the party) that made the audience think Nancy absolutely SHOULD be with Jonathan instead of Steve:

The show then dragged things out MORE before their first kiss.

Anti-Bylers raise a fair point that there "isn't enough time" to replace a relationship that seemed to have been "fulfilled" at the end of s4, with an entirely different one. Of course, the ground has been laid for four seasons, but HOW EXACTLY can the Duffers make the audience accept and cheer for Byler, after seeming to have "built up Mike and El for 4 seasons"?

Showing Byler is POSSIBLE:

First, the most obvious (and elegant) way for the Duffers to accomplish this is by revealing the Painting Lie.

The main things that make the General Audience/GA dismiss the idea that Mike likes Will back are that he (1) confessed "I love you" to El and (2) said things like "it's not my fault you don't like girls" and "we're FRIENDS" that suggest he can't be gay or bi.

The show has to address these two things, and there are ways that are pretty obvious.

The fact that El had no role in the painting COMPLETELY undercuts the "I love you" confession in the GA's mind. Milevens completely underestimate how this will affect Mike and El's relationship and how the audience will view it. El didn't commission the painting. When Will gave the painting, he wasn't describing El, but himself. Mike confessed his love to this false picture of El, one that was actually WILL.

When El finds out, she'll realize that Mike said he loved her based on a LIE. She'll realize that she accurately clocked Mike for not loving her when they argued in s4. It's likely that she'll take the initiative to break up or take a break in their relationship. (El deciding this will assuage concern that Will being with Mike would "betray" his own sister.) Mike might desperately try to repair things. Even if he does, this will show the GA that Mike's struggle for an entire season to say he loved El -- already very concerning for a romantic couple -- was a complete fiasco, and that Mike and El will PROBABLY NOT end up together.

Mike (and the GA) will be confronted with the fact that Mike felt romantic love for the first time because Will described HIMSELF. It will be apparent that Will would be a more suitable romantic interest... if he were a girl. =) It's just too bad that "Mike is probably straight"!

Now how to deal with that misconception?

We come to our OTHER Chekhov's gun that needs to fire: Will comes out to Mike. Will is still closeted at the end of s4, and his right to be out and find happiness is clearly central to his future arc. This HAS to be resolved. And he HAS to come out to his mom and his BEST FRIEND.

When he comes out to Mike, he of course won't spurn Will. Will probably explains he didn't come out earlier because he was afraid Mike would be homophobic because of what he'd said that summer, "It's not my fault you don't like girls":

If Will does, then Mike will have to explain why he said it. First, Mike probably apologizes and makes clear he accepts Will. The show (maybe Mike himself) might remind us that he defended Will from homophobia in s1. But this makes the GA wonder "Then why did he say it then?" And Mike might be exceedingly defensive when explaining himself. Will coming out to Mike is a golden opportunity to show the GA that NOT EVERYTHING IS AS IT SEEMS, and Mike might be dealing with internalized homophobia.

That's one way to signal that Mike might be gay or bi. And there's another!

We've been told that Season 5 returns to Season 1 themes. The Core Four are probably bullied for the Hellfire Club, and Will might be bullied for being gay. Ross Duffer says that s5 will center on Will's "emotional arc" and his "coming into his own as a young man," so his confronting homophobia in an 80s small town is quite likely. Since Mike and Will are joined at the hip in s5, the same accusation could easily extend to Mike. All this means that Mike will be confronted with the CHOICE of whether he'll stand up to anti-gay bullying. (Perhaps this is why there's a BTS pic of Mike with a bruise on his face?) It might be strongly implied to the GA that Mike is standing up, not only for Will, but for himself. Shrewd viewers would see the parallel to Mike defending Will from homophobia in s1, making them rethink that scene as well. (Defending Will INTENSELY would simultaneously suggest he's closeted AND clearly parallel Jonathan fighting Steve in s1, which showed Nancy that "only love makes you that crazy sweetheart, and that damn stupid.")

How Season 5 can make the GA CHEER for Byler:

Showing Byler is possible is the main obstacle; next is the much easier, and FUN (and agonizing) part!

First, the show has put Will through so much trauma and made clear how selfless he is, that the audience already wants him to have a happy ending. He almost certainly will suffer again in s5. We probably are reminded that as a gay person in the 80s he believes he's "not gonna fall in love." Meanwhile, the show has made clear that his love for Mike is PAINFULLY deep and won't simply go away.

Once the GA sees the POSSIBILITY of a Mike/Will romance as per above, their mental floodgates will open. As Jancy shows, It doesn't take much to get the audience to root for a relationship, after the seeds are planted. And Byler has FOUR SEASONS of seeds for the GA to look back on with fresh eyes!

How to recall those 4 seasons of material? We already know that Will is in danger and we'll see a return of "leader Mike" in s5. This likely will include callbacks (and even flashbacks) to Mike and Will's relationship in s1 and s2. There's the newly-filmed flashback from when they were young kids. This all will bring their long-time closeness to the fore in viewers' minds. But with the artifice of Mike's relationship with El knocked away, they will see it as potentially romantic and realize that this show seems to have secretly been building them up as a romantic couple all along.

Add to all that: we likely will have Will and Mike facing danger together, alone, for the first time:

It was Jonathan and Nancy facing danger together in s1 that made the vast majority of viewers ship Jancy. Mike and Will facing danger will put their LOVE (remember: the audience already accepts them as best friends who love each other!) and their willingness to RISK THEIR LIVES for each other to the fore. Callbacks, flashbacks, and dialogue will remind the GA of their sacrifices for each other: Mike putting Will before everything in s1 and s2, and Will sacrificing his feelings to help Mike be with El. They might hug each other after a near-death experience and have a mutual Gay Panic, which will be a callback (and contrast) to their non-hug at the airport. Millions will say "They should just kiss already."

There are SO MANY WAYS to get the audience cheering for Byler.

Will probably lives in Mike's house because the Byers don't have their own house in Hawkins anymore. Mike, if he doesn't know already at the season's start, will KNOW the painting came from Will and wonder if it was romantic. The tension between them in s5 will make s4 look like nothing in comparison.

When Will comes out to him, Mike might ask, "Is... there anyone you like?"

He'll ask NERVOUSLY, like he once did before:

Will probably won't answer honestly; he might make up another boy! ("I met him in California. We like a lot of the same things. He even likes D&D...") To which Mike says, "COOL." (BTW, this could obviously echo the airport scene and make viewers reassess and understand that as another miscommunication!) This leads to a new cycle of these two boys thinking their love is unrequited LOL.

Only this time the General Audience will be fully aware of it. The miscommunication trope widely used in fictional TV romances will not only tell the GA that Byler should happen, but WILL happen. Will and Mike become THE "Will they or won't they?" couple that everyone is talking about. Mike's sexuality and his feelings for Will probably aren't officially revealed until mid or late season in order to let the excitement build. If Season 5 is released in more than one volume, there will be a flurry of videos and articles revisiting past seasons, finding evidence of Mike's feelings for Will that we Bylers have curated for years. Except for a few vocal homophobes, the show will make the GA (even people who don't watch analysis videos online) fully onboard with a Byler conclusion before it happens; the SHOW ITSELF will set-up and tease it and make the GA desperately want these boys to "just kiss already."

Season 5 will be messy. And glorious. And the most Byler season of all.

-teambyler

Canon Remus was not a hardened orphan living in a group home. He was a chronically ill child raised by loving parents that were willing to FIGHT DUMBLEDORE to protect him. (Literally, Lyall DILF Lupin thought he was coming to take Remus away when Dumbledore personally delivered Remus' Hogwarts Letter)

So no, Remus was not a smooth-talking 7-ft-tall Casanova badass sex God with rippling muscles. He had zero friends before attending Hogwarts due to the fact that his loving parents kept him isolated out of fear that their son's Lycanthropy would be discovered, which would have ruined his life.

Canon Remus was most likely a timid, awkward, sheltered kid that was afraid of his own shadow because Hogwarts would be such an overwhelming experience for a little boy that has never interacted with another child in his LIFE and probably never even left his own home before. I imagine that books were his only connection to the outside world, which is why I can't stand the HC that he is completely illiterate when he first arrives at Hogwarts

tldr, Remus Lupin is the love of my life and is one of the few Marauders era characters with an actual backstory and personality, but this fandom just refuses to move on from a singular fic that completely rewrote everything about him.

And I'm not even going to start on how the Alpha Male-ification of Remus has also resulted in the complete assassination of Sirius' character for the sake of internalized heteronormativity that runs rampant in this fandom.

no guys there’s gonna be several s1 flashbacks, we’ll see mike crying, miwi + jonathan scene, what painting, byler kiss, rain fight, love mike, flickergate, mike initiating the kiss, will sleepwalking, mike with the sword, graduation, drunk bar byler, college byler, them moving to a bigger city

will byers as cats 👍

so wait you know when in episode 7 charles starts to see what's actually in hell after he and edwin start running for it and edwin says "you have to experience hell to see what's really there" does that mean that charles' personal hell was seeing edwin helpless and in pain and scared and unable to get away from a giant spider made of baby doll heads? does it? interesting 🕵️‍♀️

The legend of Zelda: breath of the wild fanart! ( ╹▽╹ )

source

never forget what they took from us 😔

[Byler meta / ST theories & meta] posts

 Posting this to save people time looking through my posts.  Other (specifically short) character metas are at the very bottom of this post -past the byler links.last updated 9/30/2022

St theory:  Dissociative Identity disorder theory

*don’t really believe the did theory anymore- but I still believe Will may have created certain d&d creatures with his imagination (because of tra*ma).

Will created the mf & the upsidedown (DID psych/narrative analysis part 1) +  Will’s alters/split personalities  ( DID analysis Part 2). (tw:csa). extra supplemental evidence for part 2 :  here, here, here, here   here, here , here  here, here, here, *here ,*here, *here, here, here, here, here, here,here, *here, *here, here  , here part 3 (just possible proof of the DID theory from outside canon sources : st comics, novels, spotify playlists).supplemental video post for  DID posts : video evidence for mf/upsideown theory  

-crashcourse of evidence that Will created the upsidedown/mf

Lonnie sold m*th theory ( it relates to did theory/s3 stolen fertilizer and the flayed eating chemicals,etc. )

Other psych posts

- vecna, El, kali  (mental health) allegory 

-  vecna’s curse/“running up that hill” mental health allegory

The kids/teens are repeating their parent’s problematic teachings/mistakes

The parentification of Jonathan byers

jonathan Byers is repeating the same romantic mistakes as his mom

Tra*ma responses of Will & jonathan

analyzing the ab*se subtext between Lonnie & jonathan

- vecna  (mental health) allegory /pscyh hospital 

- “running up that hill” mental health allegory

- hargrove/mayfield and Byers family parallels

El & Post-institutional syndrome

El wanting to be “pretty” has nothing to do with crushes

The narrative meaning behind the song ‘should i stay or should i go’

The fathers of ST (narrative analysis) 

Why Mike resented Max

analyzing the phrase  ‘only love makes you that crazy and that damn stupid.” (in relation to steve, joyce, El, hopper, Will,mike, etc) + another ref  I forgot to mention related to the 1st post-here

Other theory/ meta /analyses posts

- Will & henry parallels

-crashcourse of evidence that Will created the upsidedown/mf

- All the psychic boys with bowl cuts : that the duffers reference in the show (cough it’s a lot)

- Analyzing all the door symbolism in st 

-analyzing all the rainbows in st 

-analyzing the food in st  

-Analyzing the religious symbolism in ST

-analyzing the clothes in stranger things (s1-3) + analyzing the clothes in the 004 trailer

-analyzing the flower symbolism in st

-All the references to fire (s1-3)

- The  spying/st#lking elements in ST + phone parallels .

-S3 ST ship disses

- narrative analysis “things” in stranger things 

-analyzing  every name in stranger things (comics, books,and religious symbolism/refs) 

-analyzing Will’s b day 

-Why Will is called a “cleric” & “wizard theory/analysis

-’catcher in the rye’ ref in ST

-clown symbolism (short post).

- ‘never ending story’ ref meaning/ new coke ref

-analyzing karen’s books

-Nancy /nevermore ref other nancy easteregg here

-just a cute parallel between Joyce & El other 

-jonathan & mike parallel here

Gif sets (with parallels)

here, here,here,here, here, here, and here

Byler meta/theories  

-m*leven paralleled to family members (s4)

-byler being paralleled to Robin/vickie (s4)

-m*leven vs byler parallels:Caring, letters, truth and superheroes:s4

- mike & El hiding their feelings at the airport (s4)

-presents/byler  v m*even analysis (s4)

- byler hints in part 1 & 2

- Mike’s s4 clothing =conforming to his parents’ loveless dynamic

-m*leven & ted/karen s4 parallel

- byler painting vs m*leven letter (visual parallel) (s4)

-byler/m*leven hill parallel (s4)

-Mike’s plagarized confession (s4)

-Mike’s confession : conformity k*lling kids (s4) /similar post here

- Byler lying about being “just” friends (s4)

-byler being paralleled to otherships in s4 -here, here, here, here, here

-superman/byler analysis (s4)

-byler s4 movie/show refs + here + here

pre s4…

Why Mike resented Max 

byler s4 theory/ s4 film analyses

- reasons to ship byler (vid) if you’re a byler shipper you should watch - you’ll love it :D. My other byler vids are on here too , on my youtube channel.

*summation -explaining all the points for why mileven isn’t endgame

*byler vs mileven parallels

funny m*leven & stancy parallel

funny m*leven & l*max parallel

* Kali, El, and Mike parallels (it’s sibling love, not romantic with m*leven)

- Byler is the main pairing of st ( all ship parallels and contrasts to one another). Aka which pairings aren’t endgame (jancy, jopper, Mileven and lumax) - and why.

* Mileven being referred to “romeo and juliet’ isn’t romantic- it’s another diss at their reationship

* Mike and projecting his  romantic feelings for Will on to El 

 -Stobin vs Mileven (parallels/contrasts)

Post s3 spotify songs hint at byler being endgame. -  The duffers choices in music prove byler is endgame (*short part 2 / and part 3 of this). part 4. And 004 song choices of byler-part 5 . part 6 mf and el hint

*script releases of s3 verifying my past anti-mileven interpretations of scenes.

Mileven isn’t “built up”(positively) like people claim 

-El is NOT in love with mike analysis

-Why I no longer think Mike is bi, but gay (deep-dive analysis)

Mike & El didn’t get back together at the end of s3 /  pt 2 /pt 3

- The duffers choices in music prove byler is endgame (*short part 2  / and part 3 of this).

-What Mike meant by “Not my fault you don’t like girls”

-Mike will ‘come out’ to his mother (prediction/theory)

-  d&d symbolism tells us Mike and Will love each other

-Dart & Dustin vs mileven parallels

- 80s movies referenced in the show, hint that Mike is gay

byler break up vs mileven fight

-Dustin knows what’s up…

- Lingerie-store vs sauna ( internalized homophobia analysis)

-  the mileven kisses were supposed to make you uncomfortable (physical intimacy vs being in love- show analysis)

- Byler hints in the background of s1-3

-BYLER MASTERPOST - ( mileven vs Byler parallels, why mileven isn’t endgame, Mike’s queer coding, will and El comparisons, the byler-centric ending interpretation, book/comic ref , extra stuff . Old post).

other Byler meta/ theories (down below)

 Byler in d&d comics

MAGNUM/anti mileven ref

-mileven being paralleled to Hopper/El (aka not romantic)

- mileven paralleled to Jopper and Karen/Billy

-dawson’s creek easter eggs in st- byler evidence (x) (x)

-IT easterggs -byler evidence

Weiterlesen

the byler fandom is dying!!1! reblog if you are a true bylerer!

Hello! :3 I love Zeldas new hairstyle so I decided to draw her (and I made some stupid scribbles which I will delete later) So here`s an ugly Zelda sketch! :D (actually I`m only posting this so I can download it on my phone, please don`t hate me! qwq also I´m sorry for my bad english xD) I don´t know, why I´m writing this because I will probably delete this later anyway