i’ll NEVER get over this look.

all Will did was sit next to him and homotron 7000 started gay panicking about it, licking his lips (it shows attraction to someone), did a triple take and held his own hand so he wouldn't hold his boyfriend's

I can't believe Will is so incredibly normal around Mike. He's so normal. He's full-on, head over heels, would be content just to play board games with him for the rest of his life in love with Mike and he can just be so chill and best friend-like around him.

But then it's MIKE who does a triple take. It's MIKE who can't hug him back. It's MIKE who makes a comment that makes their arguments sound like more when Will is just talking about their friendship. It's MIKE who throws El's letter away after talking to Will about it. It's MIKE who has a completely different voice when talking to just Will. It's MIKE who's capable of apologizing to Will properly and not his girlfriend. IT'S MIKE--

ITS MIKE THAT GETS FLUSTERED WHEN WILL IS EVEN NEAR HIM

the gay protector ❤️ 🏳️‍🌈

"Will was the subject of a secret government program"

Jon: "The reservation is under "Byers."

Owens: "But you should know there is a very real possibility this program fails."

Will in the shot when Owens mentions the program

She's one of a kind

He's one of a kind

"I think you're the cure... Our best hope. Our only hope." No Obi-One. There is another

The poster of The Cure, plus connection to building things and keys

And I think this subtle reference to the AIDS crisis is also about Will, and it means that this gay boy will be the "vaccine", the cure for the supernatural desease that is growing, spreading and killing so many people (Edit: The spreading of the UD into Hawkins can be seen as an allegory of a real desease, but in my opinion it's just an allegory. I don't think Will or Mike really have AIDS)

Them finding out Will's real role in the story, his importance, will help them save the world

They say they're gonna need a miracle

And he...

oh ok then (they also costume made Mike's shirt and added the pocket thing and the triangle which is a queer symbol like they did woth Robin's shirt to show her queerness)

love, Mike

they did this to foreshadow s4 btw

also

and they said it's not about a couple

this is sooo Mike's unsent love letter to Will

Will said that Mike only called him a couple of times but it turns out that Mike tried to call him a lot but the line was busy and he also mentioned letters so what if Mike did write Will letters and signed them "love, Mike" and just never sent them?

It could be this because Mike said to Will "this past year has been weird"

it's not new for him to write to Will

the more i think about it the more i’m convinced lettergate is one of our best theories, no seriously.

« this post won’t have anything that wasn’t discussed before but i was just having a brainrot so i need to talk. »

i’m a firm believer letters are gonna play a big role in revealing mike’s true colors to the audience before everything. it just makes so much sense.

the way will expressed his love for mike through his art. he drew him in his d&d costume, guiding the party using a shield, with a heart on it, and that was his “i love you” in his own way as the artist he is.

then we have mike. wants to be a writer. writes d&d campaigns. sends letters to his girlfriend. but then we have “you can’t even write it, mike.” because you’re supposed to be able to write it. that’s what you’re good at.

and then we have will and mike’s fight over this. “meanwhile el has like a book of letters from you” “that’s because she’s my girlfriend, will.” “and us?” “we’re friends, we’re friends!”

we always talk about how mike made this romantic without will implying anything, and i think the reason is mike associating “sending letters to will” with something romantic, because that’s exactly what he did in the letters he never sent. whenever he attempts to write something to him, it ends up looking like something you’d send to your girlfriend, and they’re friends, so that’s stupid.

then we have the soundtrack “letter to willy”.. the name is already suspicious since billy’s “william” name wasn’t used in the show let alone using it in a childish way as “willy”. anyone who knows stranger things would think of will when they see that, not billy. but what’s more interesting is when this song plays other than max’ letter scene.

it plays right before the painting reveal. when mike is talking about feeling insecure about his relationship with el. as we know from later episodes what max said in her letter to billy wasn’t the full truth. just like whatever mike said in this scene. and right after “letter to willy” plays, will reveals his painting to mike and gives him his veiled love confession.

considering how this was a hot topic between mike and el & mike and will in season 4, i think that would be one of the best ways to reveal his feelings to the audience, as a contrast to him not even being able to «write it»

praying for lettergate canonization, it’s such a heartwarming theory fr 🙏

YEP! THE CREEL MURDERS HAPPENED ON SUNDAY MARCH 22nd/THE NIGHT OF SATURDAY MARCH 21ST! Just like i talked about in this post.

How do i know this? Well.

“Local family man, Victor Creel, murdered his wife and two small children Saturday night.”

And now look at the date on this paper- Thursday, March 26th. Making that previous Saturday having been March 21st, and the bodies were discovered on Sunday, march 22nd.

The same March 22nd as Will’s birthday. This explains why Henry would want to erase that day- it was the day where shit hit the fan in his life.

EDIT FROM FUTURE ME: this is in the Edward timeline (this post was made before I figured out the Edward stuff, so where it says "henry," in this post, add "edward" . I also don't think that Henry or Edward wants to erase that day, that was just my first half awake guess at the time of posting this)

MIKE'S UNSENT LETTER TO WILL

i wasn't a firm believer of the "Mike carries a letter for Will" theory until I combined four different official hints: Music, Costume Designing, ST Social Media and the show parallels.

This theory came from the first hint: costume designing.

It's been pointed out that Mike's side pocket seems kinda.. weird. (Seems like there was some piece of paper inside of it).

This pocket was interesting even before the unsent letter theory, because many people pointed out the grey piece. Looks like an arrow pointing to Mike's left, which is curious because we can see Will standing on Mike's left in suspicious scenes like this.

This pocket was mentioned again by Finn just a few days ago in the latest con. 👀

But, this is not part of the letter theory, so let's keep moving.

Now let's find the context.

First of all, let's position here.

In season four, letters are probably one of the most relevant topic of the season. They're always brought up. They're meaningful. (El's letter, Jonathan's admission letter, Max's letters) Letters, Letters and more Letters.

So, it wouldn't be surprising if we had another hidden letter too, right?

Now, to go deeper, let's go back to season 3 ending.

First, we have Mike realizing his feelings towards Will. (Too late for him, because now Will was moving across the country)

Then we have, surprise, another letter. Probably one of the most important letters in the show.

Hopper's letter. A letter where he tells El how he is feeling about all the changes.

But, somehow, this letter not only relates to Hop or El. We've been shown that Hopper's voiceover focuses on Mike at some specific phrases.

"Feelings. Jesus. The truth is, for so long I forgotten what those even were" - FOCUSES ON MIKE AND WILL HUG

"I guess I've been feeling distant from you. Like you're pulling away from me or something" - Focuses on Mike watching the Byers leaving.

"And I guess, If i'm being really honest, that' what scares me. I don't want things to change" - Focuses on Mike turning back to see the empty byers house for the last time, then focuses on Will crying.

"So I think maybe that's why I came in here. To try to maybe, stop that change. To turn back the clock, to make things go back to how they were" - Focuses on Mike hugging his mum, almost in tears. (Which also parallels the scene where he cries because he thought Will was d3ad)

Hopper's letter was not only the main hinter to Mike's feelings. It was also the beginning of some other meaningful letters in the show.

Now, let's focus on this detail before moving back to season 4. Second hint: parallels.

When Hopper wrote this letter, he never gave it to El. He never read it. He just hid it, he kept it on.. oh, his left pocket. Well, it could be just a coincidence, right?

But then, moving forward to season 4, again, we have another "hidden" letter.

Jonathan lies to Nancy about this letter, he says he never received it. But he has it. He hides it. Where does he hide the letter? Oh... his left pocket.

It wouldn't surprise me if there's another hidden letter on a left side pocket (cof cof, Mike's)

Well, now let's go to our third hint: Music.

We know background music is maybe one of the most important ways to send a message in this show.

We've been told about this by the writers. Music is carefully selected.

Then, I found this post on instagram (from @sagebyers on tumblr)

Mike nods. He understands what Will is saying on the heart to heart scene.

"Its scary to open up like that, especially to people you care about the most, because what if they don't like the truth?". Oh, have you got some hidden feelings there Michael? That phrase really got into your heart.

Yesterday, @emily-tumbles-on pointed out that El said, through her letter, that Will may like someone, so he has been acting weird. But the one who has been acting really, really weird this season was Mike.

This is related to his internal struggle. To his internal jealousy, too. But, could it also be about him trying to find the perfect moment to give Will that letter?

Finally, the fourth hint. Social media spoilers, maybe?

We've been hinted about the existence of, probably, another letter.

I believe this could be THE letter from Mike to Will. It couldn't be one of Max's letters, because what we are shown here is the date when Will went missing. So, it may be a letter for him. It must be. A letter signed with "Love, ...."

A letter that's probably about untold fellings "you mean so... / sorry I couldn't get this done.../" makes sense after Mike's realization. Right?