how it feels lowk to be a stranger things fan/byler shipper that doesn’t worship the ground the actors walk on

No you're so real for this...

THIS

Holly wheeler and mr WhatsApp or smt

What did you expect Henry 🤨?,she’s a Wheeler

THE WORLD COLLAPSED

And you can't make this up

The placement of Mike's monologue in the series says so much

We all know this but I still want to talk about it. The Duffers knew they were making 5 seasons and they decided that the characters would lose at the end of 4. Their biggest loss in 4 seasons. The audience is meant to feel scared and uneasy while watching this episode. It's not a happy, hopeful episode, it's supposed to leave you sad and heartbroken and feeling like the world is ending. And what did they choose to put right in the middle of it, as the emotional climax of the episode? Mike "professing his love" to El. That choice is crazy, when you think about it. If Mike and El were supposed to be this great couple, wouldn't they use Mike's love confession during a time when all hope seems lost as a turning point leading to victory?

If they wanted a big romantic scene where Mike confesses his feelings, they had 5 seasons where they could have written it, literally 42 episodes to choose from. They could've put it in season 3 since that was already part of Mike's arc, or saved it for season 5 when love truly conquers evil and they actually save the world. But they chose the one episode in the series where the gang loses. This love did not conquer evil. It's followed by Max's death, Eddie's death, and the Upside Down literally leaking into Hawkins.

Narratively, Mike and El as a couple can never come back from this. Because they didn't just have their own little parallel storyline, like Jopper who did kiss and get together this season, no, the Duffers chose to put this love confession directly in the middle of the supernatural storyline, as a way to try to stop Vecna. And even if it worked at first, it ultimately failed to give them the victory. It would be a different story, maaaybe, if they had a sweet scene acknowledging the monologue, ending with a promise to fight together and a kiss, but that didn't happen. Mike and El's love didn't save the world, it just wasn't right, because it came from Will's lie (and the truth behind it) instead of them directly, and now the Duffers can't use it again next season. We need another love to save the world in season 5. And what love in the show is actually still left unspoken?

if byler isn't endgame...

what was the point of making will in love with mike?

why was will used as a plot device to force mike and el back together and "fix" their relationship issues? (the writers literally took his OWN feelings for mike and his OWN painting for mike that was supposed to be something special between them only and made it all about... el? this is genuinely one of the most cruel, ridiculous and unnecessary writing decisions i've ever seen if it doesn't result in will getting the person he loves)

why did they clearly highlight the contrast between byler and m*leven's relationships all season? how mike makes el feel like a monster for being different vs how he does NOT make will feel like a mistake for being different? how mike and el had the biggest fight after mike apologised vs how mike and will made up and ended up closer than before after mike apologised? how mike and el don't have healthy communication and struggle to understand each other vs how mike and will always have genuine heart-to-heart conversations, understand each other so well and sometimes don't even have to say any words? how mike feels insecure in his relationship with el and has his trauma/feelings invalidated vs how will manages to always make him feel special, confident and gives him strength when he's struggling and needs help?

why are there so many parallels and similarities between will and el as individual characters AND also their relationships with mike?

why is mike's relationship with will different from all his other platonic friends? (and don't just say "because will is in love with him", because in some scenes, MIKE is the one who initiates things and goes out of his way for will. which reminds me, you know how everyone says mike does so many romantic things for el? like not giving up on her when she's missing, taking care of her, being protective over her, etc.? he actually did all of those things for will first)

why did mike vent to will about his fight with el (the fight he claims they "can't come back from") without directly saying what the fight was about? all he said was "maybe i should've said something... and if i would've said that thing, then maybe she'd want me there with her." so... you're venting to your friend and you can't even specify that your big fight was about not being able to say "i love you"? why was it kept so secretive if you truly love her and it's no big deal? you've said you love her in front of a group of people before anyways, even when will was there, so why can't you even say the words to him while venting?

why did mike vent to will (again) and say that if he would've explained himself to el, maybe she would've taken him with her? will says he thinks it's scary to open up like that, to say how you really feel, but shouldn't mike and el already know how they both feel about each other at this point? el heard mike say he loved her in season 3, and at the end of the same season, she said "i love you too" before kissing him. they have kissed a lot, sent letters to each other and do lovey dovey things, which should make their feelings quite clear?????

and what was the point of this line from will?

we're supposed to be talking about el here. sure, will was subtly speaking about himself, and we know that as the audience. but mike doesn't. this conversation is about el, so mike still thinks will is talking about her. why on earth would he NOD after will says the part about how she might not like the truth? mike knows that "the truth" she WANTS to hear is "i love you", so why wouldn't she like the truth? why did mike nod at what will said and why did he agree with him? what is actually even happening in this scene??????????????

why did they make all the canon couples stand together in the final shot of season 4, with mike and will standing together too?

what was the point of ANY of this if they weren't planning on making byler endgame?!?!?!?!?!

So many questions but there's only one answer...

-teambyler

once is an accident

twice is a coincidence

three time is a pattern

four times is....well, you get the point

This is one of my favorite adages. I've used it around here with Byler on multiple occasions. I welcome anyone else who sees it this way.

it’s just so frustrating seeing mike and will, two characters that are childhood best friends that clearly understand each other better than anyone else and work together perfectly, be treated like a joke just because they’re two boys.

people rush to defend mike and el and the only reasons they come up with for why they should stay together is because “they’ve been together for 4 seasons and they made out so many times!!” or “because they’re canon!!!!! 🥺”, but those aren’t good reasons at all? they don’t even have what relationships are supposed to have???

where’s the trust, honesty, communication, shared interests and actually being themselves around each other? or are you just gonna keep using the "but they saved each other in s1" or “they’re just kids” excuse even though this relationship is only affecting them (and people around them) mentally? where do you draw the line? can’t you see that their age isn’t an excuse for how bad they work as a couple? THEY JUST DON’T UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER. it was proven in season 4. they can’t even comfort each other or communicate properly. mike couldn’t tell his own girlfriend he loved her until his best friend told him to, because he fell in love with his best friend’s feelings for him that he disguised as el’s.

this is another major thing too - mike became a very disliked character from season 3 onwards, after he "officially" started dating el. most of the general audience, even people that couldn't care less about ships, just got extremely pissed off at mike and said he became an unlikeable character. even the CHARACTERS in the show got pissed at mike and kept saying how annoying he is with el. when you get into a relationship, you're supposed to change for the better, not for the worse, so this says a LOT about their relationship and the immaturity they have when they're together. there's no growth at all. it wasn't just a season 3 issue, it went into season 4. and they're unable to solve anything on their own without someone intervening? will was literally used as a plot device!

if you ask someone to tell you how mike and el are in a healthy relationship, they can’t even tell you, because there’s nothing to say. the excuses they make up to defend them just make no sense. blaming mike’s insecurities, saying this is el’s first relationship and many other things just don’t cut it. they love each other as people, but they simply don’t work as a ROMANTIC couple. the show also confirmed that they’re both insecure in this relationship and they can’t be themselves. this isn’t about their age because they’ve shown more maturity and respect with other characters they’ve been with than in their own relationship.

they rushed into romance when they were 12 years old and knew each other for 6 days, and even now, they don’t feel like equals and barely even know each other. how are they supposed to know each other when they lie most of the time anyways? el lied about her life in california and mike's always lying about things too because they're so insecure and don't feel fully emotionally safe with each other. the only person mike has felt fully comfortable with is will?

like i genuinely don’t understand why the writers are doing this if it’s not going to end with byler.

i don’t understand why they’re constantly teasing and shoving things in our face.

i don’t understand why they’ve shown that mike and will’s relationship has always been different and special since the beginning if it didn’t mean anything.

i don’t understand why they made will love mike since the beginning, before el was even in the picture, just to have him get kidnapped and then return to find out that mike has eyes for el instead and will feels like he’ll never get anything and that he’s a mistake for who he is.

i don’t understand why they’re making it clear that mike and el don’t work as a couple and that mike feels more safe and comfortable with will if they’re going to force mike and el to stay together.

i don’t understand why they’re making a gay child suffer even more when he’s been suffering his entire life and has barely been happy throughout the entire show. at least in season 3 everyone else got to have their little romance storylines and happy moments but will got absolutely nothing. he was excluded and then he had a breakdown after his fight with mike??

what was the point of any of this if byler wasn't going to happen?

they were the first characters to have a moment alone in the show

and i bet they will be the last ones to have a moment alone in the show too. oh "let's start a new party, you and me" scene how i long for you.

mike and holly matching with the same shade of blue and a white collar hmmm

and here as well

do you guys ever think about how El said Mike thought she was a monster with tears in her eyes, meanwhile 5 episodes later Will says Mike makes him feel like he belongs with the same tears in his eyes

We're at the point where the only way Mike and El could work is if Mike makes El feel the way he makes Will feel, and if El makes Mike feel the way Will makes him feel.

me when el finds a letter in mike's room signed "love, mike" but then she finds out it was not a letter meant for her...

my roman empire is the fact that if you tweak the timing slightly these become the same scene