THIS IS SO THE VAN SCENE CODED

Never getting over how accurate this meme was 😭

"But You make me feel like I'm not a mistake at all."

I FINALLY COMPLETED IT YAYYYY

Close ups:

sorry but the line "it's just because she's scared of losing you, just like you're scared of losing her" hits so incredibly hard when you realise Will really meant,

"it's just because I'm scared of losing you, just like how you're scared of losing her."

HE'S scared of losing Mike in the SAME way he thinks Mike is scared of losing EL.

Will's comparing his feelings for Mike for how (he assumes) Mike feels for El.

Will has not a doubt in his mind that Mike loves El and that the way he loves Mike will NEVER be reciprocated. It's heart-breaking.

they cut will's "losing you hurts too much" and mike's "she's already starting to realize she doesn't need me"

they said they edited the van scene to be "more subtle"

what exactly are they making more subtle if not byler endgame and milkvan bones?????

I just realized something so sweet and personal about Will's painting.

Their DnD characters don't look like that. We saw him draw them plenty in season 1. Will the Wise has a long beard and Mike's character I think has straight blond hair.

Will didn't just draw their characters per usual, he drew them as their characters. He's drawn Mike's knight character a hundred times. But he's never drawn Mike as a knight. He was understanding that Mike's character is a projection of who he aims to be, like all of them, so he drew MIke as the knight this time. For the first time.

That's what this smile is. Mike has played a hero for years. But he's never been one. He saw a dragon and probably expected his character, overjoyed with more of Will's familiar art, but instead, he was met with a glorious knight in shining armor with black, wavy hair. He was the hero this time. *(you can even see his facial expression change from happy excitement to this broad smile)

In season 1, Mike initiates the search party because of Will's heroics in DnD meaning that he would do it for them. He acknowledges that Will's actions in character are still his own. This is the same. This is Will saying "To play a hero, you have to be one yourself. And you are. I see through your character disguise. I see you. This is just the hero you've always been without the mask."

THAT is why it's different. THAT is why it's so much more personal than all the others, not just the heart, MIKE. THAT is why it hurts so bad (Will too but I'm referring to me/us).

I've said in a previous post that it wasn't about the heart, the heart was kind of for us, it was more-so about the heroism. And that's exactly what I standby. The heart isn't the only new thing about this painting. The hero has never actually been Mike before. And Will responded "Yes it has been. It always has been."

Everybody moved on,

Help, I’m still at the restaurant

I RECREATED MY BYLER QUOTES POSTER

old version

STRANGER THINGS 4 Byler & the van speech

this scene is so “do something, say something, lose something, choose something” coded like will is BEGGING mike to do SOMETHING.

anyway back to playing “you’re losing me” on repeat

I refuse to suffer in silence.

And what if I told you that the fact that Mike asked: “did you paint this?” was neither about being impressed by Will’s art improvement, nor was it about being shocked that someone put that much effort into a gift for him.

This was Mike asking for reassurance that this is The painting! That’s the painting Will’s been working on! That’s the painting for the “girl” he likes! Only that the girl isn’t a girl at all and the painting was for Mike all along!! This was Mike asking for reassurance that: “it’s me!? I’m the person you like?” because of course Will painted this! Of course he did and that didn’t come as a surprise to Mike because he knows how good Will is at art! And he knows that Will usually shares his art with him! What Mike is in disbelief over is the implication this has if it’s actually The painting! The realization that he might be the person Will likes!! And so he asks, and oh boy, he sounds so happy! So hopeful! So in disbelief! And then Will says ”yes” and for a moment time stands still….. until Will tells Mike that El commissioned the painting. Which shocks Mike and there’s a mix of disappointment and confusion on his face because “Oh… So this isn’t The painting after all?” but also “but this doesn’t make any sense!” And now Mike is torn because “what is happening right now?” But as Will starts to explain Mike realizes that he was right. Will is talking about himself. This is The painting. He is the person Will is in love with. And he’s speechless, doesn’t know what to say except for asking for reassurance again and Will says “yes”.

WILL. SAYS. YES!!

GUYS I'M SO HAPPY

These ST reactors I'm watching got to the Van Scene™️ and when they saw Mike's reactions they said "He knows. He knows he's talking about himself." but ya'll, these are the most GA reactors I've watched this far (into s4) and they have not shown any interest in either Byler or M!leven.

I love it when people see Mike's reactions as understanding... cuz I do believe that's what it is! And apparently (at least some of) the GA sees it that way too!

I see this as a win both as a Mike defender and a Byler lover! <333

*I should add this warning that I’m very biased (and kinda dumb) so I very well might’ve miss-seen this :)*

Wait. Waitwaitwaitwaitwait

They had Will say the exact same thing to Mike earlier in the scene almost verbatim and it didn't work.

I mean, it was the painting, but it was all Will. Like we knew this but I didn't realize that they literally demonstrating it NOT working until it was Will.

"Of course she'll still need you. She'll always need you, Mike."

"El needs you. And she always Will."

Not only did it work because of his words, which we knew already, but they made sure you had PROOF that it didn't work without them.

Will said it and it didn't work. Then he gave Mike the painting and it did. Mike didn't say "I love you" until Mike said "You're the heart". The instrumental is called "You're the Heart". Beyond just the inherent trope, they're telling us at every step they can that this would. not. have happened the same without Will.