So... I'm back on tumblr because I just cannot not talk about this, I feel like I'm going insane rn

LOOK AT THIS

THE FLUFFY HAIR????

THE CLOTHES????

THE COLORS????

THE HEADPHONES ??????? WHYYYYYY???? TELL ME THINGSSS

Okay I'm gonna collapse

me, putting on my deranged hat: so m&ms. the candy that Mike gives to El.

if you put one of the “m”s upside-down, you get “m&w” (Mike and will). the upside-down w represents Will because Will is tied to the upside-down.

however it could also stand for “men & men” (m&m).

LMAO part of me is joking part of me thinks it’s interesting that out of All The Candy To Possibly Choose, production chose a candy brand with two of the same letters together during a scene about Mike and El being “different species”. whereas the “m”s are the same letter. the same species. because Mike needs to be with his own “species”.

what if mike and will grew up. figured out their shit and confessed their feelings in the most romantic way. they kiss and smooch. and even. make out sometimes. they grow up and they share a cute little house. on the edge of town. they can hold hands on the front porch and kiss each other in the driveway. and one day. mike says. "hey i want to have a kid with you." and will's heart beats nearly out of his chest and he has that big smile on his face. you know the smile. the big one with the teary eyes. and they adopt a little son and will's heart is too full about mike being a dad. a good dad. and mike feels like he's really living each day to the fullest, he has it all now. and then their little son gets. possessed. by some evil force. yikes. what if.

It has always been there.

Your Teeth In My Neck CH. 5 Update (@wheelersboy is best beta)

Neither of their friends, families, coaches, or teammates know of their designated meeting. To the niche boarding school world, at least in the corner they’ve carved out in Roane County, Mike Wheeler and Will Byers are sworn rivals that want nothing to do with each other. To have Will be invited to watch Mike’s bout, to ever be in a van alone together, it was all implausible. Their undiscussed, avoided issue regarding the mall worsens their conflict.  Starcourt held confusing memories for the pair. The summer they had fought was also the summer Mike and Will consistently went to the movie theater every night, sneaking in and enjoying blockbusters regularly. They took advantage of the cloaking darkness, intimately sitting next to each other with their bare knees knocking and bare arms sharing an elbow rest, just right for them to turn their heads and… Mike shakes his head, mind in the gutter. He won’t get lost in a dream.

Comment section acted weird so I'm tagging here for all those who showed loved to ch.1 debut posting @strawberry-pretzels @ladyiron-y @kaleidoskuls @laurienotteddy @argayle @elsbianism @bylersaidyes @madwheelerz @laurienotteddy @chaoticbyler @perexcri @sapphicslay01 @hazmatazz

ofc lemme know if you wanna be untagged

"when you slam the door i think you know, that you won't be away too long, you know that i'm not that strong"

hi @campbyler you destroyed me

Genuine question about the end of season 4.

How do you interpret the cabin scene in a non-Byler way? Why is El upset with Mike? Why has she barely spoken to him? Why does she shut the door on them?

WHAT IS SHE THINKING HERE?

Mike told her he loves her. He loves her with and without her powers. His life started when she came into his life. Great! Mike and El's conflict is resolved. They're ready to move forwards in their relationship, finally knowing they're on the same page... right?

If Mike really was genuine in that monologue, I can't find any reason why she would be mad at him at this point.

I've seen people say "She's just upset because of Max." Like yeah, of course she is, but if it was just about that, they wouldn't have filmed it like this. Her negative expression is a direct reaction to seeing Mike (and maybe Will). Then she walks into her room, closes the door, shutting them out. (Parallell to s3 When Mike lied.)

And if they were okay after Mike's monologue, shouldn't they have included a scene to let the audience know that: Okay, Mike and El are good now, they understand each other and are on the same wavelength. goodie good the "i love you"-conflict is over.

But they didn't, because that conflict isn't resolved yet. The plot is still ongoing. And if it was resolved it would be a horribly executed and anti-climatic ending to such an important plot this season.

They even make sure the audience knows that Mike and El barely talked (on and off camera), and Will is confused because why haven't they?

If you do have another perspective on this, PLEASE let me know, cause I genuinely want to understand what this scene is all about.

Am I crazy or did I just crack the mystery of the monologue scene????

Why did they lose against Vecna in season 4? What were they missing?

They lost the race against time. Time obviously played a significant role this season (The grandfather clock, Vecna's obsession with time, the UD being frozen in time). The time was simply up, they were too late. Who’s to blame? Mike Wheeler. 

Okay, let me explain, haha.

Throughout the whole series we all know Mike being late, or almost late to things is recurring. Every season in fact. S1: Mike’s campaign was too long, and he tried to get the party to stay past their curfew. S2: Mike’s trying to get in contact with El on his walkie, almost making him late to the arcade. S3: Mike was almost late to the cinema because he was with El, making them almost miss the beginning of the movie. S4: Mike’s reading El’s letter, almost making him and Nancy late for school... He begins every season with a race against time. Also worth noting that El was the reason for him being late in s2, s3 and s4. Also ALSO worth noting that in season 1, Mike begs his parents to let the party stay longer. The campaign took two weeks to plan! They need to finish it. He has no rush. While in all the other seasons (when he was late because of El), we get a "Shit! Shit! I'm going to be late"-version of Mike. He's stressed out and rushed. Not sure where I'm going with this last point, but I'm sure it means something and that it'll make sense in s5. The point is, Mike gets distracted by El.

Now for the monologue. This time, it's not Mike getting distracted by El. It's him distracting El.

Also, Jason was obviously a key reason for them being too late as well. The scenes switch between Lucas fighting him and Mike’s monologue, comparing the two. Jason destroys Max’s walkman, destroying her connection to Lucas and the world outside her mind. Mike tries to get El to wake up by lifting her out of the freezer, taking off her glasses, Will shoves the radio away. They’re trying to get her out of Max’s mind and into the real world again. But El doesn't want to wake up. She is ready to fight for Max. The boys obviously tried to help because who knows what would’ve happened if they didn’t? They thought El was dying. But El stopped choking before Mike began his monologue. When he did start his monologue, El looked away from Max and up “towards Mike’s voice”. She was listening to him now. Getting distracted. El also continuously tells people throughout the series to be quiet when going into her “trance”. People talking distracts her, and she needs to concentrate. With Mike removing all the aids that help her concentrate (the glasses, the tank, the radio), while also talking to her, we can only assume that now, El isn’t only fighting to save Max, but also to stay in Max’s mind, further slowing her down.

At the end of the monologue, Mike reminds her she has to fight, and El’s eyes snap back to Max. That’s when she breaks loose from the vines. Whether you think El believes what Mike is saying and utilizes his loving words for strength or not, it’s still a distraction. I’ve seen a lot of people say that they felt impatient while watching this scene. Like «get on with it! Vecna is literally killing Max RIGHT NOW». And we're probably right to feel imatient! That's probably what the writers were going for! The audience was supposed to feel like that. El lost valuable time because of it. Mike is making them late this time too.

Will is also kinda to blame in this (I don't blame any of them, it's just an unfortunate set of events and they all did what they thought was best, but you get what I mean) Because in a way, Mike is distracted too. Distracted from the truth. That happened when Will lied to him in the van, disguising his own feelings for Mike, using El as a distraction for Mike to focus on instead. Will's guiding Mike towards a lie. He convinced Mike that El was feeling a certain way, which she WAS NOT. (For example: "You make her feel like she’s not a mistake at all, like she’s better for being different." Queue Mike and El’s fight where she accuses him of thinking she’s a monster too, like everyone else.) (This also contrasts Will singling Mike out as the only person that doesn't treat him differently in season 2 in that scene with Will and Jonathan.) Mike doesn’t make El feel the way Will portrayed it in the van, though Mike is led to believe that she does.

Therefore, making the feelings that was the foundation for the monologue a lie. Both to Mike and El. It isn’t authentic. This doesn't apply to them. which brings me to my next point. 

 "A paladin swears to uphold justice and righteousness, to stand with the good things of the world against the encroaching darkness, and to hunt the forces of evil wherever they lurk. Different paladins focus on various aspects of the cause of righteousness (honesty=righteousness and honor for Mike), but all are bound by the oaths (promises, “friends don’t lie”) that grant them power to do their sacred work. Oaths, honor, and rigid rules define a paladin's everyday actions. Breaking these oaths (by lying) means their deity will revoke their powers."

This is why his monologue didn’t work. It was a lie (And Mike knowingly or unknowingly portrayed that lie to El). Without his honesty, Mike the paladin loses his powers. He couldn’t save them. 

Will’s selfless attempt to save their relationship sadly turned out to be counter-productive in every way, hindering all of them from seeing the truth. Will was also the one that told Mike to not stop, when in reality, maybe stopping and letting El be was exactly what he should've done. He's the heart. But he's Will's heart. That's what Will would've wanted Mike to do, seeing as Mike has saved him/snapped him out of his episodes multiple times by speaking to him: Of course Will thinks that's the right thing to do! Mike's doing what Will would've needed, not El.

It adds a new layer to El being upset with Mike in the cabin by the end of s4, because it isn't as simple as "she knows Mike is lying" or "She's just upset because they lost". She's upset because once again Mike doesn't trust that she knows her own limits (This being a huge reason for conflict in s3 between El/Mike/Max.) Mike worries because he cares of course, but it isn't what El needs ("Mike, I need you to trust me.") When Mike tries to help her, she fails. But she "redeems herself" when she's making her own decision, without outside influences other than love for her friends. She pushes her limits further than ever before, bringing Max back to life, trusting herself and her powers, without Mike knowing.

Mike is the heart, yes. The problem was - the heart was in the wrong place. They all got it wrong this time. They got confused and misunderstood each other. That’s why they lost. In the next season, I believe Mike and El are going to realize that they’ve both been focusing on the wrong things, and that is how they’re going to win. Still using love as their weapon - just a different kind of love that’s not distracting them from what they really need, not slowing them down. El coming fully into her own, reaching her full potential and using her powers the way she knows best, with the support of her loved ones making her stronger - not under the influence of Mike trying to stop her out of worry. And Mike’s heart being in the right place. With Will. 

(I also have a theory on Will’s role in the final battle, but that’ll have to be another post.)

This scene also confirms to me that Mike and El are “star-crossed” lovers, which they get accociated with. “A relationship that is doomed to fail.” The literal word "Montague" is spelled out behind Mike throughout the monologue, come on. A few important takes from this post below:

Romeo and Juliet mistakes lust for love (Mike and El think they love each other in that way, but they just don’t. They’re confused about why their relationship isn’t working, and it distracts them from other important stuff in their life.)

Romeo uses Juliet to get over someone else, a replacement (The love of your life is literally standing right behind you, Michael.)

Romeo and Juliet falling in love at first sight, believing they’re in deep love with each other, when in reality, it’s just infatuation and attraction (Mike saying he loved her since the moment they found her despite the Duffers, and Shakespeare himself, not believing love at first sight is real. Also Mike showed no indication that he fell in love with her at that time in s1)

These were 4AM thoughts so I might just be going crazy but the whole Mike being late thing makes sense now??? And it going full circle in season 5 too?? Can't wait.

The Duffers are geniuses I’m never getting over this show.

had a vision, blacked out. when i woke up my editing software was open and this was on my screen

byler literally consumes my life

Apocalypse Hawkins I believe in you 🤧

He asked for no pickles.

This is such a reach/delulu theory but you mentioned Corey Hart... Well, boy do I have a theory for you. His song 'Sunglasses At Night' plays in S2 when Steve is driving to Nancy's house because "something is wrong". Well, what ship is Mileven often paralleled to? Stancy. And who just so happens to be associated with sunglasses in S4? Mike. This song also kinda relates to Byler in a way, but I see it more as predicting their S5 fight and budding relationship in contrast to Mileven being bones. I am not good at executing theories but here you go! Hopefully it makes sense.

The first Line

"I wear my sunglasses at night - so I can, so I can- watch you weave, then breathe your story lines"

This to me really screams how El was lying in the letters/how Will was lying about the painting and how they both came up with these different stories and lied to Mike. Additionally Mike wears the sunglasses to hide his own feelings like in the airport and pizzeria scene. Wearing shades also reflects a struggle with identity which Mike is also going through this season.

*skipping some lines*

"While she's deceiving me, she cuts my security - has she got control of me? I turn to her and say"

This line really tells one of Mike's many struggles and how he feels this season, insecure.

"Don't switch the blade on the guy in shades, oh-no"

This gives me Byler Fight and Mileven break up energy. I can see this as Mike opening up in S5 about his feeling and how it affected him (it being the painting and the break up). Switch the blade also can mean caught by surprise. When Will's feelings and lie is revealed, Mike will certainly be surprised imo (I added 'imo' cuz ik some ppl believe he already knows about Will's feelings and the painting).

"Don't masquerade with he guy in shades, oh-no"

Once again about lying and deceiving.

*skipping some more lines*

"And I wear my sunglasses at night - so I can, so I can, - See the light that's right before my eyes"

This just makes me think of the van scene and Mileven fight in S4. In the van scene Will is covered in light, and Mike's wearing figurative shades to hide his feelings once again. Now, on the other hand, seeing the light with El gives me the energy that Mike was on the verge of ending things. He seemed to be coming to terms and understanding that he doesn't need to stay in a relationship for whatever reason.

"I wear my sunglasses at night - I cry to you"

We will definitely see Mike cry his eyes out next season.

GUYS GUYS GUYS WTF THIS IS AMAZING

I LITERALLY DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY BECAUSE YOU PRETTY MUCH SAID IT ALL

and yes we HAVE to see Mike cry his eyes out to Will, especially because in the first song of his playlist there's a whole outro saying "cry boy, cry" over and over and over again like it has to happen

and when Steve is driving to Nancy's house, I guess we could say it's related to Mike too because it's the Wheeler house, ykwim? this kinda doesn't make sense idc

and the sunglasses thing, I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't realized that both of them wore sunglasses, lol, and Mike wore them twice... (both times when he was hiding his feelings)

and the artists name is Corey HART bro HELP

⭐️💥⚡️

bylers bedroom scene is so painfully flirty like wdym "cool" "cool" ?? just kiss

I AM BACK 😭

Hey guys it's been a while

I hope everyone is doing alright 💛💙

He can sense the byler presence