#anyway. hope that explained...any of your question lmao there were like 40 tangents I could have made here lol

[emblazons]

Hi! I started following you recently, i love your ST analysis posts 💙 some of them have made me believe more in Byler endgame (I'm one of those people who have been "hurt" too many times) and for that i thank you.

I just read your post where you talk about why Will was sidelined in s3 and it makes so much sense. Do you think they also used that sidelining to highlight how alienated he felt during the season? It wouldn't be the first time they get meta in the show itself.

This is so kind of you to say @izzymeadows! As someone who definitely walked into "byler analysis" as a skeptic, I'm glad to hear it. If me trying to parse out what's going on in this show helps someone else's understanding of it too, I've done my (proverbial) job!

Note: for everyone else, the post referred to in this ask is here.

To your question, though: I do think that the story itself made Will "fade into the background" as a sense that he himself feels that way because of how his friends are acting, in addition to how he's just now realizing he is gay (as he's been made fun of for all his life)—its why we get these little scenes too (ones focused on Will, iconically enough) showing us that he himself feels left behind—

—why he eventually comes to a point where he believes DnD (which are inherently/thematically tied to his relationship with Mike) and his ever-growing romantic feelings can't take precedence the way he once hoped they would—

—and why the theme of him pushing other people (see: Mike) into this painful new "maturity" (despite Mike not actually wanting a push toward "responsibility" OR El from Will) gets explored in S4—

—especially given how he both shrinks back in his hopes for relationship with Mike (even though they're still painful for him) until Mike himself says he wants it back...and even has a wardrobe that makes him "blend into the background" (I know people have done several analyses on this, so if you have one to link, please do).

Now: that isn't to say that Will is happy about any of this; he still wants to hold onto his "childish" interests and be openly in love with Mike in his heart of hearts—he just thinks those things are impossible, and so tries (and repeatedly fails lmao) to let them go.

So, to your point: yes, I think that Will being "pushed back" or "sidelined" in the story is a meta function of the narrative in that Will himself is pushing himself back in order to manage his own expectations, so as not to hurt himself believing he might get something the rain fight made him feel like he was foolish and/or immature for wanting.

Will moved back from the forefront of the story because HE believes that people don't get what they want and have to be forced to "grow up" and settle for things other than what they want (like much of the GA seems to think as well lmfao). Ironically enough though...the war between these things in Will (and Mike) is inherent to the themes The Duffers are exploring in the story—and given what we know about their value system...

...I'd put money on the fact that Will's defeatism is going to be 'proved wrong' as we conclude his "coming of age" and the story come S5.

I hope that answers your question! And thanks again for the vote of confidence (and the ask)! :)

#byler #will byers #Will is absolutely gonna win the final storyline lol I can't believe people don't know an underdog story when they see one. EVEN FINN KNOWS #anyway. hope that explained...any of your question lmao there were like 40 tangents I could have made here lol #also--once again: working through my asks now that I'm not dead tired so you can expect several today ig lmao #asks #my st commentary